Annotated Bibliography

Aikenhead, G, and Huntley, B. “Teachers’ Views on Aboriginal Students Learning Western and Aboriginal Science”. University of Saskatchewan. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

By: Jessica R

“Teachers’ Views on Aboriginal Students Learning Western and Aboriginal Science” by Glen Aikenhead and Bente Huntley focuses on teacher’s views on Aboriginal students learning both Western and Aboriginal science in a classroom setting. The article focuses on research that was taken from Northern Saskatchewan, where teachers were surveyed regarding their views on both Western and Aboriginal science and their ways of incorporating both cultures into the classroom. To start, it is important to mention that the students within these classrooms are Aboriginal, meaning these students come from indigenous cultural backgrounds and they do not have inherent ties with Western culture ideals. The purpose of this study was to see how teachers could improve their methods of incorporating both Aboriginal science and Western science into the classroom so Aboriginals could be more predominant in careers related to science and technology.

Unlike the students, the teachers in these classrooms do not all come from an Aboriginal backgrounds and some are more familiar with Western ideals, which makes their teaching styles significantly different. Some teachers have noted that they try to incorporate both Western science and Aboriginal science into the classroom but their students seem to devalue one type of science compared to the other. Teachers generally noted these views with ties to Western ideals. On the other hand, teachers of Aboriginal cultures, note that their students have a hard time learning Western science due to “collateral learning”, which is “learning something in one cultural setting that conflicts with our indigenous knowledge embedded in a different cultural setting” (Aikenhead and Huntley).

In the study, Aikenhead and Huntley found that teachers never defined the term “science” because all of the teacher’s came from different backgrounds. The findings showed that when teachers in cooperated Western science into the classroom that it seemed to just be a course that students would need to pass for credits, instead of obtaining any of the knowledge of the course. Aikenhead and Huntley described this process as “Fatima’s Rules”, which one teacher said were “students [memorizing] as much as they can without actually doing any learning”. Teachers believed that “Fatima’s Rules” has been used in their classrooms due to “cultural border crossing”, which is the transition from one culture to another in everyday life (Aikenhead and Huntley).

Overall, I found this study exceptionally important to our research because our group is curious how to incorporate and understand Aboriginal creation stories and ways of life within our Western upbringings. By understanding the hardships and the barriers the students and teachers have faced in this article, our group can try and apply the methods in our everyday lives. We hope that we can expose and encourage our society to find a common medium where both cultural influences are respected and used as teaching methods.

Works Cited

“Building Bridges with Aboriginal Learners”. Canadian Education Association. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

“CTT Opening 2”. Youtube. Youtube. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

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Battiste, Marie. Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy in First Nations education: A literature review with recommendations. Ottawa: Apamuwek Institute, 2002.

By : Tarana R

This article by Dr Marie Battiste reviews the current literature that discusses Indigenous knowledge, attempts to explain the criteria for understanding Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy and concludes by offering a framework required for First Nations education.

The article acknowledges a crisis in the Canadian education system – namely, that it is exceedingly Eurocentric. It has largely ignored and even displaced Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy. She illustrates how most approaches to Indigenous knowledge place it within Eurocentric frameworks and disciplines. Despite this realization, Battiste notes that very few universities across Canada have made Aboriginal education a “mission or priority”.

In the second part of her article, she emphasizes how diverse Indigenous ways of thinking and knowing are and offers many insights on this subject. In particular, she mentions that the creation stories show how First Nations envision themselves in relation to each other and everything else. Knowledge is not secular, instead it is seen as a process derived from creation. This means it has a sacred purpose and learning is regarded as a life-long practice. She proceeds to outline the principles of Aboriginal learnings and also emphasizes the importance of language as being the most significant factor in the survival of Indigenous knowledge.

In her final section, she discusses educational approaches to teaching Indigenous knowledge and language. She notes that most teachers – even Aboriginal teachers – often feel unprepared to build Aboriginal content into their classrooms as they have been educated in Eurocentric systems that dismiss Indigenous knowledge and language. According to Battiste, the most important educational reform is to acknowledge that Canadian schools teach a “silent curriculum” of Eurocentric knowledge by the way teachers transmit information. To affect reform, one of the things educators need to do is nurture Indigenous knowledge by teaching holistic and humanistic connections to local and collective relationships. I found this point particularly interesting, when it comes to our research. When reading through the different creation stories, one thing that struck me was how interconnected everything is. There are so many connections and relationships to be found in creation stories – between animals, people and the land.

WORKS CITED

“Best Practices.” First Nations Pedagogy Online Best Practices. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.

