This guide is an excellent resource for educators and for anyone who wants an introduction to the Indigenous Peoples in our area, as well as the history and effects of colonialism and steps that we can take to decolonize. It really has been the result of many people and groups working together.

– Chris Lagimodiere, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Initiatives (Brandon University)

About Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide

Elders, Knowledge Keepers, community members, and Indigenous organizations across Manitoba have ‘pulled together” to work alongside Assiniboine Community College, Brandon University, and Campus Manitoba to adapt the Pulling Together Foundations Guide for western Manitoba.

Originally created in British Columbia as part of a larger Indigenization project, the Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide (Brandon Edition) will provide a starting point for those who want to learn more about Indigenous Peoples in the Prairie region of Canada and those who wish to begin their journey of understanding Canada’s colonial legacy.

The Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide (Brandon edition) is an open educational resource that can be found at http://pressbooks.openedmb.ca/pullingtogethermanitoba/.

Learning Together at BU

The guide has been developed to support individuals in their learning journey; whether it be self-guided or as part of a broader learning community. At Brandon University, the guide provides ways for faculty and staff to begin to decolonize and Indigenize their practices in our post-secondary context.

Here are a few ideas for ways to engage with this learning resource.

• Self-study
• As a self-organizing group or department
• Facilitator-led cohort

Self-study:

Whether you read the guide from front to back cover, or explore individual sections, the text prompts readers to take the learning off the page and thoughtfully engage in a variety of activities for deeper understanding. These include questions for reflection, as well as links to additional videos, books, news stories, and more.

Self-organizing group study:

Individuals from across campus may decide they want to explore the guide together informally or perhaps as a unit or team. A facilitator’s guide has been created to provide ideas for exploring the Pulling Together Foundations resource – as a group. This is available in both PDF and PowerPoint versions, with the latter available in slideshow format with notes pages.

Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations – Facilitator’s Guide for Group Learning

Pulling Together Manitoba Foundations – Facilitator’s Slides

Facilitator-led cohort:

Throughout the year, faculty and staff will be invited to sign up to attend a scheduled exploration of the guide, as a cohort, over the period of six weeks. Each week, individuals will read through the sections and engage in related activities at their own pace, then come together as a group for broader reflection and discussion at different points throughout the program. Group reflection and discussion will take place in the form of learning circles, led by local Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and/or Elders. Learners will be invited to seek out experiences or opportunities within their own context following the program, with the opportunity to come back together a few months later to share actions, successes and outcomes.

Manitoba Foundations Group. (2021). Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide (Brandon Edition). Campus Manitoba. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.openedmb.ca/PullingTogetherManitoba