Tag Archives: Indigenous knowledge

Module 3 Post 5: Opening Doors to the Future: Applying Local Knowledge in Curriculum Development, Veronica Ingas

Ignas, V. (2004) Opening doors to the future: Applying local knowledge in curriculum development. Canadian Journal of Native Education. (28)1/2. 49-60.

Ingas begins her article with statistics comparing Indigenous and non-Indigenous graduation rates and, like many others, identifies the significantly lower Indigenous graduation rates as evidence of an education system that is failing Indigenous students. The result, she postulates, of the contemporary system’s lack of valuing Indigenous cultural contexts and local level knowledge, and therefore failing to be meaningful to Indigenous students. More typically, the contemporary system has “distanced and denied First Nations [sic] knowledge” (p.49) and left students feeling that “their ways of knowing are inferior or inadequate.” (p.55)

Ingas goes on to describe how successful curricular models must value Indigenous ways of knowing, world view and traditional ecological knowledge, and describes the Forests for the Future science curriculum that she co-developed for the BC high schools through the partnership with community members, parents, Elders and educational professionals. Ingas’ preferred method of instruction is an inquiry based model that requires students to “assume the primary responsibility for planning, conducting and evaluating their investigations” (Moore, Moore, Cunningham & Cunningham, 1998, p. 280) through content that “should address issues, controversies or provocative questions inspired by experiences in the [students’ lives].” Kanevsky, 1999, p. 58)

Kanevsky, L. (1999). The toolkit for for curriculum differentiation. Lanny Kanevsy. October Edition.

Moore, D., Moore S., Cunningham, P., & Cunninghamj., (1998) Developing readers and writers in the content areas (3rd ed.) Don Mills, ON: Longman.

Module 3 Post 3: Orality of the Northern Cree Indigenous Worlds, C. Weber-Pillwax.

Leave a reply

Weber-Pillwax, C. (2001) Orality of northern Cree indigenous worlds. Canadian journal of native education (25)2. 149-165

I turned to this article to explore the concept of orality and orality consciousness that I struggled with in the Friedel (2011) referenced in post one for this module. E-mail discussion with Heather McGregor and Dr. Marker helped clarify, and post to was a recommendation by Dr. Marker, but I wanted to deepen my understanding further; this article was selected for that purpose.

Weber-Pillwax’s article connects well to the early modules of ETEC 540 where orality is explored, particularly through Ong’s (1982) work on orality as a (very) complex state of being, or consciousness, including thought patterns, ceremonies, story-telling, dancing and singing. Weber-Pillwax builds on this definition and concurrently critiques Havelock’s (1986) analysis of the transition from primary orality to literacy to build an understanding of the northern Cree world-view and sense of identity rooted in orality, especially the understanding of and participation in traditional society and spiritual events–even if the language is not understood!

A significant portion of this article is dedicated to the English translation of “wihkotowin” and “macisimowin,” which are different ceremonies but both typically translated as “tea dance.” The discussion of the translations is centred around “tea dance” for wihkotowin as an oral translation, because those requiring a translation could not fully understand the meaning held within the word and participation in the ceremony as outsiders, and “tea dance” for macisimowin as a literate translation, because it adequately describes what happens at the ceremony celebrating a special event such a as a birthday. A (better?) literate translation of wihkotowin would be “dance of the ancestors.” This ceremony includes the opening of a bundle to signify the bringing into consciousness and the community, the spirits of those who have gone before, grandmothers, grandfather and ancestral spirits.

Off topic of my immediate reason for reviewing this article, but more directly aligned with my research paper, is the notable absence of a place-based identity, as so eloquently described in Basso’s work (see Module 3 Post 2). Presumably, this is for two reasons. The first is that the intention of the article was to elucidate orality, though I am not satisfied with this as my understanding is that place-based identity is so central to most Indigenous world views that it could not casually be omitted from any sense of identity. The second reason, and one that I am more likely to believe, is hidden in the brief history of the northern Cree with which Weber-Pillwax prefaces the article. In this history, she describes the elders’ fascination with a small turtle that she brought back from the city. Though not native to the area, the turtle is an important part of the collective memory. How did it get there? The northern Cree people are part of a group of Cree that originated in Ontario and Quebec (turtles’ natural habitat) and moved west to Alberta, possibly with the fur trade, to displace the Blackfoot and Dene who inhabited the area first. Because the northern Cree have not inhabited their current region for the 5000+ years that other Indigenous groups have lived in their traditional territories, their oral histories do not reference the land around them in the ways that others do.

Havelock, E. (1986) The muse learns to write: Reflections on orality and literacy from antiquity to the present. New York: Yale University Press

Ong, W. (1982) Orality and literacy. London: Routledge

Module 3 Post 1: Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache, Keith Basso.

