The goal of this study was to examine Indigenous Teaching Circles and their applicability in an online Distance Education setting. The objectives were twofold (1) to define Aboriginal Teaching Circles as a formal method of instruction for cultural teaching in a post-secondary environment, and (2) to identify what elements of Indigenous Teaching Circles would be possible to translate into an online environment. In order to gain a better understanding of the aforementioned I interviewed seven Indigenous Knowledge Keepers who worked in post-secondary institutions and were keepers of the traditional Indigenous values and beliefs. Drawing on the stories from the participant Knowledge Keepers I define the various Indigenous Circle pedagogies and their subsequent compositions. This thesis confirms that Indigenous Teaching Circles can be conducted in a computer mediated environment with specific instructional design strategies. The most compelling finding in this thesis was the exploration of the inclusion of spiritual entities as participants in the Circles. These presences are referred to as unseen “helpers” and each of the participants interviewed commented on their existence in various ways. This concept is particularly important as these helpers were identified as residing in a virtual world therefore making teaching and learning that much more significant if one believes in this phenomenon. There is no doubt from the data collected that cultural teaching requires a shift in planning and implementation and this thesis offers some suggestions for planning and designing culturally accurate teaching and learning activities. / June- 2012

Historically, the Nuu-chah-nulth People of Vancouver Island passed down knowledge and skills utilizing methods analogous with traditional Indigenous pedagogies around the world. These traditional teaching and assessment methods of the Nuu-chah-nulth have ensured the successful transfer of important physical, mental, cultural and spiritual knowledge over thousands of years. Within these pedagogies, assessment and evaluation is integral and inclusive, achieved through authentic and holistic means. Conversely, contemporary assessment in the post-secondary realm, despite endeavours to integrate formative assessment more frequently, tends toward a summative end result. The historical traditional assessment methods of the Nuu-chah-nulth exemplify holistic values and are illustrated through the concept of heshook-ish-tsawalk, or ‘everything is connected’. This dissertation argues that there are insights to be gleaned from identifying these assessment and evaluation methods, and in bringing them forward into contemporary pedagogy. Through a series of in-depth interviews, the researcher examined the learning and teaching understandings and experiences of several Nuu-chah-nulth Elders and cultural experts. Interviews took place within the homes of the Elders, and care was taken to ensure representation across a wide range of Nuu-chah-nulth territory. Augmenting these interviews, the researcher examined translated recordings of past Nuu-chah-nulth Elders while reflecting on her personal experiences as a Nuu-chah-nulth person. These personal experiences were analyzed through a self-study style examination of her own journey through education, and her recollections of traditional and contemporary assessment practice. Significant themes emerged from the collected data, including the overarching importance of time, relationships, echoing, and demonstration in historical Nuu-chah-nulth assessment. These themes fit naturally within a circular medicine wheel framework, which effectively illuminates the holistic and connected nature of an Indigenous pedagogy. This study concludes that these themes hold significant importance for contemporary assessment practice. / Graduate

The purpose of this research study was to explore how the significance of place serves as a part of Indigenous—specifically Diné (Navajo)—education cultural responsiveness in the art classroom. Further, objectives of the study included learning how North American art teacher educators can more effectively weave Indigenous understandings of place into pre-service art teacher education to benefit Indigenous learners' needs. I employed a qualitative approach to this study using multiple methodologies: ethnography, phenomenology, an Indigenous research methodology, and arts-based research. Through personal interviews with six participants—two Diné artists, two art teacher educators, and two unfamiliar art teachers new to reservation-serving schools—I sought to locate culturally situated perspectives and values. The goal of the interviews was to gather ideas about the significance of place, about relationships between place and art, and about art teacher preparation for teaching in Diné-serving schools. The design of the study also included new unfamiliar non-Diné art teacher preconceptions and in-situ learning experiences of teaching on the reservation. Beyond the participant interviews, I engaged an arts-based exploration of my experiences with Diné people as an outsider/insider member of the Diné community. The artwork I created also helped weave together data from participant interviews. Findings from the Diné artist participants suggested that places hold significance in Diné culture, art making, and the display or use of art. According to Diné epistemological perspective, place is more than just a physical location, and different from some mainstream ideas about place. For Diné interviewees, place is a container of aspects of life such as energies, nature, spirits, people, and a multitude of other significances, some tangible and some intangible. Findings from interviews with art teacher educators of other Indigenous groups also indicated that place is significant to many Native American peoples, and the idea of that significance is difficult to transmit to Euro-American pre-service teachers. Interviews also indicate that focusing teaching education on social justice theories and employing Native American art and artists can assist in the preparation of pre-service art teachers to teach in reservation or pueblo communities. However, there are deeply rooted cultural concepts that come into play once the new teacher reaches her/his teaching assignment community. Lastly, findings revealed that new unfamiliar art teachers experience a number of obstacles upon entering Diné communities when their prior understandings about the place is limited. Challenges include understanding acceptable cultural observances, student proclivities, and art making practices. Understanding significance of place, stereotyping concerns, and positionality challenges are among the themes that arose as a result of cross-participant analyses. The implications of this research study advocate for: a) building further knowledge about educating pre-service teachers about cultural relevance, stereotyping, and positionality in Native American-serving art classrooms; b) the need for continued cultural learning and mentoring in-situ; and c) the need for unfamiliar art teachers to develop culturally relevant teaching practices with the help of people in the community.

