Throughout the Professional Master of Education (Aboriginal Education) program, I have focused my professional inquiry on Indigenizing organizational learning, in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, section 92 (business and reconciliation); for the purposes of this course, I will continue to engage in this area of professional inquiry.

Using an Indigenous Medicine Wheel model of inquiry that I developed previously (Figure 1), I intend to engage in inquiry based public reflection of course materials and themes, to further develop my knowledge base in relation to ‘innovation and reconciliation’ using the  following research questions as ‘vision’ to drive the inquiry process:

1. How does innovation in teaching and learning relate to the reconciliation process for the corporate sector?
2. What are the implications for Indigenizing organizational learning?

References

Bell, N.(2014). Teaching by the medicine wheel: Anishinaabe framework for Indigenous education.  Education Canada, 54(3), 14-16.

Bell, N. (2013). Just do it: Anishinaabe culture-based education. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 36(1), 36-58.

Davidson, C.M. (2016, August 14). Reflections on Bell: Creating a medicine wheel model of inquiry [Web log post].  Retrieved from: https://waxingadedpoetic.wordpress.com/2016/08/14/reflections-on-bell-creating-a-medicine-wheel-model-of-inquiry/

Perhaps I am thinking like a tribal pragmatist, showing a “perspective that merges indigenous and mainstream values toward the integration of Native communities within colonial structures” (Alfred, 2009, p. 56), when I approach my area of interest in professional inquiry (and praxis), the intentional Indigenization of organizational learning.  The Canadian business and corporate sector is predominantly Eurocentric; the Indigenous population is currently young, with its largest population demographic being of working age (Brown, Doucette & Tulk, 2016), suggesting that the corporate sector can benefit greatly, now and well into the future, from employing and developing an ever growing Indigenous labour force.

Trends in workplace learning are indicative of a mutual relationship between employer and employee, working toward building the knowledge base of the organization through shifting power paradigms that place greater responsibility on the individual employee to produce more of the organization’s knowledge capital.  Learning is problem-based, collaborative and communal in nature, which in many ways aligns with Indigenous epistemology and pedagogy.

As an Indigenous practitioner of both adult and Aboriginal education, I exist professionally between the two cultures — Indigenous and Eurocentric, with the greater part of my practice being within the Eurocentric construct; being a non-status Nakoda woman, praxis is often conflicted.  Battiste (2013) provides recommendations for decolonizing Indigenous education, and for the development and mainstream acceptance of capacity building in Indigenous knowledge “Canada, the provinces, and territories should work together to ensure that Indigenous knowledge is respected and promoted in all funded education programs, and in an appropriate range of documents and contexts” (p.170); with the area of organizational learning being an appropriate context for Indigenous knowledge usage and production.

My concern with ‘intentional Indigenization’ in an organizational learning context, parallels that of black educator and feminist, bell hooks, in a postsecondary context, where “despite the focus on diversity, our desires for inclusion, many professors still teach in classrooms that are predominantly white. Often a spirit of tokenism prevails in those settings” (1994, p.43).  Does the Indigeneity of the educator negate the token nature of intentionally integrating Indigenous pedagogy into the Eurocentric corporate context?

References

Alfred, T. (2009). Peace, power, righteousness: An Indigenous manifesto (2nd ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Battiste, M. (2013). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. Saskatoon, SK: Purich Publishing Limited.

Brown, K.G., Doucette, M.B., and Tulk, J.E. (2016).  Indigenous business in Canada: Principles and practices. Sydney, NS: Cape Bretton University Press.

hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.

As I began the journey in the Professional Master of Eduction program, with Aboriginal Education as my selected field of study, I felt it necessary to develop models of inquiry that were culture-based, and reflective in nature.  The Medicine Wheel has been my preferred framework, yet early attempts at depicting a Medicine Wheel inquiry process made sense to me (internally), yet did not clearly articulate the culture-based teachings that were the driving factors of the inquiry process (Figure 1).  Peer and instructor feedback indicated a confusion with its usage, and articulated the need to rationalize its usage from a culture-based perspective.

