Running Head: ELDER MENTORSHIP IN SCHOOLS 1

Small Steps Toward Decolonization: Elder Mentorship in Schools

Stephen Scott

University of British Columbia

ETEC 521 - Indigeneity, Technology and Education

Instructor - Shirley Anne Hardman

December 2020
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Small Steps Toward Decolonization: Elder Mentorship in Schools

Introduction

Many schools and school districts in Canada are currently working to incorporate

significant levels of aboriginal content into their curriculum while indigenizing their learning

environments. One of the keys to reconciliation is for educators to recognize and value

indigenous cultures by immersing them into the everyday practice in their classrooms (Castellon,

2017). The level at which this is accomplished varies significantly from one teacher or school to

the next. Incorporating traditional Indigenous methods of teaching, learning, and understanding

into classrooms can be a difficult task for many. Simply incorporating aboriginal content into

lessons and activities is not enough. Ragoonaden (2017) encourages the use of culturally

responsive pedagogy, which she describes as, “pedagogy that recognizes students’ differences,

validates students’ cultures, and asserts that cultural congruence of classroom practices increase

student success in schools” (p. 25). Individuals who have been immersed in Indigenous culture

can play a significant role in creating learning environments that provide all students an

experience that honours their cultural background. The use of elder mentors in schools can be

very beneficial to all students and educators.

Traditional First Nations Education

Traditionally, First Nations education took place within the community and between

community members. Teaching and learning activities for most groups would often include

practical in-context experiences related to everyday living and often connected to the land and
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subsistence (Hampton, 1995). When referring to culturally responsive teaching Maina (1997)

stated:

Yet for others, the education was an informal process characterized by observation

and imitation of daily activities geared towards giving children the knowledge,

skills, beliefs, and values necessary for social, economic, and political survival in

the society. For most of these groups, members of society were the teachers; each

person had some knowledge to pass on to the growing children. All children were

expected to acquire a variety of skills to perform various duties even though there

were some who specialized for specific skills (p. 295-296).

This practice served to benefit the entire community. It was a system based on social

relationships and trust. All members of the society would have played a crucial role in building

the knowledge and abilities of the children. The learning was useful and meaningful while

ultimately serving to meet the daily needs of the society. It would have been easy for children to

determine the rationale for what they were being taught everyday.

Florence (2016) emphasized similar ideas related to traditional First Nations education.

She stated, “Although there were no formal schools or classrooms, children were nonetheless

being educated on a daily basis. They were taught proper behaviour and skills by example. Play

was also an important part of their education” (p. 32). She also describes the use of storytelling

to teach morals and the importance of having all members of a community contribute in some

way. Elders were considered the most important teachers as they passed on traditional cultural

values and language skills (Florence, 2016).

These traditional ways of teaching and learning would eventually be significantly eroded.

The colonization of Canada brought major changes to First nations communities. European
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settlers arrived in Indigenous territories seeking access to land and resources. According to

George (2019), “this totally disrupted cultural identities, languages, and ceremonial practices

which are all critical components of a cultural worldview” (p. 75).

Colonization and Residential Schools

It is difficult to discuss changes to indigenous education in Canada without exploring the

historical and longstanding impacts of the residential school system on First Nations

communities. Barnes and Josefowitz (2018) describe Indian residential schools as having:

subjected thousands of students to horrific experiences and contributed

significantly to the present poor welfare of many Aboriginal children, lagging

Aboriginal educational and economic success, jeopardized Aboriginal languages

and cultures, health problems among Aboriginal peoples, and the

overrepresentation of Aboriginal peoples in the criminal justice system (p.65).

The Canadian government looked to abolish the First Nations people’s culture by removing

children from their families and communities and placing them in Residential schools where they

were to learn the colonial ways of living. These schools acted as a tool for cultural genocide.

“Canadian government policy was to assimilate Aboriginal children into Euro-Canadian society

and to obliterate Aboriginal language and culture” (Barnes & Josefowitz, 2018, p. 66).

When describing the Canadian government’s policy on residential schools, Partridge

(2010) states, “boarding schools and industrial schools were the preferred means of assimilation

because they were more effective in separating and isolating Native children from the influence

of the traditional culture” (p. 46). Children were not only removed from their homes and

segregated from their culture and communities. Findings have shown that the negative impacts

were far reaching and numerous. Parental loss, acculturation, racism and descrimination,
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maltreatment, trauma, and bullying have all been deemed significant in many of the Residential

schools in Canada (Barnes & Josefowitz, 2018).

