WAYS OF KNOWING
IN SCIENCE
Megan Edwards, Rebecca Ulmer,
Rachelle Young
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
Western Practices of Determining Fish Populations
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 hydroacoustics – sonar that detects fish and counts them in bodies of
water – errors if tags fall from fish and still emit signals
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.
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 dyed
and 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 .
References
1. Saskatchewan Angling Guide 2014 http://environment.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=bc022bb7684b-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), 6991.
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