‘Cultural awakening’
Qalipu hopes province takes an integrated approach to indigenous education
Indigenous education has been a major file for the Qalipu First Nation Band since its formation in 2011, and to see it now become a priority for the provincial government is something the band applauds.
“The membership is very interested in cultural awakening,” said band manager Keith Goulding on Thursday.
With the size of the newly formed nation, Goulding said there has been more and more interest in Newfoundland in indigenous identity and people who are not even indigenous are interested in the concept.
Earlier this week the Premier’s Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes released its final report with indigenous education among the list of 82 recommendations that will be implemented by the province.
Goulding said it’s very important that indigenous education is included.
It’s something the band has talked about on a number of occasions and on a number of different fronts with the Department of Education, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District and the premier’s office.
The band is already doing some indigenous interpretation with Grade 5 students in the region at Killdevil and is talking with Memorial University about development of a bachelor of education intermediate/ secondary degree in indigenous education in Corner Brook.
As for what’s to come out of the recommendations, Goulding said the band would like to see an integrated approach.
An indigenous course is a great idea and should be there, but it may not be enough, said Goulding.
“It should be accompanied and complemented by indigenous
knowledge, indigenous interpretation and indigeneity all through the curriculum, interwoven through everything.
Goulding is a mathematician and used teaching story problems as an example of how that can be accomplished.
He said the significance of a sweat lodge could be explained in class and the question posed might be for students to calculate the number of logs that will be burned in a sweat lodge.
“So it’s a story problem in math, but they’ve learned something about indigenous culture.”
While the report focuses on the kindergarten to Level 3 system, Goulding would also like to see something at the pre-school level.
Even in early childhood topics like wampum belts and
dream catchers can be introduced, he said.
“You can introduce a whole pile of things that maybe are not uniquely Mi’kmaw, but they are indigenous.”
He also hopes that the misinformation and falsehoods — like the Mi’kmaq were brought here to kill the Beothuk — that have been taught are corrected.
In implementing the recommendations, Goulding said community engagement will be critical and the band should be at the table.