Indigenous Pedagogies are woven deeply

Indigenous pedagogies encompass a diverse range of teaching practices that stem from Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural context, and community values. According to Anishinaabe scholar Jean Paule Restoule and Nuu-chah-nulth aht scholar Chaw-win-is aksup (2017) “Indigenous pedagogy is not just a way of doing, but it’s also a way of being”. This statement helps to understand the complexities of Indigenous pedagogy and how it is intertwined with cultural knowledge and worldview.  As I review the literature on Indigenous pedagogies, I can see common themes emerge that speak to wholism, relationality, storytelling, and circle work. These themes are separated here but as you will read, they are very much interconnected throughout the scholarly work.

The first theme of wholism is seen throughout the work of Stó:lō scholar Jo Ann Archibald’s Storywork. She speaks to wholism as the interrelatedness between the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical realms that form a whole healthy person (2009), as seen in her holism diagram in her book Storywork (2009, p. 11).

This concept through an Indigenous lens is seen as we are all connected as humans, connected to place and connected to all other life around us (Restoule, 2011). As I make meaning of this, it then makes wholism a way of viewing education and a critical piece of teaching and learning in Indigenous pedagogies. This is also seen in the research work of Theresa Papp (Papp, 2020) her study focuses on Indigenous pedagogy and a wholistic approach to better support Indigenous students learning outcomes and graduation success. Seen in her transformative model for decolonizing education for Indigenous students, we can see how Papp’s research focuses on wholistic viewpoints and the importance of culture, as seen below.

The concept of wholism is also found in Haida scholar Sara Davidson’s Sk’ad’a principals (Davidson & Davidson, 2018). Through the Sk’ada’a principles Davidson shares her understanding of how teaching and learning are intertwined and connected through her own Indigenous worldview.  This connection means you can’t have teaching separate from learning, and learning separate from teaching, it is all connected to how knowledge is formed and passed down to the next generation. As a teacher I see this within my own practice, every class I teach I learn about ways to connect and teach material in different ways with different groups of students. I am in a space on continuous learning. From this work, I as an Indigenous educator can see wholism is a concept that embodies Indigenous pedagogies as a way of being and understanding the world around us.

The second theme of relationality was found throughout the literature that spoke about how it is a critical component to educational practices as well as how Indigenous people navigate within the world (Archibald, 2008; Brown & Di Lallo, 2020; Graveline, 1998). This can be seen within Indigenous languages, Trish Rosborough, chuutsqa Layla Rorick, and Suzanne Urbanczyk (2017) content that Indigenous languages are rooted in relationships. Place names are constructed by what is done in that location and people are spoken about in how they are related to you. I too see this within my own Indigenous language of the Squamish people. This can also be seen within the work of Cree scholar Shawn Wilson (2008) his concept of relational accountability, that argues that knowledge is not just an individual possession, that it exists within relationships- between people, communities, and land.

Relationship is also a key part of Stó:lō scholar Jo Ann Archibald’s Storywork (2009). From her work the story, the storyteller, and the listener all are in relationship together and contribute to the story. One cannot happen without the other. It is my belief that education is always about relationships. These guide the work we do and how we can support the learning that takes place.

The third theme of storytelling is central in Indigenous communities where Indigenous knowledges are passed down from generation to generation (Archibald, 2008; Castellano, 2000; Cruikshank, 1987; Davidson et al., 2018; Graveline, 1998; Hare, 2012). Mohawk scholar Sandra Styres (2017) reminds us in her work that Indigenous knowledges are grounded in story, the land, and ancestorial teachings. She speaks to Indigenous knowledges as a way to remember who we are through listening and understanding the stories from our ancestors. This is also seen in the body of work by Stó:lō scholar Jo Ann Archibald, which focuses on Indigenous Storywork and how stories shape who we are, and how we learn. In Archibald’s book Storywork (2009), she emphasizes the power of storytelling as a pedagogy, she contends that stories help learners connect with ancestorial knowledge systems in ways that are relational, emotional, and intellectual. Through stories, Indigenous people have been living with and on this land and passed down generational knowledge since time out of mind.

The last theme of circle work as an Indigenous pedagogical tool is rooted in Indigenous ways of being and supports Indigenous education through relationship building, decolonizing, and witnessing (Graveline, 1998; Roberts, 2023, 2024).  Circle work is a relational tool that fosters relationships and community building (Roberts, 2023). It also creates a space for educators to become the facilitator and participant, which changes the western colonial power dynamics that happen in Eurocentric classrooms (Roberts, 2024). Many Indigenous communities use circle work within ceremonial practices (Graveline, 1998), within education, this tool can be used to support community building, equitable spaces, and allowing students/teachers to have a voice within their education (Roberts, 2023, 2024).

As you can see throughout this work, Indigenous pedagogies are much more  than just a method or practice for teaching, it woven deeply into ways of being, worldviews, and cultural practices.