Muriel Campbell's Web-based resources

© Muriel Campbell 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

PART TWO: HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

PART THREE: TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE;VIEWS, DEFINITIONS, IMPORTANCE AND METHODS OF TRANSMISSION

PART FOUR: KEEPERS AND KNOWERS OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

PART FIVE: PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

PART SIX: OUR CHILDREN AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

PART SEVEN: SUMMARY

PART EIGHT: BIBLIOGRAPHY

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Traditional Knowledge; there sure seems to be a lot of confusion on exactly what to call it. There is further confusion and a lot of misunderstanding on what it means. In this world of definitions, it is even harder to define. The questions of the day are: What do we mean by Traditional Knowledge? What is its purpose? Who are the “keepers” and who are the “knowers” of traditional knowledge? How is it transmitted? What is the current state of Traditional Knowledge? Most importantly, we, as Aboriginal people want to know how our children can be equipped with both Traditional and Western Knowledge so that they can find a healthy balance in their lives. We will have to start with the basics in order to have a better understanding of this topic.

PART TWO: HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?

Human Rights are literally, the rights that one has simply because one is human… Human Rights, because they rest on nothing more than being human, are universal, equal and unalienable. They are held by all human beings universally. (Donelly: 1999)

WHAT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS AND ABORIGINAL PEOPLE?

As three experts writing on self-government have said, Native people are convinced that their special status needs to be fortified by self-government for them to achieve their vision of ‘the good society’… Self-government is seen by Indians as necessary to preserve their philosophical uniqueness. They seek self-government so that they can develop their own institutions and shape laws to reflect and enhance their traditional cultural values.15 Del Riley, a former president of the National Indian Brotherhood, put this view even more emphatically: ‘We want basic human rights. Sometimes it is termed “self determination”. Our quest for self-determination includes controlling those institutions that affect our lives. 16 (Dickerson 1992: 177)

‘…In terms of self-government, what native people are seeking is not a lot more than what subjects in this country sought prior to Confederation’ (Dickerson 1992: 178).

‘…For the Inuit, the hope is that under a “Nunavut” territorial government, local and regional governments would have greater authority’ (Dickerson 1992: 179)

WHAT IS CULTURE?

‘the values, beliefs, behaviour, and material objects that constitutes a peoples way of life’ (Macionis 2002: 631).

‘I think the biggest component of culture is the language…’ (Kulchyski 1999: 128).

‘Native language is very important because out teachings are in the language. You miss out on the meaning when you talk about it in English’ (Kulchyski 1999: 160).

WHAT ARE CULTURAL RIGHTS?

…human rights facilitate respect for and protection of cultural diversity and integrity, through the establishment of cultural rights embodied in instruments of human rights law… Every human being has the right to culture, including the right to enjoy and develop cultural life and identity. (Ayton-Shenker: 1995)

WHAT ABOUT CULTURAL RIGHTS AND ABORIGINAL PEOPLE?

Within the context of the Constitution of Canada, Indigenous knowledge and heritage is an existing Aboriginal right….Aboriginal peoples look to the Constitution of Canada for the protection of their knowledge, ecological relationships, and linguistic and heritage rights. (Battiste 2000: 212)

Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature, as well as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs. – Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1993, art. 12). (Battiste 2000: 145)

‘Indigenous knowledge and heritage must be approached with respect and sensitivity’ (Battiste 2000: 292).

Oral societies depend on cultural memory. Each person carries his or her personal story but also those of parents and grandparents. Elders link the coming generations with the teachings of past generations. The cultural teachings are the foundation of Aboriginal peoples’ identity. If the culture is allowed to die, the identity of the people is buried with it. (RCAP 1996: V4, 117)

ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND CONFLICTING CULTURES:

Different and conflicting interests are extensive in the North. Differences are ameliorated to some extent by the number of Native and non-Native marriages in the region….Very deep economic and cultural divisions do exist among Natives, between Natives and non-Natives, and even among non-Natives… The problem of cultural change for Native peoples has been, and remains today, one of the most difficult issues in the north. Cultural change began with European colonization. Change was accelerated by the impact of the fur trade, whaling, the introduction of Christianity and a formal education system, the availability of Western health care, the Second World War, the Cold War, the construction of permanent communities, and improved communications and transportation systems. For native people, these changes created, and continue to create a difficult cultural dilemma. On the one hand they want and need a great deal from the culture of non-natives. Much of what modern, Western culture has to offer makes life easier for them. On the other hand, too much modernity undermines their traditional ways. Modern values and beliefs are rarely compatible with traditional values and beliefs. The challenge is to strike a balance. Indeed, one of the most difficult problems Native people are facing today is how to live under the influence of two powerful cultures. 37 (Dickerson 1992: 27)

Conflicting Cultures in Nunavut:

