INQUIRY

How Can Indigenous knowledge be incorporated into Secondary Education?

Ryan McKenna






Through research of social justice and inquiry I will examine in what ways
Aboriginal issues, culture and Indigenous learning, can be integrated into art
education within the public school system. My inquiry comes from a natural place
and one that reflects my own educational biography. I come from one of the thirty
native groups of British Columbia and I have previously worked with Aboriginal
youth as a support worker, trying to keep kids in school. The objective of my inquiry
remains the same, but I would furthermore like to benefit Aboriginal students on a
more profound level: to help them become democratic citizens and, as Elizabeth
Garber suggests, help them know who they are, understand their place with in their
community, and realize their potential contribution to society. (Garber, 2004, P. 6)

Within the framework of art education in the public school system I believe that it is
important to acknowledge the representation of First Nations people and their
traditional territories, even if the class is void of Aboriginal students or they are the
minority group of the classroom. I would like my inquiry to not just be aimed at
Aboriginal students but also to include non-Aboriginal students since they are also
representatives of Canadian citizens. As Verna St. Dennis suggests, the classroom is
a microcosm for national politics and infers a political discourse in respect to
Aboriginal people. (St. Denis, 2011, P.306). I would like to promote a positive and
just representation of First Nations people to both First Nations students and non-
Aboriginals in the classroom. If the classroom, as Verna St. Denis suggests, is a
microcosm of the Canadian Identity, and the constructs of the social fabric, then it is
the role of the teacher to advocate for social justice, and guide students to look at
their own cultural and social codes, and to engage these codes critically in order to
work towards a more just society (Garber, 2004, p.9).

According to Garber, teachers and students that cross cultural boundaries and
recognize the social deficits that are unjust in society and that fight for social
equality are know as border crossers (as cited Garber, 2004, p. 9). As a teacher, I
want to strive to be a border crosser and encourage my students to act as ones as
well. I hope to do so by creating a culturally sensitive curriculum that includes
processes of anti- discrimination pedagogies(Garber, 2004, p. 9); proper
representation of the local culture and its first peoples, and an invisible pedagogy
that borrows its values from First Nations perspectives. Through the lens of social
justice, my inquiry is relevant to the classroom in that Aboriginal students have a
unique position in Canada and should not be placed under the multicultural
umbrella. St. Denis states that currently Aboriginal people are fighting for their
sovereignty and land claims in Canada (St. Dennis, 2011, P.307) According to St.
Dennis multiculturalism is a mechanism of colonialism that works to silence the
political concerns of Aboriginal people and avoids the recognition of their rights; it
also creates a space that harbors public resentment towards First Nations issues
and is a form of racism.(St. Denis, 2011, p.308) Garber promotes the use of anti-
racist/anti-discrimination pedagogies to help students inquire into different
perspectives and reflect on their own positions on predisposed stereotypes of
people, by encouraging students to constantly change their lens, taking into account
the social, historical and cultural implications and to not accept social norms as the
status quo by keeping her students in a state of inquiry. (Garber, 2004, p. 9)