Leave a reply

Basso, K. (1996). Stalking with stories. In Wisdom sits in places: Landscape and language among the Western Apache. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

In this chapter of Wisdom Sits in Places, Basso exemplifies the reciprocal relationship of the Western Apache to their land is as it informs their moral being and self-image which then defines their relationship to the physical world, including the land. To do this, Basso elucidates the meaning of a variety of phrases from Western Apache elders that, when interpreted from a Western perspective seem nonsensical. However; Basso demonstrates that when taken in context of the Western Apache world view, which he also asserts is not dissimilar from many other Indigenous world views, these sayings not only make sense, but are deeply rooted in social and cultural belief. In his approach, Basso recollects his teachings under Western Apache elder, Nick Thompson, over a number of summers. In these recollections he describes the significance and subtleties of Indigenous place names, then connects stories to them–noting how Western Apache stories are always rooted in places, and all places have stories. Finally he describes the four main genre of Western Apache stories (distinguished by their temporal locations) and explains how historical tales, short and direct, are used to guide members of their society on “what it is that being an Apache should normally and properly entail.” (p. 52)

Module 3- Post 5: The Indigenous Caribbean portal on Ning

Leave a reply

The Indigenous Caribbean portal on the Ning platform @ http://indigenouscaribbean.ning.com/ is a great example of how the indigenous people of the Caribbean are making use of technology both to reclaim and preserve their culture. The welcome message on the site encourages one to: create their own on-site blog; a new discussion on the network message board; music; video and photo slideshows that can then be played on any site across the Web. With so many options at their disposal the members of this site have produce a resource that has something for everyone from researcher to tribe member. For example Maximilian Forte is a professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University who’s research interests have focused on the Carib Community of Arima, Trinidad is found here, so also is the Turabo Taino Jaguar Warrior Society of Puerto Rico are also on a quest to honor their Boricua warriors the Boriqueneers that fought for the US in world war two. Ignacio G. Rivera’s question “where do we fit in? It seems like we are constantly fighting to prove that the Taino exists” in one of the discussion forums speaks for many indigenous people of the Caribbean and the world. Finally the article Guyana Police batters Indigenous Family on their Traditional Land… mining is now a problem to indigenous peoples in Guyana uses video to graphically illustrates an encounter of one indigenous group with the police as they tried to protect their lands.

Indigenous Renaissance – Naturalizing Indigenous Knowledge

Leave a reply

Battiste, M., & Henderson, J. S. Y. (2009). Naturalizing indigenous knowledge in eurocentric education. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 32(1), 5-18.

This article is primarily focused on how indigenous languages are a source of indigenous knowledge. For those of you interested in the study and preservation of indigenous languages, I highly recommend this article. Its positive and powerful diction is infectious – the article will get you excited about the “Indigenous Renaissance”.

There’s another reason this article is exciting, too; remember the previous discussion thread where we discussed the idea that some math (i.e. straight lines as the shortest route from A – B) was contradictory to Indigenous knowledge? That inspired me to learn more about ways in which the curriculum was Eurocentric, and this article speaks to that. The authors assert the idea that “through its applications and teachings, [Eurocentric knowledge] has long ignored, neglected, or rejected Indigenous knowledge as primitive, barbaric, and inferior, centering and privileging European methodologies and perspectives” (6). That idea is not new, but this article goes further, exemplifying ways that teachers can avoid these harmful practices. It concludes with concrete suggestions for teachers who want their classrooms to be more culturally inclusive, creating “potential for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners in trans-systemic ways that European knowledge alone cannot do” (13).

“Storywork” – Add it to the lexicon

Leave a reply

Archibald, J. (2008). Indigenous storywork: Educating the heart, mind, body, and spirit. Vancouver BC: UBC Press.

This ebook can be accessed via http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ubc/docDetail.action?docID=10348906

I’ve been looking at ways for non-indigenous teachers to teach more sensitively to indigenous students in mixed-culture classrooms, to improve teacher-student relationships and to increase indigenous student retention. ‘Story’ is something that continuously appears – the power of story to re-frame history, to teach, to draw students’ attention. It’s a way that indigenous philosophy can become more fundamentally entrenched in the learning of students. However, story, like any other cultural tool, must be handled sensitively. This book is written expressly to that purpose. It informs readers of the nuances of story – whose story is this? Can it be shared? What’s its purpose? It also helps readers learn to effectively use story as a teaching tool – storywork. It looks at how story can be incorporated into the classroom at every age level (from primary to adult). Best of all, it tells some stories!

This book will be helpful to any teacher wanting to include more Aboriginal viewpoints and education into their own practice. Chapter Four, “The Power of Story to Educate the Heart” (pp100-117) is particularly relevant to teachers of secondary and adult learners.

