Megan Edwards, Rebecca Ulmer, Rachelle Young

WAYS OF KNOWING IN

SCIENCE

Improving Outcomes For Indigenous Children• Teachers need to understand ways of improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal learners and how cultural identity can be positioned as an asset for personal, and community success.• In order to achieve success in their academic pursuits, learners must be able to recognize themselves and their cultures in the curriculum they study and the places they study.

U of S President Ilene Busch-Vishniac, 2014

Westernized Fishing• Mentality in western culture of catching and keeping the largest fish – these largest fish are typically female, and may carry eggs• Introduction of invasive species for sport fishing, some of which out compete native fish, has lead changes in fish populations• Keeping track of these changes by tagging and tracking fish, called ‘Bag & Tag’ or ‘Mark & Recapture’

Fish Tagging Gun

Mark Recapture Study – the more fish you catch the more accurate the study is – increased sampling increases fish estimate ACCURACY• Can be harmful for fish as they may get infection from

being tagged and die• In older methods, fish had to be recaught to be counted

– increasing errors from fish intelligence/disease and injury

• In 2014, many tags emit radiosignals so they are counted by hydro-acoustics – sonar that detects fish and counts them in bodies of water – errors if tags fall from fish and still emit signals

Western Practices of Determining Fish Populations

Tagged fish, and hydro-acoustic tags

Results of declining fish populations:Fish Ecologists have implemented limits on the number, type, and size of fish one can keep while fishing:• In the past limits were too high, people kept too

many fish, resulting in declining fish populations

• Particular species of fish have been over fished, like Lake Sturgeon, which have now become endangered in Saskatchewan

• Lac La Ronge has been overfished and the fish population has collapsed so that it is no longer viable for commercial fishing

• In Saskatchewan, Catch and Release fishing is encouraged when large fish are caught, especially in the north.

• Lake Sturgeon

Indigenous Comparison• Tells the students that the First Nations peoples “observed the lakes and the numbers of fish that they caught. When numbers went down they would move to another lake, or location on the lake, so that stock would not be reduced. In this way, fishing practices were ecologically sustainable.”• Some Northern Dene stories relate messages about ecological balance given by the presence of gigantic fish appearing: … Doug Lamalice said the legend was passed onto him from his grandmother before she died, and has been told by countless elders within the community. Elders described the creature as large, black, and shiny, looking not fully alive, but not completely dead. Lamalice said the large fish appeared only for a few days and, as the water rose, people gathered their gear and moved inland for a few days until they received word the fish had disappeared.

“After she told me the story, she always said, ‘These things really happened,’” said Lamalice. “I know it’s hard as a grown person to believe the things they hear in these stories, but this is story that is part of our culture. I’ve heard a lot of legends and they’re hard to fathom, but when something like this happens it concludes my thinking that it’s untrue.” It’s said the fish first appeared at Fish Point on Hay River. Lamalice noted that close by there are sections of Great Slave Lake that are nearly three miles deep.Elders said the fish appeared "long ago, back when the world was new.”It wasn’t only a terrifying apparition, but Lamalice said his ancestors took it as a warning.

“For them it was a sign of things to come and things that could happen,” he said. “They did things more carefully after that. They said they learned to treat the land with respect and not take what they didn’t need.”

Full News Article at: http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2012-07/jul2_12fish.html

Incorporating Art

It is important to use all parts of the fish, and not to waste any of it as it is a gift from the Creator.

To utilize the fish scales, use them in an art project. They can be dyedand glued onto fabric.

Traditional fish scale art was applied to birch baskets and fishing bags

*If you have fish allergies in your class, use sequins instead

Relating to the Students• Science is everywhere! Not just in a sterile lab.• Anyone can be a scientist with their knowledge.•We know that Western Science is here to stay, however, we need to provide additional ways of knowing. •Western science does not always invite the spiritual, holistic viewpoint. It is easy in western science to believe that we are superior beings. In Indigenous science it makes us accountable. Teaching our students that we are accountable to the world around us and a creation of the world around us sends a very powerful message.

Michell, Dr. Herman, Yvonne Vizina, Camie Augustus and Jason Sawyer. (2008). “Learning Indigenous Science from Place: Research Study Examining Indigenous Based Science Perspectives in Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Community Contexts “. Pg. 1- 158

Conclusion• Incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing enriches the learning experience for everyone.• It is important for students to realize that Westernized ways of thinking and knowing are not the only ways, nor the right ways.

Erikson .(2005). Language, Art and Science. Paolozzi and Faraday .

References1. Saskatchewan Angling Guide 2014 -http://environment.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=bc022bb7-684b-4547-b064-49526fb40a99

2. Yosso, T. J. (2005): Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91.

3. The Cradle Board Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.usask.ca/cradleboardsk/

4. Erikson .(2005). Language, Art and Science. Paolozzi and Faraday .

5. Michell, Dr. Herman, Yvonne Vizina, Camie Augustus and Jason Sawyer. (2008). “Learning Indigenous Science from Place: Research Study Examining Indigenous Based Science Perspectives in Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Community Contexts “. Pg. 1- 158