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Adult Education, Language Change, and Issues of Identity and Authenticity in Kwara'ae (Solomon Islands)
Author(s) -
Gegeo David Welchman,
WatsonGegeo Karen Ann
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
anthropology and education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1548-1492
pISSN - 0161-7761
DOI - 10.1525/aeq.1999.30.1.22
Subject(s) - indigenous , identity (music) , sociology , embodied cognition , indigenous education , traditional knowledge , cultural identity , heritage language , foundation (evidence) , native language instruction , social science , gender studies , anthropology , pedagogy , teaching method , geography , epistemology , aesthetics , ecology , negotiation , philosophy , biology , vocabulary development , archaeology
Less endangered than other languages discussed in this issue, Kwara'ae provides a useful illustration of the early stages of language erosion and the importance of language to cultural survival. We argue that the foundation of a people's identity and cultural authenticity is their culturally shared indigenous epistemology, embodied in and expressed through their heritage language. We examine these points in nonformal adult education workshops aimed at rural villagers.