While the intent was to show an holistic (represented by the four aspects of our being), and interconnected inquiry process, the early version failed to capture the gifts of the four directions, “as informed by Cree Elder Michael Thrasher. In the east the gift of vision is found, where one is able to “see” [vision]. In the south one spends time in which to relate to the vision [reflection]. In the west, one uses the gift of reason to figure it out [knowledge building].  In the north, one uses the gift of movement to do or actualize the vision [active inquiry]” (Bell, 2014, p.15).  Was the next attempt at using a Medicine Wheel framework (Figure 2), as an advocacy tool, any more successful?

Bell (2014) asserts that “the Medicine Wheel metaphor contains all the traditional teachings and can therefore be used as a guide on any journey, including the educational process [. . .] the underlying web of meaning to Medicine Wheels remains the same: the importance of appreciating and respecting the ongoing interconnectedness and interrelatedness of all things” (p.14); it is this interconnection, and the reflective qualities of the Medicine Wheel, that these early models I created (Figs. 1 & 2) attempted to capture. While Bell (2013) considers using a Medicine Wheel framework “a compass for human understanding” (p.40), as a guide for active and reflective inquiry; Orr (2000) views a Medicine Wheel framework as an active component to reconciliation, “the balance can help to redress the failings of the past and allow people to live differently in the present and future” (p.60).  By engaging in an inquiry process that stems from traditional teachings (Figure 3), the Indigenous researcher validates Indigenous knowledge, while building new knowledge bases that transcend the Eurocentric dominance of mainstream academia.

While Bell (2014) maintains there is no correct or incorrect way to travel the Medicine Wheel, the traditional teachings begin the journey in the East, with a specific vision.  It is here the inquirer ‘sees’ the research question(s) that form the basis for the professional inquiry.  By maintaining a balance between active inquiry, reflection, knowledge building, and keeping focus on the initial research question(s), the inquirer navigates the Medicine Wheel in a holistic manner.

References

Bell, N.(2014). Teaching by the medicine wheel: Anishinaabe framework for Indigenous education.  Education Canada, 54(3), 14-16.

Bell, N. (2013). Just do it: Anishinaabe culture-based education. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 36(1), 36-58.

Orr, J.A. (2000). Learning from Native adult education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 85(1), 59-66.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2010).  Advocacy tool kit: A guide to influencing decisions that improve children’s lives.  Retrieved from:  http://www.unicef.org/evaluation/files/Advocacy_Toolkit.pdf

There are many facets to adult education; for the purpose of this post, adult education as a means for social change will be the predominant ideology, following Breunig’s assertion that mainstream education exists to promote “norms and principles [that] are most often associated with the ideologies of the dominant race, gender, religion, and culture of the social class” (Bruenig, 2005, p.112); counter-hegemony in Indigenous adult education “offers a vision of what “could be” different if less oppressive [Indigenous controlled] ways of knowing and institutions were in place” (p.112). For over a century, Indigenous peoples have endured complete and total devaluation of their traditional ways of knowing, their languages, their entire culture, at the hands of the colonial federal government and its forced assimilation led educational policy.

After the 1972 Indian Control of Indian Education paper, most of the recommendations went unimplemented; Indigenous peoples and their national and regional representatives called for more action on reconstructing the ineffective and broken state of Aboriginal education in Canada, as an inherent Treaty right.  The Assembly of First Nations (2010) released First Nations Control of First Nations Education as a policy framework for self-determination in Indigenous education, claiming that “today, the necessity for Canadian-First Nations partnerships to support collective action to bridge First Nations education gap is as critical as it was in 1972” (p.4).  Hegemony is still a reality in the Canadian mainstream elementary-secondary, postsecondary, organizational learning, and adult educational systems.  How does the adult education practitioner promote a counter-hegemonic learning environment for Indigenous adult learners?

Critical Pedagogy and Transformation

The Assembly of First Nations [AFN] considers that lifelong learning is a whole life journey  from “pre-natal to Elder level” (2010, p.8), which is culture-based in rich in Indigenous culture, language, and history, and provides preparation for active participation and negotiation within the Indigenous community, the wider Canadian community, and globally.  Critical pedagogy provides a means of “thinking about, negotiating, and transforming the relationship among classroom teaching, the production of knowledge, the institutional structures of the school, and the social and material relation of the wider community and society” (Breunig, 2005, p. 109); the Indigenous adult learner, in an Indigenous controlled educational environment, is actively engaged in creating a counter-hegemonic, transformational learning experience.

References

Assembly of First Nations. (2010). First Nations control of First Nations education: It’s our vision, it’s our time.  Ottawa: Author.

