Matawa Waka Tere was awarded 10-year accreditation by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium. THUNDER BAY – Matawa Waka Tere, the Indigenous languages program of Matawa Education, is now fully accredited by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC). WINHEC met in Hawaii last month and conferred 10-year accreditation on the Matawa program, which teaches Indigenous languages in several First Nations north of Lake Superior.
The decision followed site visits in Long Lake #58 and Webequie in August by Indigenous educators from the United States, Australia and Norway to assess the Matawa program for WINHEC.
Established in 2002, WINHEC is a collective of representatives from Indigenous cultures across the globe who support Indigenous Peoples pursuing common goals through higher education.
It offers accreditation to educational institutions that integrate Indigenous culture, language and worldviews into their program.
Seven Generations Education Institute, which has campuses in Fort Frances, Kenora and Sioux Lookout, is another WINHEC-accredited institution in Northwestern Ontario.
The accreditation decision was not the only international recognition bestowed upon Matawa Education.
Last year, the online World Indigenous Nations University (WINU) granted “meritorious doctorates” to Matawa First Nations Management chief executive David Paul Achneepineskum, Matawa education director Sharon Nate and Matawa language educators Aroha Watene and Mike Graham for “outstanding contributions” to Indigenous education.
The honorary degrees were presented to them last month in Hawaii in conjunction with the WINHEC proceedings.
“It is an honour to get recognized with something as big as this, and especially from a world Indigenous organization,” Graham, a Maori citizen of New Zealand, said Wednesday.
WINU is a world network for Indigenous higher education that claims principles aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A news release from WINU says it “aims to address the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples across the globe by providing access to a system of higher education that is culturally and professionally resilient and aligned to a commitment for advancing Indigenous wisdom and experience through education.”
Through its Matawa Waka Tere program, Matawa Education has since 2018 been working to revitalize Ojibwe, Cree and Oji-Cree in the First Nations it serves.
source snnewswatch