Marc Jr. Doire had dropped out of high school, unsure of what to do next, when a University of Alberta wilderness-based workshop offered in partnership with his community, Aseniwuche Winewak Nation, was first held there in 2017.
Doire was struck by the excitement of the U of A students who'd travelled there to attend the event, part of a course offered through the Wahkohtowin Project. They were eager to learn about Indigenous legal principles while tanning a moosehide under the instruction of community members, including his mother and sister.
"The students fell in love with what they were witnessing," he recalls now, "and I saw my family come together in a big way and share their knowledge — learnings I took for granted as part of my day-to-day life," he recalls.
"I got to see, for the first time, people who have never visited our communities really care about what we do and how we live our lives, and it opened my eyes to how important those principles are for our own lives."
With that realization, Doire began to think about how he could support his community in preserving that way of life. Encouragement from his grandmother helped; she'd seen the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation's sovereignty negotiated after the nearby town of Grande Cache and the surrounding area became a coal-mining hub for Alberta in the 1960s.
"What has stuck with her since then was this huge societal change and new laws being put in front of the community. She told me, 'You can make change,' and I was like, OK, this was the path forward to university."
Graduating next week with a bachelor of arts in Native Studies with honors from the Faculty of Native Studies, Doire — the first in his family to earn both a high school diploma and a university degree — says he wants to contribute "in the biggest way I can."
That desire is rooted in the unique agreement his community reached with the provincial government back when the coal development began.
The Aseniwuche Winewak Nation's members negotiated retention of seven land parcels, known as co-operatives and enterprises, where "we were able to maintain our culture and Cree language, living life on our own terms as we have for generations," Doire says.
"We maintained and upheld our relationship with the land in spite of sudden and rapid industrialization throughout the '60s, but creating the co-operatives came through a huge feat of strength, so carrying that on and ensuring we continue as a people is a big thing."
Coming to the U of A through the Transition Year Program, Doire built his knowledge by taking the Certificate in Indigenous Governance and Partnership.
"It gave me the tools for negotiation, partnerships and strategies for understanding how to lead and work within an Indigenous governance capacity."
And able to experience the Wahkohtowin Project's courses himself as a U of A student, Doire was inspired by its developers, professors Hadley Friedland and Shalene Jobin, who'd started the partnership with the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation.
"They treated the community with such love and respect, and showed me the power of land-based learning in nation-building."
Doire's student journey was also shaped by professor Frank Tough, whose own work with the Métis Archival Project Research Lab taught him strong research skills.
"By gleaning historical records, I can better understand how my community's relationship was viewed by the provincial and federal governments."
Doire also credits professor Matthew Wildcat with teaching him about the intricacies of governance-related questions. "It further cemented my desire to serve my community in a governance capacity."
The caring Doire felt from his teachers and peers, including through the First Peoples' House, also helped him get through his studies after he was diagnosed with a chronic health condition.
"Their support encouraged me to pursue my education with this challenge, and it allowed me to do it with grace. Having those relationships helped me get to where I am now."
Though he has no specific career in mind, Doire feels the interdisciplinary nature of his education, with courses from both the Faculty of Law and Native Studies, has given him not just new skills, but shaped him as a "well-rounded community member.
"Whatever the community needs, I want to be there to support it. And being one of the few from my community to attend a post-secondary institution, that means there's lots of room for other younger folks to join me."
Doire was supported in his studies by the Transition Year Program Award, a University of Alberta Opportunities Award and the Indigenous Careers Award.
