Indigenous Studies

what is a worldview?

what is a worldview?

• set of beliefs and values that are upheld and honoured by a number of people

• how people interact with the world around them

what do people with a traditional worldview believe?

• Man is above nature

• Important of family and community

• Religion is the basis of their lives

• Believe that God is separate from earth

what do people with a modern worldview believe?

• Achieve freedom from oppressive

• Self-made individuals

• Believe only in Science and not nature

• May reject higher power

what do people with a integrative worldview believe?

• Bringing in many different perspectives

• Self-reflection

• Greater good and global awareness

• Connection with nature

what do people with a post-modern worldview believe?

• Many perspectives

• Freeing oppressed people

• rise of the social movements

• celebrate diversity, creativity, and beliefs in the context

• Valuing moral, emotional and artistic knowledge

what are some differences between an Indigenous and Western worldview?

• Indigenous is connected to nature and believes that nature is key to survival and started our world

• Western worldview believes nature is to be used for personal gain

  • A higher power started and created the world

• Indigenous believe in community and sharing resources

• Western worldview is everyone for themselves

• Indigenous believe in spirituality and animals are spiritual

• Western worldview: there is a God and animals are for pets, food, entertainment

• Indigenous believe food, plants, holistic medicine

• Western worldview: science and drugs as medicine

intended consequences of colonization

• assimilated Indigenous people into white society

• loss of Indigenous language

• Indigenous spiritual beliefs were minimized and replaced by Christian Western beliefs

• loss of Indigenous culture

unintended effects of colonization

• created intergenerational trauma

• introducing disease to Indigenous communities

• changing the communities

• land and environmental changes

• income disparities between Indigenous and white people

what happened to Canadian Indigenous children in the 1960s?

the sixties scoop

• took Indigenous children and put them in foster families

• social workers thought Indigenous parents were not good and placed children with white families

• children experienced abuse in the families

• government could take any children without permission from their parents

what happened to Australian Aboriginal children in the 1950s?

• children were forcibly removed from their homes and put into residential schools

• mixed Indigenous children as they were “more likely to assimilte”

• breed out Indigenous people

what type of education did children receive in Canadian and Australian boarding schools

• boys - labour work

  • creating a hard-working labour force

  • christian-based education

• girls - domestic education

  • sewing, cooking, cleaning, housechores

  • christian education

where do you get your worldview from?

• Usually get worldview from parents and surroundings

• can change when you get older as you experience more things

• people around them can influence worldview

long term health implications of Australian residential schools

• malnourishment can lead to less or stunted growth

• avoidance of foods due to their childhood

• trauma from the schools and the abuse

• health outcomes are worse

• imprisonment rate is higher

• alcoholism, drug abuse

when did Canada apologize and what happened?

• Apologized on Jun 11, 2008

• Sept 30 national truth and reconciliation day

• prime minister before refused to apologize

• lawsuits filed, compensation given

when did Australia apologize and what happened?

1. Feb 13, 2008

2. national sorry day May 26

3. previous prime minister refused to apologize and passed a “regretful” statement

how did governments ensure children went to these schools?

• keep tabs on any children registered with a birth certificate

• blank looks 😶

• forcibly remove the children

• tell the public it was for their own good so they may thrive in society

• making it a mandatory thing for all Indigenous children

• keeping white people on reserves to survey and report to welfare offices to remove children

what did the canadian gov want to do with residential schools?

• kill the indian in the child

• prepare them for success in a white society

what did the australian gov want to do with residential schools?

• breed the indigenous out of society

• create servants and people to do labour

• assimilate them into white society

When did the last Canadian residential school close?

• 1996

• Gordon Residential School

When did the last Australian residential school close?

• mid 1980s

• started closing them down during the 1970s

Who can tell Indigenous stories

• Elders

• people who hear it and are given permission

what is the purpose of indigenous stories?

• to teach lessons

• pass down information, traditions

• creation stories

• teach about culture

• learning how to be a decent human unlike some people

• learning character traits

what are metaphors used for in stories?

• deeper meaning

• context-specific

• rejecting colonialism

• teaching values and culture of people

• understanding cultural differences

What should you do while listening to indigenous stories

• listen

• think about the meanings and why you are hearing it

• look at context

• ask for permission to share stories and discuss the stories with the teller

do indigenous stories change?

• yes they do

• oral tradition

• everyone retells it a bit differently

• core meaning is the same but some of the words, characters may be different

what do the stories tell people about?

• culture

• beliefs

• spiritual beliefs

What is the show, First Contact, about?

• debunking the myths about Indigenous people

• showing white people what it means to be Indigenous, indigenous culture, struggles