Decolonizing disability: Teachings from Tx̱ eemsim and voices from the lands of the Nisg ̱ a’a Nation

The Colour of Copyright

This chapter frames my account of an indigenous psychology of resilience. I introduce propositions of the relationship-resourced resilience theory regarding flocking as pathway to resilience. I attend specifically to propositions related to structural and cultural constraints and enablers with regards to resilience. I substantiate the proposition that flocking is a consequence of structural constraints. I introduce the proposition that flocking leverages indigenous knowledge to bolster resilience, specifically relational dimensions of an interdependent culture. I introduce a discussion regarding beliefs and practices of an interdependent indigenous culture that have bearing on a resilience-enabling pathway given inequality. I explain indigenous psychology theory building as crafting a partial story. I introduce the way we built the relationship-resourced resilience theory intentionally as an indigenous theory to add this often silent knowledge base to discourses on psychology and resilience. I explain the theoretical, meta-theoretical and methodological lenses I used to build the indigenous theory. I give an overview of the case study data, from which I inductively generated a substantive theory on resilience from an indigenous perspective.

This métissage explores scholarly relations among local Indigenous communities, school districts, teacher-learners and Simon Fraser University’s graduate diploma program titled Indigenous Education: Education for Reconciliation. Through our collective attending to the role of Indigenous knowledge practices and making within transformative reconciliation, a powerful resurgence of Indigenous ways of knowing and being emerged. This resurgence came about through participatory pedagogies of making and through the sharing of Indigenous knowledges, cultural practices, ceremony and language revitalization. The focus on Indigenous knowledge practices, circle processes and artmaking, as well as Indigenous worldviews, knowledges and perspectives, provided an enactment of rigorous resurgence and transformative reconciliation (Ash et al., 2018). Opportunities to be involved in Indigenous making and land practice with Indigenous Knowledge Holders provided occasions for teacher-learners to embody and embed Indigenous pedagogies and “two-eyed seeing” (Bartlett et al., 2012) within their educational practice. Throughout the program, teacher-learners were invited into Indigenous making, creative and critical conversations, exploring circle pedagogies, participatory processes, place-based explorations and intercultural dialogues with Indigenous Knowledge Holders and Elders. The teachers acknowledged and experienced Indigenous protocols and ceremonies, and they actively explored Indigenous teachings through Indigenous participatory pedagogies. An emphasis was placed on creating authentic Indigenous-learning pathways and to do so in relation to knowledge practices within a particular place, peoples and their unique cultural ecology. This Indigenous Métissage (Donald, 2012) weaves together narrative threads into a story of collaboration between teacher-learners and Knowledge Holders. They stand as a family stands, together to share and give witness to the profound learnings that have emerged from the journey.

Tribal communities in West Bengal possess a rich repository of traditional knowledge, encompassing indigenous practices, folklore, and environmental wisdom that have been sustained across generations. However, the integration of this traditional knowledge into modern educational systems remains a challenge, leaving many tribal populations marginalized. This qualitative secondary study examines the potential of a blended educational approach that integrates traditional knowledge systems with formal modern education to empower tribal communities in West Bengal. Drawing upon secondary data from government reports, academic publications, and case studies, the paper highlights the cultural significance of traditional knowledge among West Bengal’s tribal groups, including the Santals, Oraons, and Mundas. It critically explores the shortcomings of the current education framework, which often disregards indigenous perspectives, leading to a sense of alienation among tribal students. The study further investigates innovative educational programs that have successfully combined traditional practices with modern curricula, focusing on their socio-cultural and economic impacts. The findings underscore that incorporating traditional knowledge into educational strategies fosters cultural pride, strengthens community identity, and enhances the learning experience of tribal students. This approach also aids in preserving indigenous practices while equipping tribal youth with the skills needed for broader societal integration. The paper argues that a collaborative effort involving policymakers, educators, and tribal communities is essential to design context-specific educational models that respect and sustain tribal heritage. By emphasizing the importance of blending traditional and modern knowledge systems, this study advocates for a culturally inclusive and empowering education framework as a means to address the marginalization of tribal communities in West Bengal. Such a framework must not only preserve the rich cultural heritage of tribal communities but also ensure that their traditional wisdom is recognized as a valuable resource in modern society. This requires educational policies that are flexible, participatory, and context-specific, incorporating the voices and needs of tribal communities.