…the social malaise we are experiencing in Nunavut today has a history dating back to the time almost half a century ago when the Government of Canada, no doubt with the best of intentions, brought the Inuit of Nunavut from their traditional nomadic camps into settlements. At one stroke, the Federal Government unwittingly overturned all of our central cultural values and the natural order of our lives, resulting is social havoc. Inuit elders, who were the traditional leaders of our society, were made irrelevant in the new settlement society. Our system of education was taken over by the schools. Our ways of learning, which were characterized by observation, practice and imitation, were replaced by book learning. We lost a sense of the purpose of learning; because we did not at first understand the nature and demands of the new culture and the imposed economy, so different was it to our traditional ways. Gradually, the language of the new government structures, English, became prevalent so that today our own language, Inuktitut, while spoken by many, is endangered. (NSDC 2000: 71)

‘Inuit have long felt that the educational system disrupted their traditional family structure, robbing parents of their authority, replacing Inuktitut, the mother tongue, with English, and leaving young people aimlessly stranded between the English and Inuit cultures’ (NSDC 2000: 81-82).

We, as Aboriginal people, have to continue to lobby for our rights. We all have to do it together. We need the support of our leaders, our communities and our governments so that our basic human rights are upheld. We all have the right to our own culture; our culture is what makes us unique. We are not trying to push our culture on anyone else; we just want it to survive. We know what wrongs have been done in the past, let’s not dwell in the past, let us start fresh today so that our children can have a better and brighter tomorrow.(MC: 2003)

PART THREE: TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE – DEFINITIONS, VIEWS, IMPORTANCE AND METHODS OF TRANSMISSION

WHAT IS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE?

‘one elder calls it “a common understanding of what life is about’ (LEGAT 1991: 11).

‘The term traditional knowledge has come to mean the knowledge that has been passed from one generation to the next through the oral or written traditions’ (Hart: 1995).

‘knowledge and values which have been acquired through experience, observation, from the land or from spiritual teachings, and handed down from one generation to another’ (GNWT: 1993).

Traditional Knowledge is knowledge that derives from, or is rooted in the traditional way of life of aboriginal people. Traditional Knowledge is the accumulated knowledge and understanding of the human place in relation to the universe. This encompasses spiritual relationships, relationships with the natural environment and the use of natural resources, relationships between people, and, is reflected in language, social organization, values, institutions and laws. (LEGAT 1991: 12)

Traditional Knowledge in Nunavut:

At the heart and soul of Inuit culture are our values, language and spirit. These made up our identity and enabled us to survive and flourish in the harsh Arctic environment. In the past, we did not put a word to this, it was within us and we knew it instinctively. Then when we alone in the Arctic, but now, in two generations, we have become part of the greater Canadian and world society. We now call the values, language and spirit of the past, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is a comprehensive term, encompassing all aspects of our culture. A precise but superficial translation would be “the ancient knowledge of the Inuit.” But it is more than that. It includes not only our values and language but also our world view, social organization, practical knowledge and life skills, our perceptions and expectations. The English term Inuit traditional knowledge conveys to many people a narrow impression of folk art, aboriginal hunting skills or quaint homemaking skills. This is a caricature. The term Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit more accurately signifies the profound individuality of our culture in all its aspects. …Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit includes: •practical common sense based on teachings and experience passed on from generation to generation. •knowing the country, the land and the environment, including, for example, snow, ice, weather and resources, and the relationship between things. •a holistic understanding of life as a whole, inter-related and inter-active, where human society is symbolically related to the surrounding environment. •the spiritual health, culture, and language of the Inuit. •the Inuit way of life, what gives our life meaning and credibility. It is a wisdom, a truth, knowledge linked to belief and ethical values. •the Inuit system of authority: recognizing rightful leadership, ordering social life, defining mutual obligations, and setting out rules governing the use of resources: •the spirit by which Inuit adapt, control their environment and survive. (NSDC 2000: 79)

In the words of Henry Kablalik from Inuit Perspectives in the 20th Century: I have heard that with icebergs, the part that you don’t see is larger than the part that you can see. I feel that what I have heard here is like that. There is so much more that has not been said. (OOSTEN 2002: V4, 202)

‘Inuit Knowledge is limitless’ (OOSTEN 2002: V4, 203).

‘…Indigenous knowledge is not a uniform concept across all Indigenous peoples; it is a diverse knowledge that is spread throughout different peoples in many layers’ (Battiste 2000: 35).

Indigenous ways of knowing share the following structure: (1) knowledge of and belief in unseen powers in the ecosystem; (2) knowledge that all things in the ecosystem are dependent on each other; (3) knowledge that reality is structured according to most of the linguistic concepts by which Indigenous describe it; (4) knowledge that personal relationships reinforce the bond between persons, communities, and ecosystems; (5) knowledge that sacred traditions and persons who know these traditions are responsible for teaching “morals” and “ethics” to practitioners who are then given responsibility for this specialized knowledge and its dissemination; and (6) knowledge that an extended kinship passes on teachings and social practices from generation to generation. In addition, many definitions of Indigenous knowledge stress that it is the principle of totality or holism. (Battiste 2000: 42)

‘Everything affects everything else’ (Battiste 2000: 43).

