Tag Archives: TEK

Module 4 Post 3: Teaching History from an Indigenous Perspective: Four Winding Paths up the Mountain, Michael Marker

Leave a reply

Marker, M. (n.d.) Teaching history from an indigenous perspective: Four winding paths up the mountain. [Course Materials] Retrieved from http://connect.ubc.ca

This chapter by Marker gives key insight into the development of a culturally responsive curriculum from the context of teaching history, though its application is in many ways cross curricular.  Marker identifies and elaborates on four themes of indigenous historical understanding that do not integrate well into Western world views and pedagogies.  These are:

  1. “the circular nature of time and the ways oral tradition is integrated with recurring events…
  2. the central theme of relationships with landscape and non-humans
  3. an emphasis on the local landscapes as containing the meaning of both time and place rather than on analyses of global social and political change; and
  4. indigenous narratives and perspectives on the histories of colonization that have attempted to displace and replace indigenous knowledge.”

Frequent within these themes are colonial dichotomies that minimize and devalue indigenous world views and limit the opportunities for indigenous self-determination and decolonization. These appear to develop from the differing world view in which the dominant culture strives for “progress” in an objective materialistic sense –“bigger, higher, newer, faster being preferred over smaller, lower, older or slower” and the indigenous cultures’ world view of primarily seeking to live better  in a holistic sense that honours relationships with place, people and non-humans alike.  The resulting values and beliefs (of both the dominant culture and the indigenous) are thus cemented in childhood–long before formal First Nations Studies courses (BC Curriculum) in high school address them.  This emphasizes the necessity for culturally responsive curricula much earlier in elementary, both to slow the (sometimes unintentional) colonization progress by the culturally ignorant dominant culture and provide legitimacy to aboriginal students making sense of their traditional world view within the Western hegemony, as colonization is not only a physical, social and economic occurrence, it is a cognitive one as well.

Mod 4 – Post #5 – Endangered Species

Leave a reply
CONSERVING AND RESTORING AT RISK SPECIES AND ECOSYSTEMS ON THE BC SOUTH COAST

While helping a student look for local endangered species for her project, I decided to look up Indigenous or TEK views on endangered species. I came across the site below entitled, “Species are Sacred – A Sto:lo World View on Species at Risk in the Fraser Valley”. The site discusses how oral traditions have passed on knowledge about maintaining these species for many years. Individual Species Fact Sheets are on the site for download and teacher lessons. There are Sto:lo legends written about some of the species as well as pictures and interesting information.

Maintaining and conserving our land is a topic that I am passionate about and also one in which I teach in Grade 7. We typically do either a project or a few lessons using digital technology (the Internet) to research local species that are endangered. I have not specifically looked for Indigenous sites on this, but now I that I have taken this course, I will continue to look. With the growth of more information being documented on the Internet for teachers to use, Western science teachers can incorporate more TEK into their classrooms. However, the oral tradition of passing on information through generations is at risk when doing this. Almost a catch-22.

http://www.sccp.ca/resources/species-are-sacred-st%C3%B3l%C5%8D-world-view-species-risk-fraser-valley

http://www.sccp.ca/sites/default/files/species-habitat/documents/pws_sccp-stolo%20factsheet_0.pdf

Mod 4 – Post #3

Leave a reply

Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Western Science Based Environmental Technology Curriculum – An examination,

The potential for integration of Western Scientific Knowledge and TEK in the curriculum of the School of Environment and Geomatics at Selkirk College, Castlegar B.C., is examined in this publication. This paper points out the increasing need for TEK to be integrated more in the curriculum and how the pedagogical shift could benefit the college. Students will be provided with a more holistic and thoughtful framework.

