Indigenous Education
Finding Balance |
I was once told that the Inuit, to orient themselves when traveling on the land, look not only forwards but also backwards to see both where they were going and where they had been simultaneously. Through looking back, you can see where you came from, remember how you got here and, know the way back home. I remember this teaching often, as it reminds me to not only look forward but backwards to find balance between the past (where we have been) and present (where we are going). As we move forward from today into tomorrow, culturally and socially intertwined (Simon, 2011), walking both together and apart (Qikiqtani Inuit Association [QIA], 2013), it is important to consider how non-Indigenous educators might effectively reflect Indigenous knowledges within the classroom.
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