Open Accessᓴᑭᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᐣ (Sakihitowin/Love and Kindness): Practicing an Indigenous Process of Decolonization
Author(s) -
Davina Rousell
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
cultural and pedagogical inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1916-3460
DOI - 10.18733/cpi29450
Subject(s) - indigenous , prejudice (legal term) , decolonization , racism , identity (music) , kindness , indigenous education , sociology , process (computing) , grounded theory , identification (biology) , social psychology , gender studies , epistemology , psychology , political science , law , social science , aesthetics , qualitative research , ecology , philosophy , botany , politics , computer science , biology , operating system
Western theories of knowledge and research exclude Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Such omissions are also prevalent in research regarding Indigenous peoples, as well as, in the study of racial prejudice and identification of effective ways to ameliorate its impacts. In response to the dearth of reliable, trustworthy, culturally appropriate, research concerning the negative impacts of racial prejudice, this article discusses a community-based program in Alberta that was grounded in and used Indigenous theories of knowledge and practices. The learning program was intended to mitigate impacts of racism on Nehiyaw students in grades 7, 8, and 9 through a renewal process termed Kisewatotatowin Kiskisohkemowin. This renewal process revitalized a specific aspect of the Nehiyaw students’ identity, Sakihitowin. To conclude, the article draws on Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s (2012) postcolonial theory. The article argues that the community-based, renewal process depicted a locally informed process of decolonization.