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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.
Animating Indigenous Knowledge
The recognition and intellectual activation of IK today is a growing, purposeful, and political act of empowerment by Indigenous peoples. The task for Indigenous scholars and educators has been to affirm and activate holistic paradigms of Indigenous knowledge to reveal the wealth and richness of Indigenous languages, world views, teachings, and experiences, all of which have been systematically excluded from history, from contemporary educational institutions, and from Eurocentric knowledge (EK) systems. Through this act of intellectual self-determination, Indigenous academics are developing new syntheses and methodologies to decolonize themselves, their communities, and their institutions, as well as to bring about a blended trans-systemic synthesis in an educational context that respects and builds on both IK and EK (Blaut, 1993).
IK is a growing field of inquiry both nationally and internationally, particularly for those interested in educational innovation and problemsolving. It includes Indigenous science, arts, humanities, and legal traditions. Each manifestation reflects an ecologically centered way of life or expresses a sustainable humanity. Each is integral to the renewal and revitalization...