Rethinking Education: The impact of the policies and treatment of the First Nation people in the US - posting by Erna Bruwer, UJ

Rethinking Education: The impact of the policies and treatment of the First Nation people in the US 

Posting by Erna Bruwer

La Vonne Cornell-Swanson

Director of OPID

University of Wisconsin.

Presentation 20 July 2016

The University of Johannesburg is fast moving into the waves of decolonisation of education; “making our knowledge our own”… rethinking education in regards to change within a social just mind.  This presentation on the history of First Nation People (US) with regards to policies and treatment was one not to be missed. Thinking of First Nation People (Cherokee tribe) the first thing that one visualises is the “dream catcher” or the logo of a famous restaurant chain. One tends to forget that the medicine wheel and the eagle feather war bonnet have a deep spiritual and cultural meaning for the Indian tribes.  Inspired by a deep knowledge of the scholarship of teaching and learning as well ancestry roots within the Cherokee tribe La Vonne Cornell-Swanson takes us through a passionate journey. The presentation grand finale is the success of the University of Wisconsin strategy (tribal collages) involving partnerships with tribal communities including indigenous language and pedagogue within a holistic framework (figure 1).  

Professors work with tribal leaders in sharing and learning. Education created to serve the students in perceived language, culture and has national/international effect. The collective pedagogy ensures the tribes involvement in different ways of knowing. The students can acknowledge their identity and are able to move between two worlds (cultural and western). The Powwow trail is a social gathering celebrating the traditions and passing it on (Cornell-Swanson, 2016).

The University programme has intuitional responsibility in breaking the legacy of colonization related to the systemic issues of social class, poverty and access to education.  Institutions recognize a moral and ethical obligation to indigenous people. The relationship between the university and indigenous people is important. Authentic allies can use their position of power or influence within the institutional culture to effect change.  This is not just an “American Indian” issue but rather it is a community issues. It is important to give back the knowledge shared (reciprocity). Relevance refers to how the university through services and research relates to the lived experience of indigenous people. Reciprocity occurs in three areas: financial resources, recruitment and retention and words into action.  Words into action includes presence in the mission statement and goals.  Respect for indigenous knowledge/ valued, respected: elders in residence. Creating opportunities for voice, to be heard, requires active listening (Cornell-Swanson, 2016).

Figure 1. Indigenous Holistic Framework. (Pidgeon, 2009)

The history of the policies and the impact on the First Nation People begins in 1830 with the invasion of cultural land by of the Europeans (Table 1).

Table 1. The historical timeline shows the devastated impact of the invasion of Europeans of America on the Cherokee nation. (Cornell-Swanson, 2016)

Date	Policies towards First nation people in Us	Impact
1830	Indian boarding School Movement/The trail of tears.	Indian children removed and placed boarding schools.
1940-mid-1960	The Indian Termination Policy.	Individuals (not one ethnic group) must assimilate into mainstream Western civilization. Ended tribe sovereignty and freedom. Trusteeship of the reservations. Exclusion of Indians from state laws.
1975	The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. (ISDEAA)	Self-determination the focus of government action. Government agencies to enter into contracts with, and make grants directly to, federally recognized Indian tribes. Independent collective nation (Indian) and individual nation. Own kinship system into families with a clan. The family is intact. The tribe make the decisions. Authority to administered the funds Greater control over their welfare. Designing own school language. Teachers are Native people
1978	Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)	Keep American Indian children with American Indian families. "Protect the best interests of Indian children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families. Sovereignty was symbolised by Turtle Island.
1990	The Path to Act 31	Cultural practice of “spear fishing” leads to protest over fear of overfishing by Indians This lead to treaty restoring the right of people including the history of Native nations and the indigenous knowledge.
2015	First Nation Studies	Pre service teacher preparation Act 31 Website for Professors, Pre-service and Certified Teachers Native American and First Nation Studies Programs Indigenous Language Collaboration with tribal communities Curriculum Tribal Colleges Native American and First Nation Studies Programs Indigenous language courses UW Green Bay First Nations Fusion Program http://www.uwgb.edu/fns/ Connective Pedagogy- Indigenous wholistic framework Elders in residence Act 31 Fusion

Rethinking education and indigenous knowledges from Brenda Leibowitz

This presentation brings home a feeling of similarity and the idea that rethinking education is necessary like a spinal column in order to keep the body upward. The insight on the impact of policies and the treatment of the First nation People in the US leaves one with a feeling of hope, courage and a positive energy. The audience was engaged and enthusiastic about the presentation.  The importance of knowledge of the different cultures within the university is again emphasised. Even though UJ has a cultural day every year a more active role can be played. Traditional leaders can engage as partners in future projects relevant to indigenous knowledge.