There has been a long history of colonizing through education in Canada. First, Christian
missionaries tried to indoctrinate Aboriginal people into a Christian way of life and
assimilate them into European culture. (Maina, 1997, p. 296) Then Aboriginal children
were forcibly removed from their homes and taken to residential schools where they were
punished for using their language and practicing their culture. (Maina, 1997, p.298) In the
sixties the White Paper was introduced which allowed First Nations children to be
placed into the public school system by the federal government. (Maina, 1997, p.297)
There were no special provisions for Aboriginals and their distinct culture. The
government tried to create equilibrium between Aboriginal people and the rest of
Canadian society and the government hoped that Native people would sign over their
status and land treaties, which they had negotiated with the crown. (Maina, 1997, p.298)
In response, Natives began to fight for self-determination and to redefine their positions
within the federal educational system. (Maina, 1997, p.298) Currently there are more
initiatives to incorporate Aboriginal content into mainstream education. For instance, the
British Columbian government has put together an Aboriginal focused pedagogy resource
package that integrates Aboriginal perspectives in all study areas from K-12. Shared
Learnings, Integrating BC Aboriginal Content k-12, includes lesson plans, a brief history
of BC Aboriginal People, protocol, tips on how to build a support network that includes
many tiers from the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Branch, to cultural centers to
local First Nations Elders and so on. Careful measures have been taken to create an
authentic resource by having the support of Aboriginal teachers, elders, and other
Aboriginal sources in the Aboriginal Educational community (Ministry, 2006, P4-16) In
the article Raising The Profile Of First Nations Courses from Learn The magazine of BC
Education (Learn, 2013, P.4) it talks about the history of Native Studies 12 and its
launch of 2000 and the subsequent English First Peoples 10, 11 and 12, the equivalency
to the English program but with an integrated Aboriginal perspective which includes
song, dance, story telling, and a rich history of BC Aboriginal content. The objectives of
these courses are to enhance Aboriginal relations beyond the classroom, and to give
students and teachers an opportunity to experience Aboriginal culture first hand. For
Aboriginal students taking these courses, it gives them validation that their own histories
are being reflected in the curriculum. (Learn, 2013, P.7) For non-Aboriginal students it
benefits them by broadening their cultural understanding and showing them a more
holistic way of viewing the world. Most importantly it works as a mechanism of
decolonization and is a crucial part of reconciliation that recognizes the responsibility of
all peoples to acknowledge the struggles and histories of First Nations. (Learn, 2013, P.7)
The article makes a very valid point when addressing the lack of popularity for these
types of courses that incorporate Native content, Kaleb Child calls it an invisible
resistance, two possible ways of combating this mentality would be to have, Teacher
Champions, avid teachers advocating the importance of the courses to the students, the
other is to naturalize the presence of Aboriginal content and interweave it into the rest of
the curriculum. (Learn, 2013, P.8)
Through this paper I have shown the relevance of my inquiry and my personal
passion for social justice in this area of pedagogy. It is now evident to me that in
order for my inquiry to be alive and practicing, I have to become that teacher
champion (Learn, 2013, P.8) and border crosser (Garber, 2004, p.9). Even though
I know that there are many challenges ahead of me I know, too, that I dont stand-
alone in my inquiry and that I have many sources from which I can utilize resource
material to create a culturally relevant pedagogy that works against discrimination
and naturalizes the presence of First Nations representation.

I would like to close with wisdom from a BC elder by the name of Chief Dan George
Oh, God in Heaven! Give me back the courage of the olden Chiefs. Let me wrestle
with my surroundings. Let me again, as in the days of old, dominate my
environment. Let me humbly accept this new culture and through it rise up and go
on. Oh, God! Like the Thunderbird of old I shall rise again out of the sea; I shall grab
the instruments of the white man's success, his education, his skills, and with these
new tools I shall build my race into the proudest segment of your society. Before I
follow the great Chiefs who have gone before us, oh Canada, I shall see these things
come to pass. I shall see our young braves and our chiefs sitting in the houses of law
and government, ruling and being ruled by the knowledge and freedom of our great
land. So shall we shatter the barriers of our isolation. So shall the next hundred
years be the greatest and proudest in the proud history of our tribes and nations."
(This Day, 2013, The Vancouver Sun)





