This project was coordinated and facilitated by Alice Johnston and facilitated and implemented by Emily Verhoek, with tremendous support from Sonia Nobrega (QUBS Senior Manager), Dr. Stephen C. Lougheed (Professor and QUBS Director), and Dr. Lindsay Morcom (Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Education for Queen’s University’s Faculty of Education). Alice is the former QUBS Indigenous Knowledge STEM Program Coordinator for the QUILLS project and is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Queen’s University Faculty of Education. Emily is the QUBS Outreach and Teaching Coordinator and has an educational background in biology and education. 

We would like to thank the following people for their generous contributions to the Queen’s University Indigenous Land-Based Learning STEM (QUILLS) program. This project involved contributions from myriad people from many disciplines, communities and ‘ways of life’. We have endeavoured to thank everyone here for their wonderful contributions. If we have inadvertently missed someone we apologize profusely. Please contact us and we will rectify any oversights!

Please note:

There is no such thing as ‘the’ Indigenous perspective. Indigenous land-based knowledge emerges from the contours of land and so differs depending on where a group is situated geographically. Additionally, the Katarakwi region is shared territory. It is the home of both Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee community members in addition to Métis, Inuit, and First Nations peoples from across Turtle Island. Accordingly, not all the perspectives shared in the Learning Bundles are held in common across the people mentioned below. Additionally, please note that while community members contributed the knowledge(s) they carry no one Knowledge Keeper reviewed the QUILLS materials in their entirety. 

Miigwech! Nyá:wen! to the following local Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and community members who provided us with direction regarding the shape each Learning Bundle should take and who contributed their local land-based ways of knowing and being.

• We appreciate the wisdom and assistance of the late Joe Brown, a Kanyen’kehá:ka, Turtle Clan Knowledge Keeper from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory who contributed to the creation of the QUILLS Learning Bundles and passed away on February 9th, 2022.
• Deb St. Amant is Métis from Penetanguishene and Ojibwe (Bear Clan) from Henvey Inlet First Nation currently residing in Trenton, Ontario.
• Elder Dr. Shirley Ida Williams is Bird Clan from the Anishinaabe and Odawa Nations Midewewin- kwe, originally from Wiikwemikoong Unceded First Nation located on Manitoulin Island.
• Liz Osawamick is Beaver Clan from the Anishinaabe and Odawa Nations, originally from Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation located on Manitoulin Island.
• Al Doxtator is Bear Clan, From On^yota’a:ka’ (Oneida) of the Thames First Nation. He is an Elder and Cultural advisor at Queen’s University.
• Liv Rondeau is a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Akwesasne Mohawk Territory) educator who sits with the Wolf Clan. She lives and works in Katarokwi and is the Vice-Principal of Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Lead at the Limestone District School Board.
• Yakothehtón:ni (Jennifer E. Brant) sits with the Bear Clan and is a Kanyen’kehá:ka, educator from Kenhtéke Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, ON.
• Joe Pitawanakwat is an Anishinaabe Knowledge Keeper from Wiikwemikoong Unceded Indian Territory on Manitoulin Island.
• Kimberly Debassige is Anishinaabe from M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island currently residing in the urban Kingston Indigenous community. Kimberly chooses to focus her time on language learning and being in relationship with the natural world as a teacher.
• Maureen Buchanan is a proud member of Batchewana First Nation and is Anishinaabekwe.
• Adrianne Lickers is a Kanyen’kehá:ka Knowledge Keeper from Six Nations of the Grand River.
• Lindsay Brant is a Kanyen’kehá:ka Knowledge Keeper from Kenhtéke Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
• Tayohseron:tye (Nikki Auten) sits with the Turtle Clan and is a Kanyen’kehá:k Knowledge Keeper from Kenhtéke Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
• Carrie Hill is a Haudenosaunee Black Ash and Sweetgrass basket weaver from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.
• Abraham Francis is a Haudenosaunee Knowledge Keeper from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.
• Sylvia Plain from Aamjiwnaang First Nation is a community ambassador, Knowledge Keeper and founder of the Great Lakes Canoe Journey Education Program.
• Autumn Watson is a local Anishinaabe community member from Curve Lake First Nation.
• Erin Hayward is a Kanyen’kehá:ka and German, non-status, urban, Indigenous person, from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory currently residing in Whitby, Ontario.
• Danka Brewer is an Anishinaabe Knowledge Keeper from Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation.
• Robert Lovelace is an associate professor in the Global Development Studies program at Queen’s University.
• Candace Lloyd is a Métis Knowledge Keeper whose family is from Cross Lake Island, Saskatchewan and Sault St. Marie, Ontario.
• Natasha Akiwenzie is Anishnaabekwe from Lac Seul First Nation living in Neyaashiinigmiing, Ontario.