“If a process of beginning to understand Indigenous values can happen while attending school, the graduates from our program may be able to have more effective and meaningful relationships when they begin their careers as environmental technologists”.

http://dtpr.lib.athabascau.ca/action/download.php?filename=mais/Carol%20Andrews%20MAIS%20701%20Final%20project%20paper.pdf

Mod 4 – Post #1 – Dry Rack Fishing

Leave a reply

Dry rack fishery on the Fraser River shut down earlier than expected.

http://www.theprogress.com/news/215600991.html

I came across this article in the Chilliwack news this morning. Several Sto:lo First Nations dry rack fishers took part in an ancient tradition last week. Sockeye salmon are caught either in set nets or dip nets, for food, social, and ceremonial purposes.Unfortunately, the fishery was finished early because the sockeye run size was downgraded by the Fraser River Panel on July 12. Ernie Victor speaks about the best time to perform dry rack fishing and that tends to be earlier on in the run when the first fish tend to be smaller and thinner and there is less of a threat from the bees (still hibernating). Here are some highlights from the article:

“From an indigenous person’s standpoint, when you have something that’s so sacred, like traditional dry rack fishing, you think it just shouldn’t be so hard.” The process is “way more bureaucratic” than it needs to be, with scientific testing and modelling dictating the fishery openings that are allowed. “Of course if you have a million dollar venture like the commercial fleet when they get an opening, it all runs smoothly. It’s green light, go.” Even as some Sto:lo fishers were preparing their fish camps early last week, some said they spotted undercover DFO enforcement officers with binoculars watching their movements, as well as some posing as fisher buyers, presumably in an effort to get the fishers to sell them sockeye, which is illegal.“We’re talking about a group of families trying to keep their culture alive. They don’t need any additional barriers or obstacles.”

This newspaper article not only shows the difficulties that Indigenous peoples face while trying to maintain their traditional ecological values among the dominant culture. Victor asserts that First Nations peoples are not against conservation in any way, but they are frustrated that they cannot listen to Mother Nature [without having the dominant culture intervene]. As I read more and more about conservation practices and First Nations traditions, it saddens me that the dominant culture tries to step in and make the “big” decisions as well as secretly pose as fish buyers to try to break the Indigenous practices. I often hear about the debates and problems with First Nations and the dominant culture around fisheries and this is an issue I will continue to investigate more.

Alicia

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

Leave a reply

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 4: Curriculum Change in Nunavut: Towards Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Heather McGregor.

Leave a reply

McGregor, H. (2012). Curriculum change in Nunavut: Towards Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. McGill Journal of Education. (47)3.  285-302

Though part of the required reading for this course, I am including this article in my weblog as it pertains directly to my research paper envisioning respectful and responsible place-based education within the contemporary model.  In the article, Heather McGregor briefly outlines the political climate in Nunavut, and history of curriculum change that has brought about the current iterations of educational policy and practise that privilege Inuit language(s) and culture.

Through extensive collaboration with parents, elders, education professionals and policy makers; and coming at an extensive cost in effort and financial resources, the curriculum development initiatives in Nunavut exemplify “the kind of place-based culturally-responsive and Indigenous-knowledge based educational change called for by Indigenous education advocates.” (p.289)  Furthermore, the process and product may be seen as successful examples upon which other jurisdictions may look.

McGregor cautiously identifies the significant Inuit population majority as reducing the constraints (p.290) to swift progress that may not be possible in the context of my research for educational change in more multi-cultural settings.  However this does not devalue the examples set forth in the article, it simply re-identifies an obvious obstacle to my purpose.  Nonetheless, I cam hopeful for a culturally blended and balanced learning experience that is inclusive of traditional environmental knowledge, experiential learning opportunities, Elders as teachers and caring between teacher and learner–all key aspects identified by McGregor (p.209-291)–without the requirement of Indigenous students to “give up or leave behind their rights, language, identities, histories and world views in order to participate” (p.288) and do not let “the formal system or [non-Indigenous] structures change those ways so much that they lose their meaning, and still prepare children to attain a standard level of education.” (p.295)

Of significant note, McGregor identifies that specific values and beliefs must be made explicit when reconceptualizing education, particularly when the majority of teachers are not Indigenous themselves.

Module 3 – Post #5 – TEK in BC

Leave a reply

TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

This paper was written in 2000 by Nancy Turner. Examples of TEK are provided by the Secwepemc (Shuswap), Interior Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw and Nuu-Chah-Nulth peoples of the Northwest Coast. Many TEK topics are discussed, such as: knowledge of ecological principles, such as succession and interrelatedness of all components of the environment; use of ecological indicators; adaptive strategies for monitoring, enhancing, and sustainably harvesting resources; effective systems of knowledge acquisition and transfer; respectful and interactive attitudes and philosophies; close identification with ancestral lands; and beliefs that recognize the power and spirituality of nature.

