To explore the ways that Indigenous Knowledge can inform the field of early childhood development, the current study examines how cultural traditions and relationships support Indigenous children's well-being. Using a participatory approach and Indigenous methods, the study team, which included Michigan-based researchers, community partners from Indigenous early childhood programs, and Indigenous community members, used PhotoVoice to identify how traditional food- and land-based practices support children's development. Findings, which align with multi-disciplinary research conducted with other Indigenous communities, suggest that traditional practices and relationships are often shared with children through everyday activities. Moreover, these practices and relationships are often shared through food and land-based traditions. Much of what was documented regarding the cultural ways that Indigenous families in Michigan support children's development through culture involved children learning through observing and participating in community and family responsibilities. To learn through observation, translated in Anishinaabemowin as gikinawaabi in the Ojibwe dialect, is a foundational approach to learning in Michigan Indigenous communities. We are now building on this project by using the findings to develop early childhood education curricular components that are locally grounded. The findings are also being used to advocate for appropriate federal policy and legislation for tribal early childhood education programs.

中文翻译：

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关于 gikinawaabi 的故事和反思：通过食物和土地实践将土著知识融入儿童早期发展


为了探索土著知识如何为儿童早期发展领域提供信息，目前的研究考察了文化传统和关系如何支持土著儿童的福祉。包括密歇根州研究人员、原住民幼儿计划的社区合作伙伴和原住民社区成员在内的研究小组使用参与式方法和原住民方法，使用 PhotoVoice 来确定传统的食物和土地实践如何支持儿童的发展。研究结果与其他原住民社区进行的多学科研究一致，表明传统习俗和关系经常通过日常活动与儿童分享。此外，这些做法和关系通常通过食物和土地传统来共享。关于密歇根州原住民家庭通过文化支持儿童发展的文化方式的大部分记录都涉及儿童通过观察和参与社区和家庭责任来学习。通过观察学习，在 Anishinaabemowin 中翻译为 Ojibwe 方言中的 gikinawaabi，是在密歇根州土著社区学习的基本方法。我们现在正在利用这些发现来开发以当地为基础的幼儿教育课程组成部分，从而在这个项目的基础上。这些发现还被用于倡导为部落幼儿教育计划制定适当的联邦政策和立法。