Breunig, M. (2005). Turning experiential education and critical pedagogy theory into praxis.  Journal of Experiential Education, 28(2), 106-122.

National Indian Brotherhood. (1972).  Indian control of Indian education. Yellowknife: Author.

 

 

 

 

In 1972 a monumental paper was written about Aboriginal education; Indian Control of Indian Education (NIB, 1972), outlined educational policy for Indigenous people, written by Indigenous people, calling for self-determination in education (removing government control, and ending forced assimilation through educational policies).  At the same time a new field of educational study was coming into being – educational gerontology, the study of instructing older people, instructing about older people, and instructing professionals on working with older people (Findsen & Formosa, 2011).  Neither the NIB’s education policy, nor the field of educational gerontology truly embraced the older adult’s needs for and rights to age appropriate educational programming.

Adult education was discussed briefly in Indian Control of Indian Education, “adult education programs, properly conducted can be a means for many Indians to find economic security and self-fulfillment” (NIB, 1972, p.12), suggesting programming be focused on academic upgrading in mainstream subjects, adult basic literacy, along with, “business management, consumer-education, leadership training, administration, human relations, family education, health, budgeting, cooking, sewing, crafts, Indian art and culture”(p.13). The focus on lifelong learning seemed to end with education for employability and for family responsibility; the older adult, retired from the labour force, and with family that is grown and gone, remains marginalized in Indigenous educational policy discourse.

Geragogy is the pedagogy that extends the field of educational gerontology, through Critical Educational Gerontology (CEG), where the socio-economic and socio-political aspect of older adult education focuses on learning activities that are emancipatory (Findsen & Formosa, 2011); CEG seeks “to liberate senior students from stereotypical assumptions about what it means to be old, change attitudes towards older people, and open up new possibilities for later life” (p.94).  For the Indigenous learner, geragogy allows the individuals to use their life experiences as a means to enact social change within their own communities.  Intergenerational learning opportunities are promoted, where the older adults are able to share their languages, culture, arts, history, and spirituality with the youngest generation, bringing new meaning and place in the community for the ageing Indigenous population.

References

Findsen, B., and Formosa, M. (2011). Lifelong learning in later life: A handbook on older adult learning. Boston: Sense Publishers.

National Indian Brotherhood. (1972). Indian Control of Indian Education. Yellowknife: Author.

 

 

 

 

 

The Prime Minister of Canada, Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, has issued mandate letters to his various ministers, outlining his government’s platform, and issuing directives for implementation.  These include the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, whose mandate states in part, “to support the work of reconciliation, and continue the necessary process of truth telling and healing, work with provinces and territories, and with First Nations, the Métis Nation, and Inuit, to implement recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, starting with the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (Trudeau, 2015a, n.p.); and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour  whose mandate includes,”work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development to promote economic development and create jobs for Indigenous Peoples” (Trudeau, 2015b, n.p.).  What does this mean for Canada’s corporate sector?

Demographics

In 2011 there were 1,400,685 Indigenous peoples identified in Canada, both status and non-status First Nations, Inuit, and Metis; 46% of this population were under 25 (compared to 29% of non-Indigenous population), and 5.9% over age 65 (compared to 14.2% non-Indigenous), indicating that the greatest number of working aged Canadians are Indigenous peoples, yet in 2009 the unemployment rate for Indigenous people was disproportionally higher at 13.9% (compared to 8.1% non-Indigenous) [Roness, 2016].  Post-secondary education attainment was seen as a contributing factor to the unemployment disparity, with 48.4% of the Indigenous population between 25 and 64 years of age having some form of post-secondary education, compared to 64.7% of the non-Indigenous population (Roness, 2016); however, “Aboriginal people are in the midst of a baby boom and could help fill Canada’s anticipated labour shortage by increasing the national labour-force participation rate” (p.189).  By developing Indigenous human capital, Canada’s corporate sector stands to increase its profitability and productivity.

Business and Reconciliation

Section 92 (iii.) of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, recommends that Canada’s corporate sector, “provide education for management and staff of the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations.  This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism” (TRC, 2015, p.10).  In what manner should organizational learning initiatives begin to address this mandate?

