Institute Overview

FNTI Cultural Standards

The institution/program has identified a locally appropriate and accepted set of "Cultural Standards" representing local definitions of cultural knowledge, beliefs, protocols, laws and practices against which its performance can be reviewed and evaluated. These local Cultural Standards must be defined by Indigenous people from the context in which they will be used, and be submitted to the WINHEC Accreditation Authority for approval as a pre-condition for consideration of eligibility.

Many First Nations communities in Canada, such as Tyendinaga, have been undergoing a cultural reformation since the 1970s whereby we are collectively reaffirming these standards and sharing with each other how we see them playing out in the 21st century. Our constituents in Canada are made up of primarily Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe, however we also serve some Muskegowuk communities as well. The Cultural Standards we are providing are based in Haudenosaunee culture, however it is our belief that the core of these standards remain true for many Indigenous cultures. Additionally, we have incorporated a common practice of learning about these cultures from the knowledge keepers who are recognized as holders of the knowledge.

A) Internal congruence
Cultural Knowledge
Departments assemble a body of traditional and cultural knowledge that is appropriate to share with the learners. The sources of this knowledge are oral history; common practices; respected elders; community practitioners who have practical experiences with the application of that knowledge; documented cultural practice as identified by various community cultural agencies (i.e. cultural centres, schools, professional associations) who have codified that knowledge; existing Haudenosaunee curriculum; and the reflective practice of the faculty, lecturers, course planners, and academic specialists. FNTI advocates respect for cultural diversity (variety of indigenous practices), and encourages students to seek their own path of cultural learning.

Cultural Beliefs
A shared cultural identity is important to FNTI. However, we recognize that not all students are at the same point in their personal path and we do not impose our cultural beliefs upon anyone. Instead, we use our cultural beliefs to create an atmosphere for learning . While we do not force spiritual beliefs upon our staff or faculty, we advocate for an understanding of how belief systems impact on our collective rights, identities and destinies.

Cultural Protocols
The use of the Thanksgiving Address to begin our meetings, programs, course delivery or daily schedule is an important protocol to bring our staff, faculty and learners to one mind on the purpose of their gathering.

Cultural Laws
We advocate strongly that our collective guiding principles are derived from cultural "documents" of our traditions such as the Natural Laws of Creation, Great Law of Peace, the Two Row Wampum and the Covenant Chain of Peace. Each of these sets of "laws" provides us with parameters of conduct and opportunities to understand our personal and collective responsibilities to maintain these laws.

The three guiding principles of the Great Law - Peace, Power (Strength) and Righteousness (Good Mind) inform FNTI policy and practice. "Peace has been defined as the active striving of humans for the purpose of establishing universal justice… True peace is the product of a unified people on the path of Righteousness and Reason - the Ability to enact the principles of Peace through education, public opinion and political and when necessary, military unity. It is the product of a spiritually conscious society using its abilities at reason.

When we work for peace, we develop a good mind, a good way of thinking. The good mind refers to the shared ideology of the people using their purest and most unselfish minds. It occurs when the people put their minds and emotions in harmony with the flow of the universe and the intentions of the Good Mind or Great Creator. The principles of Righteousness, demand that all thoughts of prejudice, privilege or superiority be swept away and that recognition be given to the reality that the Creation is intended for the benefit of all equally - even the birds and animals, the trees and the insects, as well as the humans… Reason is seen as the skill which humans must be encouraged to acquire in order that the objectives of justice may be attained and no one's rights abused." (Basic Call to Consciousness, 1978)

Cultural Practices
We have found that our greatest cultural practice is in how we treat each other, to make the organization a culturally-based "family" which spreads knowledge, understanding, and capacity for well-being to the extended families that are the communities we serve.

Our basic strategy is to renew and strengthen existing cultural patterns and mechanism. We focus on building productive relationships through the most cherished values - respect, sharing and caring. These three values have been the basis of relationship building of the Haudenosaunee since time immemorial and we continue to honour that tradition in our work at FNTI.

B) Cultural Integrity
Source of Cultural Knowledge
We rely heavily upon the expertise of our faculty to draw the legitimate and appropriate cultural knowledge and practices into play in their respective courses. The faculty is asked to demonstrate the value of cultural knowledge in the "style" of their courses, rather than information that is shared. In this way we feel that our relationships and philosophy of education reflects the cultural knowledge. Our culture teaches us that each person is born with a unique gift. That source exists within the learner. We help them discover and nurture that inner source of knowledge.

Process of Validation of Cultural Knowledge
In many ways cultural knowledge, because it has been time tested for countless generations, is self-validating. With our prior learning assessment approach, the learners often bring their own cultural understandings and ideas/values are shared, validated, expanded or clarified. This is important because we advocate local solutions to local problems, meaning that the local culture will set the tone for the resolution of the matter at hand. The validation of the knowledge comes from the community itself. We do not attempt to impose standards, but to help the learner uncover the community standards of knowledge, belief and practice.

Process of Transferring Knowledge
We recognize that a culturally-based adult learning strategy is important in order to reach our clientele. Our theory and practice of adult learning, native learning styles and processes of learning are learner-centered, and reflective of the customary practice in our ancestral communities. We believe that sharing knowledge is the strength of our communities and of this institution. We work at inspiring the learners with the intellectual, emotional and spiritual potentials of traditional knowledge, in order to encourage them to seek out personal connections and take responsibility for their own learning. We thereby empower the learners to take what we share, add to it their own experience and cultural inheritance, and then share that learning with others.

C) External Linkages
Concepts of Onkwehonwe-ness
We have a worldview of the commonality of the Indigenous nations of the "Great Turtle Island." We refer to all of the Indigenous people as Onkwehonwe - the original, real people. While we advocate for a firm understanding of local cultural practice, we also set the stage for tolerance and respect for cultural diversity within. By seeing all Indigenous people are part of one large family, we try to break down the inhibitors of ethnocentrism among our own people. By comparing and contrasting cultures, we can enhance our understanding and appreciation of our own. Therefore, linkages with other cultural communities are not perceived as "external." At the same time, we are well aware that colonization has created barriers to sharing and understanding that need to be overcome.

We believe strongly in sharing our educational strategies, learning from other cultural communities and the need to keep our programs growing in the overall awareness of Onkwehonwe-ness.

The Silver Covenant Chain
As our new logo represents, the Covenant Chain is a very old culturally-imbued political action tool, whereby our ancestors resolved disputes, made and maintained peace. The Covenant Chain has its origins in the first treaty agreements we made with the Dutch, French, English, Americans and Canadians. Many Indigenous nations became culturally-affiliated and politically-connected to the Haudenosaunee through the Covenant Chain as well. This Chain forms the basis of our relationship to other governments and cultures. It expresses a willingness to coexist, yet and determination to protect and exercise our sovereignty.

Education/learning is at the core of this Chain, as it provides us with the tools, skills and motivations to assure that the interchanges with these other governments and cultures advances our state of well-being. As part of our nation-building we use the political lessons of the past as a springboard to future possibilities. Our cultural history provides the framework for establishing and maintaining peace, friendship, respect, dispute resolution, and environmental protection.

Indigenous Nation-to-Nation Exchanges
FNTI is in the process of reviewing its policies to assure that they are deeply rooted in and reflective of, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe cultural values as these nations are most representative of our learners. However, FNTI also acknowledges and respects the cultural values of our international Indigenous partners most especially in our joint work in PLAR and Portfolio Development.