The previously posted article (Native education) also got me thinking about the curriculum that is currently taught in Washington public schools—and public schools across the nation for that matter. I mean, Washington isn’t Arizona…at least we have yet to ban cultural studies in our schools. Yet, we do seem to be severely lacking in this department. I still remember in elementary school learning about how great Columbus was when he “discovered” America, and how vast and empty the land was, not yet touched by man. By the time I took American history in high school, this changed a little, but honestly not as much as it should have. But there is just so much to learn about the way Native Americans worked with the land before (and after) the Europeans arrived, how can we even dream of fitting it all into one high school course?
I think it would be awesome if high schools in Washington created a class that incorporated Native American history with hands-on projects designed around living sustainably based on Indigenous customs. I’m picturing a lot of the information relating to material from ANTH 210, but then there would also be this real life part of the class, where students could get out of the classroom and learn gardening, agriculture, cooking, and just general living in a way that is friendlier to the environment as well as cheaper, and more enjoyable. Students could learn what real wild rice tastes like, and how buying chicken and beef from local farms reduces environmental impacts while supporting the community. This is not an unrealistic class to offer at a high school—it would take work, and funding, but I think that a great deal of local groups would ultimately support it. Plus, this would give Native American youth the opportunity to really feel comfortable in school, as they learn sustainable customs that may have actually been passed down from some of their ancestors.
-Rachel Wolk
No comments:
Post a Comment