A dissertação aqui apresentada se dedica a verificar os saberes ameríndios presentes em duas escolas não-indígenas, sendo que foi dedicada atenção especial à escola que atende jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social e recebe, semanalmente, um grupo de pessoas Kaingang para desenvolver um projeto com a cerâmica. O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar o que muda na concepção que se tem em relação à temática indígena dos alunos, professores e coordenadores em uma escola que tem presença constante de ameríndios. As principais questões que mobilizaram o pensamento foram: O que se modifica na representação de índio dos alunos não-indígenas em uma escola com circulação constante de indígenas? Que identificações os alunos têm acerca dos saberes e práticas indígenas? O convívio com ameríndios suscita o reconhecimento de possíveis ancestralidades indígenas? Há identificação entre a história de vida dos alunos e a dos indígenas? Inicialmente, a pesquisa foi realizada em duas escolas públicas de Ensino Fundamental, através da aplicação de questionários com os alunos, professores e coordenadores, com perguntas pré-formuladas sobre a temática indígena. Ao perceber que os questionários acionavam respostas superficiais e automáticas, mudei a metodologia do trabalho, optando por realizar na segunda etapa da pesquisa oficinas com os alunos de uma das escolas, que têm contato permanente com os Kaingang, mas sem desconsiderar os resultados obtidos com os questionários que foram aplicados e analisados anteriormente. Comecei com uma oficina que propunha a discussão a partir de imagens que mostravam os indígenas em diferentes situações da vida e, na segunda oficina, centralizei uma conversa que teve como base o livro “Meu avô Apolinário: um mergulho no rio da (minha) memória” de Daniel Munduruku. Também observei as oficinas de cerâmica realizadas com os Kaingang. Percebi que a escola Porto Alegre está possibilitando um espaço de interculturalidade, mostrando que é possível aproximar e fazer conviver duas culturas, mantendo uma interação respeitosa, além de possibilitar o reconhecimento da ancestralidade e da valorização dos conhecimentos indígenas. O espaço diferencial que está sendo constituído pela Escola Porto Alegre faz com que sentimentos de exclusão, comuns numa escola que trabalha com jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social, desapareçam. A presença dos Kaingang torna a escola um lugar de trocas, um espaço onde são livres as identificações e afinidades, onde há admiração pelo outro. Esse é um caminho para pensarmos a escola como um espaço de vivência, construindo um local de conhecimento comum e de compartilhar experiências. / The thesis presented here is dedicated to verify the Amerindians’ knowledge present in two non-Indian schools. Special attention was devoted mainly to the school which serves young people in situation of social vulnerability and receives a weekly ‘Kaingang’ group of people to develop a pottery project. The objective of this study was determining which changes have been happening related to the conceiving that exists related to indigenous theme from students, teachers and administrators in a school which has a constant presence of Amerindians. The main issues captured by my thinking were: What is changed in the representation of the Indian made by the non-indigenous students in a school with constant circulation of indigenous people? What kind of identification students feel about indigenous knowledge and practices? The contact with Amerindians raises the recognition of a possible Indian ancestry? Is there any identification between the student’s lives history and the Indigenous? Initially, the survey was conducted in two public schools at the elementary level through questionnaires for students, teachers and coordinators, with pre-formulated questions about indigenous themes. Realizing that the questionnaires were generating automatic and superficial answers, I changed the methodology of work and chose to perform in the second stage of the research, workshops with students at one school, which has a constant contact with the ‘Kaingang’ tribe representatives, however with no disregard to the results obtained with the questionnaires previously applied and previously analyzed. I started with a workshop with a debate proposed from images showing the Indians in different life situations and in a second workshop, focusing in the conversation based on the book "My grandfather Apollinaris: a dip in the river of (my) memory ", by Daniel Munduruku. Meanwhile, I also paid attention to the pottery workshops held with the ‘Kaingang’ people. I realized that Porto Alegre school is providing an intercultural space, showing that it is possible to happen an approaching and living between two different cultures maintaining a respectful interaction and allowing the recovery of indigenous knowledge and the recognition of ancestry. The unique space which has been created by the Porto Alegre school causes that feelings as exclusion, so common inside those schools working with young people in situations of social vulnerability are minimized. The presence of ‘Kaingang’ people turns that school into an area of exchange, a free space where there are identifications, affinities and appreciation of each other. This is a way of thinking school as a living space, building a place of mutual knowledge and sharing experiences.