Land-Based Education Leading the Way

By D. Vienneau

From October 8 to 10, nations gathered once again on the land for the second annual Land-Based Education Conference—a growing movement rooted in ancestral teachings, ceremony, and a deep commitment to protecting the land and water for future generations.

Various organizations, including Peguis Consultation and Special Projects Inc. (PCSP), joined together to host a three-day gathering on Treaty 1 territory, bringing together Elders, Knowledge Keepers, youth, and community leaders to share in ceremony, learn land-based skills, and discuss the urgent need for environmental protection and education reform.

SAY Magazine recently spoke with PCSP Director Mike Sutherland about the conference and the need for a bold new vision for Indigenous education that is shaping the next generation of land protectors.

At the heart of the gathering were Tipi teachings, led each day by respected Elders and Knowledge Holders. These teachings focused on Clan systems, the roles and responsibilities of young people, the spirit of the land, song and drum teachings, and sacred practices such as the pipe ceremony and water ceremonies.

“The teachings we share in the Tipis are foundational,” says Sutherland. “They remind our young people who they are, where they come from, and how they’re meant to walk with the land—not over it.”

Themed “Using Our Land is Protecting Our Land,” the event offered hands-on learning through daily land-based activity camps, fostering intergenerational learning and skill building. There were numerous opportunities for experiential education, including goose and fish camp, trapping and fur camp, big game and hunting, food processing, language and medicine camps, and hide tanning, as well as smoking fish and meat.

Every afternoon, under a large central tent where the conference participants gathered for meals, featured speakers shared their stories and knowledge. This year, the event welcomed keynote speakers Trechelle Bunn, the youngest female Chief in Manitoba from the Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation; Elder Ovide Mercredi, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations; and Dallas King, a Māori water keeper from New Zealand who speaks on Indigenous water protection struggles overseas.

This gathering couldn’t have come at a more critical time. Across the country, laws like Bill C-5 are making it easier for government and industry to access Indigenous lands and resources without meaningful consent or sustainability. The message is clear: we must equip young people with the tools to defend the land. “Especially those who work as traditional environmental monitors, often collaborating with various large companies on jobs,” explains Sutherland.

“Before we can protect anything, we have to understand it,” he says. “That starts with land-based education, as a career and a calling.”

What began as a grassroots conference is quickly evolving into a larger movement. Plans are underway to work with Red River College to co-develop a two-year diploma grounded in Indigenous land-based philosophies. But the vision doesn’t stop there.

A new Land-Based, or Magnet School, is also in development—a school where students from grades 8 to 12 will spend half their time learning traditional ways (hunting, trapping, ceremony, medicines, language) and the other half completing core academics (math, science, literacy) required for their Grade 12 diploma.

“It’s not just for First Nations kids. It’s for anyone who wants to learn how to live with the land. We want to build that understanding across all nations,” explains Sutherland.

Graduates will have direct connections with Red River College and access to post-secondary options in fields such as hydrology, forestry, fisheries, environmental science, geology, and regulatory governance. “By building a curriculum that melds both Indigenous knowledge and Western science, we can create greater sustainability with First Nations environmentalists who advocate for our communities,” says Sutherland. “Once our youth know who they are, where they stand, what’s happening on their lands, and who governs that process, then they can lead. Then they can challenge and they can change things.” 

The urgency behind this movement is driven by what’s happening on the ground today.

An increase in fires, floods, and droughts is not solely due to climate change. A significant portion of this is attributable to human activity. Wetlands, swamps, and sloughs—once essential recharge systems for groundwater—have been plowed under for agriculture. Massive dairy operations, chemical run-off, and drainage projects are destroying aquifers and drying out the Prairie provinces.

“People don’t realize that approximately 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh, and a huge amount of that is here—in Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. But once it’s poisoned or drained, we won’t get it back,” urges Sutherland.

According to Sutherland, even in urban areas, untreated sewage is still being discharged into rivers that flow into Lake Winnipeg—once safe waters that have now become contaminated, causing illness and dangerous algae blooms.

“Thirty years ago, we drank straight from Lake Winnipeg. Today? You could end up in the hospital. That tells you everything,” says Sutherland. With the growing agricultural industry and increasing threat of larger and more productive crops, it’s imperative to build a nation of land protectors. 

To address these challenges head-on, Sutherland assembled a committee of ten Elders and ten scientists who gathered on October 6 and 7, immediately preceding the conference, to share knowledge and build a strategy—uniting Indigenous wisdom with Western science to protect Mother Earth. The goal is to move beyond advocacy into policy, legislation, and systemic change.

“We’re planting seeds—seeds of awareness, seeds of responsibility, and seeds of hope. If our people can see the connection between education and land protection, we can build a future where our knowledge leads the way,” says Sutherland.

Land-based education is more than just a program; it’s a movement to empower the next generation to understand the systems, challenge harmful practices, and lead the way to a sustainable future. It’s a return on which our future depends, and that is a legacy we should all support. 

For more information about PSCP and upcoming events, visit their Facebook page.  

Sponsored by the Peguis Consultation and Special Projects Inc. (PCSP), a unique department of Peguis First Nation in Manitoba that focuses on Section 35 consultations and special projects. This department was established in 2012-2013 to ensure that adequate engagement processes were in place, including environmental hearings at both the provincial and federal levels.