" We are all tackling a shared goal : Cultural preservation ."
Photo Credit : Shuana Niessen
Mishkwiingwese ( She Blushes ), Kelsey Moore , Zhiishigwan ( Shaker / Rattle ), and Angela McGinnis stand at the entrance sign , which commemorates the four grandmother mares from which the Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies at The Red Pony Stands ® Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary descend . The seven ponies who reside at the Sanctuary , which is located near the Qu ' Appelle valley , contain the two original bloodlines , the Keokuk and Nimkii lines . Their lineages date back to the four Original Mares from Lac La Croix First Nation and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa that were the last remaining in the world ( Lilian , Biizhiki , Diamond , and Dark Face ) who were strategically bred to a Spanish Mustang Stallion ( Smokey ) in 1977 in order to save the breed from extinction . ( Source : www . theredponystands . com )
OPENING A DOORWAY TO CULTURE THROUGH EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING
What is the connection between horses , educational psychology , and Indigenous youth and culture ?
Reconnecting with cultural and traditional ways of knowing and being is increasingly seen as a significant part of the healing and learning process for First Nations peoples , whose culture has been historically and systemically oppressed by the colonization process . Language revitalization has been a key focus of cultural preservation and reclamation , but Equine Assisted Learning ( EAL ) is a relatively new and less understood approach to learning and healing , at least among the scientific community . For Indigenous peoples , however , horses have long been viewed as carriers of knowledge and healers . The preservation of the critically endangered Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies , then , is part of the process of cultural reclamation and preservation , and thereby healing and learning , as relations between Indigenous horses and peoples are ( re ) established .
Dr . Angela McGinnis , an Assistant Professor of educational psychology in the Faculty of Education and an Indigenous Health Researcher , and her graduate student , Kelsey Moore , are conducting SIDRU-funded research to better understand how and why Indigenous youth benefit from working with Indigenous horses , specifically the seven Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies being cared for by Angela and her partner Cullan McGinnis at The Red Pony Stands ® Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary . Founded by Angela and Cullan , the Sanctuary " is an Indigenous owned and operated not-for-profit ." The Sanctuary receives some financial support by private and corporate sponsors and donors ; however , these supports do not cover all of the costs : Angela says , " The majority of the work and expenses fall on my partner ( Cullan ) and I to keep the ponies happy and healthy , both physically and spiritually . Our mission is to protect , promote , and preserve the critically endangered Lac La Croix Indigenous Pony breed ." 1
Angela , Cullan , and the Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies all originate from
1
For more information , see www . theredponystands . com
Treaty 3 territory in Northwestern Ontario . Horses have been part of Angela ' s life from her earliest memories at her home in Fort Frances . " I have a picture of me on a horse before I could even walk ," says Angela . Her parents were caretakers of Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies and Nez Perce horses . Angela credits her father as a mentor who has taught her a great deal from his knowledge of working with horses .
Reconnecting with her Métis / Ojibwe cultural identities has been a focus of Angela ' s education and healing . Cultural connectedness was a central concept in her research at Western University , where she received a PhD in clinical psychology in 2015 . As part of her doctoral research , Angela developed a measure to assist in determining the extent to which cultural connectedness is associated with health and well-being , specifically among First Nations youth . Angela ' s findings indicate that cultural connectedness is a positive predictor of mental health . This is critical knowledge because , as Angela says , " the mental health and well-being of youth is one
Page 4