Module 2 Blog 4
I need to take a bigger bite out of the topic of appropriation that has been resurging throughout this blog.
I have located a source from OpenText BC:
Appropriate Use of Indigenous Content – Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers (opentextbc.ca)Appropriate Use of Indigenous Content – Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers (opentextbc.ca)
This provides tangible examples of lessons that would be considered appropriation and offensive. I must confess, that at first glance I might not have considered some of the lessons inappropriate. For example, an example was given of a teacher using cardboard boxes to construct totem poles then comparing it to building churches. Providing an extended direct quote from the website explaining why it was an inappropriate thing to do:
- “Indigenous communities that created totem poles have been exploited through colonialism in many other ways. They were not involved in the assignment to make poles, and they did not grant permission to the teacher to make poles.
- Poles have a spiritual significance, which was not honoured in the activity.
- The creating of the poles was not interwoven with Indigenous approaches but was a one-off assignment within a predominantly Westernized approach.”
While I absolutely understand this rationale, these are the types of situations that cause me trepidation for knowing what is right and what is wrong. Having spent 20 years overseas has further distanced me from the evolution of contemporary Canadian thought. The search continues…