Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller
Associate Professor, Indigenous Teaching, Learning, and Research, Carleton University
Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller (Kahente means, “she walks ahead”) (Kanien:keha’ka/Mohawk) creates safe spaces for difficult conversations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples with the goal of creating a community of change at the institution. As an associate professor and inaugural Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Teaching, Learning, and Research at Carleton University, Dr. Horn-Miller’s leadership, teaching, and research involve interpreting Haudenosaunee culture and practices, which highlight the importance of community, dialogue, and consensus-building. In doing so, she is guided by the philosophy of Kaienerekowa (“way of peace”), which ensures peace, equal voice, and respect for each other and the natural world.
Dr. Horn-Miller responded[...]
Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller (Kahente means, “she walks ahead”) (Kanien:keha’ka/Mohawk) creates safe spaces for difficult conversations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples with the goal of creating a community of change at the institution. As an associate professor and inaugural Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Teaching, Learning, and Research at Carleton University, Dr. Horn-Miller’s leadership, teaching, and research involve interpreting Haudenosaunee culture and practices, which highlight the importance of community, dialogue, and consensus-building. In doing so, she is guided by the philosophy of Kaienerekowa (“way of peace”), which ensures peace, equal voice, and respect for each other and the natural world.
Dr. Horn-Miller responded in a fulsome way to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s call for postsecondary institutions to increase the integration of Indigenous knowledge into classrooms. She conceived the Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles—a series of Indigenous knowledge modules available online for her colleagues to incorporate into their classes. Under Dr. Horn-Miller’s guidance, the Bundle project has since expanded throughout Carleton University and Western University.
Dr. Horn-Miller’s pedagogy is about learner-centered and inclusive teaching and her students describe her classes as spaces of personal growth. A student explains, “I learned so much… from Kahente’s profound and insightful teachings… This class fired my heart once again and reminded me of why I started this study.” Storytelling is an important part of Dr. Horn-Miller’s Indigenous pedagogy, as it is the concept of tsi ni tia wen’a, which means, “a telling of things in a way that you can see it” or “to make it alive in the minds of the people.” Dr. Horn-Miller’s work truly transcends academic boundaries, ultimately leading the renaissance of Indigenous knowledge within academia.