Learning and Algonquian Children FREIDA HJARTARSON Western Integrated School Board Corner Brook, Newfoundland But you, who are wise, must know that different Nations have different conceptions of things and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our Ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some Experience of it. Several of our young People were formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces: they were instructed in all your Sciences; but, when they came back to us they were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods ... neither fit for Hunters,, Warriors, nor Counsellors, they were totally good for nothing. We are, however, not the less oblig'd by your kind Offer, tho' we decline accepting it; and, to show our grateful Sense of it, if the Gentlemen of Virginia will send us a Dozen of their Sons, we will take Care of their Education, instruct them in all we know, and make Men of them. -Response of the Indians of the Six Nations to a suggestion that they send boys to an American college. Pennsylvania, 1744 1. Introduction This paper shares the wisdom gleaned from Algonquian Elders during in­ dividual conversations and readings on learning and First Nation children. Discussions occurred with Elders in kitchens and living rooms, on the land and in the midst of gatherings. The Elders were men and women, young and old. Readings were found amidst the emergent literature. In one in­ stance, the wisdom was drawn from the published poetry of the Cree Elder Margaret Sam-Cromarty (1992) of Chisasibi. A dominant theme emerges. Prerequisites, or what we might refer to in English as 'informal learning", must be received by the child prior to the presentation of the concentrated formal teachings of the dominant society. Elders believe Algonquian children must first learn their native language. As well, the teachings of the medicine wheel are critical to their develop­ ment. Closely associated with speaking a native language and following the teachings of the medicine wheel is the knowledge of what it means to be a member of the First Nation peoples. How learning occurs is also addressed 225 226 HJARTARSON by the informants who are considered to be the wisdom keepers of their People. It is apparent that the dominant school culture in Canada can learn from the teachings of Algonquian peoples. Their wisdom about the importance of language to learning and the necessity of maintaining holism have applications to the ways we teach all children. 2. Some Definitions of Terms For the purposes of this paper: "First Nation Peoples" stands for such other expressions as Indians, Na­ tives, Aboriginals and Amerindians. In this paper Algonquian Peo­ ples will refer to Algonkin, Ojibwa and Cree Peoples. "Learning" is a process that involves the formulation of meanings (Bruner 1990). Through the process of making sense out of chaos meaning is given. The structuring of meaning from disippative structures (Csik- szentmihalyi 1990) is constructed from acquired knowledge, skills, beliefs, and values. "Education" is defined as "any process, formal or informal that helps develop the potentialities of human beings including their knowl­ edge, capabilities, behavior patterns, and values" (Hawes and Hawes 1982:73). "School" then could be defined as "an institution primarily for education" (Hawes and Hawes 1982:197). "Formal education" in the context of this paper refers to learning that is initiated in a school. Then informal learning describes learning that occurs in any context outside the formal institution of school. "Epistemology" , or ways of knowing, refers to the way a person frames experience, which is a function of subjectively construed goodness of fit criteria applied to the difference between the anticipations and the abstracted representations of events (Agnew and Brown 1989:55). "Elder" is the term used to refer to those men and women of the First Nation Peoples who are acknowledged by their People to possess knowledge (Suzuki and Knudtson 1992:18). They may be young or old. Elders are considered to be the traditional teachers, the wisdom keepers, the respected individuals among their People. LEARNING AND ALGONQUIAN CHILDREN 227 3. Language 3.1. Acquiring a language Language includes written and oral forms as well as performance, the visual arts and music. It includes the ceremonies and rituals of the people that have been transmitted over time. Language is the means of transmission of knowledge of a people and it is the process of transmission. Sacred to all people, and Algonquian Peoples are no exception, is the language they speak. In the language is embedded the values and beliefs of the People. In the language the epistemology of the People is found. What is expressed in the language forms the matrix of the thought processes of the People. It is what makes them unique. It is what guides their customs and rituals, signifies what is important and what is not important and gives value to their lives, determining their purpose(s). Language offers structure to a peoples' belief system. It is the architecture of the People. Without the language there is neither form, nor cognition. Children who never learn their native tongue lose the inheritance their ancestors struggled to preserve for them. Elder Russell Wright is reported to have said: We were left a legacy, one our ancestors worked hard at and suffered to leave to us, so we can't default in teaching our children, especially language. Cultural values are built in, and there are Blackfoot terms that have no English equivalencies, ... Many descriptives in Blackfoot assume the tribe is one family and that's why old people still speak in kinship terms, addressing young people as "my daughter" or "my son". (Meili 1991:53) According to Algonquin Elder, William Commanda, when First Na­ tion Peoples' children learn their native language they learn the inherent values of their people. Through the values and beliefs of their People that are embedded in the language, First Nation Peoples' children acquire their sense of identity, and a code of ethics to live by. Without a code of values to believe in and guide them, children will not know what to believe in, what choices to make, or who they are. They will not come to know they are Algonquian People. Furthermore William Commanda (1993) queries, how will the children know what it means to be Indian? If they look In­ dian but do not talk Indian how do they know who they are (Commanda 1993:3-4)? They can never stop being Indian because that was their birth right. However if they do not know what it means to be Indian and yet genetically they are Indian, life becomes confusing. How will they know what to value and how to act? What code will guide them when they are faced with choices? How will Algonquian children know what to learn? 228 HJARTARSON These questions posed by Elder Commanda are not peculiar to the Algon­ quin Nation, but to all First Nation Peoples. Most likely they are also the inner aches of all displaced peoples in the world who find themselves forced into another dominant society because of war, greed or economic strivings. There is little or no catering to the language needs of First Nation Peoples' children in the urban school centers and scarce attention given in schools of education to the treatment of the cultural needs of these children. Little or no credence is given to the language or cultural needs of the new political refugees that flood into the country. Rather, there appears to be a silencing that echoes deeply of a need to order all peoples into the mainstream of a dominant cultural context. When language is silenced the values embedded in the language are neglected, even lost. 3.2. Directing the acquisition of knowledge Learning occurs deliberately. It also occurs without deliberation. The code of directives that is inherent in a language provides the sign posts directing the learning process of the people. For example, as a result of the James Bay I Hydro Development Project the Cree Nation of James Bay have their own school board and are taking control of educating their children. The following observation was made in a kindergarten Cree immersion class­ room. There is a gentle hum to the room. A Hallowe'en party is being held. Approximately 90 guests, including children, mothers, fathers, teach­ ers and other visitors gather. There is no loud talking or calling out. In fact not a lot of language is heard. Adults sit on the edge of the room visiting and watching the children while others, teachers and members of the school committee, show children how, and guide them through activ­ ities. Children who do not want to participate are not forced. However, children are not allowed to play and eat at the same time. They may eat or play. They are to concentrate on one activity at a time. Learning is programed in the games and the nonverbal directing. Values are apparent. Observing, offering choice, speaking softly, learning by seeing and doing is valued. One activity at a time appears to be the explicit code. Implicit in this value is the need to focus, and attend. Energy is not to be scattered in two simultaneous activities. Concentration is an implied value. Learning is deliberate. Considering the example cited above, the ed­ ucators together with the members of the Cree school community have made decisions. Deliberate choices have been made concerning the use of language, the method of instruction, the activities in the classroom, the opportunities offered to the children, and even the selection of party food served.