B3. Indigenous Knowledge and Oral Traditions
Specific Expectations
B3.1
analyse the role of storytelling and storywork in the transmission of Indigenous knowledge, values, and identity, drawing on evidence from a variety of cultures to support their conclusions (e.g., with reference to providing guidance about community roles, core values, and ways to maintain stability and balance; transmitting cultural protocols; educating individuals about their place in the world and the interconnection of past, present, and future; explaining the origin of Indigenous peoples, natural phenomena, and/or sacred places; offering instruction on how to care for traditional lands based on adapting to the specific environment)
- How do Lakota people use the story of White Buffalo Calf Woman to teach each other about the ways of the earth?
- How can stories from the Quechua in Peru and the Navajo in the United States help children and youth understand their histories, identities, and culture? What specific examples can you give?
- Why are storytellers sometimes hesitant to share stories with individuals from other communities or nations?
- How are Indigenous storywork writers such as Lee Maracle of the Sto:lo/Coast Salish Nation, Jeannette Armstrong of the Okanagan Nation, and Mãori scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith re-examining, or ‘re-storying’, colonial histories? Why is this work important?
- How does Debbie Reese, a tribally enrolled Nambé Pueblo publisher and scholar, explain the communal responsibilities associated with Indigenous storytelling?
- What is the purpose of the songlines? How are they similar to or different from storytelling?
- In what ways do Indigenous oral traditions inform and influence contemporary Indigenous forms of communication?
B3.2
analyse the role of Indigenous knowledge in the protection and exercise of Indigenous community rights and responsibilities that are being challenged by global socio-economic trends (e.g., with reference to collective security, self-determination, local community protocols, customary law, treaty law, national borders, fishing and hunting, intellectual property, access to natural resources, land development policies and actions)
- What strategies have Indigenous land defenders in Nigeria used to challenge international companies and the Nigerian government over the accelerating commodification of water, oil, and other natural resources? In what ways are these efforts based on Indigenous knowledge?
- What strategies does the non-governmental organization Cultural Survival employ to promote the meaningful participation of Indigenous individuals and communities in social, political, and environmental advocacy? How do these strategies draw on Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing? How do they reflect Indigenous perspectives on community responsibilities?