Unsettling the Bear River Massacre: A Transformative Learning Project

Spurred by the discovery of a "forgotten" Native massacre, the author utilizes transformative learning and critical Indigenous theories to implement a decolonization education project with non-Native people. The methodology incorporated Indigenous Worldviews and ceremonial processes. Specifically, interweaving transformative learning processes with Indigenous elements such as a traditional Shoshone sweat lodge, visiting the massacre site, and listening to a Shoshone elder. These facilitated their experiential shift into Indigenous worldviews and ceremonial center. Participants in this project reported a transformation in their perspectives on the Bear River Massacre, the Shoshone-Bannock people, and the loss of their own Indigenous roots. They reported sustained behavioral change in relation to the topic and a desire to get to know Native people and their culture better.

Autorentext

Dr. Crete Brown, LCSW, of mixed European and Native American descent, weaves Indigenous and non-Indigenous worldviews into a transformative learning model in relation to a forgotten Native massacre. She integrates her doctorate in Transformative Studies from CIIS, with the knowledge passed on to her by the late Ben Pease of the Crow Nation.

Klappentext

Spurred by the discovery of a "forgotten" Native massacre, the author utilizes transformative learning and critical Indigenous theories to implement a decolonization education project with non-Native people. The methodology incorporated Indigenous Worldviews and ceremonial processes. Specifically, interweaving transformative learning processes with Indigenous elements such as a traditional Shoshone sweat lodge, visiting the massacre site, and listening to a Shoshone elder. These facilitated their experiential shift into Indigenous worldviews and ceremonial center. Participants in this project reported a transformation in their perspectives on the Bear River Massacre, the Shoshone-Bannock people, and the loss of their own Indigenous roots. They reported sustained behavioral change in relation to the topic and a desire to get to know Native people and their culture better.