WOW
When I first came into this class, introduction to indigenous studies, I was uncertain of what to expect but really interested. Part taking in my major towards history and noticed this class I immediately pounced on it as I was quite interested and very pleased. I have been paying attention to many circumstances going on with the indigenous people, their land and culture over the past few years. As even into the first day of class it opened my eyes to a whole new way of life, situations and much much more that indigenous people have went through and are still going through taking my perception much more in-depth, and I cant belief how astonished I am already only six weeks into the course.
A very interesting piece I took very seriously was the one by Ermine, Willie. Aboriginal Esptimology, First Nations Education in Canada. As it began to introduce me into a whole new world of the insight and knowledge of aboriginals, it just amazed me. It helped me understand the thoughts and how in depth and real the believes and rituals are. “Philosophers among Aboriginal people have explored and analyzed the process of self-actualization. The being in relation to the cosmos possessed intriguing and mysterious qualities that provided insights into existence. In their quest to find meaning in the outer space. Aboriginal people turned into the inner space. This inner space is that universe of being within each person that is synonymous with the soul, the spirit, the self.” Wow. To me that quotation was intense I had to read it over a few times to understand the in depth meaning and message it was giving me. I found it so meaningful and in lighting how the thoughts would come to a person like that. When I read that I was greatly interested in the inner self and honestly looked many examples up on Google for a longer period of time than I thought. But as I read on in Willie’s writings I noticed this quote. “No one could dictate the path that must be followed. There was reconition that every individual had the capacity to make headway into knowledge that comes from the inner space in the individual gives rise to a subjective world-view out onto the external world. The in-depth and analysis of this reading I cant even explain how this took me, I am sorry if I’m carrying this one reading on to far but I have one more quote I took that I would like to share.
The Blanket Exercise is a simulation of Aboriginal history from pre-European contact to the present. The Blanket Exercise was created in 1998 by Ed Bianchi, Suzanne Doerge, Chris Hiller, and Dr. Rose-Alma J. Mcdonald, from the Assembly of First Nations. A strong advantage of this resource is that it was created by a large group of Aboriginal peoples, including chiefs and members of major Aboriginal committees and organizations. According to their PDF document which can be purchased online, the goals of the Blanket Exercise include ensuring “that the living history between Indigenous peoples and newcomers is part of classroom learning”(Hill MacDonald, 2013, 4). The Exercise is “designed to help people understand how Indigenous peoples went from using and occupying all of the land [...], to a situation where reserves, [...] [amount] to only [...] 1%” of Canada (Hill MacDonald, 2013, 14). Throughout the Exercise, students gain an understanding of the many racist policies and practices that were imposed upon Aboriginal peoples and provides a critique of them. Critiquing these colonial practices is an important aspect of gaining a better understanding of the Aboriginal community, and this Exercise strives to teach students where the Aboriginal community came from and how they got to
This course is not a course where you don’t need to put in any effort. It is time-consuming and it involves a lot of reading. One of the advice that I would give future students is time management. Always plan ahead and make sure to read all the assigned readings to get a better understanding of what the question is really asking about. Furthermore, this course is not a course where you regurgitate facts, instead, it is a course that provokes your thinking, and forces you to think outside of the box. Each of the questions allows you to really dig deep into the stories and find similarities and differences across cultures. Another advice that I would give future students is to ask questions when they do not understand the material because by asking one can learn.
The course, Chicano Studies 50, introduced me to many topics that I never was taught in high school. The differences between high school and college is that in college students are available to many courses and recourses to further develop their knowledge in their culture. Professor Montoya teaches his students in a deeper concept of how Chicanos ideals were developed in comparison to my previous course Chicano Studies 10. The course showed the class brief experiences of farmworker’s struggles and to movements Mexican-Americans decided to accomplish to provided better life for those who were undocumented and for them as well. Culture was introduced in a small description, but like Professor Montoya expressed “… would be impossible with a subject
Throughout ancient history, many indigenous tribes and cultures have shown a common trait of being hunter/gatherer societies, relying solely on what nature had to offer. The geographical location influenced all aspects of tribal life including, spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices. Despite vast differences in the geographical location, reports show various similarities relating to the spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices of indigenous tribal cultures.
As I planed to take this class, I thought this course would be like all other general education courses. I believed that it would be of little use to me. However, after attending the first class, my view has changed completely. I applied each and every theory to my life.
Pages one to sixty- nine in Indian From The Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal by Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, provides the beginning of an in-depth analysis of Native American cultural philosophy. It also states the ways in which western perspective has played a role in our understanding of Native American culture and similarities between Western culture and Native American culture. The section of reading can be divided into three lenses. The first section focus is on the theoretical understanding of self in respect to the space around us. The second section provides a historical background into the relationship between Native Americans and British colonial power. The last section focus is on the affiliation of otherworldliness that exist between
The people who settled in early America came for different reasons and held different lifestyles. The Puritans and indentured servants settled in New England for new beginnings, while the Native Americans first settled throughout America to live their lives with commitment to the Earth. While all of three of these groups came at different times and with different motives, they all have made an impact on American history and influenced modern day American Culture. The Native Americans, Puritans, and indentured servants had very distinctive experiences from one another, which is worth investigating. What is an intro? Who knows?