WESTERN VIEW OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE:

…The anthropological view tends to search for cultural ‘purity’, to assume that this purity existed only in the past, and therefore tends to treat Aboriginal cultures as ‘dead’ cultures. It uses the past tense in describing Aboriginal peoples. It also tends to emphasize the material aspects of culture, ignoring the spiritual world-view so central to Aboriginal people. (Kulchyski 1999: xiii)

Scientists are skeptical about the credibility or reliability of Aboriginal information gathered through interviews, preferring ‘hard’ data such as biophysical data. Some may dismiss Aboriginal knowledge as subjective, anecdotal and unscientific. (RCAP 1996: V4, 457)

The modern context of Eurocentrism is seriously endangering Indigenous Knowledge and heritage. …Eurocentric laws have denied equal protection of the law to Indigenous knowledge and heritage. (Battiste 2000: 289)

INDIGENOUS VIEW OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE:

For people with an oral tradition, listening is an important and essential skill. One does not presume to know; one listens and learns. As the Elders say, the creator gave us two ears but only one mouth. An Ojibwa Elder told us: ‘You can be very, very knowledgeable about book learning and everything, but that does not mean you have wisdom. You have to listen to what the people talk, how they talk, and what they say’ (Elder Dominic J. Eskawkogan, Ojibway Cultural Foundation, Sudbury, Ontario, 31, May 1993). (RCAP 1996: V4, 111)

The North American intellectual tradition is an ancient system of knowledge that takes its meaning from a set of assumptions about the world and how it operates. These assumptions have governed Aboriginal nations for thousands of years. They address the basic philosophical questions posed in other intellectual traditions. Who is God, the Creator? How was the world formed? What are the rules of appropriate behaviour? The answers, sometimes different from those arrived at in other intellectual traditions, are no less profound. The thinker in the North American intellectual tradition has in the words of James Dumont, “an all-around vision” in contrast to the “straight ahead vision” in modern thought. 6 Areas such as the study of dreams and the knowledge of spiritual planes do not form part of the intellectual tradition but are integral to the all-around vision. Because of differences such as these, it can prove difficult to discuss the Elder’s holistic way of explaining phenomena with those trained in a linear way of thinking. For the ‘all-around’ thinker, the natural and supernatural intertwine. …The linear approach to knowledge leads one to think of isolated causes and effects, of what happened and in what order. The rational approach to knowledge sees the relationship among things as well as the unity and integrity of things. Such a way of seeing things is called holistic. (RCAP 1996: V4, 114-115)

Although the Elders who spoke to us were from many different traditions, nations and peoples, they had amazingly similar things to say. The intellectual traditions reinforced each other. First Nations, Metis and Inuit Elders spoke as one, looking to the future through the prism of traditional knowledge. (RCAP 1996: V4, 142)

At a fundamental cultural level, the difference between Aboriginal and Western traditions is a difference in the perception of one’s relationship with the universe and the Creator. For instance, in the Judeo-Christian tradition: ‘[mankind was told to] fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish in the sea, the birds of heaven, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.1’ In contrast, Ojibway thought believes that man does not hold “dominion” over the earth and all its creatures. In fact, man is the least important entity in creation. ‘Creation came about from the union of the Maker and the Physical World. Out of this union came the natural children, the Plants, nurtured from the Physical World, Earth, their Mother. To follow were animal kind, the two-legged, the four-legged, the winged, those who swim and those who crawl, all dependent on the Plant World and Mother Earth for succour. Finally, last in the order came Human kind, the most dependent and least necessary of all the orders.2 (RAJIM 1991: V1, 20-21)

…in almost all Aboriginal belief systems, each person has three aspects which make up his or her whole being. Those are the body, the mind and the spirit. It is said that for Aboriginal people to heal from whatever ails them, all aspects of their being need to be treated – not just one. In that respect, the Aboriginal belief is in the holistic treatment of the person. Aboriginal healers, when called upon to minister to a sick person, do not only administer medicines to the body, but also conduct spiritual ceremonies for the spirit and counsel the person to help clear his or her mind of the effects of the sickness. (RAJIM 1991: V1, 19)

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE:

‘If we don’t keep up the culture, we would really be in trouble because we would have nothing to hold us to our identity (Elaine Kaopuiki – Hawaiian)’ (Harden 1999: 122).

It is through an understanding of the reciprocal relationship between ourselves and Mother Earth and living in a balanced way that we are provided with the sustenance, both physical and spiritual, necessary for life. We are all related and therefore we must be constantly aware of how our actions will affect others, whether they are plants, animals or people. Thus, human law is a reflection of natural law, and all the structures, customs and ways of life of Aboriginal society grew out of this central understanding. (Kulchyski 1999: xvi)

HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED TO THE PEOPLE?

Cultural transmission is ‘the process by which one generation passes culture to the next’ (Macionis 2002: 65).

