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Article scientifique

Naturalizing Indigenous Knowledge in Eurocentric Education.

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is part of the collective genius of humanity of Indigenous peoples that exists in the context of their learning and knowing from the places where they have lived, hunted, explored, migrated, farmed, raised families, built communities, and survived for centuries despite sustained attacks on the peoples, their languages, and cultures. The primary source of IK is in Indigenous languages and teachings that make every child unique in his or her learning capacities, learning styles, and knowledge bases. In IK, learning is viewed as a sacred and holistic, as well as experiential, purposeful, relational, and a lifelong responsibility. Traditions, ceremonies, and daily observations are all integral parts of the learning process, allowing for spirit-connecting processes to enable the gifts, visions, and spirits to emerge in each person. The best approach to learning and understanding IK is in the dynamic linguistic foundations of Indigenous frameworks and paradigms. This article, then, seeks to center the intellectual activation of IK by the first generation of Indigenous scholars, professionals, and activities that have created the Indigenous renaissance. The article concludes by identifying some current promising practices that are seeking to naturalize IK in Canadian education through applications built on respectful and appropriate strategies.