‘They tell a story and there's meaning behind that story’: Indigenous knowledge and young indigenous children's literacy learning

Abstract

This research draws on the reflections from group discussions with indigenous families and interviews with early childhood educators and community stakeholders from five First Nations reserve communities in Canada whose young children participate in the national aboriginal Head Start On Reserve (AHSOR) programme. The purpose of the study was to examine the contributions of indigenous knowledge to young indigenous children's literacy learning. In the course of this examination what became clear is that there is a greater set of literacy activities in these families than is recognized by early learning settings. Further, there is a literacy orientation within their indigenous knowledge systems that, draws on oral tradition, land-based experiences and ceremonial practices that, when linked to the discourses of schooling and literacy, provide the basis for improving educational outcomes for indigenous children and families, whose relationship with schooling has been historically troubled.

Using a Graphic Novel Project to Engage Indigenous Youth in Critical Literacies

“…Although this study was not conducted with adolescents, the findings still reveal the significance of literacy learning in relation to IK through the use of oral traditions, land-based experiences, and ceremonial practices. Many of the children's families recognized the significance of IK and the links to enhancing school literacy skills, particularly through the use of storytelling (Hare, 2012). Other forms of literacy acknowledged were land-based experiences like picking berries, fishing, hunting, making baskets, dancing, singing, and participation in traditional ceremonies.…”

“…Scholars and researchers in the field of IK and ways of learning (Battiste, 2013;Hare, 2012) remind us that IK are a complex system that is embedded in local places and as such there are differences from one territory and community to another. There are more than 600 First Nations in Canada and each one has its unique customs, language, social structure, and history (Ball, 2004).…”

“…Research with Indigenous youth engaging with IK in the classroom shows that these youth are more engaged and motivated, and feel more positive about themselves and their cultures (Brayboy & Castagno, 2009;Hare, 2012;Kanu, 2011). For example, Kanu's research with self-identified Aboriginal youth in Manitoba sought the voices of the youth in order to investigate the influence of culture on learning and to identify aspects of cultural socialization that students utilized to respond to curriculum and learning in the high school classroom.…”

“…In particular, Indigenous ways of learning and knowing include knowledge as rooted in location and experience (Barnhardt & Kawagley, 2005;Battiste, 2013;2002;Brayboy & Maughan, 2009;Hare, 2012). A sociocultural framework identifies literacy learning and practices as socially constructed through collaboration and experiences, and embedded in cultural, political and historical contexts.…”

An Exploratory Case Study of One Early Career Teacher’s Evolving Teaching Practice in Northern Canada

“…With a background in graduate studies in Canadian history with a focus on the racist policies affecting immigrants to Canada, Don seemed well-positioned to theoretically understand the community in which he was situated, as one where community members and families of students were attempting to "fight against colonization and maintain [their] cultural identity" after many years of governmental control of education and many other aspects of their lives. This control included the enforcement of racist and discriminatory policies (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015a), which resulted in, among other things, an inferior educational system in many (though not all) areas (Hare, 2011). During this long period of colonization in many communities, non-Indigenous teachers from the south had come and gone, leading students to be cautious about developing relationships with teachers who might leave at any time (Wotherspoon, 2006).…”