Thank you to the following Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics who consulted on the QUILLS project and provided public lectures to the wider Queen’s University community regarding the decolonization of STEM education.

• Robin Kimmerer is a mother, scientists, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
• Leroy LittleBear is a Blackfoot researcher, professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, founding member of Canada’s first Native American Studies Department, and recognized leader and advocate for First Nations education, rights, self-governance, language, and culture. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work, including the Officer Order of Canada, and the Alberta Order of Excellence.
• Glen Aikenhead is a professor emeritus from the University of Saskatchewan. His areas of research expertise include cross cultural science education with a focus on Indigenous students; science curriculum and instruction (policy, curriculum development, assessment of students, instructional strategies, research, and development into classroom materials); and international science education.

We are grateful to the following STEM researchers who generously contributed their research to the following Learning Bundles: 

Food and Global Climate Change 

• Paul Grogan: Professor of Plant and Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University.
• Ryan Danby: Director and associate professor of Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, Conservation Biology, and Vegetation Science.
• Lonnie Aarssen: Professor of Plant Ecology and Evolution; Evolution and Human Affairs 
• John Smol: Distinguished professor of Paleolimnology and Climate Change.

Gifts of the Earth and the Biodiversity Crisis 

• Rob Colautti: Associate professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Ecological Genomics.
• Stephen C. Lougheed: Baillie Family Chair in Conservation Biology, professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Queen’s University, and Director of The Queen’s University Biological Station.
• Samuel A. Patterson: Graduate student specializing in Environmental Toxicology. 

Tools and Invasive Species 

• Paul Grogan: Professor of Plant and Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University.
• Rob Colautti: Associate professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Ecological Genomics. 
• Shelley Arnott: Professor of Aquatic Ecology focused on Aquatic Ecology, Limnology, Community Ecology, and Zooplankton. 

Water and Contaminants in the Environment 

• Shelley Arnott: Professor of Aquatic Ecology focused on Aquatic Ecology, Limnology, Community Ecology, and Zooplankton. 
• Diane Orihel: Associate professor and Queen’s National Scholar in Aquatic Ecotoxicology. 
• Yuxiang Wang: Associate professor of Regulation of Metabolism in Animals. Cross appointed with Environmental Studies. 
• Allen Tian: Doctoral student (PhD) WANG and Lougheed Labs. Research focused on Metabarcoding on Aquatic eDNA and Environmental DNA and Drone Photogrammetry. 
• Brain Cumming: Associate professor of Paleolimnology and Aquatic Ecology.
• Barbara Zeeb: Adjunct assistant professor in the Biology Department at Queen’s University. Canada Research Chair of Biotechnologies & Environment. Adjunct assistant Professor in the Royal Military College’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. 

We also appreciated the time given by the following STEM researchers who contributed their consultation services to the QUILLS Learning Bundles. 

Queen’s Biology Department: 

• Stephen C. Lougheed: Baillie Family Chair in Conservation Biology, professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Queen’s University, and Director of The Queen’s University Biological Station.  
• Paul Grogan: Professor of Plant and Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University. 
• Shelley Arnott: Professor of Aquatic Ecology focused on Aquatic Ecology, Limnology, Community Ecology, and Zooplankton.  
• Rob Colautti: Associate professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Ecological Genomics. 
• Diane Orihel: Associate professor and Queen’s National Scholar in Aquatic Ecotoxicology.
• Yuxiang Wang: Associate professor of Regulation of Metabolism in Animals. Cross appointed with Environmental Studies. 
• John Smol: Distinguished professor of Paleolimnology and Climate Change 
• Chris Eckert: Professor of Plant Evolution and Population Ecology. 
• Lonnie Aarssen: Professor of Plant Ecology and Evolution; Evolution and Human Affairs. 
• Raleigh Robertson: Professor emeritus of Reproduction, Behaviour and Conservation Biology of Birds. Director emeritus of The Queen’s University Biological Station. 
• Fran Bonier: Associate professor of Behavioural Endocrinology and Environmental Physiology. 
• Paul Martin: Associate professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Biogeography. 
• George DiCenzo: Assistant professor of Systems Biology. 
• Brain Cumming: Associate professor of Paleolimnology and Aquatic Ecology. 
• Barbara Zeeb: Adjunct assistant professor in the Biology Department at Queen’s University. Canada Research Chair of Biotechnologies & Environment. Adjunct assistant professor in the Royal Military College’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. 
• Allen Tian: Doctoral student (PhD) WANG and Lougheed Labs. Research focused on Metabarcoding on Aquatic eDNA and Environmental DNA and Drone Photogrammetry. 

