Muriel Campbell's Web-based resources

© Muriel Campbell 2003

VISUALIZATION CONCEPT:

TREE OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE CENTRE

TREE OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE TO THE LEFT

TREE OF WESTERN KNOWLEDGE TO THE RIGHT

CHOICE OF TREE: Oak Tree

RATIONALE: A tiny acorn that is nurtured produces the mighty Oak tree.

PARALELL: From birth and on through all the growing years, a child who grows up with a firm foundation and the right kind of nurturing can grow up to be tall and strong. It will then bear the fruit of strong offspring.

ROOTS: We need to have roots that are strong and far reaching in order to support us so that we may stand up straight and tall.

ROOTS ON THE TREE OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: The roots of knowledge are our Elders, our language, our Knowers, our Keepers, our family, our community and our learning environment.

ROOTS ON THE TREE OF WESTERN KNOWLEDGE: The roots are the family, the language, the teachers, the experts, the community and the education environment.

TRUNK: The trunk is sustained by the roots and with proper sustenance grows to be a tall beautiful tree.

TRUNK OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: The child that grows with the support of leadership, holistic view and respect makes for a sturdy trunk. The sturdy roots feed into the sturdy trunk.

TRUNK OF WESTERN KNOWLEDGE: The child, the written word and technology makes for a sturdy trunk.

FRUIT: The roots and the trunk, when all is healthy - fruit is produced.

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE:

Wisdom

Spirituality

Customs

Kinship

Objective Knowledge

Culture

Oral Tradition

Laws of Nature

Healing

Herbs

Justice

Traditional Lifestyle

Survival skills

WESTERN KNOWLEDGE:

Religion

Norms

Community

Beliefs

Culture

History – written

Science

Health

Medicin

Justice

Wage economy

Survival skills

COLORS:

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE:

RED – to represent Aboriginal people. Dark red to represent our Elders; dark blood is older blood, comes from deeper in. Fresh blood is brighter.

GREEN – to represent the connection we as Aboriginal people feel to our environment, our connection to nature.

BLUE – to represent honor.

YELLOW – to represent what is warm, matters of the heart.

WESTERN KNOWLEDGE:

BLACK – to represent what is “Black and White”, what is “proven”, what is “recorded”?

GREEN – to represent connection to Science.

BLUE – to represent what is important.

YELLOW – to represent what is warm, represent Society.

BALANCING ACT:

TREE OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: The end result is to live a “good life”, a traditional lifestyle, to be independent, to acquire wisdom through cultural transmission (oral tradition).

TREE OF WESTERN KNOWLEDGE: The end result is to have a good job and to participate in the wage economy, to be independent, to acquire knowledge through the written word, the experts and through technology.

SUMMARY:

We, as Aboriginal people know the reality that one cannot live a Traditional lifestyle like that of our ancestors. In this modern world, we have to balance Traditional Knowledge with that of Western Knowledge. We have to bear strong fruit of stronger children who have roots that reach into both Traditional and Western Knowledge. With the proper balance we can continue to bear fruit that is HEALTHY AND STRONG.

Muriel Campbell's Web-based resources

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