This study explores the imperative need for decolonizing climate change adaptation strategies by focusing on Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Focusing on the Munda Indigenous communities residing in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, the research offers critical insights into the intricate relationship between Indigenous wisdom and sustainable climate adaptation. By engaging with the Munda Indigenous people and their traditions, this study explores how traditional ecological knowledge and practices can inform and enhance contemporary climate adaptation efforts. Following the decolonial theoretical research framework, this research used participatory research methods and collaboration with the Munda Indigenous community. In this study, we shared our learning reflections to uncover unique approaches to climate resilience, including traditional community-based disaster risk reduction and cultural practices that foster social cohesion. These insights challenge the prevailing Western-centric climate adaptation paradigms, emphasizing recognizing and valuing Indigenous voices in climate discourse. The research underscores the significance of empowering Indigenous communities as key stakeholders in climate adaptation policy and decision-making. It calls for shifting from top-down, colonial approaches towards more inclusive, culturally sensitive strategies. The Munda Indigenous communities’ experiences offer valuable lessons that can inform broader efforts to address climate change, fostering resilience and harmonious coexistence between people and their environment. This study advocates for integrating Indigenous knowledge, practices, and worldviews into climate adaptation frameworks to create more effective, equitable, and sustainable solutions for the challenges posed by climate change.

In the era of Indigenising the academy, health disciplines like nursing are required to teach Indigenous peoples' health, history and culture in their undergraduate programmes in order to meet national accreditation standards. This inclusion of Indigenous peoples' perspectives within nursing education towards registration thus qualifies respective Indigenous perspectives as legitimate parts of the Australian nursing profession's scope of practice, which may sound like a reason to celebrate. However, caution should be exercised. Indigenous and Western knowledge systems are incommensurable. The practice of defining Indigenous perspectives for placements within curricula could be likened to extractive colonialism. Thus, the commodifying of Indigenous perspectives in creating competitive education products is problematic. As a Meriam and Wuthathi man who grew up in the Zenadth Kes (Torres Straits) now living and working on Turrbul and Yuggera country, and as a nurse academic, being immersed in this space of contentions is my reality. In order to enhance the education preparation of nursing students I teach, while simultaneously protect my embodied Indigenous knowledges and the Indigenous perspectives included in the curricula I teach, I privilege Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing in my teaching practice. This yarn is about my experience in this cultural interface.

This is a case study of a science professional development workshop in Nepal with 17 teacher participants from four public schools. These schools mainly served Indigenous students in elementary, middle, and high school (Grades 9 and 10). The workshop focused on educating and building science teacher leaders for culturally relevant teaching and antiracist pedagogy by valuing and integrating Indigenous leadership practices and local knowledge. The teachers participated in a 2-day workshop co-organized by the local district education office and the local high school and led by the high school principal and a U.S.-based university faculty. Data were collected during and after the workshop through field notes, audio/video recordings of some sections of the workshop, and focus group interviews with a select group of participating teachers. The analysis of the data showed (a) struggles and opportunities to prioritize Indigenous science knowledge and Tharu sociocultural connections, (b) teachers seeking affirmation from principals to be science teacher leaders modeled on Indigenous leadership values, and (c) greater willingness for culturally relevant pedagogy among female and Indigenous teachers. The hope is that this paper will contribute to the value of a science teacher leadership professional development program (PD) in building awareness among science teachers about the value of culturally appropriate antiracist pedagogy in science teacher leaders. In addition, the PD also shows that science teacher leaders in Indigenous schools would benefit from the Indigenous relational model of leadership in leading their peers and students in antiracist and culturally relevant science teaching and learning. Finally, the study seems to indicate that a successful science teacher leader always incorporates local Indigenous community values, knowledge, and practices.

