New Ways of Knowing

Indigenous pedagogy is seeing a lift in its prevalence; Bryan Bellefeuille is helping lead that charge

By Mitchell Levesque

Indigenous pedagogy is defined as incorporating “Indigenous worldviews into engagement with information.” This definition was given by Wendy Burton and Gwen Point, scholars dedicated to the subject. They continue by saying, “the rubric of Indigenous education [is]: look, listen, and learn,” for both educators and students, that is. Despite this embrace of culture and practice, some, attempting such a feat in their classrooms, fall short and simply find, trim, and replace. To understand this more fully, an example would help. In the teaching of arithmetics, for instance, we can have the scenario of Waynaboozhoo; Waynaboozhoo has three berries and would like to give two away. How many berries will Waynaboozhoo have left with if he chooses to give away the berries? The answer: this is not an accurate representation of Indigenous teachings and culture in mathematics. 

According to Bryan Bellefeuille, Anishinaabe of Nipissing First Nation, and a teacher helping to bring Indigenous knowledge to school curriculums, traditional Indigenous Mathematics does not equal substitution of Indigenous culture into problem sets. As he puts it: “Simply having our knowledge as a placeholder in arithmetic lessons does not count as the traditional mathematics.” In a recent talk given by Bellefeuille and hosted by the Robertson Program, an institution based in Ontario, Canada, dedicated to providing educators with resources to become more reflective and engaged instructors, teachers were given a chance to see how they could better incorporate Indigenous practices into their school curriculum. Equipped with a burly beard, warm demeanor, and an excellent Canadian “o,” Bellefeuille explained the many ways in which math and science can be understood through Indigenous practices. One such method is through teepee poles. Teepee poles, it should be stated, must all be the same height. How do you find trees of the same size without measuring each one or cutting down more trees than what’s needed? As it turns out, trees of the same height typically will have the same width in their trunk. This is a fact of trees and an elucidation of mathematical edicts concerning circumference and diameter. Here is an example of Indigenous practice serving as a model for mathematical law. 

Bellefeuille, in recommending a more honest interpretation of Indigenous culture be adopted in the classroom, also sees to it that these lessons are engaging for students. In explaining issues of teepees, for example, Bellefeuille also gave a tour of trees native to parts of Canada. How he did so was through the popular Nintendo Switch video game Animal Crossing, a game whose coniferous flaw of all trees being the same height is luckily made up for by its calming synth soundtrack and verdant artificial vibrancy. However, perhaps the most important thing educators should be equipped with when teaching these subjects is commitment to authenticity. In deciding to incorporate these subjects to one’s classroom, Bellefeuille recommends teachers create a lesson plan, one in which Traditional Knowledge holders are the resources for which teachers pull from. 

Amongst all of this, there still remains an important question: where is the line between teaching through Indigenous cultures and cultural appropriation? Bellefeuille admits this is a difficult question to answer. Indeed, questions such as these have been getting more attention in recent years, due in large part to their importance, but also because of their inability to be precisely and discreetly answered. In facing these challenges, educators can often begin to tackle the problem with a simple commitment. According to Bellefeuille, we should always ask why we are doing something; why are we teaching this? Is it to simply showcase a practice of Indigenous cultures, or is it to provide ideas and understanding of cultures not typically appreciated in society? It’s at this point that genuine understanding can develop for many children with respect to these cultures.