Mino Goondawin: exploring co-creation in the design of the Atikameksheng Gathering Place

Abstract

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action have inspired reconciliation efforts across Canada, highlighting the need to acknowledge the disrupted history of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island. Understanding the damaged relationships with the natural and built environment emphasizes our responsibility to respect Indigenous rights and sovereignty. Acknowledging Indigenous worldviews rooted in relationality, reciprocity, and connection to land and community is central to this. Indigenous methodologies such as oral histories, ceremonies, and land-based practices prioritize process over product and support co-creation grounded in trust and respect. This thesis explores co-creation in design, grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and guided by the principle of Mino Goondawin. It emphasizes the role of design and decolonization in fostering meaningful collaboration that respects and integrates Indigenous values. Applied through the Atikameksheng Gathering Place design, this work highlights how Co-Creation can strengthen cultural resurgence and placekeeping in architecture by centering reciprocal relationships.