To the indigenous community, country and story creates a strong cultural identity and is the starting point to their education. The second outcome; connected with and contribute to their world, is shown through the experience and learning of the indigenous culture and the history of the country and land they live in. Outcome three; strong sense of wellbeing is shown through enhancing indigenous children’s wellbeing socially, culturally, mentally and emotionally through learning about their heritage, country and history through the stories passed down through generations and gaining a sense of belonging and self identity. Both outcome four and five; confident and involved learners and effective communicators are important as they show a unity and understanding between the indigenous culture through learning about the country and stories together about the indigenous
Cultural competence is a skill essential to acquire for healthcare providers, especially nurses. Cooperating effectively and understanding individuals with different backgrounds and traditions enhances the quality of health care provided by hospitals and other medical facilities. One of the many cultures that nurses and other health care providers encounter is the American Indian or Native American culture. There are hundreds of different American Indian Tribes, but their beliefs and values only differ slightly. The culture itself embodies nature. To American Indians, “The Earth is considered to be a living organism- the body of a higher individual, with a will and desire to be well. The Earth is periodically healthy and less healthy, just as human beings are” (Spector, 2009, p. 208). This is why their way of healing and symbolic items are holistic and from nature.
Why do Indian college students have high dropout rates? Why do Indian college students have hard times in college, and university atmospheres? Why do Indian college students have difficult times when it comes to making good grades? Maybe it’s because they have no role models in the home. Maybe they can’t relate to individuals with different cultures and backgrounds? Perhaps it is something simple as having poor study habits. The answers could Possibly be that Indian college students are just uncomfortable in a college environment, and don’t have an Indian studies program to go to, as in Reyhner’s essay. Whatever the reason may be Indian college students are scarce within the college scene, just as Indian people are in the United States of America.
Australia’s Indigenous people are thought to have reached the continent between 60 000 and 80 000 years ago. Over the thousands of years since then, a complex customary legal system have developed, strongly linked to the notion of kinship and based on oral tradition. The indigenous people were not seen as have a political culture or system for law. They were denied the access to basic human right e.g., the right to land ownership. Their cultural values of indigenous people became lost. They lost their traditional lifestyle and became disconnected socially. This means that they were unable to pass down their heritage and also were disconnected from the new occupants of the land.
Also, how other cultures have had a phenomenal impact on how I view everyday situations and how I draw conclusions, whether it’s about an ethnic group, my own and others or about hot topics in the news. Before this class I did not realize cultural relativism. I really was ethnocentric because I never took the time to evaluate other people’s cultures independently of my own. While I think it is normal for people to judge their peers, coworkers, etc. based on their experiences I also feel it would be beneficial for all of us to take the time to try and understand the sociological point of view of others that are not familiar to us or view things very different from us. The tools I have learned in this class seems to have made me a better listener and emphasizer because I have caught myself listening to people just to hear them and not just to respond. The change in my outlook about being intertwined in society has improved my communication skills at work and at
The IK embedded in the stories reveal how such knowledge is instrumental in ushering in and mitigating ecological catastrophe (Woollett, 2007). Cajete (2000) observes that “ultimately, the goal of Indigenous education is to perpetuate a way of life through the generations and through time. The purpose of all education is to instruct the next generation about what is valued and important to a society” (p. 184). In Canada, Native schools have begun to emerge where Native people (of particular tribal groups) conduct education for children in their own languages and develop a curriculum which is based on reclaiming traditional knowledges and worldviews, for example, the importance of land and environment and what land and environment means to Aboriginal
I hate textbooks that all they do is list facts and information that is not interesting. Giving the class real life stories that we can read and see pictures of makes the whole lesson seem a lot more important. It also makes the information we are learning a lot more interesting and something I enjoy learning about. This whole class has given me significant insight about people all over the world. At first I thought this class was stupid and I didn 't get why I needed to take it. My major is social work why would cultural anthropology relate to me? But in all reality this class out of all my prerequisite will help me out the most. In social work it is important for me to be able to relate to the family. If I do not understand their religion and culture it could be very hard for me to do my job and help the family. Every culture has a different family structures and traditions that could be crucial to know about when it comes to solving their problems. What the american culture seems as wrong another culture might see it as okay and that is very important to look at. This class has taught me that learning about other cultures is important and I am excited to study more about these other
There was a significant amount of knowledge given in this course, involving concepts that in our teaching career will be extremely important. From this course I have gained a significant amount of learning experiences. I had the pleasure learning about how the educational system has come to be what it is today and who were the important people in the creation of the public education, like Horace Mann. Watching the videos and reading the chapters required has opened my eyes more of how a teacher should respond to different situations involving a student, For example when we read the chapter on the laws that revolve around the educators and the students. I had absolutely no clue that students had rights while in school property. Another learning