Four Seasons of Indigenous Learning

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas is a Kinbasket descendant and member of the Shuswap Band, born in Invermere, BC.

Mark is sitting on his second 4-year term on Council for the Shuswap Band and holds the portfolios for Aquatics, Fish, BC Hydro, Forestry, CRT, Salmon restoration, and several shared portfolios with the rest of Chief and Council, including Parks, Recreation and Culture. Mark is educated in and has worked in the natural resource management field for over 30 years, much of that time advocating for the return of our Salmon stocks. Mark has attended Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) in their Integrated Resource Management Program (IRM) and the University of Lethbridge’s Environmental Sciences Program.

In May 2023, Mark was stood up as Salmon Chief for his community.

Dr. Gregory Cajete

Dr. Gregory Cajete is a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico.

Currently, he is Director of Native American Studies and an Associate Professor in the Division of Language, Literacy and Socio-cultural Studies in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico.

Dr. Cajete has received several fellowships and academic distinctions, including the American Indian Graduate Fellowship from the US-DOE Office of Indian Education (1977-78); the D’arcyMcNickle Fellowship in American Indian History from the Newberry Library, Chicago, IL (1984-85); and the KatrinLamon Fellowship in American Indian Art and Education (1985-1986) from the School of American Research in Santa Fe, NM.

Dr. Cajete has authored a number of books, including Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence.

Debra Fisher

Deb Fisher is the Minister of Children and Families and the Minister of Education for the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC).

She was appointed to the Executive as Secretary for Métis Nation BC for this term and continues to serve on the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Children and Family Service Society and Interior Health Leadership Table.

Her historical Métis family names are Bourassa/ Boyer/ Piche/ Ouellette/ Dumont/ Ross on her mother’s side from Red River, Manitoba and Batoche/Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan area.

David A. Robertson

David A. Robertson is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.

David is a two-time Governor General’s Literary Award winner and has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writer’s Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He was honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba in 2023 for outstanding contributions to the arts and distinguished achievements.

In his bestselling memoir, Black Water, he shares the story of a son who grew up away from his Indigenous culture, who takes his Cree father on a trip to the family trapline and finds that revisiting the past not only heals old wounds but creates a new future.

His newest book, 52 Ways to Reconcile, offers a guide to understanding how small, attainable acts towards reconciliation can make an enormous difference in our collective efforts to build a reconciled country.

The Outdoor Learning School and Store

Learn more about the Outdoor Learning School & Store initiative and how it provides positive, healthy & effective learning opportunities that improve the physical, emotional and mental health of educators and learners alike.