Neegan, Erica. “Excuse Me: Who Are the First Peoples of Canada? a Historical Analysis of Aboriginal Education in Canada Then and Now.” International Journal of Inclusive Education 9.1 (2005): 3-15. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

“What Is Indigenous Knowledge?” Interinstitutional Center for Indigenous Knowledge. The Pennsylvania State University Interinstitutional Consortium for Indigenous Knowledge, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015

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Bear, Leroy Little. “Traditional Knowledge and Humanities: A Perspective By A Blackfoot.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 30.4 (2012): 518-27.

By: Jessica P

Leroy Little Bear’s article titled “Traditional Knowledge and Humanities,” discusses ideas about reality from a Blackfoot perspective. I chose this article because I found that it allowed me to connect with the Blackfoot creation story I have summarized for this blog. More importantly, it gives us readers reason as to why this Blackfoot creation story unfolded the way it did.

To begin, the article opens up by shedding light on the fact that Aboriginals have always felt the need to explain their stories, ceremonies and beliefs to those whom are non-Aboriginals. More importantly, non-Aboriginals tend to make stereotypes and assumptions about Aboriginal culture. Bear explains that perhaps this is due to the fact that Euro-Canadians and Euro-Americans do not educate themselves about Aboriginal life and culture. Bear suggests that aboriginal knowledge or “traditional knowledge” is disregarded by Euro-Canadians and Euro-Americans because these groups see Aboriginal knowledge as mythical or superstitious.

To be more specific, this “traditional knowledge” that the author speaks of is defined as “the spiritual and livingness of the natural world and the role of humans in it.” I find this to particularly important in the Blackfoot creation story I have summarized. I say this because the entire creation story takes place in the natural world. More importantly, animals and natural landscapes are a huge part of the plot. Furthermore, animals –which are part of the natural world- take part in the creation of the Earth. In essence this tells me that the Blackfoot believed that they were simply humans living in an animal’s world. Bear explains that the “traditional knowledge” is unique to certain bands and tribes, perhaps giving reason as to why the Blackfoot, Huron, Cree and Iroquois creation stories differ so widely.

Aboriginal culture tends to concentrate on the idea of renewal and space. Bear tells us that the most important events, patterns and cycles all take place on land. With this, we can see why Old Man from the Blackfoot creation story decides to create land. It is here that men, children, women and other forms of life are created.

The most important feature of Bear’s article is his discussion about language in Aboriginal culture. He tells us that language, for Aboriginals, is seen as a cognitive power. More significantly, language is not only used for survival but is also thought of as a “critical link to a knowledge base given to them by their Creator.” In the Blackfoot creation story, the Old Man creates a woman and child out of clay. He then requests them to talk. Later, the humans ask the Old Man different questions like “Do we have eternal life?” and “How do I find a food source?” Here, we can see how the “Creator” or the “Old Man” gives the people the gift of language and it is only with that language that they are able to ask questions in order to survive. Finally, Bear explains that this knowledge obtained from the gift of language is transmitted through symbolic and oral traditions over time.

Works Cited

Bly, D. (2003, Oct 18). Local authors continue alberta storytelling traditions: Calgary Herald Retrieved fromhttp://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/245112590?accountid=14656.

Tovías, Blanca. “The Right To Possess Memory: Winter Counts Of The Blackfoot, 1830-1937.” Ethnohistory 61.1 (2014): 99-122. Historical Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

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Castleden, Heather, Theresa Garvin, and Huu-Ay-Aht First Nation. ““Hishuk Tsawak” (Everything Is One/Connected): A Huu-ay-aht Worldview for Seeing Forestry in British Columbia, Canada.” Society & Natural Resources 22.9 (2009): 789-804.

By : Tarana R

The Huu-ay-aht First Nation underwent treaty negotiations with the government of BC and Canada for over 15 years. One of their aims was to re-introduce their traditional forest management practices on their land based on their worldview of “Hiskhuk Tsawak.” In this article, one of the things that Heather Castlenden and Theresa Garvin do is explore the collective Huu-ay-aht worldview by looking at their creation story.

Castlenden and Garvin note that Indigenous worldviews are founded on orally transmitted ways of knowing. They are also positioned in complex interrelationships between the physical and metaphysical realms.

For the Huu-ay-aht, this worldview is Hiskhuk Tsawak which means, “everything is one, everything is connected” and this is derived from the Nuu-chah-nulth creation story, in which the physical and spiritual world are united. The story begins with a time when the animal world was transformed into humans. Some of the animals decided to stay in human form while others went back to the animal world. The basic understanding here is that human, animal and spiritual entities came from the same place, they are all one.

From this, the authors note that for the Huu-ay-ahts, as all life shares a common origin, nature is not outside or subordinate to humans. With this perspective, they follow cultural protocols when it comes to treating other life forms and nature, which are all based on responsibility, respect and maintaining balance.