History and Legacy of Canada’s Forced Assimilation Practices

When we analyze the language of early assimilation discourse, it gives us a new perspective in which to view the current demographics of Canada’s Indigenous population, “Aboriginal people were, in Departmental and church texts, ‘sunk’ in ‘ignorance and superstitious blindness’, a well of darkness from which they were in need of ’emancipation'”(Milloy, 1999, p.25); all aspects of Indigenous culture – ways of knowing, self-determination, education, spirituality, and language, were undermined in effort to “strike so as to ‘kill the Indian in him and save the man'” (Milloy, 1999, p.27). After enduring more than a century of forced assimilation (in practices now considered genocidal), where the Indigenous youth were forcibly removed from their homes, families, and communities, taken to residential schools where their Indigeneity was devalued in its entirety, and education in colonial languages was substandard at best, it stands to reason that the Indigenous labour force is ill prepared to take its rightful place in the corporate sector.  Now, the onus is on the corporate sector to lead reconciliation policy and practice, to provide human capital and economic development opportunities to Indigenous peoples, while honouring treaty rights, respecting Indigenous communities and cultural practices, and upholding land usage agreements with Indigenous communities.

Organizational Learning 

Canada’s corporate sector is being called upon to play its role in reconciliation; organizational learning allows for collaborative inquiry in the workplace which, “calls for a partnership in learning wherein different people with different ideas engage wholeheartedly with each other in order to resolve each other’s problems as partners-in-adversity” (Raelin, 2008, p.41).  The premise of organizational learning is one that embraces diversity and different ways of knowing, rather than accepting the status quo of the Eurocentric corporate context.  As such, the reconciliation discourse laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (Section 92) can be addressed from the perspective of creating Indigenous partnership within the organization.  The Indigenous history and legacy, treaties, responsible and sustainable land use, and Indigenous community engagement then becomes part of the culture of the organization.

References

Milloy, J.S. (1999). A national crime: The Canadian government and the residential schools system – 1879 to 1986.  Winnipeg, MB: The University of Manitoba Press.

Raelin, J.A. (2008). Work-based learning: Bridging knowledge and action in the workplace (New Rev. ed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Roness, L.A. (2016). Chapter 9: Demographics. In K.G. Brown, M.B. Doucette, and J.E. Tulk (eds.). Indigenous business in Canada: Principles and practices. Sydney, NS: University of Cape Breton Press

Trudeau, J. (2015a, n.d.). [Letter to Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]. Copy retrieved from: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-indigenous-and-northern-affairs-mandate-letter

Trudeau, J. (2015b, n.d.). [Letter to Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour]. Copy retrieved from: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-employment-workforce-development-and-labour-mandate-letter

 

 

 

In pre-colonial times, the Maasai were Olmaa speaking, nomadic cattle herders and warriors, well respected and feared by neighbouring Indigenous tribes (CTC, n.d.).  Their lands consisted of the traditional grazing areas that ran from Lake Victoria in the west to Mount Kilimanjaro on the east, spanning between Kenya (south of Nairobi) into Tanzania (CTC, n.d.; Gatimu, 2008; and MCPP, n.d.).  By the late nineteenth century, European settlers began moving into traditional Maasai lands, bringing cattle and human disease to the Maasai people; up to 80 percent of their cattle was lost (CTC, n.d.).  Droughts, famine, and disease decimated the Maasai population (CTC, n.d.), and British colonization initiatives saw the Maasai moved on to reserve land, their traditional nomadic/pastoral ways being restricted, and their children faced with assimilation in the colonial education system that favoured the usage of English language, and the teaching of Western subject matter (CTC, n.d.; and Gatimu, 2008).  Loss of the freedom to move cattle across traditional lands meant loss of Indigenous identity to the Maasai people.  Colonization has reduced Maasai lands and population — today the Maasai population is 150,000 in Kenya and 150,000 in Tanzania; its reserve land is 500km x 300km in area; their religion is traditional and monotheistic; language spoken is Olmaa (CTC, n.d.).