Queen’s University Department of Geography 

• Ryan Danby: Director and associate professor of Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, Conservation Biology, and Vegetation Science.  
• Laura Thomson: Assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in Integrated Glacier Monitoring Practices. 

Queen’s University School of Environmental Studies 

• Peter Hodson: Professor emeritus of Ecotoxicology.
• Samuel A. Patterson: Graduate student specializing in Environmental Toxicology. 

Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique 

• Val Langlois: Associate professor of Ecotoxicogenomics, Animal Physiology, Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Endocrine Disruption, Endocrinology, Molecular Biology. Chairholder of the Canada Research Chair in Ecotoxicogenomics and Endocrin Disruption. 

We are also grateful to the following Queen’s professors who helped to shape the direction taken in each Learning Bundle and write the Learning Activities.

• Cathy Christie is a retired associate professor from the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University with a specialty in science education.
• Jamie Pyper is a former associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University with a focus on math education. He is also the former Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (MSTE) group coordinator. Jamie is currently teaching grade four in Moose Factory at the Ministik School. 
• Jennifer Davis is an assistant professor at Queen’s University with a focus on Indigenous land-based education.
• Lindsay Morcom is of French, German and Anishinaabe heritage and embraces the unique responsibilities her ancestry brings to this work. Lindsay is an associate professor and Dean of Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. Lindsay holds a Canada Research Chair in Language Revitalization and Decolonizing Education.
• Thanyehténhas (Nathan Brinklow) is Turtle Clan from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. He is the associate head for Indigenous Studies at Queen’s University. 
• Liz Brule is of Franco-Ontarian and Métis ancestry from the Mattawa-Ottawa territory of the Algonquin First Nations and the Métis Nation. Liz is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Gender Studies at Queen’s University. 

We are additionally thankful for the time and direction provided by the following teachers from surrounding school boards. These teachers generously consulted on the materials and helped us understand how materials could be modified to better meet the needs of the local learners.

• Kelly Maracle is a Kanyen’kehá:ka woman and member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Kelly is the former Vice Principal of Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Lead at the Limestone District School Board and is now an assistant professor in the Faculty of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Queen’s University.
• Liv Rondeau is a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Akwesasne Mohawk Territory) educator who sits with the Wolf Clan. She lives and works in Katarokwi and is the Vice-Principal of Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Lead at the Limestone District School Board.
• Christina Michie is from the Shabot Obaadgiwan First Nation and is the Secondary Student Support and Engagement Teacher at the Limestone District School Board.
• Dale Bennett is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and a secondary teacher with the Limestone District School Board.
• Jessi DiRocco identifies as a mixed-heritage person, reconnecting with her Kanyen’kehá:ka roots with Kenhtè:ke and is the Elementary Student Support and Engagement Teacher at the Limestone District School Board.
• Soleil Sliwa is from Sipe’knekatic First Nation and Beausoleil First Nation and is an Indigenous Knowledge Specialist.
• Shawn McShane is the Outdoor Education Coordinator for the Limestone District School Board.
• Joanne Whitefield is a former secondary teacher with the Limestone District School Board and active member of Little Forests Kingston.

Nyá:wen, Miigwech to the following Knowledge Keepers and local community members who helped to offer two days of professional development to local teacher regarding how the Learning Activities can be taken up with students in a good way. 

