Consultant: Education, Policy, Research & Indigenous Community Engagement

Etuaptmumk: Cultural Foundations of Two-Eyed Seeing for Conducting L’nu Research in Mi’kma’ki

I published a 2nd paper from my dissertation (manuscript-based). It expands on the foundations that I refer to as teachings from Klamuksis Albert D Marshall Sr. and Murdena about Etuaptmumk including our knowledge sources, which constitutes the knowledge strengths of our worldview.

My defense will be anytime soon, so I'll share this paper in my education corner here.

Etuaptmumk: Cultural Foundations of Two-Eyed Seeing for Conducting L’nu Research in Mi'kma'ki | Canadian Journal of Native Studies Etuaptmumk: Cultural Foundations of Two-Eyed Seeing for Conducting L’nu Research in Mi'kma'ki Authors John R Sylliboy McGill University Abstract Abstract Etuaptmumk is the L'nuwey (Mi'kmaw) term for Two-Eyed Seeing, often described as integrating the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and Western p...

Canadian Journal of Indigenous Studies

Call for papers. See details in the link below.

Call for Papers Canadian Journal of Indigenous Studies Fourth Edition | The Canadian Journal of Indigenous Studies Call for Papers Canadian Journal of Indigenous Studies Fourth Edition 2026-04-03 Proposal submission deadline: July 30, 2026Decision date: December, 2026Publication issue: Spring 2027 Canadian Journal of Indigenous Studies (CJIS) is announcing a Call for Papers for the third issue. The issues will i...

Etuaptmumk and Chronic Pain

Working, learning, researching, and going through graduate school has sparked a passion to understand how we can improve the lives of L'nu kids who struggle with any source of pain. What our L'nuwey worldview is contributing to the western-based definition of pain or chronic pain is that we have always understood that pain is multidimensional within the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms of one's health. Etuaptmumk in chronic pain is much more holistic for L'NU'K than the current standard approach to pain treatment because it work towards healing.

Klamuksis Albert Marshall reminds us that spiritual starvation is a form of pain that comes from our people being disconnected from language, culture, spirituality, and ceremony. He says that when we're hungry, we can eat. When we're thirsty, we can drink water. But we can't simply nurture our spiritual starvation because our access to our spiritual relief is diminishing.

Our spiritual starvation triggers pain in other areas, like emotional and mental pain. Therefore, what the L'nuwey worldview is teaching us about pain is how to address it through healing. That addressing pain is a circular approach that cannot remain at a point of contact on a linear healthcare pathway, like at patient engagement, or during assessment, and then prescribing an intervention, or surgery. It must be addressed in various interventions or continuously when it comes to chronic pain.

Etuaptmumk intervention would address chronic pain in a circular journey to make the intervention for a fuller healing process. It would ensure that the individual dealing with chronic pain has had ample points of healing or ways of treatment to live with chronic pain by planning the interventions that include L'nuiipisun to deal with emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical pain. Healthcare needs to be mindful of this and offer that option for L'NU'K.

That is part of our presentation at Western University on March 26.

L'nu Summer Games

I love this article, Maureen Googoo.

The first L'nu summer games that I attended were the We'koqma'q games in 1979. We camped at our cousin's family home. It was also the first time that I saw the L'nu princess pageant. I thought the princesses were goddesses. I don't remember who won that year. I remember distinctly hearing Donna Summer's song "Hot Stuff" playing during the events. I hung out with my Uncle Joe and Aunt Karen because Eileen Paul was one of the princesses, if I'm not mistaken.

The next summer games that our family attended were the Millbrook games in 1982, which is also the same year that we began our permanence in Millbrook transitioning from Eskasoni. My sister Mali and I wore our deadly Jordache jeans at the games. We recently bought them in Maine after blueberry picking. One night, I told Mali at Richard (Dick Louie's) canteen that I believed that we were going to live in Millbrook someday. Sure enough, it happened. We began our transition between 1982-84. Our family changed communities, but we always said that we were from both Eskasoni and Millbrook.

The L'nu summer games were and ARE amazing for our youth to gather and make friends for life.

History of the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games – Ku'ku'kwes News History of the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games August 14, 2016 Maureen Googoo Robert Bernard, 3rd from left in back row, was the pitcher for the Whycocomagh Warriors when his team won 1st place at the 1985 Nova Scotia Indian Summer Games/Photo by Micmac News archives Robert Bernard recalls the fi...

Wela'lin Catharyn Andersen for your visit to Kjipuktuk.

Catharyn, VP Indigenous at Memorial University and I met in Halifax for meetings as Dalhousie University hosted a community discussion with Indigenous community partners about policy building and community engagement. As Vice Provosot, Indigenous Relations at Dalhousie University, we shared ideas about collaboration between MUN & Dal for Indigenous and L'nu post-secondary education in Mi'kma'ki. It's exciting to learn about our common interests within our ancestral territory (Mi'kma'ki) and those of Labrador - Atlantic Canada.

Common institutional interestes include research, building support for Indigenous faculty, staff, and students, developing Indigenous pathways into health and science, language, careers, and creating more inroads in addressing TRC Calls to Action, MMIWG2S Calls to Justice, UNDRIP, which are all part of our common priority areas.

Cheers to Opportunities for L'NU'K in Atlantic Canada!

What is Two-Spirit? Centring Knowledge About Two-Spirit Gender and Sexuality in Sexuality Education.

I'm excited to share a new publication. It's one of the three manuscripts from my nearly-completed dissertation (manuscript dissertation). It contributes to the ongoing discourse about Indigenous knowledge and gender identity and sexuality with specific experiences from L'NU'K (Mi'kmaq). Feel free to learn about how we explore our knowledge and emerging understanding of 2S gender and sexuality.

Link to open-access Journal:

What is Two-Spirit: Centring Knowledge about Two-Spirit Gender and Sexuality in Sexuality Education | The Canadian Journal of Indigenous Studies What is Two-Spirit: Centring Knowledge about Two-Spirit Gender and Sexuality in Sexuality Education Authors John R Sylliboy McGill University Keywords: Two-Spirit, decolonization, Indigenous Education Abstract The term Two-Spirit (2S) reflects the resurgence by Two-Spirit and Indigenous people to sh...