I found this relevant to our research for a number of reasons. Firstly, it definitely sheds some light on First Nation’s ways of knowing. This creation story also shared many parallels with the ones we researched. These shared similarities might offer us an insight of how to approach First Nation stories – by exploring cyclic relationships, the interdependence of life and the importance of the natural world. Finally, the fact that these authors explore how the Huu-ay-aht worldview can contribute and influence current understanding of BC’s forest management seemed rather groundbreaking to me. By attempting to understand First Nations beliefs through their creation story, they applied it to an industry where their voices are often marginalized.

Works Cited

Canada. Minister of the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, British Columbia Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and the Maa-nulth First Nations. Maa-Nulth First Nations Final Agreement. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Web.

“Huu-ay-aht First Nation.” Vancouver Island – Wilderness and Historical Conservation. University of Victoria, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015.

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Henke, Keray. “Transformational Innovation: This Is No Time for Tinkering.” CEA: Canada Education. Government of Canada, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/transformational-innovation-no-time-tinkering>.

By: Susie C

This article, written by the Deputy Minister of Alberta Education Henke Keray, challenges 21st Century educators in Canada to think about the ways in which education needs to improve with the times. He calls this “transformational innovation” which is “fuelled by creative thinking” (Henke). Henke argues that technology has changed rapidly, but our education systems has only utilized it in order to many teaching simpler, the education systems themselves have not changed. Henke sees this as a problem for Canada as we are simply sustaining our education systems and not transforming them to equip the next generation to be “innovative, creative, and adaptive” (Henke).

Henke explains that the reason why the education system has not changed is due to a lacking in leadership. Leadership which effectively explains and manages the transitional times – laying plans, communicating etc – meets little push back. If there is not good leadership, Henke believes that there will be a pushback.

In regards to including Canada’s Aboriginal cultures in our education system, this potential period of change would be a key time to implement a restructuring of our nation’s history books – especially the types of covers we use and what that says about a people. Not only can we put in both sides of the story to our colonial past, but we can also educate young minds to think critically about the stories they are told, where stories are left untold, and why both of those situations occur. If we can do this, there is such great potential to raise a future human race that can hold educated and not emotional opinions, be respectful of other cultures and be knowledgable of the rich heritage that Canada has to offer.

Works Cited:

Writer, Guest. “50 Education Technology Tools Every Teacher Should Know About.” Edudemic: Connecting Education and Technology. Edudemic, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.edudemic.com/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/>.

“The Kids Book of Canadian History.” Kidscanpress. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.kidscanpress.com/sites/default/files/products/the_kids_book_of_canadian_history.jpg>.

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Preston, J,. Cottrell, M,. Pelletier, T, and Pearce, J. “Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Canada”. University of Saskatchewan. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

By: Jessica R

“Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Canada” by Preston, Cottrell, Pelletier, and Pearce discusses the need for Aboriginal cultural teachings in the early ages of education for Aboriginal children. The article discusses why Aboriginal pedagogy is a crucial stepping-stone in the early ages of childhood and why teaching from Aboriginal cultural roots will enhance a child’s education. The purpose of this article is to discuss the quality of Aboriginal early childhood education and the developmental enhancements that add to a child’s life, if they are taught at an early age.

The section on “Providing background: The need for Aboriginal childhood education” is important to our research because the article discusses how “learning begins at birth”(Preston, Cottrell et al). The importance of learning at an early age is not only important for a child’s brain functioning but early learning is also important for personality development, independence, and cultural beliefs. Preston, Cottrell, Pelletier and Pearce state “ while the provision of quality early childhood education is an important consideration for all children, it is especially critical for Aboriginal populations, namely, because Aboriginal peoples are the fastest growing and youngest ethno-cultural group in Canada”. However, the predominance of Western early childhood education in Canada is far more apparent that Aboriginal early childhood education in Canada because early childhood programs are not equip with enough knowledge or information to teach Aboriginal practices. That being said, the article discusses many areas of Canada, which have educational programs for early learning. They note that these facilities and pre-schools are accessible to all Aboriginal children but the general lack of awareness in Canada for these facilities leads to a larger problem.

Preston et al mention that Aboriginal pedagogy doesn’t match up to the standardize curriculums of learning within Canada. Aboriginal language and culture cannot be put into Western ways of teaching and early childhood education is no exception. However, with the programs that Aboriginal early childhood education has now in Canada, the authors have seen a positive change in early learning for Aboriginal children. Although they’ve seen a positive change and positive enhancement in education for these children, there are still strides to be made on the progress, the funding, and the knowledge within Aboriginal early childhood education.

This article was important to bring into our research because creation stories are told at an early age, just like early childhood education. Once again we see Western education strive in Canada, and Aboriginal education struggle because of lack of awareness. By using this article in our research, we hope to bring awareness to the possibility on implementing more Aboriginal early childhood education programs and encourage our society to fight for an education system that will benefit and incorporate all cultural beliefs.