• Deb St. Amant is Métis from Penetanguishene and Ojibwe (Bear Clan) from Henvey Inlet First Nation currently residing in Trenton, Ontario.
• Lindsay Morcom is of French, German and Anishinaabe heritage and embraces the unique responsibilities her ancestry brings to this work. Lindsay is an associate professor and Dean of Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. Lindsay holds a Canada Research Chair in Language Revitalization and Decolonizing Education.
• Liv Rondeau is a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Akwesasne Mohawk Territory) educator who sits with the Wolf Clan. She lives and works in Katarokwi and is the Vice-Principal of Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Lead at the Limestone District School Board.
• Mandy Wilson is a woman of mixed ancestry which includes Indigenous, Black, and Irish decent. She is a member of Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation who grew up in Sharbot Lake, Ontario. She is now living in Kingston, Ontario where her work is fueled by a love for nature and a passion for language learning. 
• Misty Underwood is a land-based educator of Muscogee and Choctaw descent with 15+ years of experience within elementary, secondary, and post-secondary contexts. 
• Logan Maracle is Kanyen’kehá:ka Turtle Clan from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Logan is a 4th year teacher candidate at Queen’s University and a lifelong learner of Kanyen’kehá:ka language and culture.
• Jessi DiRocco identifies as a mixed-heritage person, reconnecting with her Kanyen’kehá:ka roots with Kenhtè:ke and is the Elementary Student Support and Engagement Teacher at the Limestone District School Board.

We recognize and thank Pinegrove Productions in the creation of QUILLS ten-minute videos that accompany each Learning Bundle.

• Franziska von Rosen Pinegrove Productions Producer
• Miles Finalayson Pingrove Productions Production Team
• Douglas von Rosen Pinegrove Productions Production Team

We are grateful to the following Knowledge Keepers, community members, STEM researchers, and organizations that appear in the ten-minute videos accompanying the Learning Bundles. Miigwech, Nyá:wen!

• Deb St. Amant is Métis from Penetanguishene and Ojibwe (Bear Clan) from Henvey Inlet First Nation currently residing in Trenton, Ontario.
• Elder Dr. Shirley Ida Williams is Bird Clan from the Anishinaabe and Odawa Nations Midewewin- kwe, originally from Wiikwemikoong Unceded First Nation located on Manitoulin Island.
• Liz Osawamick is Beaver Clan from the Anishinaabe and Odawa Nations, originally from Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation located on Manitoulin Island. 
• Joe Pitawanakwat is an Anishinaabe Knowledge Keeper from Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Territory on Manitoulin Island.
• Mandy Wilson is a woman of mixed ancestry which includes Indigenous, Black, and Irish decent. She is a member of Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation who grew up in Sharbot Lake, Ontario. She is now living in Kingston, Ontario where her work is fueled by a love for nature and a passion for language learning.
• Liv Rondeau is a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Akwesasne Mohawk Territory) educator who sits with the Wolf Clan. She lives and works in Katarokwi and is the Vice-Principal of Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Lead at the Limestone District School Board.
• Tayohseron:tye (Nikki Auten) sits with the Turtle Clan and is a Kanyen’kehá:ka Knowledge Carrier from Kenhtéke Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
• Carrie Hill is a Haudenosaunee Black Ash and Sweetgrass basket weaver from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.
• Maureen Buchanan is a proud member of Batchewana First Nation and is Anishinaabekwe.
• Rick Beaver is a Michi Saagig Elder, ecologist, visual artist and Knowledge Holder residing on Alderville First Nation where he was born.
• Lydia Johnson was born and raised in Robinson Superior Treaty Territory, the homeland of Fort William First Nation. Lydia has Cree heritage and is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Northern Saskatchewan.
• Chris Craig from Pikwakanagan First Nation is a Forestry Technician working with South Nation Conservation.
• Stephen C. Lougheed: Baillie Family Chair in Conservation Biology, professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Queen’s University, and Director of The Queen’s University Biological Station.  
• Rob Colautti: Associate professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Ecological Genomics. 
• Paul Grogan: Professor of Plant and Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University.
• Shelley Arnott: Professor of Aquatic Ecology focused on Aquatic Ecology, Limnology, Community Ecology, and Zooplankton. 
• Xinyu Sun
• Mabel Fuentes Vergara
• Radek Odolczyk
• The Native North American Travelling College, Akwesasne
• Alderville First Nation Black Oak Savanna
• Walking the Path of Peace Together Indigenous Food Sovereignty Garden
• Fleming College, Sutherland Campus

We appreciate the translation and storytelling work done for the QUILLS project by the following individuals and organizations.

