Steven Gordon Harris Dorland

STEVEN DORLAND, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, was awarded funding in April 2021 to aid research on “Learning about Learning: A community-based approach to childhood pottery making in partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.” This community-based project was hosted by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and in partnership with Mississauga Nation, University of Toronto, and Dalhousie University. The project goals focused on bringing together archaeology and Indigenous Knowledge in a way that centered Mississauga ways of knowing and doing to learn about community ways of learning. Although COVID-19 made research working with Indigenous communities very challenging due to high health risks, the flexible and adaptable nature of this project allowed for a successfully developed online archaeology training program in July 2021 that combined pottery making, archaeology, and the training of transferable skills. The foundation of this program allowed for the further development of a strong foundation for an in-person training program in 2022. Through online interactions with knowledge keepers and community experts in Indigenous knowledge and land-based learning, youth participants had the opportunity to connect to community members and learn about archaeology and methods of applying Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being into archaeological practice. At the end of this project, youth participants were introduced to ways of learning about past ancestors and developed skills that will contribute to the development of community-led heritage preservation initiatives.