Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

 

Instructions Complete a brief essay response to each of these questions:

1. Describe Indigenous approaches to storytelling. (approximately 550 words)

2. Discuss Indigenous methods for teaching, learning, and sharing knowledge. (approximately 550 words)Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

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Guidelines

• Double-space and use normal margins; each page should be 250–300 words long.

• Use Times New Roman or Ariel 12-point font.

• Use APA style to cite sources and list references.

• Response papers do not require you to do any further outside research or reading other than what is presented in the course materials, but you must demonstrate throughout your paper that you have an understanding of the basic concepts presented in the units covered. Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Include a References section at the end containing any references you have cited from the course materials using APA style.

• You may include Indigenous cultural information if you have such knowledge or has access to such knowledge.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling

The Native American communities strongly believed in storytelling, which was regarded as one of the approaches for the communities towards the right understanding of Native American cultures. The stories told to the communities were a primal approach towards representing the truths and the realities of the communities and their way of life.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay. For instance, some of the realities include the significance of rituals, human existence, and the creative process, according to Cajete (1999). Stories also focused on what the communities found as vital to them as well as to teach the community members essential life lessons on virtues such as patience, honesty, and courage, among others. According to Cajete (1999), stories also taught the learners how to relate with nature, with each other, and with their environment. It is important to remember that nature was an integral aspect of Native American culture. Therefore, the use of stories to show learners and other community members how to relate to nature was critical for the wellbeing of the indigenous societies.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

To achieve the aims of storytelling, one of the approaches that the storytellers in the indigenous communities used was the use of myths. According to these cultures, myths were critical in storytelling because they allowed the diversity of expression among the different indigenous groups. The different groups had different myths from each other, and this uniqueness made storytelling more exciting for the community members.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay. Cajete (1999) also contends that myths in the Native American storytelling sessions managed to relate the learners with the paradigms of relationships among themselves and to nature. They also offered lessons on the consequences of having a negative or weak relationship with nature. Another reason that myths were a significant approach in storytelling is that they were a holistic form of communication for these indigenous groups. This is because myths tend to appeal to human imagination, as well as their intellect. As such, myths allowed these indigenous communities to develop a positive relationship with nature, all enabled by storytelling.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

As an approach to storytelling in indigenous American communities, myths were significant because they kept the listeners aware of the interrelated phenomenon and things in their natural world (Cajete, 1999). The relationship with nature in these communities was critical for their wellbeing, according to their beliefs. Myths also taught people how to relate to each other and practice ethics.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay. For instance, a story about a person stealing would teach the learners about ethical actions that discourage stealing. Additionally, myths were critical in storytelling because they enhanced understanding and insights. This outcome was possible in storytelling because the storyteller would tell stories that inspired the imagination and creativity of the mind.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Another approach to storytelling in indigenous American societies was using metaphors. Metaphors were intertwined with myths because most mythical stories used different forms of metaphors. However, it is essential to acknowledge the fact that metaphors were crucial in storytelling because they helped communicate meanings of different concepts expressed in stories on different levels.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay. Metaphors stimulated the imagination of the listeners and learners because they would explore the meanings expressed by relating them with their experiences and the natural world. Metaphors used in the stories during the storytelling sessions were also crucial in comparing and contrasting different natural realities, hence stimulating a real appreciation for scientific aesthetics, according to Cajete (1999).Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Indigenous Methods for Teaching, Learning, and Sharing Knowledge

A noteworthy indigenous method for teaching is teaching through practical lessons. According to Arnott (2006), the learning processes in indigenous communities tend to be highly practical, which is also valid for the learners. She attended an indigenous training program dubbed Traditional Mothering program, with women from Canadian indigenous communities. During this training program, the learners were exposed to practical sessions where they learned how to drum, how to sing, how to examine indigenous communities’ clothes during their visit to the museum, and learned how to sew.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay. The author sewed Metis clothes and incorporated the beadwork skills she gathered during the program’s practical lessons. Therefore, from these sessions, it is clear that the indigenous communities’ approach to teaching and learning is using practical lessons in which the teachers impart practical knowledge to the students. Practical lessons are more effective than theoretical lessons because the learners practice the concepts taught, and this allows them an opportunity to internalize what they learn and apply it in real life.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Another teaching method that the indigenous communities use for their learners is personal interaction, in which they encourage the learners to share their knowledge and experiences with each other. According to Arnott (2006), the reason for these sharing sessions was for the learners to help each other through life and the learning processes in different ways. For instance, by sharing their personal experiences, some would learn about the importance of virtues, or how to deal with a divorce, or how to overcome the pain of a heartbreak. According to most indigenous cultures, as Arnott (2006) notes, each life experience is a teacher. The life experience is also a gift. Therefore, by sharing with each other their experiences, the learners were sharing the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, and insight.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

McCallum, in his work, “In the Words of our Ancestors,” argues that understanding different worldviews was a vital approach of teaching and learning for the indigenous communities. This observation augurs with Arnott’s (2006) mostly because the two authors agree that sharing knowledge and experience among peers is an excellent approach to learning in indigenous communities. McCallum contends that for people to learn, they require to understand other’s perspectives. This learning experience can only occur when people share their experiences, understanding, and knowledge about different topics about life. People’s experiences tend to determine their worldview. Therefore, indigenous communities learn through sharing experiences and worldviews, because, in these, there is profound knowledge that is essential for use as people navigate through life.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.

Lastly, an indigenous method of sharing knowledge and learning is by teaching and talking about the injustices that these communities were exposed to when the Europeans colonized them and took away their land. Stout (2008), in her article, provides an account of the various points that the indigenous communities raised about the injustices meted out on them by their colonizers, as a way to share knowledge about indigenous community history. While they seek justice and reparations for their innumerable losses, talking about their losses is an approach they use to share knowledge.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay. Stout (2008) writes that the indigenous community members were killed, and their land was taken away from them. The Aboriginal Healing Foundation (2008) adds that indigenous communities were isolated from economic and social opportunities, placed in closed societies that yielded conflict among the people because of inadequate privacy, and hired jobs with low remuneration. Talking about these injustices while seeking justice for themselves is a sharing knowledge approach that these communities use to create awareness and educate the masses.Indigenous Approaches to Storytelling Essay.