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Geography / Marcellus Caldas / One of the critical challenges facing our world today, is managing our intensive use of land to support a growing population, while also ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services that have supported human civilization thus far. The Great Plains region is representative of this complex global challenge because it supports some of the most productive agriculture in the world, yet is also degraded by land cover change, habitat loss, and nonpoint source pollution from nutrients, sediment, and pesticides. In the absence of regulatory remedies, nonpoint source pollution is typically addressed through voluntary adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs). However, meaningful reductions in nonpoint source pollutants are too often elusive. This is due to two overarching factors: variable rates of effectiveness based on site-specific, geographic factors; and variable rates of adoption due to social, economic, and policy pressures. Therefore, to address the problem of nonpoint source pollution, we must better understand the interacting physical processes behind nonpoint source pollution, and the cultural processes driving land management choices. The unifying variable between rates of effectiveness and rates of adoption, is land use/land cover (LULC) driven by land management practices. This dissertation seeks to integrate an advanced understanding of the interactions between the physical impacts of LULC on nonpoint source pollution removal in stream riparian zones, with an evaluation of Indigenous cultural frameworks to better inform land management paradigms. This dissertation explores the relationship between fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, and nutrient dynamics in riparian areas of incised stream channels. To add to this understanding, I utilize a transect of nested piezometers to observe riparian zone hydrology under both forested and row-crop land cover along an incised stream, James Creek in northeast Kansas. The investigation of coupled hydrologic/biogeochemical relationships addresses whether precipitation interflow to incised channels is interacting with the soil in such a way that denitrification processes are facilitated, or inhibited. These issues may be better addressed through multiple BMPs and management for whole ecosystems – a view that is contained within the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) framework. Understanding Indigenous values and land management preferences may provide an alternative cultural framework for valuing native land cover, and help government agencies and NGOs promote increased adoption of BMPs. A greater understanding of these Indigenous cultural frameworks will also help to bridge gaps in understanding between government agencies and Indigenous tribes in questions of resource management. Therefore, this dissertation examines Indigenous governance of natural resources, and historical barriers that have led to the unique situations that exist today. Utilizing mixed-methods research, the overarching goal of this dissertation is to apply advanced understandings of riparian hydrology and water quality function in the Great Plains to best management practice recommendations based on a sound understanding of Indigenous nature-society value systems.

A dissertação aqui apresentada se dedica a verificar os saberes ameríndios presentes em duas escolas não-indígenas, sendo que foi dedicada atenção especial à escola que atende jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social e recebe, semanalmente, um grupo de pessoas Kaingang para desenvolver um projeto com a cerâmica. O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar o que muda na concepção que se tem em relação à temática indígena dos alunos, professores e coordenadores em uma escola que tem presença constante de ameríndios. As principais questões que mobilizaram o pensamento foram: O que se modifica na representação de índio dos alunos não-indígenas em uma escola com circulação constante de indígenas? Que identificações os alunos têm acerca dos saberes e práticas indígenas? O convívio com ameríndios suscita o reconhecimento de possíveis ancestralidades indígenas? Há identificação entre a história de vida dos alunos e a dos indígenas? Inicialmente, a pesquisa foi realizada em duas escolas públicas de Ensino Fundamental, através da aplicação de questionários com os alunos, professores e coordenadores, com perguntas pré-formuladas sobre a temática indígena. Ao perceber que os questionários acionavam respostas superficiais e automáticas, mudei a metodologia do trabalho, optando por realizar na segunda etapa da pesquisa oficinas com os alunos de uma das escolas, que têm contato permanente com os Kaingang, mas sem desconsiderar os resultados obtidos com os questionários que foram aplicados e analisados anteriormente. Comecei com uma oficina que propunha a discussão a partir de imagens que mostravam os indígenas em diferentes situações da vida e, na segunda oficina, centralizei uma conversa que teve como base o livro “Meu avô Apolinário: um mergulho no rio da (minha) memória” de Daniel Munduruku. Também observei as oficinas de cerâmica realizadas com os Kaingang. Percebi que a escola Porto Alegre está possibilitando um espaço de interculturalidade, mostrando que é possível aproximar e fazer conviver duas culturas, mantendo uma interação respeitosa, além de possibilitar o reconhecimento da ancestralidade e da valorização dos conhecimentos indígenas. O espaço diferencial que está sendo constituído pela Escola Porto Alegre faz com que sentimentos de exclusão, comuns numa escola que trabalha com jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social, desapareçam. A presença dos Kaingang torna a escola um lugar de trocas, um espaço onde são livres as identificações e afinidades, onde há admiração pelo outro. Esse é um caminho para pensarmos a escola como um espaço de vivência, construindo um local de conhecimento