Lines of Study

Sitting on the chair, family around. Anticipation I hear the announcers voice, mens grass first call
I stand up put on roach, my wife adjusts it Its on straight looks great. Lean down and tie up my moccasins, mens
grass second call, I walk on the cool grass with the hot sun on my face and body, In a circle I stand painted faces and
focused eyes, family friends and strangers ready to compete.
In my lines of study I have chosen two sample curriculums that have been used in
the provincial classrooms to intergrade First Nations culture: B.C. First Nations
studies 12 and First Nations art Projects and Activities. I will compare and contrast
the two and reflect on what course I plan on taking. I have also chosen a
contemporary artist, Rebecca Belmore, that I believe is challenging some of the
cultural norms in respect to First Nations issues, and is using her art to educate
Canadians and also negotiate politics through her art practice. There are also
intersections of my own autobiographical writing that I have interwoven through
my lines of study to give the reader an opportunity to look into a first hand
Aboriginal experience. The purpose of the autobiography is to show one voice in a
multiplicity of the Aboriginal experience; the Aboriginal national identity is not
static and fixed to one facet or type.
My stomach is a mess gurgling and full butterflies eyes on me. Stretching legs and back, circle motions with my knees.
Northern Cree take it away, woo haa:
Boom boom boom, drum or heart? Ground hard on my feet moving with the beat, the drum is moving me telling the
story, twist turn, colors.fluorescent red yellow turquoise orange and even black. Merging tracing, tracers.
Ghosts clouds and history flying like dust. Sharp pain in back or knees, brings me back to my breath.
In the text First Nations Art Projects And Activities the opening page summarizes
Aboriginal philosophy and perspective in a diagram titled First Nations Foundation
(Dick, Clark, & Greater Victoria School District #61, 1999, p.1) that starts with the Creator
and leads into obligations to the land, resources and the people, protection of laws
and spiritual beliefs. The objective of the text is to show greater awareness of First
Nations culture by discussing First nations art within the context of culture and the
purpose is to create positive awareness of First Nations cultures through First
Nations art and art projects.(Dick, Clark, & Greater Victoria School District #61, 1999,
p.5) The text is meant to be used at the elementary and secondary level and it comes
with twelve activities which include detailed instructions on how to draw different
images in the West Coast style, they are accompanied by explanations of the
traditional images and corresponding traditional stories that have key questions
meant to have class room discussions. The listed resources are First Nations
teachers, artists, story tellers and craft materials including cloth, buttons, leather
and so on. As far as integrating the curriculum into different communities, the
recommendations are to have a local artist adapt the curriculum to their own art
style and culture.(Dick, Clark, & Greater Victoria School District #61, 1999, p.7)
Even though I can appreciate that there is an attempt to integrate Aboriginal
content into mainstream curriculum, there are key points that can be problematic,
for instance if a non- Native teacher were to use this resource their could be issues
of authenticity, appropriation, and having difficulty navigating the cultural content.
The wording of the text suggests that it should be taught by a First Nations teacher,
this might discourage potential teachers from using the resource. Butch Dick, the
author of the text might be a master in his art style and carry a great amount of
traditional knowledge which he is sharing with the greater educational community,
which I applaud, I am however troubled by how limiting the resource is and that it is
represented as an encompassing umbrella of First Nations Culture when it states
that the lessons can be applied to all First Nations art styles, this is un true when
you consider the different art types such as Woodland style, Cree flowers, the
geometrics of the Sioux and so on. An other aspect of the text that I noticed, is that
the curriculum teaches west coast Native culture as a separate entity, which could
fall under the pretenses of multicultural learning, instead of a more holistic way of
looking at Aboriginals as the first inhabitants and their role within Canadian society.
The content of the curriculum is over simplified and is meant to teach a single facet
of Native culture. As an Aboriginal support worker I have seen this type of
curriculum used in the classroom from grades eight to twelve, and my first hand
interpretation of the discourse that is created between the teacher and the student
can carry a lot of mixed results.
Hear the singers Wahhhhahhhaaahhhhhahhhaha, see the crowd, eyes staring clapping shouts and laughs. Not clear,
smudged image: abstract painting, do I see it am I there.
Colors from dancers come forward from the past close memories, remember that color what does it mean?
Is that person real?
Inner feeling is like happiness fulfillment and accomplishment knowledge and reverence all at once.
Boom boom booom.
B.C First Nations Studies 12 on the other hand is a multi dimensional curriculum that
approaches the content from a holistic perspective that integrates the past, the
present, and the future, the course recognizes the First Nations as the first
inhabitants of North America and discusses the implications of European
colonialism and the effects that it has had on the culture. There is an emphasis in
the rationale that students require accurate, reliable information about First
Nations and have an appreciation for their traditions, values and beliefs, and that
the course could serve to inform the personal actions or behavior of all students
and contribute to the enlightened public discussion of First Nations issues. The
course is designed for all students and all teachers and navigates it form historical,
governance, environmental, geographical, and Aboriginal literature points of
reference. References include the Indian act, treaty negotiations, Royal Proclamation
of 1763 and so on; there is also a wide variety of provincially recognized books
written about First Nations issues and also written by First Nations authors. (British
Columbia, 1995, p.16) The course is prescribed as a provincial elective four-credit
course with the option to make it a six-credit course; there is a core unit with
additional units that can carry into other courses such as English 11-12, Social
Studies 11, Law 12, or Geography 12. (British Columbia, 1995, p.1) There are many
class activities which engage the students in class dialogue and debate from multiple
perspectives, such as settler support for reserves, and opposing perspectives of the
Chiefs protesting their creation. (British Columbia, 1995, p.16) The class is given
negotiating rights of their local resources and they have to argue within the
Canadian governing rules allocated to the treaties.(British Columbia, 1995, p.18)
On a personal level reading this curriculum has validated my inquiry and my art
practice that is research based in Aboriginal issues, and for me it has been a natural
progression to integrate it into my teaching practice. The content of the curriculum
has given me a level of confidence and empowerment that I can use as a platform for
my inquiry. The curriculum is approaching Aboriginal issues through a lens of social
justice and inquiry, that is research based and is involving all students and all
teachers to become involved in the current Aboriginal facet of the Canadian identity.
I plan on using this curriculum as a model for my own teaching practice, in that I
plan to approach Aboriginal issues in the art class from a position of social justice
and inquiry relying on the research of current and historically significant resources
that engage the student in thought provoking content that is seen through the lens
of First Nations. Such as bringing in the art of local artist Lawrence Paul
Yuxweluptun who deals with the issues of global warming and clear cutting in the
province of British Columbia, his use of surrealism is mixed with elements of three-
dimensional west coast iconography but uses a contemporary color pallet. I would
have the students approach a landscape picture with the ideas of commodification
or the effects of industry on the landscape. It could be cross curricular and serve as
an accompanying course that reached into B.C. First Nations Studies 12, Social
Studies12, or Law 12 where they would learn about history, land claims or the
Indian Act.
The last beat is laid down and the drum rests. give it up for mens grass everyone
I hear the crowd, then slowly feel the pain of my muscles and heaving breath. Sweat on my face and in my clothes.
Tracers colors and memories of the dancers and images swath over my vision and mind.
you did great Ryan I hear my wifes voice and the distant laughter of my children and allow my self to sit down.
I have chosen an other artist and art piece that I believe reflects the sensibilities of
my inquiry, Freeze by Rebecca Belmore and Oslavo Yero, Nuit Blanche 2006,
Toronto, Ontario. The piece is an installation using frozen blocked letters that spell
the name STONECHILD in memory of an Aboriginal youth that was found frozen to
death outside in a field after last being in the custody of police. The piece is used to
educate the public about the mal practice of police towards Aboriginal youth and
instances where they have been dropped off out of town in the cold and must find
their way back home. This youth unfortunately did not make it. The ice is used as a
reminder of the elements that are present in the environment and the fragility of the
situation. The topic is being brought into the gallery as a form of art education. This
is an artist that empowers me because she is a pioneer in the sense that she
approaches Aboriginal issues in a way that is not kitschy and dressed in
stereotypical Native paraphernalia; and really could relate to any Canadian. The
work is contemporary, subliminal, educational, and deals with heavy subject matter
from a non-threatening position. These are all points of interest for my inquiry; I
hope to bring Aboriginal issues forward through art education in a contemporary
context and in a manner that is non-threatening and interwoven into the content of
my lessons.





