Indian Control of Indian Education: Reflections and Envisioning the Next 40 Years

Abstract

The Indian Control of Indian Education (ICIE) (1972) policy document was, andcontinues to be, evidence of the power of Aboriginal peoples in Canada working togetherto speak up against government assimilationist policies. The voices in this article rep­resent four generations of Indigenous scholars who were either involved in creating orhave been influenced by ICIE. The federal government's proposed Bill on First NationEducation is also critiqued in relation to the principles of ICIE. The article shares lessonslearned about ICIE, reflections on power and knowledge, and visions for reciprocalrelationships that truly embody the ICIE values articulated over 40 years ago. Theprinciples about local control; parental engagement; Indigenous knowledge, culture,and language; Indigenous teachers; and better prepared non-Indigenous teachers arestill as relevant and important as they were 40 years ago. The challenge remains to putthese principles into everyday educational practice now and for the next 40 years.