comum e de compartilhar experiências. / The thesis presented here is dedicated to verify the Amerindians’ knowledge present in two non-Indian schools. Special attention was devoted mainly to the school which serves young people in situation of social vulnerability and receives a weekly ‘Kaingang’ group of people to develop a pottery project. The objective of this study was determining which changes have been happening related to the conceiving that exists related to indigenous theme from students, teachers and administrators in a school which has a constant presence of Amerindians. The main issues captured by my thinking were: What is changed in the representation of the Indian made by the non-indigenous students in a school with constant circulation of indigenous people? What kind of identification students feel about indigenous knowledge and practices? The contact with Amerindians raises the recognition of a possible Indian ancestry? Is there any identification between the student’s lives history and the Indigenous? Initially, the survey was conducted in two public schools at the elementary level through questionnaires for students, teachers and coordinators, with pre-formulated questions about indigenous themes. Realizing that the questionnaires were generating automatic and superficial answers, I changed the methodology of work and chose to perform in the second stage of the research, workshops with students at one school, which has a constant contact with the ‘Kaingang’ tribe representatives, however with no disregard to the results obtained with the questionnaires previously applied and previously analyzed. I started with a workshop with a debate proposed from images showing the Indians in different life situations and in a second workshop, focusing in the conversation based on the book "My grandfather Apollinaris: a dip in the river of (my) memory ", by Daniel Munduruku. Meanwhile, I also paid attention to the pottery workshops held with the ‘Kaingang’ people. I realized that Porto Alegre school is providing an intercultural space, showing that it is possible to happen an approaching and living between two different cultures maintaining a respectful interaction and allowing the recovery of indigenous knowledge and the recognition of ancestry. The unique space which has been created by the Porto Alegre school causes that feelings as exclusion, so common inside those schools working with young people in situations of social vulnerability are minimized. The presence of ‘Kaingang’ people turns that school into an area of exchange, a free space where there are identifications, affinities and appreciation of each other. This is a way of thinking school as a living space, building a place of mutual knowledge and sharing experiences.

A dissertação aqui apresentada se dedica a verificar os saberes ameríndios presentes em duas escolas não-indígenas, sendo que foi dedicada atenção especial à escola que atende jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social e recebe, semanalmente, um grupo de pessoas Kaingang para desenvolver um projeto com a cerâmica. O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar o que muda na concepção que se tem em relação à temática indígena dos alunos, professores e coordenadores em uma escola que tem presença constante de ameríndios. As principais questões que mobilizaram o pensamento foram: O que se modifica na representação de índio dos alunos não-indígenas em uma escola com circulação constante de indígenas? Que identificações os alunos têm acerca dos saberes e práticas indígenas? O convívio com ameríndios suscita o reconhecimento de possíveis ancestralidades indígenas? Há identificação entre a história de vida dos alunos e a dos indígenas? Inicialmente, a pesquisa foi realizada em duas escolas públicas de Ensino Fundamental, através da aplicação de questionários com os alunos, professores e coordenadores, com perguntas pré-formuladas sobre a temática indígena. Ao perceber que os questionários acionavam respostas superficiais e automáticas, mudei a metodologia do trabalho, optando por realizar na segunda etapa da pesquisa oficinas com os alunos de uma das escolas, que têm contato permanente com os Kaingang, mas sem desconsiderar os resultados obtidos com os questionários que foram aplicados e analisados anteriormente. Comecei com uma oficina que propunha a discussão a partir de imagens que mostravam os indígenas em diferentes situações da vida e, na segunda oficina, centralizei uma conversa que teve como base o livro “Meu avô Apolinário: um mergulho no rio da (minha) memória” de Daniel Munduruku. Também observei as oficinas de cerâmica realizadas com os Kaingang. Percebi que a escola Porto Alegre está possibilitando um espaço de interculturalidade, mostrando que é possível aproximar e fazer conviver duas culturas, mantendo uma interação respeitosa, além de possibilitar o reconhecimento da ancestralidade e da valorização dos conhecimentos indígenas. O espaço diferencial que está sendo constituído pela Escola Porto Alegre faz com que sentimentos de exclusão, comuns numa escola que trabalha com jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social, desapareçam. A presença dos Kaingang torna a escola um lugar de trocas, um espaço onde são livres as identificações e afinidades, onde há admiração pelo outro. Esse é um caminho para pensarmos a escola como um espaço de vivência, construindo um local de conhecimento comum e de compartilhar experiências. / The thesis presented here is dedicated to verify the Amerindians’ knowledge present in two non-Indian schools. Special attention was devoted mainly to the school which serves young people in situation of social vulnerability and receives a weekly ‘Kaingang’ group of