JULY 12, 2019 | I SSUE no 6

Return to th e Forest
Th e Col l aborati v e & Creati v e Process
of Wal k i ng Togeth er - Carl a, Eri n, K ath eri ne, Robert
INSPIRATION & ACKNOW LEDGMENTS

We are grateful to T'uy'tanat -

Cease Wyss for her guidance and
allowing us to bring to light the
importance of intergenerational
teachings. And to her daughter
Senaqwila Wyss whose local plant
knowledge was also used in the
creation of the plant cards
Thank you to my friend and
colleague Joyce Perrault who gave us
permission to use the content in her
book "All Creation Represented - A
Child's Guide To The Medicine
Wheel" .
 VALUES CONNECTIONS
FIRST PEOPLES PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
- Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational
(focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of
place).
- Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities.
- Learning recognizes the role of indigenous knowledge.
- Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.
- Learning involves patience and time.
- Learning requires exploration of one?s identity.
 PROCESS OF GAME CREATION
V 1.0 V 1.8
We began by brainstorming
some of the major elements
of the game such as the main
character, the game objective,
the procedures, challenges,
invitation to play, and the
name of our game. This was
very exciting as we were
building upon one another ?s
ideas and imagining the
possibilities of what the full
game could be.
V 2.0
We then began to storyboard
what our playable element
would be. We utilized a
storyboard approach with
sticky notes that allowed us to
plan for the narrative
structure and move things
around. We began to test
tools and decide on the assets
we would create as a group.
We took a collaborative
approach to production and
divided up the work according
to our skills and passions. We
iteratively designed our game
and assets by providing one
another with critical feedback
until we were satisfied with a
finished product
AND NOW THE GAME ....

RETURN TO THE FOREST

 CHALLENGES
- We focused on the narrative, the unfolding of
the story in order for the player to situate
themselves. We then struggled with the next
stage of including game elements that would
align with Indigenous ways of knowing and
being. (natural dichotomy of winning and losing)
(dissonance between the medium we are using
and the underlying teachings)
- Need time to follow protocol and consult with
community members
- Include Indigenous actors for the voice-overs.
- We tried Twine but did not give the rich
narrative and immersive experience we were
trying to convey.
OPPORTUNITIES
- Group members embraced the opportunity for
learning and to work on something that was
pro-social & culturally relevant.
- Delivers a need for this type of gaming for not
only Indigenous people. non-Indigenous people
as an opportunity to increase the understanding
of Indigenous knowledge systems and as a
pathway to increase empathy.
- Social Justice Learning - climate change,
ecological protections.
BLUE SKY THINKING
- To build this as a true VR or Augmented Reality
to increase the potential for learning that is
experiential.
- Truly be land based, featuring plants found
through the unceeded traditional territories.
Nt'oyaxsn
Ndm al dyuk niidzn
Gilks amaniisgn