Going though this valuable resource, there are many sections describing specific methods and knowledge that has allowed Aboriginal people live in a sustainable manner for years and years.

Here is an example of plant resource use: “Plant resource use was (and is) imbued with ecological knowledge and wisdom that take many forms. Contemporaneous life cycles of different species; seasonal signals such as position and size of snow patches on the mountains, or the arrival of the first snow in the fall; relative numbers of particular birds in a given location; flowering of certain plants; and productivity of certain berries: all of these provide indicators for people to know when to expect a salmon run, when the clams are ready to be dug, or when particular roots are ready for harvesting (Turner 1997b). Regeneration of individual plants also has been widely recognized. Pruning or burning of certain berry bushes, for example, was formerly a common practice, and resulted in long-term enhanced yields. Basketry materials, too, were and are managed and enhanced by focused cutting, pruning, and burning (Turner 1996)”

Module 3 – Post #4

Leave a reply

Linking Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge and Western Science in Natural Resource Management (paper)

“This two-day event, held in March 2001, brought together 110 people to talk about both the  practical and theoretical aspects of linking Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge (IPK) and Western science in natural resource management. Participants were from both native and non-native communities, and represented Indigenous knowledge keepers, scientists, resource managers, elders, and academics. The conference consisted of observing cultural protocol, presentations from diverse perspectives, structured workshops, and informal discussions.”

In 2001, this conference took place near the Shuswap. Many different people attended the conference, from environmentalists, policy makers, people working in resource management sectors, Indigenous experts, etc. The conference seeked to find out more about IPK and how it can be applied to resource management in BC. This document will help guide me in writing my final paper, especially with discussing how TEK/IPK is different from western science. For instance, Henry Michael speaks about the challenges to this conference in his opening introduction,

“I realize that there are risks involved in linking IPK to Western science. For example, there has not been a lot of trust built between Indigenous people and the natural resources sector. Researchers, policy developers, and government and industry personnel have historically been lumped together as being opposed to or exploiting Indigenous people and threatening their traditional land use rights. Risks are particularly great for Indigenous organizations that have sought to participate in integration activities and have to justify their work to their suspicious Elders”.

Another worthy quote from the introduction is this:

“Indigenous participants pointed out another risk during the conference discussion table sessions: the scientific community’s misunderstanding of how IPK fits in a Western scientific paradigm. People acknowledge the danger in seeing IPK as the same as Western science, and likewise, Western science is not IPK. This misunderstanding occurs when Indigenous intellectual property is treated as a commodity, another bit of knowledge that becomes part of a larger scientific database.”

Mod 2 – Post #4 – Eagle Festival and TEK

Leave a reply

TEK on the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival site:

http://fraservalleybaldeaglefestival.ca/eagleeye/traditional_ecological.html

This site includes essays on TEK perspectives as well as information about the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival (see also, http://fraservalleybaldeaglefestival.ca/). There is a wealth of information located on this site in which I will be referring to for my final paper. I think that doing something with the Eagle Festival with Grade 7’s in the winter is an excellent incorporation of TEK in the Science 7 classroom.

 

Mod 2 – Post #3 – Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Leave a reply

This paper focuses on traditional ecological knowledge perspectives, which is integral to my final paper.

This quotation stuck out to me (from the introduction):

“In the exploration of environmental ethics and religion toward an ecologically sustainable society, indigenous peoples and traditional ecological knowledge have attracted considerable attention from both scholars and popular movements.”

One section in the paper discusses Western science versus traditional ecological knowledge. For example:

“Some of the conflict between science and traditional knowledge is related to claims of
authority over knowledge. In the modernist tradition, Western science is seen as having a
monopoly on truth.” (p.4)

http://umanitoba.ca/institutes/natural_resources/canadaresearchchair/Encyclopedia%20of%20Religion%20And%20Nature%20Traditional%20Ecological%20Knowledge.pdf