A Native Hawaiian critiques the notion that philosophy is acultural, focusing on the spiritual and cultural context of knowledge, cultural influences on perception, relationships as the basis of epistemology, practical knowledge, the power of words in an oral culture, the mind-body question, and the politics of education. (SV)

Indigenous researchers must move beyond merely assuming an Indigenous perspective on non-Indigenous research paradigms. An Indigenous paradigm comes from the fundamental belief that knowledge is relational, is shared with all creation, and therefore can not be owned or discovered. Indigenous research methods should reflect these beliefs and the…

Alaska Native peoples and other Indigenous peoples must relearn their languages as part of relearning to live close to nature in their own place. The links between traditional Yupiaq teaching stories and scientific concepts are discussed in relation to Indigenous world views, which are more relevant to environmental understanding than Eurocentric…

The Anishinabe language is alive, and Anishinabe world view is embedded in it. It is important to continue speaking the language because not doing so contributes to language loss and the undermining of the Anishinabe world view. Dictionaries can help in preserving Native languages, but they must be written by Natives from a Native perspective. The…

Indigenous researchers must go back to the foundation of Indigenous world views--the relationship to the land--and incorporate it into their research methods. Connections between Indigenous research methods and culture, ceremonies, intuition, and relationships are discussed. (SV)

Reviews writings of Indigenous scholars concerning the need for and nature of an Indigenous research methodology. Discusses why an Indigenous research methodology is needed; the importance of relational accountability in such a methodology; why Indigenous people must conduct Indigenous research; Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing (including…

Through a story of experiences at a library and two museums, a Cree university student demonstrates how such institutions fail to adequately respect and portray Native culture, despite good intentions. (TD)

Interviews in two rural Maori villages in New Zealand examined elements of traditional Maori identity--sacredness, interconnectedness, language, and sense of place--and contrasted these elements with massive generational changes in economic circumstances. Although encouraging cultural and language maintenance, traditional Maori identity has not…

Aboriginal literacy encompasses oral tradition, culture, language, identity, and world view in addition to the written word, and is a process of lifelong learning, much of which occurs beyond school walls. When defining Native literacy, one must move away from measuring Aboriginal students by Euro-Western definitions and move toward a balanced,…

Education and economics have been the two main "life-preservers"--tools of "development," forced upon Indigenous populations by their White "rescuers," with disastrous results. Freire's pedagogy of the oppressed, although seeking to empower, is also culturally damaging. A "pedagogy of the oppressor" would…

Examines the importance and centrality of orality, rather than literacy, in the shared lives of the Cree of northern Alberta. Discusses orality consciousness related to the practice of shared memories and personal and communal healing during the "dance of the ancestors" or "ghost dance." Includes a short history of the Cree…

Dr. Terry Tafoya relates his experiences as a student and a therapist and integrates traditional Native American stories to illustrate the importance of balancing Western knowledge with traditional culture and values. Stresses the importance of approaching the acquisition of knowledge from different perspectives when developing graduate programs…

A Cree teacher-researcher in Alberta enrolled in a graduate education program in hopes of gaining insight into the low achievement of students in reserve schools. Courses taught from an Indigenous perspective and her own research with reservation students led her to the notion of inherent wisdom, expressed in the metaphor of a tree whose roots…

Personal life experiences and metaphors illustrate how the Sto:lo people's world view is reflected in their Halq'emeylem language, in which identity, language, and place are inextricably interconnected. A brief comparison of Native and Western world views demonstrates how world views encompass people's understanding of time, history, self, and…

Literacy is discussed in the broadest sense. From an Aboriginal perspective, literacy is about sustaining a world view and culture, resymbolizing and reinterpreting past experience while honoring traditional values, living these values, and visioning a future in which an Aboriginal way of being will continue to thrive. Meaningful Aboriginal…