CBC's New Fire goes back to class

This week CBC New Fire went into the classroom, talking to Indigenous youth about what they’re learning— in the typical classroom setting, as well as on the land.

Host Lisa Charleyboy spoke to a number of youth including Caitlin Baikie, who says climate change is a barrier to passing down traditional knowledge.

Baikie is 23 and now lives in Ottawa where she works as a program manager for Students on Ice. But she grew up in Nain, Labrador and the land was her classroom. She’s noticed, already, a change in the sea ice surrounding her home.

"These [sea ice] routes that we travel on are thousands of years old but with the changing of climate now we can't predict which areas are always going to be safe," she said.

"One area that we always knew was safe… was actually bad and we didn't know that because we expected it was going to be good, but we lost hunters. So a family actually fell through the ice and they didn't ever come back."

Baikie believes a reliable climate is integral to passing down traditional knowledge, and unpredictable sea ice becomes a barrier to education. She worries about what’s to come for future generations.

"My parents didn't have to think about that when they were raising myself and my sister — they didn't have to think about how will we transfer this traditional knowledge."

Charleyboy also spoke to students Guillermo Sulia'n Knockwood, Joshua Tordiff and Sheena Middleton who are fighting to bring culture into their classrooms, as well as visited the University of British Columbia to talk about the importance of the land students stand on.

Listen to the full episode below:

Have you attended classes and had teachers who've embraced your culture or allowed you to do so in the classroom?