Teaching ESD to Indigenous Populations
“E hele me ka pu’olo”
(Always take an offering with you. Make every person, place, or thing better than you left it always. Wherever you go, always take something with you.)
As an Indigenous woman, I teach ESD to indigenous populations with an indigenous perspective. But I believe that anyone can teach indigenous students and classes in a way that is supportive if they approach their work with humility and curiosity.
When working with indigenous people on indigenous land (especially as an outsider), we must navigate the waters with the key understanding that we are a guest in a land that is not our own. To be invited to teach an indigenous population is an honor. It is important for those of us practicing ESD to approach this honor with humility and an open mind.
When working with indigenous populations, before beginning a training or ongoing partnership, it is critical that we ask to meet with the leaders of that group and get curious:
What unique experiences should I be aware of?
Do you have specific concerns surrounding safety you would like me to address?
Are there traditions that need to be acknowledged or honored as we proceed?
What are the key takeaways you hope to gain from this training?
Ask the group to “Talk Story” with you and share.
Autumn A. Blackdeer, a sovereign member of the mighty Southern Cheyenne Nation in western Oklahoma and a doctoral candidate at Brown School of Social Work, shared eight key tips for teaching indigenous students that I found highly relevant. I have added my thoughts after each one:
Teach with love. As ESD professionals, we usually teach with passion and kindness and share that passion through all of our work.
Bring elders into the classroom. Asking the community’s elders to share their wisdom surrounding relevant topics and areas of focus is essential. Elders have a lot of knowledge. It is important to remember that when an elder is speaking, you are honoring their position and what they have to say by listening.
Use storytelling as an instructional method. This doesn’t mean you have to share everything about yourself, but it does mean that you can share stories you feel would connect with and be relevant to your participant group.
Grandma’s Kitchen Approach. Share stories and build community. For instance, in the ESD classes I teach, I offer a lot of community-building activities, many of which come from my days of doing leadership development trainings. Community-building activities, where people connect and deliberate, can be an excellent way to build camaraderie.
Reciprocity. Model it by giving back to surrounding communities. Think of purposeful ways of doing this. For instance, you may offer participants the opportunity to bring a friend to a subsequent training.
Honor the different ways students show up. Yawning is an interesting example here. In many cultures, we consider yawning to be disrespectful. However, from another perspective, it actually shows that a person is comfortable and feels safe.
Utilize land-based education. Demonstrate a topic with hands-on practice, together. For example, growing up, I learned many oral stories that were based in nature that taught me lessons for life. You can integrate these kinds of stories, lessons, and parables into your work.
Create a sacred learning community. Setting up a safe space is important with any group, and with an indigenous group, you can draw on practices sacred to people in the room. For example, you may ask if the room needs energy clearing or if anything needs to be done to honor the land before you get started.
When working with indigenous populations, it is important to understand that your participants often come from a culture focused on oral traditions as opposed to written ones. Kinesthetic learning and the sharing of relevant stories can help students relate to the material and integrate it into their lives.
When I was a youth, my adopted grandmother would stay with us while she did indigenous healing work for the Puyallup Tribe. She would be exhausted when she finished her work, but she would always find time to tell me stories and allegories, each one related to core life lessons. These stories were an excellent way for me to connect to my own indigenous roots, and they taught me valuable ways of living and being in the world.
In the book Stop Talking by Ilarion Merculieff and Libby Roderick, the authors write:
“Set down electronic devices. Set down your books and pens. Go outside if possible; otherwise, find a window. And for a minute or two, let go of your thoughts and listen to the wind. Pay attention to the land you are standing on. And to the living things that share your space. Breathe intentionally from common air. Notice how you feel. Stay with it as long as possible. Return to it as often as necessary. Know that you are part of a larger system that has for centuries marginalized Native Cultures and People and still does to this day, regardless of how hard they try not to. It’s said leaders must reflect their students. Students must see themselves in the leaders who teach them which means you must be willing to train up trainers from that culture and relinquish your leadership role. You are not the leader they seek. They seek their own leaders and that should be understood and honored.”
— Stop Talking by Ilarion Merculieff and Libby Roderick
This quote reminds me of our trauma-informed facilitation skills in ESD. When we connect with nature, we in turn connect with ourselves. When we connect with ourselves, we find our answers.
Ilarion and Libby also discuss the importance of not talking as an instructor or teacher, of letting people sit and contemplate. When working with indigenous populations, I often do an activity and then offer a moment to reflect on that activity afterward. The students have the opportunity to speak, and I listen. If there are points at the end I feel relevant to add to that reflection, I do, but I always give others space to share.
There is a healing piece to this process of sharing—the fifth principle of ESD, “Tell.” When students share their reflections, In my classes, I often let folks know at the beginning of the class, when setting agreements, that I will use the step-in/step-back rule of thumb. Suppose people share a lot, taking extra time from your class’s learning process. In that case, you may ask them to pause and offer to be available or have a co-facilitator there to connect with on the side if feelings or emotions arise. This can offer that person the space to share and feel validated while you continue class activities and agenda for the rest of the students present and ready to learn.
Working with indigenous populations that are not my own, I have learned a sense of humility, which can be a crucial component to success. You don’t know what you don’t know. We do not know our participants’ experience. It is essential to give them the space to ask them what they want to learn. It is good to come from a place of curiosity when teaching ESD.
I do my best to meet with different groups before I actually do a training. It gives me more context and helps me connect with that group. If it is a Native American or First Nation group in North America, for example, I may come up with an offering. It doesn’t have to be big; the thought counts. I will also research what would be appropriate behavior and topics, as well as what might be offensive. During the meetings, I ask about the group’s intent and offer space for them to share why they reached out and wanted me there.
Working with indigenous populations allows us to grow as ESD professionals. We get to challenge ourselves in new ways. I believe it is a beautiful opportunity. Depending on how far along you are in your teaching journey, you can also identify members of that indigenous group to train so they can teach their own community, and you can offer support, mentorship, and counsel. When someone sees someone who looks like them in a leadership position, a spark can become a flame. They see that they can reach such a goal, too. You have the opportunity to help make that happen.
Mahalo for reading! It has been a joy to support the indigenous populations I have served and continue to serve. I wish you well on your teaching journey, too!
About Iyémote, Strives for Empowerment / Tasha Ina Church
Tasha Ina Church, is a marketing and social media consultant for the Association of ESD Professionals. She is an empowerment self-defense (ESD) instructor, course creator, empowerment coach, business owner, author, & international speaker. Tasha has over 10 years of online communication experience, and as a mixed race woman, she understands the complexities of cross-cultural communication. She teaches ESD in Hawaii and around the world. In addition to her 20 years as an ESD instructor, Tasha is a health, wellness, and meditation coach and leads trauma informed workshops. She co-founded Ladies First, building her own empowerment curriculum for middle school and high school girls.
Tasha loves lifelong learning—she got her MBA in Global Business Leadership, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and has a background in clinical psychology focused on multiculturalism & feminine studies. She has also studied seven styles of Japanese martial arts, Tai Chi, and zen. Tasha is passionate about life and loves her work.
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Author: Tasha Ina Church / Iyémote
Editor: Toby Israel / Samantha Waterman
Image: Courtesy of Author