people to develop a pottery project. The objective of this study was determining which changes have been happening related to the conceiving that exists related to indigenous theme from students, teachers and administrators in a school which has a constant presence of Amerindians. The main issues captured by my thinking were: What is changed in the representation of the Indian made by the non-indigenous students in a school with constant circulation of indigenous people? What kind of identification students feel about indigenous knowledge and practices? The contact with Amerindians raises the recognition of a possible Indian ancestry? Is there any identification between the student’s lives history and the Indigenous? Initially, the survey was conducted in two public schools at the elementary level through questionnaires for students, teachers and coordinators, with pre-formulated questions about indigenous themes. Realizing that the questionnaires were generating automatic and superficial answers, I changed the methodology of work and chose to perform in the second stage of the research, workshops with students at one school, which has a constant contact with the ‘Kaingang’ tribe representatives, however with no disregard to the results obtained with the questionnaires previously applied and previously analyzed. I started with a workshop with a debate proposed from images showing the Indians in different life situations and in a second workshop, focusing in the conversation based on the book "My grandfather Apollinaris: a dip in the river of (my) memory ", by Daniel Munduruku. Meanwhile, I also paid attention to the pottery workshops held with the ‘Kaingang’ people. I realized that Porto Alegre school is providing an intercultural space, showing that it is possible to happen an approaching and living between two different cultures maintaining a respectful interaction and allowing the recovery of indigenous knowledge and the recognition of ancestry. The unique space which has been created by the Porto Alegre school causes that feelings as exclusion, so common inside those schools working with young people in situations of social vulnerability are minimized. The presence of ‘Kaingang’ people turns that school into an area of exchange, a free space where there are identifications, affinities and appreciation of each other. This is a way of thinking school as a living space, building a place of mutual knowledge and sharing experiences.

The goal of this study was to gather information from Aboriginal offenders and develop a categorical map that describes the factors that help and hinder maintaining a crime free life after incarceration. The critical incident technique was utilized to examine 42 Aboriginal offenders’ journeys from prison to the community. Three hundred and forty-one incidents collapsed into nine major categories representing themes that were helpful in maintaining a crime free life: 1) transformation of self; 2) cultural and traditional experiences; 3) healthy relationships; 4) having routine and structure in daily living; 5) freedom from prison; 6) purpose and fulfillment in life; 7) attempting to live alcohol and drug free; 8) professional support and programming; and 9) learning to identify and express oneself. Seventy-eight incidents formed four categories representing obstacles that interfere with maintaining a crime free life: 1) self; 2) unhealthy relationships; 3) substance use; and 4) lack of opportunity and professional support. The findings were compared and contrasted to two major theories in the literature: desistance and the risk-needs-responsivity principle. Most of the categories were well substantiated in the literature contributing knowledge to theory, policy, practice, and the community. Information obtained from this study provides an increased understanding of the needs of Aboriginal offenders and offers guidance concerning useful strategies to incorporate into their wellness plans when entering the community, most notably respecting Aboriginal culture and traditional practices. The findings also add awareness of those circumstances, issues, and problems that arise during transition that may be harmful or create obstacles to a successful transition. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study involves a group of pre-service teachers who are specialising in Science and Mathematics education at a university in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate perceptions about the earth in space held by the pre-service natural science teachers. A related aim was to create awareness among the prospective teachers about various views that people hold about the earth as against the scientifically valid view (Govender, 2009, Plummer & Zahm, 2010, Schneps & Sadler, 1989). To determine and improve the prospective teachers’ perceptions and awareness about the significance of the earth in space the study adopted the dialogical argumentation model (DAIM) and spatial modelling as a theoretical framework (Ogunniyi, 2013).Further, the study used pre- and post-test data based on the responses of the pre-service teachers to questionnaires, focus group interviews and reflective diaries. The data set was analysed using a mixed methods approach (qualitative and quantitative).Results from the study show that most the pre-service teachers involved in the study hold both scientific and alternative conceptions about the earth in space. However, they seem to suppress the latter because they believe them to be unscientific. In addition they believe that their role is to impart scientific knowledge to learners. As has been revealed in a number of studies, some of the prospective teachers did not have much background in geography.