A plethora of cross-cultural research studies has been conducted and published on the conflict or collision between western models of education and indigenous knowledge and learning. Following on the visions of these studies, the research reported in this thesis explores how these tensions between differing bodies of knowledge impact youth identity in non-western societies. More specifically, the study examines the case of how western models of education impacts the Palauan traditional educational models and whether or not the privileging of western systems of learning over Palauan systems does in fact have a negative impact on the development of identity, well-being, and empowerment of Palauan youth today. Theoretical approaches in this study derived from the knowledge of Palauan elders and scholars as well as literature works of Freire, who argues for transformative education as a means of empowering people, and Lave and Wenger‟s theory of legitimate peripheral learning. Methodological approaches include narratives and a Palauan dialogic approach using questionnaires, unstructured and semi-structured interviews. Data were collected from June to September 2009 in Palau. Selected participants were the youth of Ulimang village in Ngaraard and a particular group of Palauan elders and scholars that are involved in Palauan education, knowledge, and research. Data were analyzed in two stages: a questionnaire for Ulimang youth and interviews for the Palauan elders. A range of concepts addressed in the analysis, such as cheldecheduch and relationships, strengthened the belief that Palauan knowledge was important in the lives of the Ulimang youth. The need to maintain Palauan knowledge to empower Palauan identities and to support the quality of life for Palauans was articulated by the Palauan elders. The importance of Palauan knowledge and values was stressed from the participants and emphasized how it informs identity development in Palau.

Submitted by Leda Lopes (ledacplopes@hotmail.com) on 2017-02-16T17:29:07Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) DISS.HeloA COM REVISÃO 06 10 2016 versao CD.pdf: 3790478 bytes, checksum: 8c3faddea380fd503656d2aea8f066af (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-02-22T21:31:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 DISS.HeloA COM REVISÃO 06 10 2016 versao CD.pdf: 3790478 bytes, checksum: 8c3faddea380fd503656d2aea8f066af (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-02-22T21:33:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 DISS.HeloA COM REVISÃO 06 10 2016 versao CD.pdf: 3790478 bytes, checksum: 8c3faddea380fd503656d2aea8f066af (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-22T21:33:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 DISS.HeloA COM REVISÃO 06 10 2016 versao CD.pdf: 3790478 bytes, checksum: 8c3faddea380fd503656d2aea8f066af (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-31 / Essa dissertação trata do processo de construção do conhecimento, da educação das crianças – Kryngüé – na sua comunidade. Demonstro como esse aprendizado acontece de forma compartilhada junto aos adultos de um coletivo ou – kuéry – na língua do povo indígena Mbyá-Guarani. Propõe-se, a partir da observação das atividades cotidianas destas crianças, demonstrar o significado da infância neste processo. Exponho o protagonismo das crianças nesse universo, o que elas fazem e como elas são importantes para a construção da pessoa, do ser Mbyá dentro do contexto social em que vivem. O universo de minha pesquisa é um núcleo de parentes – kuéry - Mbyá-Guarani que vive atualmente na Tekoá Guajavy Poty localizada no município de Canguçu, com visitas etnográficas à Tekoá Tavaí, ambas no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. / This dissertation shows the process of knowledge construction of the education of children – kryngüe – in the community. I show how this learning process happens in a shared form together with the adults of a collective or – kuéry – in the language of the Mbyá-Guarani indigenous people. This study purposes to demonstrate, from the observation of the daily activities of these children, the meaning of the childhood in this process. I show the protagonism of the children in this universe, the things that they do and how they are important to the construction of the person and of the “being” mbyá inside the social context in what they live. The universe of my research is the nucleous of relatives – kuéry - Mbyá-Guarani that currently live in the Tekoá Guajavy Poty, located in the Canguçu municipality, with some ethnographic visits to the Tekoá Tavaí, both of them located in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Keywords:

