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Assignment #2: School Culture & Indigenous Cultures
ED 451: Culture and Education
06 August 2016
Introduction
There is so much that education can contribute to the survival of small cultures. This
was a strong message stressed out by Bob and Jennie Teasdale in their introduction to
the book, Voices in a Seashell. They believe that, Modern technologies and mass
communications are enabling the rapid spread of western culture with its emphasis on
individualism, competitiveness, and consumerism (Teasdale & Teasdale, 1992). The
result, according to Dr Colin Power, is cultural dilution and eventual destruction of
indigenous cultures. This spread of western culture is also evident in the school
curriculum most pacific nations employ in their schools nowadays. These western
inspired curriculum has replaced the indigenous way of educating the young in order
to pave way for political and economic agenda an idea that was pointed out with
subtlety by Sir Geoffrey A. Henry in chapter one of the book, Voices in a Seashell. A
careful look therefore at the similarities and differences of school today and the
indigenous cultures might be helpful in pointing out what needs to be changed in the
curriculum that we in our schools have today.
Aims and Content of Education
The indigenous cultures had a different perception about educating the young ones
compared to the schools of today. In the traditional Tuvalu society for example, the
people focused their energies on teaching their customs and traditions for they were
believed to contain the knowledge of the ancestors. Their ancestors taught them that
their customs and traditions will lead them to a life of happiness (Taafaki, 1983).
In most indigenous cultures, people learned to work not for individual needs but for
the betterment of the community. In the traditional Tuvalu society, their tao aliki who
was second in command to the aliki (their leader), ensured that the lands and food
were properly distributed. He instructed the people to do communal works and fishing
expeditions. He also assigned every family or sologa a particular task or pologa which
was to become knowledgeable and skilful in the area of work assigned to them. Some
families focused on farming and fishing. Some others focused on building canoes and
houses. Some focused on healing and some others on entertainment (Taafaki, 1983).
This is so much different to our education today which, according to Dr Konai Thaman,
is seen as the place where things foreign are taught. Culture is still a great part of
the curriculum, but a unfortunately a foreign one because it is influenced by
western, value-free, skill-oriented, educational principles (Thaman, 1992). This is
mainly because of globalisation and the standardisation of life here on Earth. Students
are expected to be competitive and able to meet the demands of the global market.
Hence, school today is seen as a ticket to achieve individual goals which are usually
self-centred very much different to the communal life of the traditional societies.