Environmental education in the U.S. has been slow to incorporate Indigenous knowledges, with most pre-university curriculum centering around Western science. I believe incorporating Indigenous knowledges into environmental education can promote reciprocal, critical, and active human-nature relationships. While Indigenous knowledges should infiltrate all levels of environmental education, I argue that alternative forms of education which operate outside the formal school system might present the fewest immediate obstacles.

In this thesis, I draw attention to how representations of indigenous peoples and knowledges in the rhetoric of bioprospecting weave the people into multiple coordinates of discursive control. Bioprospecting, or the exploration of biological resources in search of valuable genetic and chemical material for commercial use, is portrayed by proponents as an ideal project which benefit all of its stakeholders. I challenge such perception by exposing the power relationships underlying bioprospecting proposals as well as the various interests built into their rhetoric. My particular interest lies in exploring the implications for indigenous peoples whose appearances in bioprospecting proposals are less than voluntary. I make three claims: (1) that the representation of indigenous peoples as stewards of the environment is a role assigned to them, which is then circulated and mobilized within the bioprospecting rhetoric in order to support its arguments concerning biodiversity conservation; (2) that indigenous knowledges of the environment, of medicinal plants in particular, are taken out of their original socio-cultural contexts, utilized, appropriated, and valorized by bioprospectors who construct the rhetoric; (3) that the visibility of indigenous peoples and knowledges, which was heightened as a result of the increased interest taken in controlling them, opens up new opportunities for the people to resist misappropriation and struggle for self-definition. In short, this project takes indigenous peoples and knowledges as the intersection of forces and interests comprising an intricate web of power relationships, within which any participant can attempt to empower oneself either by resisting or manipulating the control to which one is exposed. / Master of Science

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study was an evaluative case study of a Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project on the Project (SIKSP) at a Western Cape University, South Africa. It was an internal evaluation from the perspectives of the project participants, with the aim of assessing (1) the opportunities and challenges faced by the participants (in-service teachers), (2) the effectiveness of an argumentationbased strategy (DAIM) used by some of the in-service teachers to integrate science and IKS, (3) the manner in which the trained teachers actually taught using the DAIM, and (4) the impact of SIKSP on the participants’ professional development and research capacities. I used a hybridised version of Stufflebeam’s (2003) context, input, process, product (CIPP) as well as Guba and Lincoln’s (1989) Constructivist evaluation models to guide the study, within a constructivist-pragmatist paradigm. I used a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, reflective diaries, and document analyses to collate the data from 22 in-service participants, as well as from the project director. The analyses were done using mixed methods, though largely dominated by qualitative approaches. The results suggest that: through the use of multiple sources of engagement in conceptual, practical, and discursive activities, SIKSP enabled the participants to change their views about science and IKS – from a largely positivist to a more dualistic worldview that considered IKS as a source of valid knowledge in science classrooms. SIKSP activities also enabled the participants to acquire the largely student-centred, discursive, interactive DAIM approach of teaching and learning to effect an inclusive science-IK curriculum. The teachers used DAIM to teach science, mathematics as well as socio-scientific topics, each teacher applying it differently. SIKSP had many positive impacts on the participants – psychological, social, intellectual, pedagogical and professional. Through SIKSP, many participants obtained higher degrees, advanced professionally, and some have become researchers in science and IKS; with two of the postdoctoral fellows now carrying on similar research at other universities in South Africa and beyond. An unanticipated outcome of SIKSP was the creation of the African Association for the Study of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AASIKS) which is now pursuing an inclusive science-IKS vision at a much larger scale. Overall, in the view of the participants, SIKSP was very successful project, and its DAIM approach, though difficult to master, has many advantages that could be explored in-and-out of science classrooms.

MA (eSiswati) / Sikhungo I-MER Mathivha Sefitwilimi Tendzabu, Buciko Nemasiko