Ubud is a city in Bali with a rich history and vibrant life. The Balinese culture is so present in everything that is done here. I loved talking to the locals and learning more about their different traditions and reasons behind certain things. Every house has a Temple for worship where they pray daily, leaving offerings of food, flowers, and incense. There are two guardians at each entrance to either welcome in or scare evil away. Each household has a dog, this is because dogs can sense evil spirits before humans, so they will warn if evil is coming near. The dogs are able to walk freely because of this important role. Despite the large amounts of tourists and foreigners that come to stay in Bali, the Balinese people hold fast to their traditions while still welcoming people in.
This leads me to wonder how things in Canada would be different
if settlers hadn’t gone to such great lengths to rid the land of the rich
Aboriginal culture and traditions that had existed for centuries previous to
their arrival. What would it look like today if both cultures were able to live
peacefully together, side by side from the beginning? Reading the article “Integrating
Aboriginal Teaching and Values into the Classroom” Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse
(2008) made me ponder more on these things. Toulouse outlines seven living
principles that teachers can use in their classroom to support the teaching of
all students, but especially Aboriginal students. The seven living principles
are: Respect, Love, Bravery, Wisdom, Humility, Honesty, Truth. Obviously, we
cannot change the past, but moving forward how can we ensure that we are doing our
best to make the Aboriginal culture a main part of Canada today. Reading about
Indigenous perspectives helped me to look for ways to make them a main part of
my teaching practice. This is an ongoing process that constantly needs to be re-evaluated
as we learn and grow. It is especially important to listen to the voices of our
Indigenous brothers and sisters in a meaningful way as we take on this journey.
Change takes time, but hopefully we can move in the right direction.
Reference:
Toulouse, P. R. (2008). Integrating Aboriginal teaching and
values into the classroom. What Works? Research Into Practice, 11, 1–4.
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