Indian residential schools led to a significant loss in the ability for First Nation’s culture

to be transferred from generation to generation. Children were removed at a young age and often

did not return to their homes for years. Generations of native children were denied access to their

deserved childhood and the teachings from their people which resulted in significant losses of

cultural and language related traditions (Kirkness, 1999). It is clear that the desired effects of

Indian residential schools were not achieved. Non-native education directed at Native people has

not been a success (Hampton, 1995).

The effects of the actions by the Canadian government are still prominent in the lives of

Indigenous people today; however the mistakes of the past have been recognized by many in

Canadian society. Work is being done to bring the honour and respect back to Indigenous people

and their cultural traditions through educational reforms and initiatives.

Decolonization of Education

In 2006, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was created to investigate

the past treatment of Indigenous people. Recommendations were made that would attempt to

address societal and cultural inequities created by the formation of systems such as Indian

residential schools. The Commission highlighted a need to allow Aboriginal communities,

families, and students the right to have access to meaningful education related to their own

culture (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, 2015).

As a result, the current push towards the decolonization of education was put in motion.

Fellner (2018) describes decolonizing as, “an active, intentional, moment-to-moment process

that involves critically undoing colonial ways of knowing , being, and doing, while privileging
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and embodying Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing” (p. 284). She goes on to explain

that decolonizing is crucial in preparing educators to work with Indigenous communities in ways

that focus on aboriginal cultural values and beliefs (Fellner, 2018). There has been a definite

push in recent years to include Aboriginal content in all classrooms and honour the First People’s

Principles of Learning; however, there is a need to go deeper into the world of inclusion and

representation.

The inclusion of Indigenous Elders in the school system can play a significant role in

addressing this need. They would be able to bridge a gap between simply introducing Indigenous

content into lessons and genuinely immersing students in Indigenous culture. This could have a

positive impact on all students, regardless of their ethnic background. Kanu (2002) explored the

concept of cultural socialization and stated that it, “influences how students learn, particularly

how they mediate, negotiate, and respond to curriculum materials, instructional strategies,

learning tasks, and communication patterns in the classroom” (p. 99). Recognizing the cultural

differences of students can only improve their participation and performance in schools.

The Potential of Indigenous Elder Mentors in Classrooms

In Indigenous communities, Elders are respected members of society who hold a variety

of important roles. Stiegelbauer (1996) describes Elders as, “important for their symbolic

connection to the past, and for their knowledge of traditional ways, teachings, stories and

ceremonies” (p. 39). Stiegelbauer (1996) also portrays Elders as “experts in life” who have

significant life and learning experiences related to traditional culture and knowledge. There is

great potential for Indigenous Elders to reproduce their community roles in the classroom. Thus,

they can be utilized to provide meaningful and relevant cultural learning experiences for all

children.
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Governments and school districts across Canada are now extensively promoting the use

of authentic Aboriginal content in classrooms (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada:

Calls to Action, 2015). Bringing Elders into schools to work with students would produce the

experts needed to provide detailed knowledge and to model the teaching of authentic Aboriginal

content. The Elder would know what is culturally appropriate and can determine what concepts

would be considered authentic. Kanu (2011) reminds us that, “integration of Indigenous

knowledge in the curriculum is not enough for school retention and the increased success of

Indigenous youth” (p. 480). Classroom teachers would also learn from the Elders and gain

confidence in their abilities to execute not only lessons related to Indigenous culture but methods

related to Indigenous pedagogy.

Another benefit of introducing Elder mentors is that it can provide a sense of cultural

belonging for students. As Mitchell (2017) explains, “being different has led to many individuals

or groups being excluded from meaningful participation in education” (p. 3). It is difficult to

argue that many children have been brought up with different cultural values than the majority of

their teachers and peers. It can be difficult for a child to effectively learn or socialize in a

classroom that consistently contradicts their basic everyday ways of learning and being (Kanu,

2002). Elder mentors could play a pivotal role in providing familiarity and the needed sense of

belonging for all children.

Consistent and deliberate aboriginal cultural knowledge and perspectives in the

classroom through Elder mentors can serve to benefit all students. This can lead to a sense of

intercultural understanding among all members of the school community. Increased levels of

empathy, curiosity, and respect for other cultures would potentially be seen in students (Perry &

Sothwell, 2011). All students would be more willing to accept cultural differences if they are
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presented through whole group learning activities that normalize traditional methods and

activities. This acceptance would inevitably lead to increased performance for students in a wide

range of educational settings.

