Indigenous contexts of Manitoba
Indigenous worldviews and knowledge
“A worldview can pertain to an individual, group, or society. Overall, a worldview is a set of beliefs and values that are honoured and withheld by a number of people. A worldview includes how the person or group interacts with the world around them, including land, animals, and people. Every person and society has a worldview. Many societies pass on their worldview to their children to ensure worldview continuity. As people interact and learn from one another, it is not uncommon for them to acquire the beliefs of other worldviews. Worldviews evolve as people and societies evolve.”
Leroy Little Bear, Blackfoot researcher, professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, founding member of Canada’s first Native American Studies Department, and recognized leader and advocate for First Nations education, rights, self-governance, language, and culture.
Worldviews
The Indigenous worldview and Eurocentric worldview have different approaches to knowledge and relationships. Although there are many community differences within the Indigenous worldviews, and within Western (Eurocentric) worldviews, in general, Indigenous cultures tend to have a more holistic understanding based on their experiences, while Western cultures tend to have a more compartmentalized understanding based on science. Knudtson and Suzuki (1992) identified the following characteristics:
| Indigenous worldviews | Western worldviews |
|---|---|
| Spirituality is imbedded in all elements of the cosmos | Spirituality is centered in a single Supreme Being |
| Humans have responsibility for maintaining harmonious relationship with the natural world | Humans exercise dominion over nature to use it for personal and economic gain |
| Need for reciprocity between human and natural worlds – resources are viewed as gifts | Natural resources are available for unilateral human exploitation |
| Nature is honored routinely through daily spiritual practice | Spiritual practices are intermittent and set apart from daily life |
| Wisdom and ethics are derived from direct experience with the natural world | Human reason transcends the natural world and can produce insights independently |
| Universe is made up of dynamic, ever-changing natural forces | Universe is made up of an array of static physical objects |
| Universe is viewed as a holistic, integrative system with a unifying life force | Universe is compartmentalized in dualistic forms and reduced to progressively smaller conceptual parts |
| Time is circular with natural cycles that sustain all life | Time is a linear chronology of “human progress” |
Knowledge
Although Indigenous and Western ways of knowing may have varied traditions and practices, some characteristics are common across Indigenous Peoples, and across Western contexts:
| Indigenous knowledges | Western knowledges |
|---|---|
| Approach to knowledge that is metaphysical, holistic, oral/symbolic, relational, and intergenerational. | Tend to be broken into disciplines, with emphasis on logic, rationality, objectivity and the measurement of observable phenomenon |
| Rely heavily on many forms of intelligence, including interpersonal, kinesthetic (physical), and spiritual intelligences. | Rely heavily on the philosophical tradition of positivism that rejects the metaphysical or spiritual realm as the source of knowledge. |
| Land is often regarded as Mother Earth, who provides teachings that determine traditional values or ways of knowing. | Land is viewed as an object of study rather than as a relation. |
| Focus on the relationship with knowledge. | Often treats knowledge as a thing, rather than as also involving actions, experiences, and relationships. |
As part of our exploration of Indigenous worldviews, watch this video titled In Our Voices: Indigenous Worldview from Sheridan College. In this 3-minute and 21-second video, members of Sheridan College’s Indigenous community share valuable insights on how to provide a deeper understanding of Indigenous worldviews in teaching and learning.
Please note that as we continue our learning journey in this module, we want to remember the danger of pan-Indigenizing or over-generalizing. We recognize the limitations of Western vs. Indigenous frameworks and acknowledge that these are generalizations rather than hard facts that are true of all Indigenous or all Western cultures.
Teaching and learning application
To further develop your understanding of Indigenous worldviews, we recommend that you also get familiarized with the following ideas, which are concepts that you can embed in your lessons:
- Seven Sacred Teachings: For example, this concept can frame guidelines for collaboration and teamwork.
- Seven Generation Principle: For example, this concept can frame discussions about sustainability and corporate responsibility.
- Medicine Wheel: For example, this concept can frame conversations about well-being and mental health.
Sources:
Barnhardt, R. and O. Kawagley (1999). Education Indigenous to Place: Western Science Meets Indigenous Reality.Ecological Education in Action. G. Smith and D. Williams. New York, SUNY Press. Available at https://www.uaf.edu/ankn/publications/collective-works-of-angay/Education-Indigenous1819F2.pdf (also available at http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/curriculum/Articles/BarnhardtKawagley/Indigenous_Knowledge.html)
Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. (2024) Scientific and Indigenous Perspectives. Available at: https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/scientific-and-indigenous-perspectives (Accessed: 24 July 2024).
Stinson, J. (2021) Learning across knowledge systems 2: What are indigenous and western ways of knowing? Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women . Available at: https://www.criaw-icref.ca/publications/learning-across-knowledge-systems-what-are-indigenous-and-western-ways-of-knowing/ (Accessed: 10 July 2024).
