News Archives: Darlene Horseman: Decolonizing Her Education
Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
NWP Instructor Darlene Horseman
“I'll tell you this: I never liked education. As a child, school was such a negative experience for me. It was never a priority," admits Darlene Horseman, the Cree and Indigenous Studies Instructor at Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP). After a few bumps in the road, decolonizing her education, and a lot of hard work, Darlene now has a different perspective.
While working for Horse Lake First Nation, Darlene always wanted to do more. Fearlessly expanding her skillset, she worked for them for 18 years in various positions, from Band Manager to a Land Administrator role. One summer, after a much-needed 3-week holiday, she came home to find out she was being let go. Never learning the reason why, she picked up her personal belongings and had a good cry.
Going from feeling sorry for herself to being angry, she decided to call Grande Prairie Regional College - now known as NWP.
"I called and asked how I could get in to start upgrading. I was so angry at my Band that I thought maybe I could sue them as a lawyer!"
It was a Friday when she called and spoke to someone in Academic Advising. The following Tuesday, she took a placement exam. By Wednesday morning, she was sitting in a classroom, taking five classes. She wasted no time diving into her academic journey. She finished upgrading in three semesters, and her post-secondary courses followed immediately.
Before seeking out her new learning pathway at NWP, Darlene had served on the Board of Governors. When she became a full-time student, she stepped down from her role. After she finished her academic upgrading, the Board asked if she would be interested in returning. Limiting herself to two courses per semester, she completed her last term with the Board of Governors, this time as a student.
Darlene then committed to being a full-time student in the Bachelor of Education Teacher Education North program. She chose an education degree with the idea that it would lead right to a job. She figured this would be useful while trying to get into Law school.
In 2008, she completed her Bachelor of Education. During that same year, she received NWP's Distinguished Alumni Award. At the ceremony, her Chief's wife attended on his behalf. Darlene took this as a chance to thank her Band for letting her go. "If they hadn't fired me, I wouldn't have been sitting in that room receiving that award, so I thanked them. I would have never had the confidence to leave Horse Lake."
Returning to school after being out of school for 22 years seemed daunting, too. "I was nervous; I had to learn how to learn again."
When she was younger, Darlene's experience with teachers and education hadn't been positive, and being on the Board of Governors gave her insight into what education could deliver. As a child, Darlene had gone to school with predominantly white children, where she faced racism and discrimination every day. The nuns at her school forbid her from practicing her culture and speaking Cree, saying it was the devil's language. Anytime she spoke Cree, she was hit with the strap. "It was all negative things going on, and I felt ashamed of being Indigenous." Being who she was came with too much pain. "I experienced racism from a very young age and tried everything to hide I was Indigenous. I would not wear moccasins; I would not wear anything beaded. I wouldn't hang out with other Indigenous people; I dyed my hair blonde. I was trying to blend in."
Even though these early life and education experiences were negative for Darlene, she still says she wouldn't change anything. "That was how I survived in this racist world; I needed to protect myself during that time."
Despite growing up in a hostile and traumatic environment, she knew she wouldn't take any of it away. "I look back at those experiences; they taught me to be the strong, resilient woman I am today. Without those experiences, who would I be?"
Every single experience she encountered there was a reason for it, and it shaped her to be the strong, resilient, and proud person she is today.
In 2009, Darlene was approached by the Indigenous Liaison at NWP. The two knew each other quite well, and the Indigenous Liaison suggested that Darlene apply for a Cree Instructor position. She was told that NWP was looking to hire someone for the role and had difficulty filling the position. Hesitating at first, Darlene finally applied, keeping her cover letter simple and to the point. The Indigenous Liaison contacted Darlene and asked her what she had submitted. "It was so funny; she called me and said, 'What the heck is this,' and I said, 'It's a cover letter.' She was confused about why I hadn't listed my accomplishments, that I was an alumnus or any of the awards. I said I didn't want to brag."
With help from the Indigenous Liaison, Darlene resubmitted her application with a new cover letter. It wasn't long before she was hired and began teaching at NWP.
After teaching for a little while, one of the instructors she worked with and had also taught her as a student approached and said she should get her master's. "He reminded me how, while I was a student, he had said I should be teaching his class. He said, 'Here's your chance, start working on your master’s; I plan on retiring soon.' He didn't think it made any sense that some man from Scotland was teaching Indigenous History and that it should be me teaching about my people." Taking this as a sign, Darlene started looking into programs. She learned that, for the first time, the University of Alberta was offering a Master of Arts in Native Studies. Darlene enrolled immediately and delved into studies in residential schools and Indigenous women.
Struggling with some of the topics she was studying, she admits completing her master’s took a little longer than planned. With her thesis on the discrimination Indigenous women face on reserves due to politics, she began to intensely study that history. Her studies led her to learn how Indigenous women were ignored entirely and disempowered and how residential schools traumatized Indigenous children. For her own well-being, Darlene took her time finishing her master’s, as some of the course content was overwhelming as she learned more and more about how Indigenous people were treated and how she could see how that impacted the people she knew.
In 2017, she completed her master’s and expanded her teaching portfolio at NWP to include a variety of Indigenous Studies. Teaching adults where she thrived, she knew it was enough for her and decided to change her goals, no longer needing to pursue Law School. Teaching and education have made Darlene proud of her culture and history and enabled her to educate others on topics that make her proud to be Indigenous. Even her time as a student at NWP taking the same classes she teaches now started to change in her. "I always say to any Indigenous students in my classes that I sure hope they don't have to wait 38 years to be proud that they are Indigenous. In my Indigenous classes here as a student, I walked out of them for the first time, proud that I was Indigenous.”
Firmly proud of her culture and no longer silenced, Darlene provides a voice and space for Indigenous history and culture.
