Resources and References

Livre

Handbook of Indigenous Education.

This book is a state-of-the-art reference work that defines and frames the state of thinking, research and practice in indigenous education. The book provides an authoritative overview of the subject in one text. The work sits within the context of The UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that states "Indigenous peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education" (Article 14.1). Twenty-five years ago a book of this nature would have been largely written by non-Indigenous researchers about Indigenous people and education. Today Indigenous researchers can write this work about and for themselves and others. The book is comprehensive in its coverage. Authors are drawn from various individual jurisdictions that have significant indigenous populations where the issues include language, culture and identity, and indigenous peoples participation in society. It brings together multiple streams of research by 'new indigenous voices. The book also brings together a wide range of educational topics including early childhood education, educational governance, teacher education, curriculum, pedagogy, educational psychology, etc. The focus of one body of work on Indigenous education is a welcome enhancement to the pursuit of the field of Indigenous educational aspirations and development.

Mémoire

Hesquiaht Second Language Immersion on Hesquiaht Land – wałyaʕasukʔi naatnaniqsakqin: At the Home of our Ancestors: Hesquiaht Second Language Immersion on Hesquiaht Land.

Motivated by a desire to return a critically endangered Indigenous language to the land of its origin, the researcher, an adult second language learner and Hesquiaht woman delivered a four-day Hesquiaht place-based language learning outdoor course in partnership with extended family and Hooksum Outdoor School. Hesquiaht is a Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka, Wakashan) language that has 13 remaining fluent speakers, most of who are physically unable to teach over a prolonged period in the outdoors due to their advanced ages. In order to reconnect younger, physically active Indigenous learners to Hesquiaht land, to Hesquiaht language, to Hesquiaht stories, to Hesquiaht kinship and to the responsibilities that come with being a Hesquiaht person, the planning and delivery of this project combined place-based education approaches with research supported language immersion techniques within a Hesquiaht framework. This project combined traditional and contemporary Hesquiaht ways of learning and teaching on the land guided by the past and present work of Hooksum Outdoor School and by the kinkʷaaštaqumł family participants. The result was a resolve by this family based group of participants to continue the work of language revitalization on Indigenous land by gathering for more language immersion courses together. Chapter 3 describes the language course daily activity and Appendix 4 contains the associated language immersion lessons.

Thèse

hiił kʷiiʔił siƛ (bringing something good from way back) : a journey to humanize post-secondary education.

This dissertation explores my personal journey of becoming a human being, particularly by drawing on Nuu-chah-nulth principles of ʔuuʔuuqʷaač̓ii (self-independence). Relevant literature, resources and personal stories help identify the underpinning aspects of epistemological dominance, blindness, and collisions, which occur in the classrooms of post-secondary institutions. Although Indigenous-led education and policy contributes to Indigenous student success, more has to be done to understand current processes of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Educational practitioners, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who engage in these processes help lead the way, but will likely encounter feelings of being unsettled or uncomfortable. At times, feelings of fear, shame and guilt arise leaving people feeling unsure or unwilling to try. Nuu-chah-nulth teachings of yaʔakmis (love and pain) represents the possibilities and limitations of integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and being within post-secondary. Indigenization, reconciliation, and decolonization are all processes that require courage and action; they also require leaders who are ready for these processes. They also require an understanding of one’s self in relation to values, beliefs, and prejudices; it is a critical component of these processes. Leaders must be genuine while recognizing the value of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. The research questions are designed to bring a holistic approach and provide guidance that will help to improve my practice, as an educator. The research questions are, • What do the principles of Indigenous self-determination mean in the context of indigenizing initiatives within post-secondary education? • What are the possibilities and limitations (the love and pain)? • What needs to change in order for these principles to be realized in these initiatives? Throughout this journey, my personal life experiences, as Nuu-chah-nulth-aht (person of Nuu-chah-nulth ancestry), inform and help me unmask favorable and unfavorable practices, specifically of Indigenization. The findings reveal the uncomfortable nature many feel when confronted with the history of Canada and the daunting task of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Unpacking colonial policies and practices of education while examining more closely aspects of who we are (values, beliefs and prejudices), particularly as people who share this land, is a critical component of doing the work of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation.

Rapport

Honorer la vérité, réconcilier l’avenir. Sommaire du rapport final de la Comission de vérité et de réconciliation du Canada.

Tiré de la préface: La Commission de vérité et réconciliation du Canada a été une commission unique en son genre au pays. Créée et mise sur pied dans la foulée de la Convention de règlement relative aux pensionnats indiens, qui a permis de régler les recours collectifs, la Commission a sillonné le Canada pendant six ans pour entendre le récit des Autochtones qui ont été enlevés à leur famille alors qu’ils étaient des enfants, par la force si cela était nécessaire, et placés dans des pensionnats pendant une bonne partie de leur enfance. Le présent volume est un résumé de la discussion et des conclusions contenues dans le Rapport final de la Commission qui s’échelonne sur plusieurs volumes. Le Rapport final fait état des travaux de la Commission, de la manière dont elle a exercé ses activités, ainsi que de ce qu’elle a entendu, lu et conclu au sujet des écoles et de ses séquelles, à partir des preuves qui lui ont été présentées. Le sommaire doit être lu de concert avec le Rapport final.

