Land-Based Education
Land-Based Education
Land-based education is the original school of the Tsm’syen, Gitxsan, Nisg̱a’a, and neighbouring Nations. It teaches youth through direct experience with the lands, waters, animals, and seasonal cycles that sustain us. Before there were classrooms, the land was the teacher, and the people were its students.
1. Purpose of Land-Based Education
Land-based education teaches:
- Identity and belonging
- Respect for living beings
- Seasonal knowledge and environmental cycles
- Practical survival skills
- Cultural responsibilities and ayaawx
- Balance, self-discipline, and patience
- How to care for territory for future generations
When youth learn on the land, they learn who they are.
2. Learning Through the Seasons
Each season teaches different responsibilities:
Spring
- River watching and flood awareness
- First plant medicines of the year
- Early fishing preparation
- Learning migration cycles
Summer
- Salmon harvesting
- Drying, smoking, and preserving food
- Berry picking and ecological care
- Canoe travel and safety protocol
Fall
- Hunting and tracking
- Preparing firewood
- Territory monitoring before winter
- Late-season medicines and roots
Winter
- Story cycles / adawx
- Tool making
- Repairing nets, traps, and gear
- Learning decision-making and reflection
3. Learning By Doing
Youth learn through participation, not observation alone. Examples include:
- Gathering firewood
- Cleaning fish
- Setting crab traps or nets (where appropriate)
- Processing berries and medicines
- Caring for elders
- Watching water levels, tides, and animal patterns
Responsibility is the core of education.
4. Teachings Connected to Land
Land-based education includes teachings about:
- Respecting rivers, mountains, and animals
- Understanding territory boundaries (lax yip)
- Passing on oral histories of place
- The relationship between land health and community health
- Avoiding waste and harvesting only what is needed
5. Social Learning on the Land
On the land, youth learn:
- Cooperation and teamwork
- How to listen to instructions
- How to follow protocols
- How to behave respectfully around elders
- Self-discipline and emotional regulation
- Gender-balanced roles without rigid stereotypes
6. Intergenerational Learning
Land-based learning depends on:
- Elders sharing experience
- Adults modelling behaviour
- Youth practicing skills
- Children observing
Knowledge is carried across generations by doing the work together.
7. Land as Law Teacher
The land teaches youth:
- Cause and effect (consequences)
- Safety awareness
- Balance and moderation
- Respect for all living things
This naturally reinforces *ayaawx* because:
- You cannot lie to the land
- You cannot cheat the river
- You cannot steal from future generations
- You cannot take more than is safe to carry
8. Modern Land-Based Education
In today’s world, land-based education may include:
- Field trips to cultural sites
- Mapping territory digitally
- GPS tracking of animal and salmon patterns
- Climate change monitoring
- Water quality testing
- Digital storytelling connected to place
The tools may change; the teachings do not.
9. Benefits for Youth
Land-based education:
- Strengthens mental health
- Builds confidence
- Creates resilience
- Reduces risk of harm or substance misuse
- Builds strong identity
- Connects youth to culture without pressure
- Restores relationships between generations
10. Upholding Ayaawx Through the Land
Land-based learning supports ayaawx by teaching:
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Reciprocity
- Restraint
- Relationship
These teachings come naturally when youth spend time with the land.
This is a public-facing, safe, open-knowledge version suitable for all audiences. No restricted ceremonial knowledge or specific protocols are included.