References.

Cornell-Swanson, L. (2016). Rethinking Education: The impact of the policies and treatment of the First Nation people in the US. Presentation 20 July at University of Johannesburg.

Pidgeon, M. 2009.

Book Review: Africanising the Curriculum - by Zwelakhe Mokatsane

Book: Africanising the Curriculum:
Indigenous Perspectives and Theories
Editors: Vuyisile Msila and Mishack T Gumbo
Date: 2016
Publisher: SunMedia
Reviewer: Zwelakhe Mokatsane

I found the book to be very engaging and insightful. It captures the spirit of our time and contextualises its arguments and augments it by furnishing evidence attesting to its clarion call. Below are some of the chapters that intrigued me and that I deem to be very essential when dealing with the topic at hand, decolonising higher education.

Introducing the book: Dr Steve Sharra

The writer relates a story of how a certain African forest was said to be discovered in 2009 by British scientist, notwithstanding the fact that the locals of that area have for years interacted and utilised some of  the plants in that area for medical purposes. With regards to the aforementioned, the author succeeds in depicting how the asymmetrical power relations between the North and the South perpetuates such events.

Chapter 1: The African Renaissance and the decolonisation of the curriculum by Phillip Higgs

Phillip Higgs looks at the intended purposes which accompanied colonialism (other than its main overarching goal of stripping the continent of its resources), and that is, cultural repression, misrepresentations and devaluation. Thus if Africa is to find and assert itself in the world, decolonising the curriculum becomes the most 'humane' thing to do. Higgs posits that the remnants of colonialism are still prevalent in our society, both in concrete and abstract terms and at times are taken for granted. For instance, the values and standards that such an education inculcates upon its students stands in stark contrast with African values and standards, and are thus divisive. The only way to remedy this is to ensure that the curriculum reflects its cultural, social and political context in which it is located and by so doing, allowing African epistemologies to replace the current status quo in our curriculum, if not, at least to have a greater influence.

Chapter 2: Unpacking Africanisation of higher education curricula: Towards a framework by Gregory H Kamwendo

Gregory Kamwendo points out that by referring to 'Africanising the curricula', readers should bear in mind that such a concept refers to localising and indigenisation of the curricula. Indigenous knowledge systems were intentionally overlooked during the subjugation of the indigenous people of Africa, thus the author emphasises the importance of integrating issues of concern to Africans into the curricula so as to allow Africans the opportunity of contributing to knowledge production. It is for this reason that the author unequivocally opines that Africa should not just be a consumer of knowledge, but should be allowed to once again be given the space to produce such. In order for that to happen, academics and African universities are reminded of their responsibility of responding to challenges society grapples with. 

If Africanising the curricula is seen as a passing fad, strikes as we have seen engulfing our country and the destruction of property perceived to be resembling the old order will continue ensnaring the developmental aspirations of the continent. The University of Johannesburg has indeed embarked on a journey of expediting African renaissance by holding seminars intended to reorient its students and staff towards the realisation of localising education.

Chapter 3: A model for indigenising the university curriculum: A quest for educational relevance by Mishack T Gumbo

Mishack Gumbo begins by first acknowledging the paradox inherent in our current curricula in Africa, which is the fact that the majority of students at universities in Africa are predominantly black yet the education they receive is dominated by Western epistemologies. Due to the fact that such an anomaly is neither sustainable nor justifiable, he asserts that Africanisation should be seen as the mechanism through which African thought, philosophy, identity and culture are transmitted. 

Chapter 4: Africanisation of education and the search for relevance and context by Vuyisile Msila

Africanisation is seen as a way of revisiting that which was good and cherished in Africa prior to it being subjugated. Vuyisile Msila restates the central tenets that binds African society and asserts that the same values of mutual dependency can enable students to further develop and achieve great feats at institutions of learning. He quotes Robert Sobukwe who espoused Africanism as having asserted that education should mean service to Africa and should be a barometer of African thought.

Chapter 6: Women and Leadership: Learning from an African Philosophy by Vuyisile Msila and Tshilidzi Netshitangani

The writers of this chapter detail how the colonial regime also adversely affected the role of women in African society. During the pre-colonial era women were seen as the glue that held society together due to the fact that women had certain eminent roles in society. Furthermore, the writers highlight that the perception of leadership in Western influenced societies has made it to be gender based and biased in favor of the male counterparts. 