This work on STEAM and education for sustainable development was undertaken across a series of collaborative case studies as formative research on the inclusion of Indigenous technologies and knowledge practices in teacher education. We noted that, despite the current academic imperative to decolonise southern African education, one seldom finds the inclusion of Indigenous technologies and Indigenous heritage practices in the contemporary classroom. Teachers we worked with were highly interested in their Indigenous knowledge heritage. Yet, they reported that they, and the young teachers they work with, simply do not have the heritage knowledge capital to include Indigenous knowledge systems in their teaching. Other challenges they face are the time it takes to engage community knowledge holders, and to find knowledge relating to school subject disciplines. The teachers observed that students prioritise modernity over Indigenous heritage and technologies, often undervaluing the latter as a forgotten past. Three exploratory cases delved into teacher education's response to challenges through co-engaged work, and this paper synthesises the emerging evidence-aiming to refine pedagogical tools for integrating Indigenous knowledge into STEAM education. A cultural-historical approach was used to frame the study and to derive insights and inferences in co-engaged lesson design research with teachers.

This report examines the integration of Indigenous fire management practices, particularly cultural burning, into contemporary disaster governance in Australia. It explores how the limited inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems in national bushfire management frameworks has contributed to limited policy effectiveness and analyzes the institutional, knowledge-related, and participatory challenges that influence the broader adoption of cultural burning. Drawing on case studies and development policy approaches, the report proposes a set of policy recommendationsincluding formal recognition of cultural burning, stronger Indigenous engagement in governance processes, and initiatives to strengthen capacityto support collaborative knowledge development and improve fire management resilience. Grounded in research on knowledge inclusion and diverse epistemological approaches, the report underscores the importance of practical and sustained integration over purely symbolic involvement. Ultimately, it suggests the need for greater alignment of bushfire policy with Indigenous perspectives as a step toward more inclusive, effective, and culturally responsive disaster governance. Although focused on Australia, the challenges discussedsuch as land access limitations, uneven participation, and the recognition of diverse knowledge systemsare relevant to Indigenous communities across the Asia-Pacific and invite broader comparative reflection and policy learning.

This scoping review examines the literature on teaching Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. The study explores how these programmes integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into their curriculum and pedagogy to prepare teachers to work with Indigenous students and communities. The review identifies empirical studies focusing on the experiences of ITE students, faculty, and Indigenous knowledge keepers, highlighting common themes and best practices. The findings suggest that while many ITE programmes have incorporated Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into their curriculum, there is a need for greater attention to the pedagogical approaches used to teach this knowledge. There is also a need for programmes to build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities and to ensure that Indigenous knowledge is taught by teachers/educators who have received some training in consultations with the Indigenous knowledge keepers. The study highlights the importance of ongoing reflection and evaluation of ITE programmes to ensure that they are preparing the preservice teachers confident enough to embed Indigenous content in their teaching and, at the same time, meet the needs of Indigenous students and communities.

The aim of the book is to assist both local and international scholars in articulating the scholarly discourse on indigenous health attitudes, practices, and experiences. The indigenous lens that was used to generate and disseminate indigenous knowledge in this book will strengthen indigenous scholarship, thus making it accessible to a wider audience. In addition, the information shared in this book will add value for scholars and assist them with the indigenous knowledge needed to address sustainable development goals. This book is timeous and topical as the discourse on the decolonisation of the curriculum is widely debated in the higher education space. The discourse on the scholarship of indigenous knowledge, as the tacit local knowledge that stems from cultural practices within communities, has not been well articulated in the current health science education milieu. Indigenous knowledge has remained overlooked and undermined for a very long time and the information remains untapped in local communities. The scholars who conducted the research on which this book is based unearthed a wealth of knowledge which was tacit in nature and translated it into implicit knowledge that can be documented and shared with other scholars globally. This knowledge will assist health care scholars in benefiting from knowledge, practices and cultural beliefs that will assist them in health care planning, teaching, evidence-based practice and further research.