Works Cited

“Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Assessment: Issues and Insights in a Cultural Context: A Report to the British Columbia Aboriginal Child Care Society”. Vancouver Island University BC Regional Innovation Chair for Aboriginal Early Childhood Development. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

“Aboriginal Pedagogy”. University of Alberta. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

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Radhobo, Ellie. “Comparing and Contrasting Huron and Iroquois Tribe Creation Myths.” Mibba. N.p., 27 Feb. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mibba.com/Articles/History/3729/Comparing-and-Contrasting-Huron-and-Iroquois-Tribe-Creation-Myths/>.

By: Susie C

In this article, the similarities and differences between the Iroquois and Huron tribes are discussed. The author points out that both of the tribes’ creation stories emphasize their respect for animals and also their different cultures and values. In both myths: birds catch the divine woman falling from the sky, a toad is the animal who brings up mud from the ocean’s floor, the earth is created on the back of a turtle, and two brothers are responsible for creating things on earth.

The roles which animals play in the creation stories demonstrate both tribes reverence towards animals and their role in nature. The divine woman symbolizes some ‘unknown power’ which is responsible for creation (especially since the origins of the ‘sky woman’ and ‘sky people’ is never explained). Her role in the story additionally emphasizes the role of women in creation. Lastly, the role of the brothers (and that one is good and one is bad) demonstrates an appreciation for natures ‘good’ and ‘bad’ qualities (ie: ground for growing food vs. earth quake which destroys it). However the difference between the ending of their stories is that in the Iroquois myth, the evil brother stays on earth in the form of a volcano, whereas in the Huron myth, the evil brother is sent away from earth and goes west – possibly alluding to some sort of hell.

The article demonstrates a key awareness of the importance of creation myths when understanding these two Aboriginal tribes, as they (the creation myths) give clues to the values and cultural practices of the people they represent. When applying this to Canada’s education system, we can see that a potential reason for the lack of knowledge surrounding Aboriginal tribes and culture is due to their stories not being told. If we demand a discussion of their culture in our education systems, it might lead to a united Canada.

Works Cited:

“Huron Creation Story.” YouTube. YouTube, 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rewr9MhO3mE>.

“Iroquois Creation Myth.” YouTube. YouTube, 26 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc_wQdtMv3k>.

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Wissler, Clark. 1870-1947. Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians. United states: 1908.

By: Jessica P

In his book titled, Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians, Wissler Clark provides us with background information about Blackfoot creation stories. I decided to begin with this text because it provides context for the Blackfoot creation story we deal with on this blog. Not only does it allow us to have a better understanding of the creation story, but it also facilitates us in our research question because it compares Blackfoot mythology with other tribes and their creation stories.

While I am sure that many of us are aware that creation stories in general, vary from tribe to tribe, Blackfoot creation stories too are not always the same. More importantly, Wissler explains that the plots of the myths may go in different directions, but in essence, each myth (whether within the same tribe or within a different tribe) derives from the same root. What Wissler means when he says this is that while characters and climaxes may differ significantly, the moral of each story remains relatively the same. For example, Wissler tells us that there are striking similarities between the Blackfoot creation stories and the Algonquin creation stories.

The author also points to the fact that the Blackfoot (and other tribes) are seen as offspring of the Old Man (the “creator” from the Blackfoot creation story). This tells me that tribes, especially the Blackfoot, believe that the earth and all of its aboriginals came from the same place.

Wissler explains that George Bird Grinnell produced the most complete collection of Blackfoot myths. George Bird Grinnell’s, the author of the Blackfoot creation story we have summarized for you, has collected over thirty narratives that provide us with “data and culture” of the Blackfoot peoples. While we have only summarized the one creation story for you readers, we can still see the type of culture and people that the Blackfoot were. For example, throughout the creation story, there is constant referral to buffalo. This tells us that the Blackfoot people relied heavily on the buffalo for survival. The buffalo chip that is thrown into the water in order to determine whether humans will be immortal is a metaphor for the Blackfoot’s dependence on the animal. Without buffalo, the Blackfoot could not sustain their lives. Another example that tells us about the Blackfoot people is the description of places and location within the creation story. Wissler tells us that the locations in the Old Man’s narrative are references to a definite location in the province of Alberta in Canada. By simply reading a creation story from each tribe, we can acquire knowledge about aboriginal culture, beliefs, traditions and origins.

This source not only helps us to locate the differences within each tribe (by means of dissecting creation stories), but also facilitates us in trying to determine the similarities between them. Furthermore, it betters our understanding of aboriginal culture.

Works Cited

Maclean, John. “Blackfoot Mythology.” The Journal of American Folklore 6.22 (1893): 165-72.

VanStone, James W. “Material Culture of the Blackfoot (Blood) Indians of Southern Alberta.” Fieldiana.Anthropology.19 (1992): i-80.

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