The modern education system in Kenya is still based on the British colonial (1920-1963) education system, which consists of eight years of primary education, four years of secondary education, and four years of university.  It incorporates standardized testing at the completion of primary education (one time only pass/fail testing), and secondary education, which is biased toward urban knowledge and urban educational opportunities (MERC, 2014).  If a learner fails either standardized test, they are not permitted to continue with the next level of education (MCPP, n.d.).  Primary school tuition is free; however the cost of all uniforms, books, and additional expenses are the responsibility of the learner (MCPP, n.d.).  English and Swahili are the languages of instruction, with no curriculum incorporating traditional Indigenous languages or traditional Indigenous knowledge and ceremony (MCPP, n.d.; and MERC, 2014).  Kenya falls short of every Article written in relation to education, cultural preservation, subsistence, under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), not only in the treatment and lack of governmental support for the Maasai peoples, but for all Indigenous peoples within its borders.

Maasailand came under British colonial rule for a mere 43 years (Gatimu, 2008); however the effects of colonialism are still felt to this day.  Their experience mirrors the Canadian colonial experience; forced assimilation, removed from traditional lands and communities, language and culture lost to Western influence, inadequate educational supports in both traditional and Western educational systems (MCPP, n.d.).  The decolonization efforts are much slower in creating social change for the betterment of the Maasai people.  Currently there is one Maasai based public school, Merrueshi Public School, originating in 1998 with 13 students (Maasai Association, n.d.).  As of 2010 the student population consisted of 350 male and female students (30% are boarders) aged 4-13; curriculum is delivered in Maasai, Swahili, and English (Maasai Association, n.d.).  There is one secondary school, Maasai High School, with a student population of 200, aged 14-18 yrs; currently employs 10 teachers with 50% of salary paid by Kenyan government; curriculum delivered in Maasai, Swahili, and English, with Maasai oral literature and traditions taught as extracurricular activities (Maasai Association, n.d.).  Efforts are underway to create higher education opportunities for the Maasai, with the establishment of Maasailand University, in effort to promote Indigenous led research focusing on Indigenous rights; cultural survival; environmental conservation; and social justice/ social change (MCPP, n.d.; and MERC, 2014.

References

Countries and their Cultures (n.d.). Maasai [Web forum].  Retrieved from: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Maasai.html

Gatimu, M.W. (2008). Rationale for critical pedagogy of decolonization: Kenya as a unit of analysis.  Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 7(2), 65-97.

Maasai Association (n.d.). Maasai Association Schools [Website].  Retrieved from: http://www.maasai-association.org/Maasai-high.html

MCPP (n,d.). Maasai Community Partnership Project Current Programs [Web log post].  Retrieved from: https://maasaicpp.wordpress.com/current-programs/maasai-education-research-and-conservation-institute/

MERC (n.d.).  Maasai education, research, and conservation institute [Website].  Retrieved from:  http://www.maasaierc.org

I was only able to find two models being used for Indigenous language instruction in adult learners; natural approach second language acquisition theory, and a language revitalization initiative based on language immersion.  The natural approach is based on five hypotheses:

•Acquisition-learning hypothesis;

•Natural order hypothesis;

•Monitor hypothesis;

•Input or comprehension hypothesis;

•Active filter hypothesis;

and suggests that the adult learner is more capable of learning the grammatical rules and structures of language, so that the academics of language learning are accomplished at a faster pace (Gordon, 2009).  [Explained in full detail, pp. 25-35.]

The language revitalization approach, based on immersion models used in early childhood and K-12 education, focuses less on the academic aspects of language learning (formal assessment), and more on an holistic approach to Indigenous language revitalization that connects the adult learner to ancestral roots; to their language, culture, and spirituality (Gordon, 2009).

One of very few adult immersion programs began at Six Nations Territory (Kanien’keha/Mohawk), and was developed in response to the lack of language fluency being developed from a weekly language class (Gordon, 2009; Maracle & Richards, 2002).  This program was offered in an informal, small group (twelve) setting, utilizing a rented house within the community for language and cultural immersion (Maracle & Richards, 2002), meeting five days per week during regular school/work hours (Gordon, 2009).  Its intention was to be a strong/total immersion program (Morcom, n.d.), focusing on oral language skills and traditions, with instruction from community based fluent language speakers (Maracle & Richards, 2002); however, it faced some difficulty, as some adult learners struggled with the concept of ‘immersion’, and often resorted to the use of English to attempt to frame understanding of the Mohawk language (Maracle & Richards, 2002).

