Quaslametko and Yetko: Two Grandmother Models for Contemporary Native Education Pedagogy

Abstract

This article uses storytelling to establish and compare two Native education pedagogies as personified by two Salishan grandmothers, Quaslametko and Yetko. These women, born in the 1800s, were my mother's grandmothers. Their childrearing practices had a profound and lasting effect on my mother and my family. This article introduces the two grandmothers, Quaslametko the basket- maker and Yetko, her sister-in-law, who ivas a plant gatherer and storyteller. Direct quotes from my mother reveal the characters of the two grandmothers and their influence on the children of my mother's generation. Metaphor and sym­bolism characterize two different styles of child-adult interactions, which are linked with contemporary pedagogical methods for the purpose of contrasting two styles of teaching and to introduce Native pedagogies to non-Native teachers, and in doing so to present a case weighted toward the Yetko model while recognizing the usefulness and applicability of both models. What we can learn from Quas­lametko and Yetko has a timeless practical application for educators of Native chil­dren in any setting.