The authors do somehow manage to resist the temptation of romanticizing pre-colonial Africa in that they acknowledge that elements of patriarchy were present even during that era, for example, women were not allowed to own property. However, what separates the authors feminist stance is that they do not critique and lament all the traditions of the African patriarchal society as the Northern feminists do, they still find space for it (African traditions that is) and contend that women's role is much more valued in African society than it is in the West.   

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the decolonisation of the curriculum discourse.

Bionote: I am a Law graduate. Prior to that, I completed an undergraduate degree in Public Governance and Development Studies. I am currently preparing for the Attorneys board exams and have completed my articles at a law firm in Pretoria. I am also working as a consultant on cyber citizenship at the Centre for Academic Technologies at the University of Johannesburg.

Theorising Aspirations and HE by Melanie Walker (Posting by Devika Naidoo)

Prof Walker addresses a gap in SA literature on: What happens to Aspirations through the HE experience?The entire seminar from conceptualisation, operationalisation, data analysis and discussion of findings on the topic was a masterpiece for students and staff present. Students gained from a rigorous and thorough explication of the research process in action. Staff members had their conceptual schema extended to include the concepts of Amartya Sen, Appadurai, Bourdieu and other seminal authors. 

Melanie walker uj seminar slides from Brenda Leibowitz

The very useful concepts of aspirations, agency, capabilities, functionings, cognitive neighbourhood and critical agency were informative. Walker claims that for all students there is a cycle of 'sliding forward' to aspirations, capabilities and agency. ​With reference to gender and agency, Walker found that 'while all have agency, critical agency was not demonstrated'.  The issue of the continuing harassment of women on university  campuses raised ire from many attendees. The aspirations of students who had dropped out as well as students from less advantaged areas was raised. 

Teaching and learning for social justice: How can art play a role in decolonising institutional spaces?

This is an adapted version of the opening speech by Kim Berman at the Art of Human Rights Print Portfolio, featuring works by South African artists and poets,  hosted at the UJ Art Gallery from 11 May to 8 June 2016.

Questions educators are asking across the country are how does the student movements of 2015 affect the insides of our classrooms in the University. The 2015 student protests demonstrated a level of political maturity in that students were able to link their struggles with that of the broader society and managed to force institutions to review policies on hiring practices and conditions of service. This movement established a base of democratic practices that promotes critical citizenship.

More recently however, we seem to be surrounded by a wave of destructive fury that shows contempt for any rules, institutions and constitutions. Adam Habib, in an opinion piece in the Sunday Times, talks of  “multiple manifestations of rage” and recognises that our public discourse and electoral campaign rhetoric “are replete with militaristic and violent imagery”. He asks the question: “How do we return to a path to address the economic and social inclusion that is necessary to heal the divides of our society?” And further states that: “There is too little recognition of the fact that social justice will result from a process through the progressive realization of our rights” (Habib 05/16)

In the wake the burnings of 20 schools in Vuwani and the many acts of destruction on University campuses, our challenge as educators is to reframe and re-imagine democratic agency that can void the “rhetoric that invokes militaristic and violent imagery”. How do we learn and teach the strategic lesson that political progress requires learning how to engage power “with a view to a socially inclusive future”? (Habib 05/16)

Educators are faced with a number of challenges to consider in engaging not only the project of decolonisation in the classroom, but promoting active citizenship.

Some of the challenges include:

·      How to we re-invent and dissolve power relationships in the classroom?

·      How do we create safe spaces in the classroom so everyone feels a sense of belonging

·      How do we disentangle from obsolete pedagogies (top down), and look at teaching and learning as co-creation

The exhibition by Art for Humanity (AFH) currently on show at the UJ Art Gallery can be instructive in this regard. Arts and arts activism have valuable lessons to share with the project of decolonisation. The arts enable crossing boundaries, discovering commonalities, porus relationships, curiosity, aesthetics, quality of presence, consciousness of connection and in particular, the development of the capacity for a ‘moral imagination’ (Lederach 2005).  The conscious and introspective process of the scholarship associated with social justice (SoTL) correlates with the role of the creative arts, which primarily concerns critical reflection of, and engagement with society. These are also the capacities that are required for a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to education for citizenship.

How does the current exhibition up at the UJ Gallery: The Art for Human Rights print portfolio make an important contribution to promoting awareness of human rights in our communities? In the introduction to this portfolio of works, Jan Jordaan, convener of AFH quotes Justice Edwin Cameron statement at a press conference in 2013 that said: The constitution is still our best practical hope.