The success of Indigenous Elder mentorship for students has been documented on a

number of occasions; however, there has not been a lot of research done directly on the impacts

on elementary school aged children. Ducharme (2013) describes an “Elder-in-Residence”

position at a campus in Winnipeg in which “Elder programs validate Aboriginal ways of

knowing and put an Aboriginal person front and center as the knower, thereby privileging an

Aboriginal perspective by an Aborginal person” (p. 30). Cooke-Dallin et al. (2000) discuss a

successful Child and Youth Care First Nations program at Malaspina University College that

incorporated regular teachings of local elders through weekly seminars. They stated, “Elder

Teachings are culturally relevant and hence meaningful to the identities of First Nations students,

practitioners, and communities” (p. 174). Busija et al. (2018) conducted a study that highlighted

the major influences that Elders had on the Aboriginal community. The researchers found that

the Elders most significant influences were on the youth in the community and on protecting the

cultural identity of the community. These findings connect directly to the desired benefits of

having Indigenous Elders participating in a variety of roles in our schools.

Conclusion

Decolonizing the education system is a long and arduous task. It is impossible to

completely undo the vast history of Indigenous cultural assimilation in our public school system.

However, educators are now working to promote Indigenous content and honour Indigenous

methods of teaching and learning. The difficulty continues to lie in having teachers who possess

the confidence, knowledge, or ability to provide meaningful and genuine learning opportunities
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and experiences related to Indigenous culture in their classrooms. Encouraging the introduction

of Indigenous Elder Mentors into our schools and classrooms could serve to address this

challenge in a way that also creates and develops positive relationships, respect of cultural

differences, and a sense of belonging for all students.

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References

Barnes, R., Josefowitz, N., (2018) Indian Residential Schools in Canada: Persistent Impacts on

Aboriginal Students’ Psychological Development and Functioning. Canadian

Psychology/Psychologie canadienne. Advance online publication, 1-9. Doi:

10.1037/cap0000154

Busija, L., Cinelli, R., and Toombs, R. M. (2018). The Role of Elders in the wellbeing of a

contemporary Australian Indigenous community. The Gerontologist, 20(20), 1-12.

Castellon, A. (2017). A call to personal research: Indigenizing your curriculum. The Canadian

Journal for Teacher Research: Teachers Leading Transformation.

Cooke-Dallin, B., Rosborough, T., and Underwood, L. (2000). Issues affecting rural

communities; Proceedings of the International Conference (on) rural communities and

identities in the global millenium: The role of Elders and Elder teachings: A core aspect

of child and youth care in First Nations communities, Nanaimo, BC.

Ducharme, J. (2013). Incorporating Indigenous knowledge within student supports:

Elder-In-Residence position. Brandon University Journal of Graduate Studies, 5, 27-32.

Fellner, K.D. (2018) Embodying decoloniality: Indigenizing curriculum and pedagogy. American

Journal of Psychology, 62, 283-295.

Florence M., (2016) Righting Canada’s Wrongs. Residential Schools: The devastating impact on

Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings

and calls for action. James Lorimer and Company Ltd.

George, C. T. (2019). Decolonize, then Indigenize: Critical insights on decolonizing education

and Indigenous resurgence in Canada. Antistasis, 9(1), 73 - 95.

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Hampton, E. (1995) Redefinition of indian education. In M. Battiste & J. Barman (Eds.) First

Nations education in Canada: The circle unfolds (pp.6-46). UBC Press.

Kirkness, V. J. (1999). Aboriginal education in Canada: A Retrospective and a Prospective.

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Kanu, Y. (2002) In their own voices: First Nations students identify some culture mediators of

their learning in the formal school system. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research,

48(2), 98-121.

Kearns, L. L. (2012). Integrating Aboriginal Perspectives Into the School Curriculum: Purposes,

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Maina, F. (1997). Culturally relevant pedagogy: First Nations education in Canada. The

Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 17(2), 293-314.

Mitchell, D. (2016). Diversities in Education: Effective ways to reach all learners. Taylor &

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Partridge, C. (2010). Residential Schools: The Intergenerational Impacts on Aboriginal Peoples.

Native Social Work Journal, 7, 33-62

Perry, L. B., & Southwell, L. (2011). Developing intercultural understanding and skills: Models

and approaches. Intercultural education, 22(6), 453-466.

Stiegelbauer, S. M. (1996). What is an Elder? What do Elders do?: First Nations Elders as

Teachers in culture-based urban organizations. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies,

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Ragoonaden, K., & Mueller, L. (2017). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Indigenizing

Curriculum. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 47(2), 22-46.

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Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015).Truth and Reconciliation Commission

of Canada: Calls to Action. Retrieved from:

http://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf