Bimaadizijig miinwaa ayaagashimaadikamigak: Life, living, relatives, and creation

Webinar Recording: 

Webinar Series Info:

Welcome to the Giizhigoong Webinar Series! March is Astronomy Month at TRACKS and to celebrate the Sky World and star teachings, TRACKS has created a 3-part webinar series. Each webinar is 90-minutes long, including a 60-minute talk by a featured knowledge holder(s) and followed by 30-minutes of Q&A facilitated by TRACKS Coordinators Kelly King and Maggie Cummings. The webinars are free and recordings will be available after each session.

The Giizhigoong program is supported through a memorial fund set up by the family of Adam Evans. We are proud to support the legacy of science education in the field of Astronomy made possible through this funding. Miigwech! 

Our final speakers for the series will be Kylie Fox-Peltier and Beedahbin Peltier. Drawing from their own understandings of sky teachings, these new parents will share how the Sky World teaches us about raising babies and children and the ways in which we can look to the stars for guidance on governance within our communities.

Panelist Info:

Beedahbin Peltier

Indigenization Consultant at Indigenize.ca

Grew up in Manidoo Minis/Manitoulin Island, I now live in Nogojiwanong, Mississauga territory. Raised by my grandparents who spoke anishinaabemowin language and who practice a traditional lifestyle. Our family is the deer and turtle clan, whose responsibility is to critically think, challenge, seek understanding through philosophy and science, and to share those understandings. In Wiikwemkoong, it has become known as a cultural and language hub of the Anishinaabe nation. My family and community continue to support my participation in knowledge revitalization and my passion for sharing Anishinaabe kendaasiwin. I am on the TRent Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Science (TRACK) TRACKS advisory circle, as well, I am a corporate Indigenization consultant at Indigenize.ca, a professor at Fleming College, a course instructor at the First Nations University of Canada and I am a father, husband, son, brother, and uncle.

I love plants, the lands, the waters, and all that anishinaabemowin lends to describing all the seen and unseen intricacies of the web of creation. Our ancestors, our knowledge holders and our youth continue to have access to Anishinaabe kendaasiwin, akinoomoshin, and eskaagimikwe. Anishinaabe knowledge, we consider to be a living knowledge, from a living place, a living people, and it is a responsibility to support the ability that Anishinaabe knowledge has in wellness, identity, relationships, and visions of the future. Miigwech, Miigwech, Miigwech, Miigwech!!

Kylie Fox-Peltier

Manager of Indigenous Student Services at Fleming College

Gete mnidoo iShkode kwe ndizhnikaaz, Kleinburg miinwaa Wiikwemkoong ndoonjibaa, Nogojiwanong miigwa ndidaa, Anishinaabekwe miinwaa Dutch ndow.

Aanii Everyone! My Anishinaabe name is woman who carries/holds the original intentions of fire, my English name is Kylie. I am an urban Anishinaabekwe who grew up just north of Toronto in Kleinburg – traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee people. I am Dutch and Spanish through my mother, and Scottish, French and Ojibway through my father and grandfather who are members of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, situated on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. I now live in Nogojiwanong (Peterborough, Ontario), which is on the traditional lands of the Michi Saagig Anishinaabeg, within the territory of the Williams Treaty and Treaty #20.

I am a very proud (and new) mother to my beautiful son, Zika’ige (English name is Aadyn); I am a wife to my amazing husband and best friend, Beedahbin,; I am a daughter, sister and an Auntie to two beautiful little ones – Casimir and Cali Abitong who live in Sagamok First Nation; and a proud community Auntie to many others!

As a new mother, I was supported in preparing myself to become a gusheh. Traditionally, motherhood is said to be tied to generations of knowledge, rights of passage, connections to moon, water, earth and biology. My teachers, elders, and family support my this learning. There is an intimate relation for Ikawe to the nibi waaboo, dibik giizis, and eshkaawgamikawe. I also learned about the plant connections to reproduction, womens health, harvesting and reciprocity to the plant nation. Becoming a mother has reinforced these understandings and connections to creation for me and will share some of the insights I have.

My career began with working in various areas of the provincial government, contributing to Indigenous related initiatives and projects with the Ministry of Government Services, Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, and the Ministry of Natural Resources. I began working at Fleming College, as the Indigenous Student Services Coordinator in September of 2010, here, I worked to create campus awareness, engaged in community relationship building initiatives and implemented programming and services that support the access, retention and success of Indigenous learners. I currently work at Fleming College as the Manager of Indigenous Student Services where I oversee all supports for FNMI students at our Peterborough, Lindsay and Haliburton campuses.

In addition to my work at Fleming College, I am co-owner and Corporate Indigenization Consultant with Indigenize.ca. This work includes the facilitation of training, and provides advice to companies/organizations on how to meaningfully engage with their local Indigenous communities in order to respectfully honour the traditional territories in which they work within.