‘Language is more than a way of communication. …It is the living symbol of our culture and carries our entire way of life’ (NSDC 2000: 93).

‘Oral tradition is a reliable source of information about traditional knowledge’ (GNWT: 1993).

Traditional knowledge also has its own forms of transmission. Rooted in an oral tradition, knowledge is frequently passed on in the forms of stories, which are rendered in accurate detail to preserve their authenticity. These stories, often simple on the surface, are multi-layered and address complex moral and ethical issues. Traditional knowledge is also transmitted through one-on-one instruction and by modeling correct behaviours. Often, traditional knowledge is intended to be conveyed only at particular times or locations and in specific contexts. (RCAP 1996: V3, 526)

An oral tradition is the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next orally (by speaking). Until recently, all of the Aboriginal peoples who lived in the area that is now the Northwest Territories lived by the knowledge that was passed to them through the oral tradition. The skills for survival such as hunting, building houses, making clothes, tools, medicine and religious practices were taught by telling and showing one another how to do these things. Singing, telling stories, and plays are also ways of passing knowledge through oral tradition. Elders are very important in cultures that teach through oral tradition. The Elders are the people with the most knowledge. They have gained it over their lifetime and they are needed to teach the younger generations. They are the educators. (Hart: 1995)

In Canada, Indigenous knowledge and heritage were transmitted and documented primarily through the oral tradition, but also through dramatic productions, dance performances, wampum belts, birch bark scrolls, totem poles, petroglyphs, and masks. (Battiste 2000: 149)

…a distinction is made between two kinds of teachings. Objective knowledge comes directly from the Creator. It is the source of sacred laws that govern the relationships within the community and the world at large. It is the source of traditions and sacred ceremonies. It tells one how to lead a good life. Equally valid is knowledge that comes through experience gained in the physical world. This is subjective knowledge, the knowledge acquired by doing. It is how children learn to hunt, make tools or gather medicines. They watch and, at some point, make their own attempt (often under the watchful eye of a parent or Elder). As they gain experience, their skills are refined. This kind of knowledge is subjective because it can change; an individual may find a better way of doing things. This learning and refining can continue through a lifetime. In many Aboriginal cultures, knowledge is often suspect if is founded on events outside one’s personal experience. (RCAP 1996: V4, 115)

‘I never say what I have heard, I only tell what I have experienced, because I do not want to lie (Pauloosie Angmarlik, Pangnirtung)’ (Kulchyski 1999: 273).

Some stories or teachings were told only at certain times of the year. …The teachings frequently involve moral lessons that pertain to an individual’s behaviour, often linking that behaviour to spiritual understandings. …Many teachings pertain to appropriate ways to live with Mother Earth and all Creation. Indeed, at the heart of most Elder’s stories and teachings is the idea that it is important for an individual to live Bimaadiziwin, ‘the way of good life’ or ‘everyday good living’ in accordance with the teachings of the Creator. (Kulchyski 1999: xv)

Where Indigenous knowledge survives, it is transmitted primarily through symbolic and oral traditions. Indigenous languages are the means for communicating the full range of human experience and are critical to the survival of any Indigenous people. These languages provide direct and powerful ways of understanding Indigenous knowledge. They are the critical links between sacred knowledge and the skills required for survival. (Battiste 2000: 48)

Traditional knowledge is very hard to define. The general population fails to realize that there are a lot of different cultures within the Aboriginal world. Just because you are Aboriginal does not mean that you know how to dance at a pow-wow, call a moose, make a kayak, throat sing, play a fiddle, or do the high kick. The one thing that we have in common is that we all have our own language, our own traditions, our own legends and our own histories. The same way there is no single recipe for bannock, there is no single definition for traditional knowledge. Let us not let the lack of a common definition hold us back. The knowers and the keepers of Traditional Knowledge know what it is, so our focus should be on the transmission of our Traditional Knowledge to our own people. Let us not be too preoccupied with the right recipe, the right definition, let us find newer ways of transmitting this important part of our culture to our children, our future. (MC: 2003)

PART FOUR: KEEPERS AND KNOWERS OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

KEEPERS OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE:

Elders have always played a central role in aboriginal education, which is fundamentally an inter-generational process. Elders are keepers of traditions, guardians of culture, the wise people, the teachers. In Aboriginal societies, elders are known to safeguard knowledge that constitutes the unique inheritance of the nation. They are revered and respected. While most of those who are wise in traditional ways are old, not all old people are elders, and not all elders are old. (RCAP 1996: V3, 525-526)

In traditional Aboriginal societies Elders were and still are evolved beings who possess significant knowledge of the Sacred and secular ways of their people, and who act as role models, often assuming leadership positions in their communities. They are highly respected by the people. They are the teachers, healers, and experts in survival, guiding individual’s behaviour towards an understanding of the natural ways of Mother Earth. The Elders teach a world-view based on the knowledge that all things in life are related in a sacred manner and are governed by natural or cosmic laws. Mother Earth is therefore held to be sacred, a gift from the Creator. In their relationship to the land, people should accommodate themselves to it in an attitude of respect and stewardship. (Kulchyski 1999: xvi)

