Best practices for Indigenous studies and relationships

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What were some of the earliest words, concepts, and information you learned as a child about indigenous people’s history? This was the first question Aquinnah Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) educator Brad Lopes posed to those of us on the Dec. 9 Zoom presentation “An Introduction to Best Practices for Indigenous Studies and Relationships.” Participants typed in such things as “Thanksgiving,” “Sacagawea,” “cowboys and Indians,” “museum exhibitions,” and “Trail of Tears,” among others. The question was the perfect segue into some essential strategies for educators to use in working with indigenous content and building meaningful relationships with Native students and communities.

Lopes spearheaded the program through the Aquinnah Cultural Center, which grew out of his experience as an educator, first in the schools and then through the Cultural Center.

The two-hour presentation was rich with thought-provoking content. Lopes helped illuminate the importance of homeland and sense of place to indigenous people by initially grounding us with images of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard) labeled with original Wôpanâak names. “Where many of us are teaching and where we live is within Wôpanâak homeland,” he reminded us. ”It has been and always will be. That’s important to keep in mind, because it centers our practice and approach to everything.”

With this, we delved into the origins of U.S. public and private education systems, which were missionary in nature and designed initially to “civilize” indigenous peoples by “killing the Indian to save the man.” Both the content and approaches to teaching came from a Eurocentric perspective, instead of those of indigenous and Black communities that were long rich with their own educational legacy.

Lopes addressed another Wôpanâak reality: “Since colonization entered our homelands, we’ve lived a life that many have described as ‘walking two paths.’ With one foot, we maintain our Wôpanâak selves and who we are, but in another way, we have to keep ourselves in a colonial world.” It is critical for educators to understand the Wôpanâak lived experience, which, for instance, embraces traditional experiential learning. “It’s about engaging in that hands-on, land-based, life-skills Wôpanâak lifeways education — and gaining those skills to be sovereign on the land as well. That is why a lot of native kids are struggling in school. They are not being met with traditional pedagogies.”

Particularly sobering was the section about what is –– and isn’t –– taught in the school systems across the U.S. today relating to indigenous peoples. There are 574 federally recognized tribal nations, yet only 62 native nations are named in the Massachusetts social studies standards. Likewise, in half of the states, no individual natives or specific tribes are identified. Furthermore, a full 87 percent of references to native peoples in all 50 states portray them in a pre-1900 context. Only four states include content about indigenous boarding schools and institutions that significantly impacted individual native peoples and whole communities, up through the present day.

Lopes presented strategies for approaching curriculum development and cultivating relationships, including indigenous collaboration and consultation and built-in reciprocity practices. He gave an example of this systematic approach from when he was in the classroom, and had his ninth-graders teach a lesson to a fifth grade class. Those students, in turn, each made a gift for one person in the class to say thank you. There should also be indigenous-led research into curriculum development, community-driven assessments and instructional opportunities, and opportunities for community feedback. Lopes likewise stressed the importance of employing “disruptive daydreaming” — imagining other approaches from what has always existed; essentially asking, “What if?” to open up new possibilities and push beyond existing boundaries.

The section on building community applied not just to educators but to everyone. Among the ways to learn and grow are building meaningful cross-cultural relationships and attending community events such as the Aquinnah Artisan Festival and Powwow, as well as supporting Wôpanâak organizations, business owners, community members, Wôpanâak causes, representation, and sovereignty. Lopes also discussed the importance of seeking to understand cultural boundaries, which includes honoring situations that should remain private or “curtained.” And, finally, working toward restorative justice practices.

Lopes urges educators to contact the Aquinnah Cultural Center, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal Education Department, and Sassafras Earth Education. “There are opportunities for us to build relationships, look at curriculum together, and think about the bigger picture — and that begins with a conversation.”

Lopes reflects, “There’s a critical component of education missing historically in the U.S. Our teachers are not exposed to it in terms of their teacher prep programs and how to best support teaching content that supports the students from indigenous populations.” Speaking about the ideas he touched on, Lopes continues, “You don’t know what you don’t know. I think people often haven’t had a fair chance to approach this content in a fair way. There is an indigenous aspect missing from the U.S. public education system, and that’s largely on purpose. So I always hope folks walk away with that, but also with a sense of urgency and action to then make a change within their local community. Just because it was like this in the past doesn’t mean we have to continue this way. We can definitely build new relationships that honor each other’s sovereignty, honor each other’s agencies, and provide an educational experience that benefits all students.”

Lopes concludes, “I think it’s important to consider how our indigenous people are discussed, not only in schools but also with your family and in public spaces, to think critically about how we all relate to indigenous people in the land which we have called home for over 12,000 years.”

For more information, contact Brad Lopes at the Aquinnah Cultural Center at education@aquinnah.org, education program specialist Jade Maak at the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal website at eduspec@wampanoagtribe-nsn.gov, and Sassafras Earth Education at sassafraseartheducation.org.