Origins
This is not an institutional story. Though we all come from distinct Nations across vast distances, our creation and relations can be traced back to the time of our ancestors. Since time immemorial, our Indigenous ancestors created thriving economies of reciprocal trade, marriage, and alliances. Today we are restoring and revitalizing these practices, as well as our common threads of understanding of the Earth and all our relations. The Indigenous Early Years Kinship is one place where we do this work together.
When we first gathered in the fall of 2019, we sat together embracing the silence. We felt but could not articulate the power of our coming together. The founding members belong to the Wet’suwet’en, Nlaka’pamux, Gitxsan, Nuu-chah-nulth (Ahousaht) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm First Nations. Since then, the founding members have been joined by cousins from the Algonquin, Anishinaabe, Cowichan/Mohawk, Dakelh, Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, Métis/Cree, Nedut’en, Nlaka’pamux Syilx/Ktunxaxa, and Tŝilhqot’in Peoples. We respect these traditions as following from the time of our ancestors and the origins of the lands and waters.
Since our inception, we have evolved and expanded with four cohorts, which we came to see as collaborations in Kinship. We came to know each other as cousins rather than colleagues. Within this Kinship we are both community-based and reciprocally collaborative. We work in Indigenous early childhood education in many capacities; in early years settings, in its management, in post-secondary early childhood education, the First Nations health sector, K-12 education, and post-secondary research and education.
Our different pathways honour the responsibilities and work that Indigenous Nations do with and for their children, families, and communities. In building Kinship, we connect, question, engage in conversations, wonder, vision, and dream together to strengthen, pass on, revitalize and extend our cultural practices, languages, traditions, and protocols in strength, sharing and collaboration. We also work to create new ways of sharing and storytelling appropriate to the challenges of our time, and in support of the struggles of our communities.
Our initial name was the First Nations Pedagogies Network. The FNPN was created by the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society in partnership with the Early Childhood Pedagogy Network. This initiative created a unique and shared process of strengthening of cultures, languages, educational practice, leadership, and profound Kinship within the field of Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care.
We are proud and honoured to continue this work under our newly established non-profit name, the Indigenous Early Years Kinship, established in 2024. We continue to be committed to the priority of Indigenous practices, authorities, and capacities in these lands, For our People, For Our Rights, and For Our Children.
We welcome you to join our circle of Kinship, imagine sitting with us by the fire that keeps us strong, listen, tell your story, and engage in the sacredness of the work that we do for all children.
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© 2024 Indigenous Early Year Kinship. All Rights Reserved.
The Indigenous Early Years Kinship is dedicated to the development of leadership capacities and good processes in the cultural continuance and revitalization of early childhood education with Indigenous children, families, cultures and communities, on Indigenous terms.
