It’s in the blood: theory and praxis of lifelong Indigenous education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Through the voice of a Metis educator, this work addresses the foundations of an Indigenous lifelong education. Lived experiences connect with unfolding personal narrative to demonstrate the ancient flow of Indigenous knowledge, and the continuity and expression of Indigenous being. The narratives implicitly references connections and relationships between people and land as vitally necessary for Indigenous learning and the survival of Indigenous peoples as distinct and whole human individuals and collectives. The concept of ‘blood memory’ is presented as foundational to the narrative and repositions a content that might otherwise align closely with readily accessible and acknowledged renewal within Indigenous education. This work does not speak from within the theoretical canons of education and schooling as these are upheld, adhered to, and promoted by Western intellectual traditions of knowledge. It offers analytical, critical thinking derived from the lived experiences and acquired learning of an Indigenous educator. The narratives demonstrate that lifelong learning is gifted and accepted through intentional individual and collective participation within a flow of knowledge transmission and transformation grounded upon generations of ancestral research in the development, validation, sharing, practice, and renewal of praxes that support everyday living and dying.