Cultural Facilitator

**Cultural Facilitator**:
**Introduction**:
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 to create and maintain 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.

**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 knowledges, 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