Indigenous Cultural Facilitator

The University is committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion, and are proud to support career opportunities for Indigenous Peoples to reflect the community we serve. We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Only Indigenous candidates will be considered for this position. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy and Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship with documentation is a condition of employment and a requirement to hold this position and the successful candidate must maintain those conditions throughout their employment.

Pewaseskwan (the Indigenous Wellness Research Group) focuses on Indigenous health and wellness research. While this may involve Western medicine, we privilege Indigenous knowledge and medicines to achieve improved health and wellness outcomes with Indigenous people in Canada. Pewaseskwan is led by Dr. Alexandra King and Prof. Malcolm King. They have teams based at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver, BC and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in Saskatoon, SK.

The teams collaborate with Indigenous communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous research team members, and community partners supporting them as they undertake their own health and wellness research. Pewaseskwan (Cree for “the sky is starting to clear”) takes a different approach to engagement, relationships, co-creating research goals and research services – all of which will better enable Indigenous communities to do their own health and wellness research. Pewaseskwan supports them in developing their own research agendas and advocating for their needs, rather than passively waiting for researchers to initiate studies.

Invitation:

Pewaseskwan has an opening to hire one individual who has embraced a learning journey in their cultural knowledge and a practice that honours their ancestors. This person will be supporting others who are on this journey or are ready to focus on mentoring others. This position would be ideal for an Elder’s helper or someone who is being mentored and taught by Knowledge Holders. We are looking for someone who is grounded in strength and on their own cultural learning journey towards healing and wellness and is comfortable sharing and guiding cultural teachings and gatherings. You are a leader, innovative, hold patience and compassion; this will assist you in helping our team advance Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing in the research space. You are comfortable creating and maintaining safe ethical spaces within our research projects to engage with women (cis/trans) and Two Spirit people who are at different places on their journey. You are based in Saskatoon and are available to provide in-person support to the team or travel with them to the community.

Nature of the work:

As a key member of Pewaseskwan, you will engage with various projects to provide relational, cultural and spiritual support and guidance for team and community members. You will employ Two-eyed Seeing and act as a bridge between academia and community to inform research projects by providing cultural context and Indigenous knowledges necessary to provide a safe and inviting space for Indigenous participants and communities. Along with Elders on the team, you will be actively involved in teachings around Indigenous knowledge, histories, languages and ways of knowing to help both Indigenous and non-Indigenous team members increase their cultural competencies and safety.

Your ability to collaborate with others and lead relationally with care and compassion is grounded in your own learnings. The types of cultural and spiritual knowledge that you hold and share may include:

• Wellness through Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing
• Knowledge of traditional plants and medicines (purposes, harvesting, preparing)
• Indigenous Languages (Cree, Dene, Michif, Lakota/Nakota or others)
• Indigenous arts, crafts, songs, dances
• Indigenous story telling/oral teachings
• Ceremonial knowledge and protocols
• Harm reduction
• Self-care and reflective practices

Some roles and responsibilities include:

• Lead sharing circles with Indigenous women (cis/trans) and Two Spirit people from a variety of backgrounds and life circumstances in a safe and effective manner grounded in Indigenous ways of doing, as a form of research data collection
• Support a variety of research projects around Indigenous wellness, particularly in relation to planning and implementing cultural knowledges and practices within the projects.
• Assist/lead ceremonies with the guidance of Elders and/or Knowledge Holders
• Mentor and teach other team members and community research partners how to lead sharing circles for research and how to incorporate cultural principles and practices in research
• Engage in one-on-one and group meetings (academic, medical, and community partners), gatherings with research partners and with Indigenous (urban and on reserve) and non-Indigenous community members/stakeholders/participants

Other opportunities may include:

• Ground and centre team gatherings and projects in cultural protocols and practices including prayer, smudging, etc.
• Collaborate in other aspects of the research process such as data collection and analysis
• Guide land-based activities for the team and for research projects/participants
• Collaborate in planning and leading/supporting arts-based activities within the projects

Supports in the work environment for this position:

In this position you will have the opportunity to be supported in your cultural journey, through time and resources to develop and deepen your connections with Elders and Knowledge Holders who teach and guide you. We foster and support a work culture where a high priority is placed on your personal wellness. You will have opportunities and experiences to help you grow your love for your people, history and culture. In this role you will have access to relationships where you may find yourself shadowing and learning from others, building your own confidence and capacity, and passing this on to other Indigenous women (cis/trans) and Two Spirit people on their learning journeys. Expressing feminine energy, demonstrating openness and bringing people together, and supporting our team in these learnings will be something you may explore in creative ways. You will have access to tobacco, medicines and supplies as needed.

You would be ideal for this position if you:

• Are Indigenous and can provide letters of support from your community speaking to your cultural journey
• Have a solid track record of working effectively with women (cis/trans) and Two Spirit people, particularly those in complex life circumstances
• Can demonstrate how you work in a good way with Indigenous peoples and/or within Indigenous communities
• Have experience working in a culturally responsive and safe way as you share cultural teachings and practices
• Accepting of diverse points of view
• Responsive, creative and innovative
• Understand and apply harm reduction principles within your cultural and/or professional practices
• Are comfortable working with people at all stages of their healing journeys
• Have experience leading/facilitating sharing circles or group discussions/sessions
• Have effective communication skills, both listening and sharing as well as written
• Have a proven ability to work in a team setting on multiple projects with competing demands and deadlines
• Are flexible to adapt to changing priorities
• Have the ability to travel but are based in Saskatoon to be able to support the team in-person and in the office
• Have a history of research productivity and patient/community engagement
• Have the ability and experience to deal with changing priorities and learning as you go
• Can carry out the collaborative duties efficiently with strong attention to detail
• Are comfortable using computers and software for calendars, virtual meetings, emails, documents, and reports (i.e. Office Suite, Zoom, etc).
• Are willing to learn about research processes and methods, and research ethics

Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in applying on this position. We would love to speak with you and assist you with the application process. If you have questions regarding the position, please contact Bren Thompson at [email protected] or 306-621-8614.

*If someone comes to your mind while reading this posting, we encourage you to please share it with them! *

Department: College of Medicine - DnOffce
Status: Term - 2 Years with the possibility of extension
Employment Group: Research Positions - Non-union
Shift: Mon-Fri; 8:00am-4:30pm
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $31.39 - 42.47 per hour. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Family (if applicable):
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 7
Posted Date: 3/4/2024
Closing Date: 3/17/2024
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: May be eligible for hybrid work under the terms of USask's Alternative Workspace Guidelines

The successful applicant will be required to provide the following current verification(s) where 'Yes' is indicated below. Further information is available at: https://careers.usask.ca/tips-for-applying.php

Criminal Record Check: Not Applicable
Driver's License and Abstract Check: Not Applicable
Education/Credential Verification: Not Applicable
Vulnerable Sector Check: Not Applicable