His mother cried as she drove away after dropping Dan Miskokomon off at St. Clair College back in the early 1970s.
They had arrived in Windsor from their home on the First Nation Reserve on Walpole Island and his mother worried how her 19-year-old son would cope in such unfamiliar surroundings.
“She didn’t think I could exist here,” Miskokomon said Tuesday from the college’s main lobby.
The sirens and other city noises kept him awake at night.
For weeks, he hitchhiked from the south Windsor campus to his rented room downtown because he was unaware there was public transit available.
There was no such thing as the Aboriginal Education and Training Council on campus to help smooth his transition.
“Support is critical in education,” said the now 66-year-old chief of the Walpole Island Reserve. “These indigenous students shouldn’t have to worry about starving or surviving in the city.”
Chief Louise Hillier, right, Caldwell First Nation receives smudge during Indigenous Education Protocol signing at St. Clair College September 22, 2015. St. Clair College President Patricia France, centre, and other head table guests watch the tradition. (NICK BRANCACCIO/The Windsor Star)
Miskokomon, who went on to earn a master’s degree, was back on campus as part of an impressive gathering of native hierarchy on hand to watch college president Patricia France sign the Indigenous Education Protocol.
Developed by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), the protocol commits St. Clair to making indigenous education a priority.
While final numbers have yet to be tallied for the 2015-16 year, France said the college has on average 80 to 100 indigenous students enrolled either directly or indirectly through a partnership with the Anishinabek Educational Institute.
“We want more, we welcome more,” she said. “I think signing this protocol is symbolic of our commitment to indigenous curriculum. St. Clair has never wavered in or taken lightly its role in serving the indigenous people.”
At the Thames Campus in Chatham, courses are offered in native community worker, native early childhood education and there’s a new course in native personal support worker.
The curriculum is tailored to respect indigenous traditions and culture.
France was part of a procession led into the signing ceremony by a hand drummer. She carried an eagle feather in her right hand, symbolizing truth, honesty and courage.
Eagle Flight Drum group from London pounded out several native songs and the crowd was invited to participate in a cleansing smudge ceremony.
Third-year student Hailey Sutherland, a member of the Constance Lake First Nation from northern Ontario, read the seven core principles of the protocol along with fellow student Michelle Rovere.
“I hope this encourages other indigenous students to come here,” said the 20-year-old Sutherland, who is studying business administration and accounting.
She wore earrings made from colourful native beadwork.
St. Clair College music theatre student Brandon Diesbourg, right, receives traditional smudge during Indigenous Education Protocol signing at St. Clair College September 22, 2015. (NICK BRANCACCIO/The Windsor Star)
Matthew Bombardier, a first-year student in border services, wore a traditional Metis sash, necklace and footwear.
“I wear my sash every day,” the Belle River resident said. “I got a lot of hatred for it when I was younger but I feel more comfortable here. I’m not leathered and feathered, as they say. but I’m a full-blooded indigenous person.”
His nod to native dress is in sharp contrast to the shirt and tie Miskokomon had to wear when he was a drafting student.
“I had holes in my pants,” said Miskokomon, who was among the first 80 First Nations graduates of community college in all of Canada. “I didn’t know how to tie a tie. We were supposed to do a Windsor knot but I created the Walpole Island knot.”
Maxine Nahdee, a First Nation, Metis and Inuit education counsellor at St. Clair, said the protocol is “a good beginning. It’s still a difficult situation not just here but at other institutions. Indigenous students might still feel awkward but as this grows and becomes familiar in the institution, they can feel more comfortable and see they care about me.”
St. Clair College Metis and Inuit counsellor Maxine Nahdee, left, and St. Clair College President Patricia France address an audience of several hundred during Indigenous Education Protocol signing at St. Clair College September 22, 2015. (NICK BRANCACCIO/The Windsor Star)
