Incorporating Indigenous Ways Into Outdoor Education

Our Learning Cluster, Moved by Nature, primary focuses on the “budding field” of outdoor education (OE) and its two geographically separate origins in North America and Scandinavia in 1960’s and 1970’s (Sobel et al. 2015)…but do those recent dates really mark the beginning of education in the outdoors? Something we have not touched upon yet is the powerful ways in which millennia-old indigenous world views, philosophies, values, and actions can inform and enrich OE as a pedagogical approach. As a model of cultures that traditionally lives in harmony with the land, there is much to be learned. By observing and digesting the tightly bound human/nature relationship of indigenous peoples, modern OE models can develop their own culturally appropriate practices to teach children and adults alike to love, care for, and protect the nature world in which our existence depends.

My first source supporting this standpoint is from Itamar Cohn, who describes the significance of indigenous ways in relation to the natural world and the manner in which these methods can influence and complement OE’s working model. In essence, what the indigenous ways represent here is a sort of pre-industrialized state of being. By indigenous, Cohn means “a population that has learned how to survive in a certain locale in harmony with their environment, and is still doing so” (Cohn 2011). This essence complements the principles of nature education well; both styles encourage spending a great amount of time outdoors, cultivating a connection a personal connection with nature and are rooted in such a way as to emphasize the importance of the land they are on, all ideologies that have become harder to grasp as we delve deeper into technological advancement. I (as well as the other scholars we have read this week) have noticed that these frameworks actually oppose the general direction that some educational ideals are heading towards: intensely made academic from younger and younger ages with an emphasis on test scores, competition and individualism.

A young individual undergoing training in a native tribe of Papau New Guinea

The goal of these more “modern” approaches to education is standardization, so each kids’ performance is high-achieving ant at more or less the same level. While indigenous teachings and OE share the same end goal, they have a different means to an end. These two like-minded philosophies take pride in uniquely tailoring the curriculum to match the physical land on which the lessons take place. This is a form of place-based education. Of course, a place is not just a location, a place has biotic, human, social, cultural aspects as well (Cohn 2011).

By recognizing the interconnected impacts of land on humanity and humanity on land, the child can begin to forage a deeper understanding of their place in the natural world. More specifically, it provides children the opportunity to see themselves as an integrated whole rather than a segregated piece. The teaching of humanity as a part of nature rather than separate and domineering is a powerful shift in perspective taught in indigenous culture and has been suggested as an adopted philosophy in outdoor education.

Figure 1: Indigenous ways that pertain to OE principles (Cohn 2011)

In order to recognize the significance and subsequent modern application of traditional teachings, we must admit the ongoing and embedded role of colonization of indigenous land and people in general education and especially nature education (Tuck et al. 2014). Much of the goal of colonization is to paint over existing cultural histories with ones that fit to the liking of the colonizer. This renders the environment raw and lacking rightful indigenous claim. As my third source states:

“Every cultural group established their relations to [their place] over time. Whether that place is in the desert, a mountain valley, or along a seashore, it is in the context of natural community, and through that understanding they established an educational process that was practical, ultimately ecological, and spiritual. In this way they sought and found their life.” (Cajete 1994).

In the indigenous view, land itself is a teacher and all of us her pupils (Tuck et al. 2014). This simple pedagogy has been a long-time practice for native peoples all across the globe. One Yup’ik scholar writes “It is through direct interaction with the environment that the Yupiaq people learn… they carefully observe to find pattern or order where there might otherwise appear to be chaos” (Tuck et al. 2014). This type of interaction builds experience and trust in nature at the qualitative level, which is the style of study inherently utilized by much of early outdoor education as well.

In fact, there are many intersections between indigenous and outdoor education. Both employ a sacred view of nature, incorporate themes of interconnectedness, and builds childrens’ self-confidence (Cajete 1994).

Another indigenous influence that proves helpful to early OE is the notion that land is collective (Tuck et al. 2014). Land is something to be shared and cared for by everyone, and though mutual care, a relationship of reciprocity will form. Like we have read in many of our LC materials so far, teaching a child to care for living and non-living beings other than themselves is a major step in childhood development (Sobel et al. 2015). Ultimately, nature education, especially when implanted early, can create a legitimate culture of care between nature and humanity, an aim we strive for at Soka as well!

In conclusion, since traditional peoples have lived all over the world, the indigenous means of life (and education) offers a model of global relevance (Cohn 2011). Founded on complementary principles, indigenous education should be recognized as an identifiable influence that created the structure outdoor education is based on. As nature is a reflection of humanity, there is much to be learned about ourselves and the “more-than-human” world by spending time in nature (Cohn 1994).

Works Cited

Cajete, Gregory. Look to the Mountain: an Ecology of Indigenous Education. Kivakí Press, 1994.

Cohn, Itamar. Indigenous ways—fruits of our ancestors, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 2011.

Sorbel et al. Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning. 2015.

Tuck, Eve, McKenzie, Marcia & McCoy, Kate. Land education: Indigenous, post-colonial, and decolonizing perspectives on place and environmental education research, Environmental Education Research Journal, 2014.