Practice 3 Etuaptmumk

Abstract

Etuaptmumk or Two-Eyed Seeing is a traditional way of knowing of the Mi’kmaq Peoples offered through the wisdom of Mi’kmaq Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Elder Dr. Albert Marshall and Elder Dr. Murdena Marshall. Elder Albert Marshall describes Etuaptmumk as the Mi’kmaw concept of the “gift of multiple perspectives,” which involves acknowledging, valuing equally, and learning from the strengths of both Indigenous and eurowestern ways of knowing to bridge worldviews. The authors position Etuaptmumk as a foundation for opening our hearts and minds to exploring health and healing through multiple lenses. It offers a way of looking at each element of the counselling process through the lens of Indigenous worldviews alongside the established eurowestern, individualist viewpoint. Practicing Etuaptmumk invites a both/and rather than either/or perspective that has the potential to enhance healthcare experiences and outcomes for all people and peoples by providing a framework for effectively and ethically navigating one’s own worldview, the worldviews of clients, and the conventional eurowestern worldview of counselling and psychology. The authors embrace epistemological pluralism to further amplify the importance of honouring the integrity of Indigenous worldviews. Pluralism builds on the foundations of Practice 1 Positionality by grounding ways of knowing, doing, and being in the particular cultural identities and relationalities of each person, Nation, or cultural community. A pluralist approach is only possible when the epistemological, ontological, and axiological positioning of both people or both communities or both worldviews is positioned as equally valid and relevant to health and healing.

Melissa and Sandra value the unique contributions of the co-authors in this chapter:

• Elder Albert Marshall opens the chapter with a Teaching: Etuaptmumk takes the best from the eurocentric system or western science and the best ways of knowing and being that come from our cultures, Ceremonies, and languages. Putting those best ways of knowing together ensures that the outcome will benefit all of humanity as well our nonhuman relatives, as well as our source of life.
• Darlene Denis-Friske shares two reflections speaking first to togetherness without the loss of separateness. If we enter the space of decolonizing health, healing, and care in a spirit of pluralism, the ethical space created allows us to consider different worldviews without agreements or pressure to replace our own. Instead we represent ourselves authentically, and we hope to be heard bidirectionally (or multidirectionally). Then she speaks to the importance of ensuring Indigenous Knowledges are lifted up through Indigenous voices, perspectives, paradigms, protocols, and research methodologies, rather than lifted out.
• Fyre Jean Graveline speaks to Etuaptmumk by drawing on the Métis Sash, a woven belt of many colours. She/they invite us to share affinities and differences, as we acknowledge and weave common threads as a whole.
• Mahdi Qasqas draws on the metaphor of date palm and cedar tree roots holding hands (Etuaptmumk) as he reflects on a personal story and considers how Indigenous and Islamic lived experiences and paradigms might come together.

Co-Authors

Melissa Jay (she/her), PhD, RPsych, is a cisgender nehiyaw (Cree) member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and lifelong student of yoga philosophy. She is a cisgender, able-bodied woman who moves through the world with white-passing privilege. She is a psychologist and associate professor at Athabasca University. Her work is centred in reciprocity and relationship, decolonized healing, anti-oppressive practices, and the integration of ancient wisdom and psychology. Her intention is to share trauma-informed, culturally responsive care, alongside her ongoing collaborative research exploring relational accountability, Indigenous methodologies, and ethical engagement with community.

Sandra Collins (she/her), PhD, is a co-editor of this book. She writes from the perspective of a feminist, lesbian, cisgender, woman with an invisible disability, who is a white, retired professor, and inhabits a privileged social class. Over the 25 years of her academic and professional career, she focused her research, writing, and teaching on cultural responsivity and social justice in theory, research, and practice. This is her fifth book on these topics, two of which were awarded the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Counselling biannual book award. She also received a silver medal for best e-book design by the Independent Publisher Book Awards. 

Elder Albert Marshall (he/him), PhD, is an Elder and a member of the Moose Clan of the Mi’kmaw Nation in Eskasoni, Unama’ki, known as Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He is a fluent Mi’kmaw speaker and a survivor of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School. He has dedicated his life to bridging Indigenous and western knowledge systems. He was deeply honoured to receive the Order of Canada on October 3, 2024 as recognition for coining the term, Etuaptmumk. As a tireless advocate for reconciliation, sustainability, and Indigenous knowledge, he advises numerous organizations.

Darlene Denis-Friske (she/her), DCP, RP, CYW is a registered psychotherapist who holds a Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy degree and currently works with a medical health team in the Ottawa Valley. Darlene began helping work over 35 years ago as a Child and Youth Worker and has worked in schools (elementary, secondary, adult, and alternative education), private practice, and a large psychiatric hospital in Northern Ontario (Sudbury). Darlene’s advocacy, research, and focus centre around a deeper understanding of Indigenous wholistic theory, ethics, and values. As an Algonquin Anishinaabe, Darlene facilitates helping work through a lens of Relational Wise Practices, which is an Anishinaabe expression of a Wise Practices concept. 

Fyre Jean Graveline (she/her; they/them), PhD, RSW, RCAT, is a two-spirit resilient survivor and a Métis Grandmother, educator, author, healer, artist, and activist or heARTiviist. She/they work, play, and pray to create sustainable expressive arts healing practices through an Indigenous, feminist, ecoarts-based lens, emphasizing walking lightly and lovingly on Mother Earth. She taught and practiced in education and social work for over forty years. She is the author of Circle Works: Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness (Fernwood, 1998) and Healing Wounded Hearts (Fernwood, 2005). Still emerging is her newest book LIFE as Medicine: All Healing Heals All.

Mahdi Qasqas (he/him), PhD, RPsych, holds a PhD in social work, is a registered psychologist, and is the head of Q&A Psychological Services. He has worked both professionally and probono with a range of local and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations. As a volunteer leader he has served over 15,000 hours of serious leisure, which became the subject focus of his doctoral studies and led to patenting Psycho-Spiritual First Aid®, a mental health consultation model used to build culturally localized and adapted evidence-based interventions and programs.

Citation

Collins, S., Jay, M., Villebrun, G., White, R., & Consoli, J. In S. Collins and M. Jay (Eds.), Decolonizing health, healing, and care: Embodying culturally responsive and socially just counselling (Chapter 1.3). Counselling Concepts. https://doi.org/10.71446/fk84265467