The role of Elders is very important for they are the Keepers and the Knowers of Traditional Knowledge. But we can not let the total responsibility fall entirely on them. We all have to be a support to them. We all have to show a willingness to learn. We have to accommodate our Elders in our schools, cultural centers, places of business and indeed in our everyday lives. We have to start by giving the Elders access to us, and more importantly access to our children. (MC: 2003)

PART FIVE: PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

A written tradition is the passing of knowledge through the written word. Examples are children learning history from text books, or adults reading a manual to learn to use a VCR. With the arrival of non-Aboriginal cultures in the Northwest Territories, many Aboriginal people have learned to write. However, little of the knowledge within their oral tradition has been recorded and used to create a written tradition that is meaningful in their own culture. Over time Aboriginal people have realized the importance of having a written tradition as well as an oral one. This means that many of their traditions can be preserved and passed along to future generations in writing. (Hart: 1995)

As well as passing on knowledge orally and by example, elders are adamant about the importance of putting in writing their view of the world, their values, and information about traditional lifestyles. Their interest is two-fold; to ensure their knowledge is preserved in writing for future generations, and to increase understanding, credibility and accessibility today for the younger generation and non-Aboriginal people. (LEGAT 1991: 21)

There has been, and continues to be, much work done in recording the stories, experience and knowledge of Inuit Elders who knew of Inuit life before the days of settlements. It is essential that we increase our efforts to record this living history of Nunavut and that significant levels of financial and human resources be allocated to this end. (NSDC 2000: 94)

It is time for Aboriginal people to make decisions. If the language is important, it must be spoken. If the ceremonies are important they must be practiced. If the knowledge is important, it must be retrieved, passed on and applied. If sacred places are important, they must be saved. If Elders are important, they must be involved fully and centrally in matters of education, health, justice, self-government – in all institutions and decisions affecting the present and the future of Aboriginal peoples. (RCAP 1996: V4, 143)

The territorial government, aboriginal cultural organizations and aboriginal peoples, especially elders all have interest in promoting the use of traditional knowledge. Efforts throughout the north to increase the influence of traditional knowledge must complement rather than compete with each other. Communication and co-operation among the parties with the greatest interest and responsibility for the use of traditional knowledge will enhance the sharing of ideas and resources. (Legat 1991: 37)

The recovery of our histories, our contested stories, our knowledge, and our experience is inextricably linked to the recovery of our languages. It is about reconciling what is important about the past with what is important about the present. Today, scholars are investigating the cognitive and social correlates of multilingualism and orality versus literacy. (Battiste 2000: 14)

ELDERS ON CURRENT SITUATION:

Wilf Tootoosis, Saulteau – Poundmaker First Nation, Saskatchewan: ‘It is there, it never left us. We left it, it never stopped, but we left it. And this was one of the predictions, that our traditions will come back some day’ (Kulchyski 1999: 311).

Martha Rabesca, Slavey – Fort Good Hope, NWT: ‘Our culture will not die because our culture is nature through God, that’s the way it’s going to be. It will never die’ (Kulchyski 1999: 363).

George Blondin, Slavey/Dogrib – Rae-Edzo, NWT: ‘As an Indian I love my Indian culture. I still am in love with the land, I am still in love with my history’ (Kulchyski 1999: 377).

Nainoa Thompson, Hawaiian: ‘Our goal was to recapture our traditions, to make our people feel proud of those traditions and therefore proud about themselves’ (Harden 1999: 221). ‘We had to go back to the past to create the future’ (Harden 1999: 233).

Kekuni Blaisdell, M.D., Hawaiian: ‘We’re caught in a cultural conflict and have been since the first foreigners arrived’ (Harden 1999: 107).

Rachael Uyarasuk, Igloolik: ‘Life today is what I find strange’ (Kulchyski 1999: 257).

…Samuel Kamakau, a famous Hawaiian scholar wrote: “The people of today are destitute, their clothing and provisions come from foreign lands, and they do not work as their ancestors did.…One cannot again find skilled persons who had a deep knowledge of the land; those who are called learned today are mere vagabonds. …Because of the foreign ways of the race, they have abandoned the works of the ancestors. (Harden 1999: 9)

Nunavut’s first Premier, Paul Okalik… when he was asked what he would place in a time capsule to mark the new millennium: “a pair of kamiks 147 to remind people that they must walk in the footsteps of the past – not doomed to repeat mistakes, but to be aware of past experiences and learn from them. (Dahl 2000: 93)

Traditional Knowledge is currently enjoying a revival; this has to continue. It has to start in our own minds, in our own homes, in our own families. This energy will easily spill over into the community. One of the phrases these days is “It takes a community to raise a child”, if we want our children to be proud of their culture we have to reflect that pride as well. We have to place an importance on our Elders, our children and our schools. We should try to build Cultural Centers; somewhere that our Culture can be showcased, somewhere that it can be accessible to the community. Yes, it involves a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of money; and yes, we need to lobby for support and the time to start is now. (MC: 2003)