The results and challenges of the Six Nations adult immersion program was its breakdown into a weak immersion program, bordering on second language training (Morcom, n.d.), where adult learners seemed to focus on learning about the language (i.e.: focusing on grammar constructs), rather than on learning the language to achieve the ability to converse naturally and explore culture and traditional language with Elders and fluent language speakers in the community (Maracle & Richards, 2002).  Other factors negatively affecting Indigenous language learning were lack of English literacy in some adult learners, whereby “success was more likely if the students had a good sense of [English] structure, a better than average vocabulary, and the ability to use vocabulary effectively” (Maracle & Richards, 2002, p.130).  Interestingly, this was also a factor with some of the fluent language speakers participating in the instruction of the program, as many were orally fluent in the language, but had no academic foundation in their language, so were not able to give effective instruction on the structure and grammar constructs of the Mohawk language (Maracle & Richards, 2002).

It is now apparent that adequately trained fluent Indigenous language instructors from the community are key to creating a successful Indigenous language immersion program for adults within their communities.  Indigenous language immersion, for adult learners, seems to root itself in the desire to revitalize Indigenous culture, language, and spirituality, in an informal setting (learning for the sake of learning), without the need for academic status or accreditation.  Indigenous language immersion differs from French language immersion programming, where little, if any, French culture or spirituality is included in the learning activities. There needs to be more initiatives for adult learners put in place in Indigenous communities across Turtle Island, and more research opportunities, as research and literature on the subject is extremely limited in comparison to ECE and K-12 immersion programs.

References

Gordon, C.J. (2009). Anishinaabemowin pane: A qualitative exploratory case study of an Indigenous language immersion revitalization program (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).  Retrieved from: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/305164171.html?FMT=AI&pubnum=3360094

Maracle, D. K., & Richards, M. (2002). A Native language immersion programme for adults: Reflections on year 1. In B. Burnaby & J. A. Reyhner (Eds.), Indigenous languages across the community (pp. 127-136). Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University, Center for Excellence in Education.

Morcom, L., (n.d.).  Language immersion and school success: What can I expect for my child?. Unpublished manuscript, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Part II: Profile of Taiaiake Alfred (Kanien’kehaka)

“Reclaim, rename, reoccupy” (Concordia, 2015), are the words spoken by Indigenous Governance professor (UVic), Taiaiake Alfred, in a speech at Concordia University, discussing the role of universities in support of Indigenous resurgence.  These three words are incredibly powerful in the discussion of Indigenous resurgence within the university, which itself is a Eurocentric educational construct that is oppositional to traditional Indigenous ways of learning and knowing (Alfred in Tehran Toronto, 2012).  Alfred suggests (right or wrong) that the university is impervious to Indigenization, and that our role as Indigenous educational leaders, is to carve out an Indigenized space within the Eurocentric construct, where Indigenous knowledge mobilization is promoted as validation of Indigenous research methodology (Alfred in Tehran Toronto, 2012).

As an educational leader, Alfred is fluid and dynamic, continuously challenging his own assumptions on Indigenous resurgence and Indigenous leadership in higher education.  His earlier works act in promotion of ‘self-conscious traditionalism’, the ideology that promotes selective use of traditional Indigenous knowledge for the purpose of reclaiming traditional Indigenous governance of our lands, for the betterment of Indigenous communities (Alfred, 2009), often at the expense of other aspects of traditional Indigenous knowledge preservation.  From here, Alfred moves toward the promotion of Indigenous feminism through an egalitarian masculine (warrior) lens, that suggests that female Indigenous educational leadership need be cognizant of the balance of power in traditional Indigenous relationships, working to show strength in traditional matriarchal leadership roles without emasculating the male voice within the Indigenous community (Alfred, 2011).  The next evolution in Alfred’s educational leadership comes as he reframes his understanding of Indigeneity as Indigenous resurgence, acknowledging its liberating and transformative power in the decolonization process, for both Indigenous and settler ally learners (Alfred, 2013).

Reflecting on Alfred’s Indigenous educational leadership, and his viewpoint on Indigenizing the academy (Alfred in Tehran Toronto, 2012), I am left with one question:   How can we finally achieve a fully egalitarian higher education system in North America, where Indigeneity is embraced instead of devalued or segregated within an Eurocentric construct; furthermore, is it possible to Indigenize the workplace utilizing Indigenous resurgence ideology?