The ideology of a national curriculum is to facilitate and nurture a nation’s aspirations for future generations. The curriculum must provide a balance between recognition of cultural history and global contexts for 21st century learners. However, what constitutes effective policy reform to achieve future goals is always open to debate. Over the past decade, the Australian Professional Teacher Standards have increasingly emphasised the requirement for educators to demonstrate enhanced knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their histories, and cultures. As such, there has been a renewed focus to ensure that Indigenous knowledges and perspectives are embedded and ultimately enacted within the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (AC: HPE). A critical policy analysis was undertaken to investigate the evolution of the effectiveness and representation of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives within the AC: HPE Version 9 and to explore tensions arising from an Indigenous standpoint. The findings revealed evidence of cultural inclusiveness and reconciliation discourse across the curriculum context (within the content elaborations), albeit with varying degrees of prominence in each and with particular emphasis of specific contexts. Examination of the curricula yielded three primary tensions: (i) Disruption of Western ideologies; (ii) Indigenous self-determination; and (iii) Power dynamics. A positive contribution to the field, revealing a lack of substantive progress with embedding Indigenous knowledges and perspectives within HPE, the results of this study provide direction for policy makers and curriculum developers when further incorporating Indigenous knowledges and perspectives within the AC: HPE.

This position paper on Indigenous Protocol (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a starting place for those who want to design and create AI from an ethical position that centers Indigenous concerns. Each Indigenous community will have its own particular approach to the questions we raise in what follows. What we have written here is not a substitute for establishing and maintaining relationships of reciprocal care and support with specific Indigenous communities. Rather, this document offers a range of ideas to take into consideration when entering into conversations which prioritize Indigenous perspectives in the development of artificial intelligence. It captures multiple layers of a discussion that happened over 20 months, across 20 time zones, during two workshops, and between Indigenous people (and a few non-Indigenous folks) from diverse communities in Aotearoa, Australia, North America, and the Pacific. Indigenous ways of knowing are rooted in distinct, sovereign territories across the planet. These extremely diverse landscapes and histories have influenced different communities and their discrete cultural protocols over time. A single ‘Indigenous perspective’ does not exist, as epistemologies are motivated and shaped by the grounding of specific communities in particular territories. Historically, scholarly traditions that homogenize diverse Indigenous cultural practices have resulted in ontological and epistemological violence, and a flattening of the rich texture and variability of Indigenous thought. Our aim is to articulate a multiplicity of Indigenous knowledge systems and technological practices that can and should be brought to bear on the ‘question of AI.’ To that end, rather than being a unified statement this position paper is a collection of heterogeneous texts that range from design guidelines to scholarly essays to artworks to descriptions of technology prototypes to poetry. We feel such a somewhat multivocal and unruly format more accurately reflects the fact that this conversation is very much in an incipient stage as well as keeps the reader aware of the range of viewpoints expressed in the workshops.

Knowledge co-production for Indigenous adaptation pathways: Transform post-colonial articulation complexes to empower local decision-making

Although it boasts a rich historical wealth of traditional ecological knowledge, the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa continues to be an environmental hotspot since the mid-twentieth century, suffering land degradation, overharvesting of resources and water scarcity. Over the years, much research effort has been directed to investigating how local communities use traditional knowledge to manage resources. By and large, the studies argue that traditional knowledge provided effective management strategies in the past, hence communities should continue using it. This raises the question: what is happening with traditional ecological knowledge in contemporary rural Eastern Cape in South Africa? To address this question, this work used snowball sampling to recruit 83 respondents from three villages of Colana, Gogela and Nozitshena for in-depth interviews. The respondents were elderly women and men whose families had at least a two-generation history of living in these villages. Using the meta-theory of critical realism, particularly its analytical tools of abduction, hermeneutics, dynamism and context, this work found that there are multiple factors, exogenous to traditional ecological knowledge, that make it fail to effectively address environmental challenges in the present-day rural Eastern Cape. They include changed worldviews, legal pluralism and changed lifestyles which are a consequence of adverse incorporation of traditional systems into the South African nation-state system. Indigenous practices, traditions, local ethics, taboos, social conventions, and other cultural practices, that ensured the usefulness of TEK, have been abandoned over time. Incorporation of rural traditional systems into the South African nation-state have been largely adverse. There has been little or no integration of TEK and the “imported” lifestyles. The application of the “plug-in” principle in this case, thus, faces a very formidable task despite the reality that it is the way to go to ensure sustainable natural resources management and the achievement of some of the SDGs.