Indigenous education
Indigenous education encompasses the systems and practices aimed at teaching Indigenous youth about their ancestors' languages, cultures, and traditions. This educational approach emerged as a response to historical practices where Indigenous peoples were often coerced into adopting the languages and customs of dominant outside cultures, leading to a significant loss of their own cultural heritage. It is particularly relevant in contexts where Indigenous populations have faced systemic racism and marginalization, such as in the United States and Canada, where Indigenous children were often placed in boarding schools that prohibited their native languages and cultural practices.
The goals of Indigenous education include not only teaching academic subjects but also restoring traditional knowledge and practices that would have been passed down from elders. This dual approach helps create a comprehensive educational experience that respects and integrates Indigenous identity with the broader societal context. In recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of such educational models, supported by initiatives from organizations and the United Nations, which advocate for Indigenous rights and educational access. Programs like "bush schools" have emerged to bridge gaps for youth in non-Indigenous educational settings, fostering cultural immersion and resilience. Overall, Indigenous education seeks to empower young people, ensuring they can navigate both their Indigenous heritage and contemporary society effectively.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Indigenous education
Indigenous education refers to the process and institutions used to educate Indigenous youth in the language, culture, and traditions of their ancestors. It is usually a consideration in areas where an outside culture has come in and dominated the Indigenous people, or original inhabitants of an area. When the language, culture, and customs of the outside culture are adopted by the Indigenous people, either voluntarily or by force, the Indigenous traditions may not be passed down to new generations. Indigenous education represents an effort to restore these teachings and traditions to the Indigenous people.
Background
The word Indigenous came into use in the seventeenth century. It is derived from the Latin indigen, meaning "Native." It is an adjective that refers to something that is Native or original to a particular country or area. Plants, animals, and people can all be described as Indigenous. Many parts of the world have Indigenous people, including Native Americans in the United States, First Nations in Canada, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia, the Kurds in several parts of the Middle East and parts of Russia, and the Ainu in Japan. Indigenous people are often the primary residents of an area until an outside culture arrives. For instance, the arrival of European explorers in the sixteenth century often brought great changes to the lives of people who already inhabited the "newly discovered" lands of the New World. In some cases, at least some members of the Indigenous populations were interested in the clothing, customs, and other ways of the explorers and chose to adopt them. In other instances, the Indigenous people were subjected to efforts to encourage or even force them to accept the habits, languages, beliefs, and customs of the new arrivals.
For example, in the United States and parts of Canada during the nineteenth century, the government saw education as one of its responsibilities, including the education of children of Indigenous peoples. Acting under the idea that it was better for all citizens if these children were educated to be like their non-Indigenous counterparts, Indigenous people were required to send their children to boarding or residential schools where children spoke and were taught in English only. The children were not allowed to speak their native language, wear traditional clothing or hairstyles, or engage in their ancestral customs. For years, children had limited contact with their families and communities of origin under the premise that this would make it easier for them to take on their new Westernized lifestyles. The practice continued for decades, limiting exposure to Indigenous customs and language for several generations of Native Americans and First Nations people. Eventually, people in many of these areas began to understand the impact this had on Indigenous people and their culture, and steps were taken to help restore this knowledge.
Overview
Beginning in the late twentieth century, awareness increased concerning the problems caused when Indigenous children were not educated in the languages and culture of their communities. Teaching Indigenous children exclusively in schools with White students requires them to learn in a language that they do not understand and may not use anywhere except in school. This systemic racism resulted in long-term consequences for children and their cultures. The children had trouble adapting to new ways but were expected to identify more with their "new" culture than with that of their ancestors. Many experienced frustration and difficulty learning, or felt too out of place to continue in non-Indigenous schools, leading to poor educational outcomes. Without more culturally relevant alternatives, these youths found themselves lacking the cultural knowledge of their Indigenous community and the knowledge taught in non-Indigenous schools, making them feel as if they are not fully a part of either culture.
Indigenous education aims to remedy this situation. The United Nations has issued statements on the rights of Indigenous people that include the right for children to have access to all levels and forms of education available to non-Indigenous children, as well as education in their native language and the traditions of their own culture. Education in their native language has two meanings in this case. It means that children are taught in the language spoken in their own Indigenous communities and are taught the intricacies of that language, much as American children have language arts classes that teach them the parts of speech, grammar rules, etc. for English.
Other requirements for Indigenous education include addressing the traditional instruction children would have received from their elders. This encompasses the traditions, beliefs, rituals, and knowledge about food, medicine, and nature that are part of many Indigenous cultures. In some cases, Indigenous communities have endeavored to help children who spend their time in non-Indigenous schools or who have already dropped out of them to fill this knowledge gap with what became known as "bush schools," where elders from the Indigenous communities took these youth into their homes to immerse them in traditional knowledge.
The aim of Indigenous education is to help create an integrated base of knowledge in young people. Indigenous community members begin the process by initiating the child into their culture and traditions in the same way any child receives this: by exposure in the family home and community. When the time for formal education arrives, the child continues to receive this exposure at home, but it is augmented by specific instruction in the culture's history and traditions in school. This is similar to the way that most schoolchildren are taught national, state, provincial, or local history and social studies.
Some of this instruction will be in the child's native tongue, and they will also receive instruction on the formalities of the language. However, Indigenous education is offered in addition to instruction in subjects, such as math and science, and the predominant language of the country in which the child resides. This educational format preserves and advances the child's Indigenous culture while positioning that child to have the best chance of success in the world.
In the twenty-first century, many organizations exist to support Indigenous education, cultural preservation, and heritage pride, including the Indigenous Education Institute, World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium, and the Urban Native Education Alliance. Additionally, in line with the International Decade for Indigenous Languages Global Action Plan, the United Nations began using Open Educational Resources in the 2020s to preserve and reintroduce Indigenous languages.
Bibliography
"Foundational Characteristics of Indigenous Education." Northern Arizona University, www7.nau.edu/itep/main/SGardn/Basic/basic‗foundation. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"A History of Residential Schools in Canada." Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 21 Mar. 2016, www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.702280. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"Importance of Indigenous Education and Culture Highlighted, as Permanent Forum Continues Second Session." United Nations, 21 May 2003, www.un.org/press/en/2003/hr4674.doc.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"Indigenous Peoples of the World." Manitoba Government, www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation‗gr8/blms/8-5-2b.pdf. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
Little, Becky. "How Boarding Schools Tried to 'Kill the Indian' by Assimilation." History, 11 July 2023, www.history.com/news/how-boarding-schools-tried-to-kill-the-indian-through-assimilation. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
Roberson, Aimee. "Indigenous Education: Safeguarding Our Knowledge for Future Generations." Cultural Survival, 17 Sept. 2024, www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/indigenous-education-safeguarding-our-knowledge-future. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
Stewart, Georgina. "What Does 'Indigenous' Mean, For Me?" Educational Philosophy and Theory, vol. 50, no. 8, 2017, pp. 740-43, doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2017.1302050. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.