PART SIX: OUR CHILDREN AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM:

If intergenerational education processes are to be restored, obstacles to elders’ participation must be overcome. Elders must become an integral part of the learning process for Aboriginal children and youth. This will require changes in the way Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal school systems approach elders and traditional knowledge. They could reach out to elders by: •asking elders for their advice; •establishing a place in the school that elders can call their own, where they can meet, conduct ceremonies and counsel students; •reviewing and amending school policies to ensure that elders are valued and respected; •consulting with elders to ensure that traditional activities and ceremonies are given appropriate recognition, time and significance in the school calendar; •providing support and resources to record, publish and disseminate materials elders provide for the school; •dedicating a portion of the school resource centres to traditional knowledge under the direction of the elders in the community; •initiating traditional knowledge workshops for school staff; •involving elders in planning for curriculum projects; and •in collaboration with elders, conducting community discussion groups to reach consensus between the school and the community on the role of elders. (RCAP 1996: V3, 528) Elders say there are a lot of different cultures on the land now, but it’s only our way of thinking that divides us.15 By working together, institutions can be changed to accommodate traditional knowledge and thinking. Changes should respect and foster traditional values to self-reliance, co-operation, self-respect, equality, pride and respect for the land and all living things. (LEGAT 1991: 20)

Elders are involved in prison programs, as teachers in schools, as facilitators in workshops, as speakers at conferences, as counselors in Aboriginal organizations, in writing books, as spokespersons in the media, and so on. (Kulchyski 1999: xxiii)

The education system is culturally flawed and only by incorporating the values of Inuit and using the Inuit language can it come to terms with Inuit society and help Inuit youth adapt to the modern world. (NSDC 2000: 82)

Elders appreciate that not everyone can learn the traditional ways and thinking the way they did, on the land. Modern life limits opportunities for land-based activities for young people who spend so much time in schools and communities. As well, the written word is perceived as a process to legitimize traditional knowledge. “Our sons and grandsons don’t know about what’s in our heads. They haven’t seen it. If we just tell them the way it used to be, they wouldn’t believe it because they are taught to read, and whatever is written down is what they believe in. 18 (LEGAT 1991: 21)

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND THE CURRICULUM:

Education is an area where considerable Aboriginal expertise, personnel and organizational infrastructure are already in place. Our recommendations build on these foundations and propose rigorous partnerships among Aboriginal, federal, provincial and territorial governments and shared efforts among Aboriginal Nations, governments and communities of interest to usher in a new era in Aboriginal education. (RCAP 1996: V3, 567)

Another challenge is revising educational policies. As Indigenous peoples reclaim the oral traditions stored in the minds and hearts of their people, these traditions must be respected by modern curricula and thought. Curricula are the organized portion of education that has been the silencing tool of Western education of all “others”. (Battiste 2000: 15)

An enhanced curriculum would teach Indigenous students in a holistic manner, offering them a way of living and learning in a changing ecology. It would teach them to believe that knowing requires a personal relationship between the knower and the knowledge…The task of adequate Indigenous education is to enhance students’ awareness of their human capacities and of the dignities of Indigenous knowledge and heritage. Such education should develop, at a minimum, the following capacities in Indigenous youth: (1) the ability to care and be responsible for the ecology, for others, and for oneself; (2) the ability to discern new and flexible images of meaning and patterns in these relationships; (3) the ability to hope and to have courage in an ecological realm filled with vitality and insight; and (4) the ability to develop a sense of “truthing” in all relationships. (Battiste 2000: 92)

The NWT Education system has a problem, particularly with Native children, in encouraging the completion of high school. If a greater cultural content helps, perhaps it should be tried. However, the real challenge for the education system is to provide a curriculum for students so that they will have a choice of lifestyles: living the traditional way; or trying to strike a balance between the two. (Dickerson 1992: 135)

VIEWS OF OUR YOUTH:

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples contains a wealth of information on views of our youth: Aboriginal youth who want to reclaim their culture recognize that culture begins with language. …Preserving and reviving Aboriginal languages will take the combined efforts of individuals, families and community institutions. Youth recognize that some parents did not pass on Aboriginal language because they thought English or French was the language of the future. Many of these parents were raised in an environment where Aboriginal languages were not valued by the dominant culture- indeed, were actively suppressed in some cases. Youth today realize that language is the glue that holds culture together; languages must not only be preserved, they must be kept alive. (RCAP 1996: V4, 162)

Aboriginal youth want to be the solution, not the problem. Healing youth today will lead to their empowerment tomorrow. With empowerment, they will have the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual energy to help those around them: their peers, their parents, and their communities. The circle of wellness will grow. (RCAP 1996: V4, 194)

‘Aboriginal youth believe every Canadian school should have a curriculum that incorporates the history and contributions of the original habitants of this land’ (RCAP 1996: V4, 168).