Strategizing on Indigenizing workplace learning

Reflecting on the Indigenous educational leadership characteristics of various Indigenous educator role models, strategies for developing Indigenous education in the workplace have emerged:

• Incorporation of Indigenous pedagogy into workplace learning initiatives; this strategy provides for optimal experiential learning in on-the-job training situations that facilitate one on one mentoring in technical skills development.
• Promotion of Indigenous research methodologies for exercises in organizational problem solving.
• Promotion of Indigeneity in workplace; create a safe space for Indigenous communities to thrive in the workplace
• Incorporation of holistic/balanced learning into the workplace.
• Engage in Indigenous resurgence; promote the use of traditional Indigenous knowledge in the workplace.

Part III:  Workplace Community Leadership Model

The educational leadership characteristics typically found within the scope of technical skills development in the workplace (based upon models experienced while engaging in civilian and military workplace instructional roles), as well as personal workplace educational leadership, and personal Indigenous educational leadership characteristics have been visually compared and contrasted (Fig. 1-1).  The disconnect between workplace and Indigenous educational leadership characteristics is noteworthy, as well as disconcerting; as is the realization that the fluid nature of leadership promotes the compartmentalizing of leadership characteristics dependant on the educational leadership role.  This compartmentalization of educational leadership characteristics, with a suppression of Indigenous leadership traits, gives voice to the overwhelmingly exclusive Eurocentric nature of the workplace.

At this moment, the words of Taiaiake Alfred ring out, “reclaim, rename, reoccupy” (Tehran Toronto, 2012), as the words ‘Indigenous resurgence’ stand out in Figure 1-1.  Now is the time to Indigenize the workplace!  Taking on an activist role in the promotion of Indigenous education leadership and pedagogy in the workplace, our Indigenous communities and their educational leadership are able to work toward decolonizing the workplaces our Indigenous peoples occupy.  Indigenous knowledge mobilization coupled with utilizing Indigenous research methodology acts to promote innovation and transformation (ResearchImpact, 2014), of organizational problem solving capabilities.  The possibilities for incorporating Indigenous resurgence ideology, and Indigenous educational leadership into the needs of the Eurocentric workplace are endless, and only limited by the continued compartmentalization between workplace educational leadership and Indigenous educational leadership.  Reclaiming Indigeneity and validating the Indigenous voice in the workplace are the future of workplace learning.

References

Alfred, T. (2009). Peace, power, righteousness: An Indigenous manifesto (2nd ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Alfred, T. (2011, November 24). Indigenous masculinity and warriorism [Web log post].  Retrieved from:  http://taiaiake.net/2011/11/24/81790039/

Alfred, T. (2013, December 13).  Being and becoming Indigenous: Resurgence against contemporary colonialism [Web log post].  Retrieved from:  http://taiaiake.net/2013/12/13/being-and-becoming-indigenous-resurgence-against-contemporary-colonialism/

Concordia University (2015, May 1). What can universities do to support Indigenous resurgence? [Video file].  Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVGiYmNTP1w

RESEARCHIMPACT (2014, November 27).  So what the heck is knowledge mobilization and why should I care? [Web log post].  Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FL8wKpdUvA

Tehran Toronto (2012, April 12). Taiaiake Alfred: Indigenizing the academy [Video file].  Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FL8wKpdUvA

 

 

 

 

 

Part I: Personal profile

As an adult educator, I find that I am constantly evolving in my professional practice. Currently on sabbatical from technical instruction within the workplace, I am focused on the role of learner while completing a Professional Master of Education degree. I maintain a small role within the scope of the field of adult education that is limited to the discussion and promotion of Indigenous resurgence ideology in an American online interfaith spiritual forum, with a membership audience of approximately 35,000 people; in essence, a virtual community outreach initiative.  Often in my current online instructional role, I find myself sharing creation stories, as each nation has its unique origins.  I remember the first time I was told by an  Ĩyãħé Nakoda Elder that our ancestors came from the Star People; my initial reaction was to make jest of the story. Remembering that moment of disrespect to my Creator, my ancestors, my Elder friend, myself, motivated me to continue to learn our stories, our ceremonies, our medicine, our language, and the stories of my Indigenous brothers and sisters from other nations.  I was also reminded of those of us who have lost our way, and are searching for direction in our modern, Westernized, internets connected world, which is why I initially opted to reach out to our Indigenous and settler-ally community from an international online platform. This current outreach initiative is a far cry from an instructional role in aviation technology; however, this it is indicative of reinvention of self or organization, one characteristic of ‘the alchemist’ leadership action logic (Rooke & Torbert, 2005), which also fits into individualist/autonomous leadership leanings (Northouse, 2016).  It also speaks to charismatic/value-based and participative leadership characteristics (Northouse, 2016).

