1. Let us learn from the story of the people in the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN)
who attempted to translate Project Wild into a First Nations context. The people quickly realized that
the worldview of Western science was hidden within Project Wild. (This concealed worldview is like
a Trojan Horse -- when an ancient Greek army fought the city state of Troy by hiding Greek soldiers
in a huge wooden horse, and then leaving the horse outside the gates of Troy where the curious Troy
people brought it into their fortification and were subsequently overtaken by the hidden soldiers.) The
worldview of Western science implicit in Project Wild was at odds with a worldview of First Nations
science. The FSIN people felt that the worldview of Western science was going to distort the meaning
of nature for First Nations children. As a consequence, a new parallel project was developed,
Practising the Law of Circular Interaction. Aboriginal knowledge must be taught within an
Aboriginal context or framework. The act of "translating" Western science into an Aboriginal context
(or visa versa) can unintentionally force a Western worldview onto Aboriginal students. Thus, in spite
of our best intentions, we can inadvertently engage in assimilation, rather than empowering students
to walk in two worlds. Each of our units should establish an Aboriginal framework of a community, to
which Western scientific knowledge can relate without distorting that Aboriginal worldview. Beware
of Western Trojan Horses.
2. Always acknowledge diversity within a First Nation or Métis group and among Nations or groups.
This can be done, for instance, by associating a group's name with the knowledge that is described, or
by recognizing that others may have a different understanding. Avoid representing Aboriginal peoples
as all the same (homogeneous).
3. Let the reader know about the origin of any particular knowledge, and about the permission we have
to describe that knowledge. All Aboriginal knowledge found in our units should have gone through a
partnership process of involving Aboriginal peoples. Aboriginal knowledge found in a unit should
contribute to the empowerment of Aboriginal peoples. One way to do this is to make the reader aware
of how the representation of the Aboriginal knowledge (found in the text) was obtained and
rechecked later by those whom the knowledge represents. This will remind the reader that stories and
information that come from Aboriginal peoples belong to that community unless explicit permission
is granted to repeat the story or information in one of our units. Avoid appropriating Aboriginal
knowledge to suit the purposes of the author. The purposes of the Aboriginal community must be
served.
4. Clarify what "traditional" means whenever the word is used. Recognize that culture changes. It is not
static. What is traditional knowledge today in a community may not necessarily have been traditional
knowledge in the days before contact with Europeans. People in a community must decide what is
traditional for them, not an outsider. It may help if we use phrases such as "ways of living three
hundred years ago" or "pre-contact technology" instead of "traditional ways of living" or "traditional
technology" (respectively). Avoid prescribing what is authentic to a group of people. The people
themselves must decide what is authentic.
5. Remember that gaining Aboriginal knowledge is a journey towards wisdom. This process of learning
is described by the phrase "coming to knowing." Avoid thinking of Aboriginal knowledge as
something to be accumulated and possessed (like money in the bank -- a Western European view of
knowledge), but instead, as a process of coming to knowing.
6. Ensure that Aboriginal knowledge is acknowledged as being inter-connected with many areas or fields
of thought, to remind the reader that Aboriginal knowledge fits into a wholistic point of view. Avoid
being bound to a narrow context in which the knowledge is described.
7. Think of the content of each unit as being taught to your community's grandchildren. Chances are very
high that, as future parents, our students will pass on to their children (the grandchildren of the
community) important ideas they learn from our units. Our vision should be multi-generational. Avoid
the short-term perspective on what we write.
8. Incorporate Aboriginal language into the unit's text (with the appropriate English word in brackets)
and continue to use the authentic word or phrase. Avoid tokenism which uses Aboriginal terms just
for "window dressing."
9. Pay attention to the verb tense when we write about Aboriginal knowledge. The present tense
indicates that the practices and knowledge are useful to some people today in contemporary society.
On the other hand, the past tense gives the impression (connotation) that the practices and knowledge
have been superseded by "modern" scientific or Western views. Avoid dismissing powerful ideas as
being applicable only in the past.