Aboriginal youth who spoke to the Commission told us that education is the key that unlocks the door to the future – a future where Aboriginal nations will be prosperous, self-determining entities. Youth feel that education has two purposes: to build and enhance their understanding of themselves as Aboriginal people; and to prepare them for life in the modern world. They want to acquire traditional knowledge and skills, but they also want to be educated in accounting, engineering, physiology, business administration and many other fields. The two kinds of knowledge are complementary; youth armed with a quality education can take their place as Aboriginal people in a modern world. (RCAP 1996: V4, 161)

We have to take responsibility for our own children. We have to get more involved in what it is they are learning and how and where they are getting their education. We have to look at success stories and learn to celebrate them and most importantly to share them. We will also have to look at what has not worked and try to learn from those situations. We all learn from our mistakes, so let us not be afraid to make mistakes. If we all work together we will be able to figure it out so much quicker. (MC: 2003)

PART SEVEN: SUMMARY

ON EDUCATION:

The educational system and Indigenous teachers do not need to invent a new way of transmitting Indigenous knowledge and heritage. All they need to do is to develop concepts that more faithfully reflect our traditional educational transmission processes. Educators need to understand the traditional methods. This requires creating and supporting training centers that are controlled by Indigenous elders and educators. These centers must strengthen educators’ capacity to document, protect, teach, and apply the traditional transmission of heritage and must be operated in the language of the people. (Battiste 2000: 95)

ON THE ROLE OF ELDERS:

The Commission concludes that traditional culture is an important and defining characteristic of Canadian society and that Canadians must support Aboriginal peoples in their efforts to maintain their culture. Elders are the source and the teachers of the North American intellectual tradition. If they are lost or ignored, it is lost. (RCAP 1996: V4, 143)

ON GOVERNMENTS:

Community residents feel that local or regional governments should have a greater authority in culturally sensitive policy areas like education, housing, health care, and economic development. These people advocate a more decentralized model of government, in which there is a great deal of local and regional autonomy. The two views on the ways in which the Government of the Northwest Territories should continue to evolve is a fundamental constitutional problem in the region today. For Native people the issue is crucial. Greater government authority at the local or regional levels would give them the opportunity to come to grips with their cultural dilemma – to face their cultural dilemma in the manner in which they choose. (Dickerson 1992: 167)

ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS:

‘Social problems should be handled within communities, with the assistance of elders, rather than separating people from the community or one another’ (LEGAT 1991: 20).

ON RENEWABLE RESOURCES:

Because the managing of the land and the wildlife is no longer done in a traditional way and has been replaced by the government way, we do not participate in the decisions they make. This has to change. …Elders talked about how the animals are part of their life, and given to them free, not to be studied as a curiosity, or marketed for profit. They insist that efforts at co-management must be expanded to give them more say in the use and management of resources. (LEGAT 1991: 21)

Traditional knowledge is science, and the sooner southern scientists make use of that traditional knowledge, the better it will be for their research. Aboriginal people wish to be involved in science and they will be involved in research whether through legislation, the permit process, or voluntary action. Partnerships are a vital part of the strategy we must adopt in together seeking imaginative, innovative, and perhaps unexpected, solutions. (Hobson: 1992)

ON LEADERSHIP:

Government leaders must follow more closely the traditional way for the future of our young people. The leaders in communities and at the territorial level are the role models for young people. The degree to which traditional knowledge is reflected in the attitudes, actions and values expressed by leaders influences not only their decisions and laws, but also the respect for, and use of traditional knowledge within families and communities. (LEGAT 1991: 19)

NUNAVUT PERSPECTIVE:

We must be central participants in all facets of the process of change Nunavut must face. We have been given a unique and historic opportunity to do things differently. We are determined to do so in ways that are in tune with Inuit desires, values and principles, and that will direct and assure our future. (NSDC 2000: 70)

ON THE CURRENT STATE:

the contemporary cultural renaissance of Aboriginal peoples. Sundances, Sweat Lodge ceremonies, Fasting, Potlatches, traditional healing rituals, and other spiritual ceremonies – all are enjoying a revival. Aboriginal languages are being taught in language immersion schools as well as in band and public schools. Cultural-survival schools across the country function as alternatives to the public schools and are based on Aboriginal philosophy of teaching and learning to provide students with an affirmation of their traditional and spiritual roots. (Kulchyski 1999: xxiii)

ON VISIONS:

We need to restore a way of knowing that gives Indigenous peoples and their communities the ability to survive by transforming their lives. We need a way of knowing that brings us into a living relationship with all we know so that our knowledge will be a source of community rather than of control. (Battiste 2000: 94-95)

Indigenous people’s search for belonging and respect for their knowledge and heritage is a broad and essential project, both internationally and nationally. It involves acknowledgement that Indigenous peoples are peoples within the meaning of the United Nations rights covenants. It involves acknowledgement that Indigenous peoples have the right to have their knowledge, heritage and identity, protected, preserved and enhanced. Because to the powerlessness and the marginalization of Indigenous peoples, the search is complicated. …Survival for Indigenous people is more than a question of physical existence, however. It is an issue of protecting, preserving and enhancing Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and systems, languages, and environments. It is a matter of sustaining spiritual links with ecosystems and communities. (Battiste 2000: 290)

