Killing the Weendigo with Maple Syrup: Anishnaabe Pedagogy and Post-Secondary Research

Authors

  • Lana Ray
  • Paul Nicolas Cormier

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/cjne.v35i1.196535

Abstract

Battiste (2009, p. 193) asserts that "modern educational theory and practice have, inlarge part, destroyed or distorted the ways of life, histories, identities, cultures, andlanguages of Aboriginal peoples". Critical in her discussion is consideration for therole of cognitive imperialism in higher level research and education. This necessitatesthe cjuestion, "How do we as Indigenous researchers avoid the trappings of cognitiveimperialism within our work with Indigenous communities?" Indigenous scholarssuch as Gregory Cajete (1994) have urged for the resurgence of Indigenous pedagogies,suggesting that they are relevant within institutional settings, providing new insightsand making substantial contributions. Utilizing Anishnaabe story as a framework,this article explores how the Anishnaabe pedagogy, Kinoo'amaadawaad Megwaa Doo-damawaad1 can be applied to a post-secondary learning and research setting. Throughthis exploration, Cajete's viewpoint is corroborated. We see that the use of Anishnaabepedagogy provides a substantial contribution to scholarship through its ability to fa­cilitate a holistic and ethical understanding rooted in Anishnaabe knowledge.

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Published

2021-12-10

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Section

Articles