In the space of song and story: exploring the Adaawk of Hagbegwatku Simgeeget, Sigyidmhana nah Deth when sim Simgeeget

This paper explores the transformative practices of Gitksan dance and story and how they offer a myriad of connections to our histories and a means for intergenerational transmission of this sacred knowledge. Exemplifying these processes in my lineage, I explore dance as the predominant environment where I learned my Adaawk, as Simoiget Hagbegwatku maintained these. Grounded in Adaawk, I follow a pedagogy which serves time-honoured Gitksan approaches, investigating the way story forms a powerful tool for learning. By translating these processes to pedagogy I find a style of discourse which honours Adaawk and shares in the healing authority of the songs. Integral to my understanding are the Indigenous pedagogical approaches of Cajete, Hampton and Kenny and Battiste’s and Smith’s perspectives on Indigenous epistemologies. These approaches are considered alongside Snowber’s concepts of embodied learning and the socio-cultural theories of Rogoff, Lave and Wenger.