As I am of Ĩyãħé Nakoda heritage, my current role allows me to share my language and stories, while also giving voice to other Indigenous peoples by sharing their stories, history, spirituality, and when I am able, sharing their language with the intent of creating an open, accessible, collective, traditional Indigenous knowledge base.  This outreach initiative is well received by the settler community, and has succeeding in creating many new settler-allies, who are now cognizant of the realities of the colonial Indigenous experience, and of the Indigenous resurgence movement taking place globally (Alfred, 2009; and Whitinui, McIvor, Robertson, Morcom, & Cashman, 2015); however, it has received mixed review from the Indigenous community, with the greatest opposition coming from Indigenous women who find themselves lost between an Indigenous identity they are not fully comfortable wearing (from loss of traditional knowledge and ties to their ancestral communities), and the Western world they find themselves immersed in without adequate educational supports (lower literacy levels are evident).

As an Indigenous activist and adult educator, my goal is to create change within the Indigenous community through grassroots, informal educational initiatives.  I find myself asking ‘what has to be done to engage the adult Indigenous populace that resists and refuses educational opportunities (both Western and traditional)?’, as I do not fully understand this resistance.  I have championed the use of English language (often referred to as the language of the oppressor) as an empowerment tool, to convey traditional Indigenous knowledge to our people who have lost their own Indigenous languages; this is also a means of initiating traditional Indigenous language lessons.  How can I effectively work to promote traditional Indigenous knowledge preservation, when faced with adversity from within the Indigenous community?

There have been three Indigenous educators whose activism and research in Indigenous resurgence have inspired me to follow my current pathway; Taiaiake Alfred, Jeff Corntassel, and Leanne Simpson.  Taiaiake Alfred (Kanien’kehaka) has been the most influential, though I have challenged some of his Indigenous resurgence ideology during my undergraduate studies in adult education, specifically his early discussion on preserving traditional Indigenous knowledge that directly related to Indigenous self-governance, above the preservation of other traditional knowledge (Alfred, 2009).  Jeff Corntassel (Tsalagi) came to my attention through the works of Taiaiake Alfred, as they both hold positions within the Indigenous Governance department at the University of Victoria; his tenacity for vocalizing the validity of Indigenous research methodology within academe (Corntassel, 2003), is one of the reasons I consider him a role model in the field of Indigenous education.  Leanne Simpson’s (Anishinaabe) research in the field of Indigenous resurgence caught my attention, as she focuses on Indigenous theory and philosophy using storytelling as an Indigenous research methodology, while promoting the reclamation of traditional Indigenous languages (Simpson, 2011).  While these scholars and activists are not the only ones in their chosen fields, they are the ones that initially drew me toward the study of Indigenous resurgence, and the pursuit of professional development within the field of Indigenous educational leadership.  Figure 1-1 (above) is a comparison between my own leadership styles, the leadership styles I have observed from my most influential role model (Taiaiake Alfred), and what I perceive to be an ideal Indigenous leadership model.  From this comparison, a conceptual framework (Fig. 1-2 below) emerged:

References

Alfred, T. (2009). Peace, power, righteousness: An Indigenous manifesto (2nd ed).  Don Mills, ON:Oxford University Press.

Corntassel, J. (2003). An activist posing as an academic?. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1/2), 160-172.

Northouse, P.G. (2016).  Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA:  Sage.

Rooke, D. and Torbert, W.R. (2005, April). Seven transformations of leadership.  Harvard Business Review.  Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2005/04/seven-transformations-of-leadership

Simpson, L. (2011). Dancing on our turtle’s back: Stories of Nishnaabeg re-creation, resurgence, and a new emergence.  Winnipeg, MB: Arbeiter Ring Publishing.

Whitinui, P., McIvor, O., Roberston, B., Morcom, L., and Cashman, K. (2015).  The World Indigenous Research Alliance (WIRA): Mediating and mobilizing Indigenous peoples’ educational knowledge and aspirations.  Educational Policy Analysis Archives, 23 (120), 2-25.