Preparing to teach Indigenous knowledges, standpoints and scholarship (with confidence!)
Understanding the Cultural Space
The Third Cultural Space
Indigenous communities have world views that differ from those found in most Western education systems.
When Western and Indigenous systems are acknowledged and valued equally, the overlapping or merging of views represents a new way of educating.
In the diagram that follows, the black circle represents Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, and the red circle represents Western ways.
The middle yellow overlapping circle is the third cultural space.
When Western and Indigenous systems are acknowledged and valued equally, the overlapping or merging of views represents a new way of educating.
In the diagram that follows, the black circle represents Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, and the red circle represents Western ways.
The middle yellow overlapping circle is the third cultural space.
(Yunkaporta’s 2009; Nakata 2007)
The ‘Cultural Interface’
The left handside of the boomerang is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, the right side is non-Indigenous knowledges. The interface of these two knowledge systems/traditions, is where both learn from each other, by having a respect for the legitimacy and place of each.
Traditionally, in a higher education context, knowledge that is taught had been from Eurocentric perspectives on Eurocentic content, and Eurocentric perspectives on Indigenous content. Knowledge taught in this way has been heavily biased, seen through only the lens of Eurocentrism. A decolonised and Indigenised view of higher education, involves us teaching Indigenous perspectives on eurocentric content and Indigenous perspectives on Indigenous content.
~ Common errors teachers make when beginning to
embed Indigenous Knowledges into their
curricular / teaching practice ~
Don't be afraid to get it wrong – you probably will, sometimes! But trying, and learning from your mistakes, is better than not doing it at all!
