For Mike Buckland, learning and teaching have never been separate acts. His life, guided by Indigenous ways of knowing, moves in rhythm with curiosity, humility and a desire to help others find community.
There is no “work Mike” and “free time Mike.” Buckland brings his whole self wherever he goes, whether he’s leading a workshop, making a drum or running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with friends.
His sense of humour and heart are constant companions in everything he does.
Born in Burlington, Ont., Buckland is of Mi’kmaq heritage, as a part of the Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia. Though he grew up off-reserve, his connection to family and community was always close.
A father-son trip when he was ten, visiting Cape Breton, filled him with a sense of belonging he couldn’t quite name. The land, the language and the stories sparked questions about identity that would stay with him for life.
In school, Buckland was the kind of kid teachers remember: talkative, quick with a joke, and always curious.
Buckland said he was “what might be defined as a class clown,” though his report cards told another story: a clear love of learning. He was drawn to understanding.
At Western University in London, Ont., he double-majored in history and political science, fascinated by the ways stories shape nations and the systems people build around belief. He imagined, briefly, a career in politics.
“Through a combination of really good history teachers in high school and really good professors in university, my passion kind of crept away from politics,” he said. “When it came to a profession, I could definitely see myself more in that teaching lens.”
Buckland’s understanding deepened during a difficult period. In his fourth year at Western, his father passed away, a blow that forced him to step back and rethink everything.
He stepped away from school. “For me, working and just getting by was enough,” he said. The next year, he returned to finish his degree.
Living through grief added an extra year until graduation.
After finishing his degree, Buckland took a job at Black Creek Pioneer Village. He worked as a historical interpreter, a blacksmith, a leather worker and, as he jokes, the official wood chopper.
In his role, he discovered the magic of storytelling as a bridge between generations. History, he realized, wasn’t about dates, it was about people.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it hit Indigenous communities especially hard. Buckland said that was one of the biggest turning points in his career.
“I was able to check my privilege,” he continued, “there are people that are needed to be voices in these communities, and we need advocates.”
That insight led him to Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training in Toronto, where he spent three years helping Indigenous community members secure education and work opportunities.
He didn’t just find a job there, he found his “role-community.” The relationships he built, and the collective learning he witnessed, became the foundation for his teaching philosophy.
“I really wanted my energy to be something that would improve those people’s lives,” he said.
Buckland channels that philosophy through his current work at the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC). He helps shape programs that strengthen Indigenous education and community connections across the province.
At the same time, he writes for the City of Toronto, crafting walking tours that reveal Indigenous stories woven through the city’s streets: projects like The Walking Tour: Intersection of Art and Nature and The Resistance and Reconciliation Walking Tour.
These tours have piqued his interest in the Indigenous art and culture in Toronto. In fact, he is working on a passion project, an app guiding users through Indigenous public art across Toronto.
His colleague at OFIFC, Jo Rodrigues, said Buckland brings both innovation and groundedness to every project.
“He can see the big picture and still bring an Indigenous pedagogy to the work,” she said. His humour, she added, is as much a teaching tool as his knowledge, reminding those around him not to lose sight of joy, even in serious work.
Outside of meetings and workshops, Buckland’s hands are rarely still.
He’s a drum and rattle maker, a craftsman who understands some lessons can’t be taught with words alone. Through rhythm, texture and tradition, he teaches by doing and by making.
He also scaabes at sweat lodges, helping to maintain the fires that cleanse and heal. For him, these practices are extensions of the same teaching circle: acts of service to others.
When he’s not working, Buckland returns to the land. He’s an avid hunter, fisher, canoeist and camper, finding in nature the same lessons he teaches in classrooms.
“Being outdoors connects me to culture and perspective,” he said. “It reminds me that learning happens everywhere.”
His belief in learning from everyone and every place drives his latest ideas. With the OFIFC, Buckland and his colleagues are working towards the Original Peoples Learning Centre, an accredited Indigenous university shaped by Indigenous knowledge systems for Indigenous people.
For Buckland, the line between teacher and learner doesn’t exist. Every conversation, every craft, every laugh is part of the same story: a story about community, resilience and the good life we build together.