Module 3- Post 4: Taino facts

Leave a reply

The Taino are yet another indigenous people that has resurrected themselves from extinction in the westernized history book of the Caribbean . The Taino facts is a good starting point for those interested in learning more about these people. As noted on the site it is “An extension of the United Confederation of Taino People’s premier online news service the “Voice of the Taino People Online”, this educational initiative is dedicated to increasing the visibility of Indigenous Peoples from throughout the Caribbean region and the Diaspora in the Spirit of Our Ancestors”. It provides information on United Confederation of Taino People’s,the culture of the Taino people and the issues they face . In addition it provide links to other Taino site as shown below which makes a great resource for the subject.

This a another great example of how indigenous people are leveraging web technology to recover their identity.

Module 2- Post 5: Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future

Leave a reply

Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future

http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/index.html

This is by far the most interesting website I have encountered in this part of my journey into the world of education of indigenous people. It is essentially an online multimedia teacher education program by UNESCO that provides professional development for student teachers, teachers, curriculum developers, education policy makers, and authors of educational materials. It is made up of 27 professional development modules, organized in four thematic sections. Of special interest to this blog is the module Indigenous knowledge & sustainability that covers topics such as:

The wisdom of the elders;
Why is indigenous knowledge important?;
Living by indigenous knowledge;
Indigenous and formal education;
Enhancing the curriculum through indigenous knowledge.

These make this module an invaluable resource for any teacher that is new to indigenous education but what is more important is that it shows how the web can be leveraged for professional development of educatiors. Which is a concept that those involved in the education of indigenous people can exploit for their own needs.

Module 2-Post 2: Achieving Improved Primary and Secondary Education Outcomes for Indigenous Students- An overview of investment opportunities and approaches

Leave a reply

https://www.amp.com.au/wps/amp/au/FileProxy?vigurl=%2Fvgn-ext-templating%2FfileMetadataInterface%3Fids%3De0842bef78fc2210VgnVCM10000083d20d0aRCR

As I continue my journey into the new (to me) world of indigenous education I came across this report that targeted the philanthropic sector of Australia. It provides information that would help them to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with improving primary and secondary level indigenous education outcomes in any country. In addition it also provide a guide for practitioners in the not-for-profit and government sectors with an interest in Indigenous education. As such his document could be useful to any interested in indigenous education in any part of the world.

At first I found targeting investors to be a an interesting approach but after considering that children are the most important legacy of any society it became an obvious approach.

Of all the points mention in this report the one that stood out to me was the the need for teaching courses that include Aboriginal or Indigenous Studies as a core component since a good teacher can overcome many of the negative effects caused by the problems and barriers facing Indigenous children. However non-Indigenous teachers which makes up the most of the teaching force often find it difficult to adopt to the needs of Indigenous students without adequate training and preparation. Yet only about half the universities in Australia offer teaching courses that include Aboriginal or Indigenous Studies as a core component.

I came away from this paper with the belief every teacher training institution in a country with Indigenous people must make Indigenous Studies as a core component of teacher training.

Module 2 – Post 1: Learning & Knowing in Indigenous Societies Today

Leave a reply

Learning & Knowing in Indigenous Societies Today
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001807/180754e.pdf

At 128 page this book is not meant for online viewing but for print. Read however you choose this book is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in indigenous people and educational. The introduction provides a very good framework for understanding of the differences between education from a western context and indigenous cultures. It provides insights as to the friction that is generated between the two. This was very useful to me as I am now learning about indigenous people and education.
The rest of the book consist of the accounts of the following eight different issues on the topic from eight different indigenous people from different countries around the world:

The indigenous peoples of Venezuela in search of a participative and intercultural education for their survival by Marie-Claude Mattéi Muller
Sustaining indigenous languages and indigenous knowledge:developing community training approaches for the 21st century by Margaret Florey
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and biocultural diversity: a close-up look at linkages, delearning trends, and changing patterns of transmission byStanford Zent
Biodiversity regeneration and intercultural knowledge transmission in the Peruvian Andes by Jorge Ishizawa & Grimaldo Rengifo
Loss of traditional practices, loss of knowledge, and the sustainability of cultural and natural resources: a case of Urak Lawoi people in the Adang Archipelago, Southwest Thailand by Supin Wongbusarakum
Transmitting indigenous knowledge through the school curriculum in a diminishing bio-cultural environment: the case of Botswana by Herman M. Batibo
Learning and Inuit knowledge in Nunavut, Canada by Peter Bates
African hunter-gatherers: threats and opportunities for maintaining indigenous knowledge systems of biodiversity by Nigel Crawhall

This goes a long way in establish how indigenous people around the world face the same problem with westernized education.