A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE:

It is not that parents do not embrace their culture. As a parent you want the best for your children and the best includes education. With proper education, it is every parent’s hope that we will raise our children to be independent; independence may mean securing employment that is worthy of their potential. We, as parents, know the statistics; the future always seems bleaker for our Aboriginal children. It is in this vein that because we do not want our children to be more “statistics” that we may encourage learning the dominant language and putting our language aside. Yes, aside; there is always hope that we will teach our children more about their language and their traditions. Parents need the support of educators, leaders, their communities, their governments and their country in order to achieve the proper balance. (MC: 2003)

Indeed, by doing some research, I have confirmed my own belief that Traditional knowledge is indeed hard to define. Aboriginal cultures are not homogenous; Traditional Knowledge can be as different as the different indigenous groups and as different as their surroundings. …east coast fishing peoples, the Longhouse cultures of the eastern woodlands, the Sweatlodge cultures of the Canadian Shield, the Sundance cultures of the Prairies, the Potlatch culture of the Pacific Coast, the hand-drum cultures of the western sub-Arctic, and Inuit of the Arctic. (Kulchyski 1999: xix)

There are many areas that one can have traditional knowledge in: traditional beliefs and customs, traditional homes, traditional arts and crafts, traditional songs, music, chants, stories, traditional clothing, spiritual ceremonies, knowledge pertaining to the seasons, wildlife, weather, astronomy, traditional names, traditional food, traditional transportation, traditional forms of justice, hunting, fishing, trapping, dreams and visions, traditional medicine and healing – just to name a few. The basic purpose, however, seems to be the same, to live in harmony with each other and everything else in our world. We all feel the strong connection to our land in whatever part of the world that may be. We all feel that sharing is important; it is only too bad that often times our kindness has been mistaken for weakness. (MC: 2003)

Traditional Knowledge will not fit into some neat definition, it will not fit into a neat little package, it will not fit into a bottle, you can not spray it like a perfume, you can not smell it or taste it; there is no magic potion or formula. One feels it and lives it. You can not regulate it or legitimize it any more that you can with love, for an example. How can you explain to someone how and why you love someone, someplace, something, some taste or some scenery? You can try to put it into words that you think would accurately describe it; but they will never fully appreciate how you feel. Just because someone else can not understand why you love something, someone, someplace, does that mean that you have to stop feeling that love? The same can be said about Traditional Knowledge. (MC: 2003)

We have to have a greater voice in our governments and in our education systems. We all have to be advocates for our culture, our languages, our Traditional Knowledge and our children. I think that it begins with us, you and me, here and now, taking ownership of our Traditional Knowledge and becoming the Knowers, Keepers and Preservers of our Traditional Knowledge so that it can be shared with (our) future generations. We, and other members of our generation, along with our Elders, have to feel good about ourselves and about our rich history. We have to instill pride in our youth so that they will want to learn more. (MC: 2003)

My visualization portrays knowledge like a tree: the roots are the foundation for the learning process. The roots are what feeds the tree or the learner and the branches are what we produce as we are nurtured through our roots. William Acorn in his article Northern Perspectives and Northern Options: A Community-Based Post Secondary Transition Year program sums it up nicely: It has been argued throughout that the program should have solid roots in the culture of the participants, that it should be about providing choices, and that changes were about branching out, but retaining one’s original form, and being able to return to where one began. A tree that changes through the seasons, returns again and again to its former self. The tree learns to live in its environment, even when the environment changes each season. The tree continually puts down roots while, at the same time, breaking new ground and branching out. The Transition year Program developed by northerners, for northerners, provides students with an opportunity to branch out into new areas of education. (OAKES 1998: V3, 103)

It is truly up to us to provide our children with the solid roots in our culture, on our tree of Indigenous Knowledge. Our children have to be able to branch out into the tree of Western Knowledge while being anchored solidly by their Indigenous roots. They too will learn to change with the seasons and with their environment with the full knowledge that their Indigenous roots will continue to sustain them. They too will continue to put down new roots, break new ground and branch out in new directions. With our love, our support and our wisdom they can make their Indigenous roots even stronger. With this firm foundation they will bear the fruit of a new generation, a new generation that stands proud and tall like our ancestors did. (MC: 2003)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ayton-Shenker, Diana. 1995. The Challenge of Human Rights and Cultural Diversity.United Nations Background Note. Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information. Dpi/1627/HR—March 1995.www.un.org/rights/dpi1627e.htm

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Oakes, Jill, Rick Riewe (Eds). 1998. Issues in the North: Volume III. Alberta: CCI.

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---- 1996. Volume 4: Perspectives and Reality. Ottawa: Canada Communications Group.

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