• The late Joe Brown, a Kanyen’kehá:ka, Turtle Clan Knowledge Keeper from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory who contributed to the creation of the QUILLS Learning Bundles and passed away on February 9th, 2022.
• Barbara Nolan is a proud Nishnaabe-kwe, formally from Wiikwemikoog Unceded First Nation, who now resides in Garden River First Nation. Barbara speaks the Manitoulin dialect or central dialect of Ojibway and is the Language Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation.
• Kimberly Debassige is Anishinaabe from M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island currently residing in the urban Kingston Indigenous community. Kimberly chooses to focus her time on language learning and being in relationship with the natural world as a teacher.
• Cecelia King is Kanyen’kehá:ka (Wolf Clan) from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.  Cecelia is a lifetime Kanyen’kehá:ka culture and language Educator.
• Liv Rondeau is a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Akwesasne Mohawk Territory) educator who sits with the Wolf Clan. She lives and works in Katarokwi and is the Vice-Principal of Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Lead at the Limestone District School Board.
• Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest in Kington, Ontario.
• Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na Culture and Language Centre in Kenhtéke Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

Finally, we appreciate the work done by following Queen’s University students and staff who helped in the production of Learning Activities.

• Sakshi Kharbanda is a graduate of the Bachelor of Science Program at Queen’s University with a specialty in Life Sciences.
• Meghan White is a graduate of the Bachelor of Education Program at Queen’s University at a former QUBS Outreach and Stewardship Intern.
• Lindsay Wray is a graduate of the Bachelor of Education Program at Queen’s University and a former QUBS Outreach and Stewardship Intern.
• Nicole Bowron is Anishinaabe and a graduate of the Indigenous Teacher Education Program at Queen’s University.
• Katie Doreen is Kanyen’kehá:ka (Bear Clan) from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and a graduate of the Indigenous Teacher Education Program at Queen’s University.
• Maddie Girgis is a graduate of the Indigenous Teacher Education Program at Queen’s University.
• Jessi DiRocco identifies as a mixed-heritage person, reconnecting with her Kanyen’kehá:ka roots with Kenhtè:ke and is the Elementary Student Support and Engagement Teacher at the Limestone District School Board.
• Keira Kelly is a graduate of the Indigenous Teacher Education Program at Queen’s University.
• Rachel Shin is a concurrent Education student at Queen’s University.
• Taylor Tye is of mixed Ojibwe and Celtic heritage. She is rooted in the urban Indigenous community in Katarokwi, where she is completing her Bachelor of Education with a specialization in Indigenous Education at Queen’s University.
• Jade Gabri is Kanien’kehá:ka (Wolf Clan) from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. Jade formerly served as an Indigenous Educator at Queen’s Univeristy Biological Station (QUBS) and Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre (ELEEC).

About the Process

The QUILLS learning materials you will find on this website encompass three strands of knowledge braided together. These knowledge strands are Indigenous land-based knowledge gathered primarily from the Katarokwi and surrounding regions, Western STEM studies conducted locally, and Ontario provincial curriculum outcomes. The intended audience for these resources is grades 7-10 students in Ontario and teachers. The theoretical understanding supporting this work is informed by Robin Kimmerer’s writing on the three sisters garden model of fostering knowledge mutualism (Kimmerer, 2013). To read more about this please explore the QUILLS Teacher’s Guide. This model reminds us that in Eurocentric institutions, such as the Canadian school system, Eurocentric knowledges are dominant while Indigenous perspectives and knowledges are commonly marginalized. Additionally, when Indigenous knowledges are integrated, they are commonly perceived as an add on. This add and stir approach is problematic as the message sent to students is that Eurocentric understandings represent “the” way of making sense of the world while Indigenous perspectives are peripheral and, therefore, “lesser than”. When this occurs the integration of Indigenous ways of knowing and being can also appear appropriative. In the QUILLS learning materials, we endeavored to challenge this approach by sitting down with local Knowledge Keepers and community members first and talking to them about what Big Ideas and Inquiry Questions they felt should provide structure to the learning. When this road map was established, we then integrated in the STEM studies conducted locally and Ontario curriculum outcomes. 

 Another important thing for teachers to keep in mind is the way the materials are taken up with their students will also impact whether these materials center Indigenous perspective or simply integrate them into the learning. To do this work in a good way teachers must strive to actively cultivate an intellectual landscape in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems come together in a reciprocal manner. This includes providing resources and an environment to strengthen both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems that ensures that non-Indigenous ways of knowing and being do not dominate or overshadow Indigenous life ways. Suggestions regarding how to do this in a good way can be found in the Teacher’s Guide linked to on this page.