The tight string that holds on my roach on releases, as it releases memories are lost, removed?
But colors remain, burned into my eyes, like the sun on your face in the early morning.
Through this investigation of my inquiry of whether or not my inquiry had merit
and a place in the classroom I have found confidence through the works of others
and their pioneering ideas that have given light to mine. They have given relevance
and validation to my inquiry and also to my research based art practice. I realize too
that the depth and severity of my inquiry will take a lot of work and commitment on
my part, in the same breath I know that I will find a community of like-minded
individuals that are teacher champions, and advocates of social justice, and are
working towards decolonization and creating avenues to reconcile the past and
create a greater Canada which celebrates the national culture and the original
inhabitants.

My spirit starts to sleep again waiting for the drum, body pains and anxieties arise familiarity arrival.


Bibliography
Dick, B., Clark, K., & Greater Victoria School District #61 (1999). First Nations art projects and activities.
Victoria, B.C: First Nations Education Division, Greater Victoria School District.
oleksijczuk, denis. Lost Illusions. Vancouver: Meridien, 1991. Print.

B.C. First Nations studies 12: integrated resource package 1995.. Victoria, B.C.: Province of British
Columbia, Ministry of Education, Curriculum Branch, 1995. Print.


http://ccca.concordia.ca/nuitblanche/nuitblanche2006/artists/c5.html
Maina, Faith. "Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: First Nations Education in Canada." The Canadian Journal of
Native Studies 17.2 (1997): 293-314. Print.


Denis, V. S. (2011). Silencing Aboriginal Curricular Content and Perspectives through Multiculturalism:
"There Are Other Children Here". The Review of Education/Pedagogy/Cultural Studies, 33(4), 306-317.


Garber, Elizabeth. (2004). Social Justice and Art Education, Visual Arts Research, 30 (2), 4-22.


Ministry of Education, B. C. (2006). Shared learnings: integrating BC aboriginal content K-10. . Victoria,
B.C.: British Columbia Ministry of Education.


(2013, November 20). Raising the profile of First Nations Courses. Learn: The Magazine of B.C.
Education, 6, 4-9.


This Day in History: July 1st 1967. (2013, July 1). The Vancouver Sun.
http://www.vancouversun.com/This+history+July+1967/6876736/story.html