Leaders in K-12 education in Hawai'i are increasingly advocating for and utilizing the culture and knowledge of the kānaka Maoli, the native people of these islands, as a context for learning in a variety of curricular disciplines and approaches (Benham & Heck, 1998; Kani'iaupuni, Ledward & Jensen, 2010; Kana'iaupuni & Malone, 2006; Kahakalau, 2004; Meyer, 2004). To expand upon this trend, this thesis uses a combination of autoethnographic and critical indigenous methodologies to present a personal narrative that looks specifically at approaching art education from a Maoli perspective. Through extensive participant/observer reflections, two place-based and culture-based art education experiences are juxtaposed with an experience working on a culturally-based collaborative mural project. Four significant kuamo'o, a concept which holds multiple meanings, including: "backbone, spine; road, trail path; custom, way," (Puku'i & Elbert, 1986), emerge as significant markers of meaningful Maoli-based art education: 1) mo'oku'auhau, genealogy and acknowledgement of those who have come before us, 2) mo'olelo, stories which belong to our place, 3) an idea that I am labeling pili ka mo'o, which literally means, the lizard is intertwined but can be translated through metaphor to mean someone who is intimate and deeply connected, and 4) aloha, a profound and honest love.

This thesis explores the Indigenous pedagogy modeled in the university course Thunderbird/Whale Protection and Welcoming Pole: Learning and Teaching in an Indigenous World. This case study uses primary data from in depth, retrospective interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants, as well as document data, to explore the pedagogy and impacts of this course. The research links Indigenous epistemological perspectives with the cultural practices of learning and teaching used. The development of a learning community was part of how Indigenous pedagogy was established through shared goals and principles, respectful relationships and community responsibility. Experiential learning took an Indigenous focus through observation and active engagement in carving and group projects, and through reflective practices and ceremony. The perceived impacts and influences of this course included building cross cultural bridges through the breaking down of cultural barriers, and the development of personal and professional awareness. The course also illuminated the cultural implications of education and demonstrated to Indigenous communities that the university was opening its doors to Indigenous pedagogical practices and culture.

Museums as colonial institutions and agents in nation building have constructed, circulated and reinforced colonialist, patriarchal, heteronormative and cisnormative national narratives. Yet, these institutions can be subverted, resisted and transformed into sites of critical public pedagogy especially when they invite Indigenous artists and curators to intervene critically. They are thus becoming important spaces for Indigenous counter-narratives, self-representation and resistance—and for settler education. My study inquired into Cree artist Kent Monkman’s commissioned touring exhibition Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience which offers a critical response to Canada’s celebration of its sesquicentennial. Narrated by Monkman’s alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, the exhibition tells the story of the past 150 years from an Indigenous perspective. Seeking to work on unsettling my “settler within” (Regan, 2010, p. 13) and contribute to understandings of the education needed for transforming Indigenous-settler relations, I visited and studied the exhibition at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. My study brings together exhibition analysis, to examine how the exhibition’s elements work together to produce meaning and experience, with autoethnography as a means to distance myself from the stance of expert analyst and allow for settler reflexivity and vulnerability. I developed a three-lens framework (narrative, representational and relational/embodied) for exhibition analysis which itself became unsettled. What I experienced is an exhibition that has at its core a holism that brings together head, heart, body and spirit pulled together by the thread of the exhibition’s powerful storytelling. I therefore contend that Monkman and Miss Chief create a decolonizing, truth-telling space which not only invites a questioning of hegemonic narratives but also operates as a potentially unsettling site of experiential learning. As my self-discovery approach illustrates, exhibitions such as Monkman’s can profoundly disrupt the Euro-Western epistemological space of the museum with more holistic, relational, storied public pedagogies. For me, this led to deeply unsettling experiences and new ways of knowing and learning. As for if, to what extent, or how the exhibition will unsettle other visitors, I can only speak of its pedagogical possibilities. My own learning as a settler and adult educator suggests that when museums invite Indigenous intervention, they create important possibilities for unsettling settler histories, identities, relationships, epistemologies and pedagogies. This can inform public pedagogy and adult education discourses in ways that encourage interrogating, unsettling and reorienting Eurocentric theories, methodologies and practices, even those we characterize as critical and transformative. Using the lens of my own unsettling, and engaging in a close reading of Monkman’s exhibition, I expand my understandings of pedagogy and thus my capacities to contribute to understandings of public pedagogical mechanisms, specifically in relation to unsettling exhibition pedagogies and as part of a growing conversation between critical adult education and museum studies. / Graduate