The Selfhood Of Aboriginal Education By Erica Neeganagwedgin

In the article by Erica Neeganagwedgin she examines aboriginal education from pre contact, through the Residential Schools and concludes with contemporary issues in education, focusing on women in multiple sections. Neegangagwedgin argues how colonial education curriculum in Canadian schools are marginalizing and oppressing aboriginal students by rarely including their history, heritages and cultural antecedents therefore creating a ‘denial of the selfhood of aboriginal students” (p.28). She starts by comparing the pedagogy differences between Aboriginals and Eurocentric students the stem of differing worldviews which have created this problem as Canada denies to recognize the Aboriginal worldview as legitimate. Bringing light to the idea that

This was illustrated through lessons about menstruation were it was taught menstruation was a sign of impurity and contamination versus the aboriginal belief that it symbolizes female power (p.19). The Residential Schools were a government program created for assimilation, and well there were good individuals who helped the hurting, the schools foundations were of oppression and no amount of good people could help. As a result, many aboriginals view western education as a tool of oppression to this day (p.20). Through oral interviews done by aboriginal women she backs up the idea of oppression even in contemporary education. Many women felt discounted, singled out, ignored, assumed academically weak or humiliated at some point through their education. Neeganagwedgin references Monture-Angus who had a strong opinion that education is the problem amongst aboriginal youth and issues of identity, not the solution; only when education is decolonized will it be beneficial and important for the native population

The first was in the introduction she acknowledged the various terms that can be used for aboriginal people and gave reasoning’s for why she chose the terminology that she did. I thought it really brought the problem that is being discussed into light as she talked about the term ‘First Nations’ being exclusionary and colonially imposed and the barriers that come as a result. I also appreciated how she addressed stereotypes throughout the article. For example she talks about how the textbooks (when not being racist and calling aboriginal savages) generalize aboriginals as hunting buffalo and living in igloos and while that may be true for some first nations groups (although very vague) it is not true for all as they have diverse cultural differences. She also provides a quote from a lady that sheds a new light on what many white Canadians see as aboriginals having a “free university education”. In the interview the woman talks about the degrading process of going through the Indian Agency where they pick the school, your lodging and the disrespect they receiving when picking up allowances (p.22). What I do not think she did a great job on was the residential schools section. I thought she mainly focused on the conditions of the residential school instead of the curriculum which I believe would have made a bigger influence in supporting her argument of