One could read this to mean that in the face of the social economic problems of poverty, deprivation, racism, xenophobia, crime, gender violence, health services, education, justice, corrupt leadership, political violence all of which are debilitating obstacles to the future wellbeing of South Africans, the constitution is our best practical hope for the citizens of South Africa to embrace the values, spirit and meaning of the South African Bill of Rights. One only has to look at the events of the day; whether it is the constitutional court upholding the judgments against our president as criminal or unconstitutional; or the students’ movement for more equal access to education that started with throwing excrement at the Rhodes statue in Cape Town, leading to its eventual removal last year.

We can also consider how the arts are playing a significant role in the recent actions at UCT. After the fall of the Rhodes statue, the Shackville protests resulted in the burning of artworks from the hostel, and now, more recently, the removal of 75 artworks from the UCT collection in the buildings. There is no question that the arts are a powerful medium of change and influence and one remembers the kind of debate and level of protests that Brett Murrays Spear initiated.

Ahmed Bawa, the VC and Principal of DUT, at the opening of the exhibition in Durban, and in the catalogue, talks about the kinds of tension at the heart of our struggle which can be either destructive or constructive. He says that tensions are defined by the quantity and quality of energy they contain.

“The key question that we face is to understand how we might use our constitutional democratic framework to mobilise the energy of the tension to make decisive strides toward socio-economic justice” (Bawa 2015).

How is the act of burning art from the Shackville protests by students in the hostel a legitimate action of decolonization?  David Goldblatt’s angry response at the lack of outcry from the art community calls this act of vandalism “the antithesis of democracy”. And further, is the removal and storage of contentious artwork by the UCT administration censorship? (The UCT task team identified some of the removals as works frequently mentioned among black students as causing offence when they encounter them on campus).

It seems to me that art has very important lessons to offer the debate on de-colonisation, and it’s my belief that artists should play a role in engaging it.

According to Edward Tsumele, an arts writer in response to what he sees as UCT’s act of censorship:

“Let the art prevail, colonial or not colonial. I should be allowed to be offended on my behalf, not have anyone else being offended for me” (2016).

The visual is its own language …it allows things to be said that cannot be said in words.

 Removing it shuts down difficult dialogue. As Goldblatt aptly points out:

“ I think a democracy is based on the idea that when you have differences you can talk about it … it’s fundamental” (2016 Art Times).

This portfolio is meant to open dialogue and give voice to difficult complex thoughts and feelings that cannot always be reduced to language. Added to it, is the voice of poets who bring additional layers of complexity and meaning.  As Bawa says, students and academics should have the opportunity to mobilise the energy of the tension in a constructive way to make decisive strides towards socio-economic justice. Engaging these works in the classroom, or around campus in dialogue with historic and time or issue specific artwork is an intervention that can go a long way in critically engaging colonial spaces. It is one act (among many others needed) that can spark much needed conversations on these critical issues and questions about decolonising our institutional spaces.

The point being made here is that the arts are a powerful catalyst for opening up dialogue on our human rights, on decolonising the universities and on engaging with a diversity of voices, which is imperative in a University context. 

Each artist and poet in this exhibition has engaged deeply with one clause linked to a specific Bill of rights which hopefully entrench themselves into our minds. As Keyan Tomaselli eloquently states in his catalogue essay: It’s easier to remember 27 images than 27 clauses.

“ If we truly are to live our lives through others then all others must be included, and those others who are denied bills of rights must be recognized an included in this global humanistic/Ubuntu discourse” (2015).

This portfolio and exhibition is a decisive step in this direction.

Figures: from Art of Human Rights Print Portfolio (images courtesy of Arts for Humanity.)

Fig 1: Zanele Muholi: Isililo: Access to courts (article 34)

This work refers to the epidemic of hate crimes and brutal murders of black lesbians.

Fig 2: Stephen Inggs: Colour Wheel. Citizenship (Article 20)

Two images in dialogue that use colour and language to express the nuances and shades of meaning associated with the idea of citizenship

Fig 3: Berni Searle: Crossing. Assembly, demonstration, picket and petition (Article 17).   The piece refers to the 44    people killed at Marikana in 2012, and that the right of Article 17 is the right to protest without being shot in the back.

References: 

Art of Human Rights Catalogue: 2015: http://afh.org.za/art-of-human-rights/

Habib, Adam: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/opinion/2016/05/15/Politics-of-rage-puts-South-Africas-gains-in-danger

The South African Art Times: 

http://www.litnet.co.za/the-removal-of-art-at-uct-interview-with-alex-dodd/, 

http://arttimes.co.za/destructive-force-vandals-gate-culture/

Lederach JP 2005. The moral imagination: The art and soul of building peace. New York: Oxford University Press.