Article scientifique

How Can We Teach Our Children if We Cannot Access the Forest? Generational Change in Mapuche Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants in Andean Temperate Ecosystems of Chile.

For many indigenous peoples, the contributions of wild edible plants go well beyond nourishment; they are often also used as dye and medicines, as well as markers of identity. However, historical and contemporary processes of land grabbing, forest loss, acculturation, and lifestyle changes may erode the transmission of plant knowledge to new generations. In this paper, we document 1) the botanical knowledge of wild edible plants and 2) perceived influences on the transmission of this knowledge to younger generations in a Mapuche community in Andean temperate forests, Chile. Thirty-seven people participated in this study. We conducted participant observation, freelists, and informal, photo-elicitation, and semi-structured interviews. A total of 47 wild edibles were recorded (42 plants were determined to species level by participants). Digüeñe (Cyttaria espinosae ; Smith’s Index of Saliency, S50.82) was the most salient wild edible, followed by changle (Ramaria flava,S50.68), maqui (Aristotelia chilensis,S50.67), murra (Rubus ulmifolius,S50.59), and piñón (Araucaria araucana,S50.56). Participants provided detailed information on species seasonality, ecology, and changes in availability over time. Most adult women and elders had a comprehensive knowledge of wildedibles. However, younger generations were not learning what the elders had once learned. The lack of access to forests and the formal school regime were reported as the main factors interrupting the transmission of knowledge. Because Mapuche pedagogy is oral and in situ, land loss and the school regime have left younger generations with few opportunities to engage in these forms of indigenous pedagogy.

Article scientifique

Improving Academic Performance Among Native American Students: A Review of the Research Literature.

This literature review examines research-based information on educational approaches and programs associated with improving the academic performance of Native American students. A search reviewed ERIC's over 8,000 documents on American Indian education, as well as master's and doctoral dissertations and other sources of research on the education of Native Americans. Selected research reports and articles were organized into the following categories: early childhood environment and experiences; Native language and cultural programs; teachers, instruction, and curriculum; community and parental influences on academic performance; student characteristics; economic and social factors; and factors leading to success in college or college completion. The status of research and major research findings are reviewed for each of these categories; brief summaries of research findings with citations are included following the review of each category. Also included are an annotated bibliography of more than 100 research reports, journal articles, and dissertations, most published after 1985; and a bibliography of 23 additional references to other literature reviews and non-Native studies.

Chapitre

Indigenist Research and Aboriginal Australia.

This chapter explores two main questions: What are the views of Indigenous Australians on research reform? What are the underlying principles fundamental to such reform? It seeks to acknowledge a number of developing views Indigenous Australians have in relation to methodological reform. Increasing numbers of Indigenous Australians and First Nations peoples around the globe are undertaking higher degrees involving research at universities. In Australia, Indigenism has sought to conceptualize methodological reform using a variety of approaches that advocate a research compatibility with Indigenous realities, interests and aspirations. Indigenist research seeks to chart our own political and social agendas for liberation from the colonial domination of research and society. Indigenist research is research that upholds the political integrity of Indigenous peoples as sovereign First Nations Australians. 'Indigenist research is research which gives voice to the voiceless.' Increasingly the dominance of Western-orientated discourse is being challenged by proactive Indigenist researchapproaches.

Livre

Indigenizing the academy transforming scholarship and empowering communities.

Continuing the thought-provoking dialogue launched in the acclaimed anthology Natives and Academics: Researching and Writing about American Indians, leading Native scholars from diverse disciplines and communities offer uncompromising assessments of current scholarship on and by Indigenous peoples and the opportunities awaiting them in the Ivory Tower. The issues covered are vital and extensive, including how activism shapes the careers of Native academics; the response of academe and Native scholars to current issues and needs in Indian Country; and the problems of racism, territoriality, and ethnic fraud in academic hiring. The contributors offer innovative approaches to incorporating Indigenous values and perspectives into the research methodologies and interpretive theories of scholarly disciplines such as psychology, political science, archaeology, and history and suggest ways to educate and train Indigenous students. They provide examples of misunderstanding and sometimes hostility from both non-Natives and Natives that threaten or circumscribe the careers of Native scholars in higher education. They also propose ways to effect meaningful change through building networks of support inside and outside the Native academic community. Designed for classroom use, Indigenizing the Academy features a series of probing questions designed to spark student discussion and essay-writing.

Livre

Indigenizing the University: Diverse Perspectives.

Since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings, administrators, faculty members and students have heard that universities should be “Indigenized.” Concerns about the poor educational levels of many Indigenous people have resulted in the claim that “Indigenizing the university” will help to address this problem. Up until now, however, the history of colonialism has made it difficult to discuss the initiative’s implications honestly. This edited volume strives to openly examine the multiple aspects of university Indigenization. By bringing in diverse perspectives from a variety of disciplines about a number of different facets of Indigenization, it is hoped that we can better understand how current efforts will impact Indigenous peoples and universities as a whole. As truth-telling is an essential part of reconciliation, this volume helps us all in our attempts to improve post-secondary education for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Article scientifique

Indigenous education and treaty: building indigenous management capacity. Balayi: Culture, Law and Colonialism.