Thunderbirds, Thunder-beings, Thunder-voices: The Application of Traditional Knowledge and Children's Rights in Support of Aboriginal Children's Education

Abstract

Our dead never forget this beautiful world that gave them being. They always love its winding rivers, its sacred mountains, and its sequestered vales, and they ever yearn in tenderest affection over the lonely-hearted living and often return to visit, guide and comfort them.... The white man will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people for the dead are not powerless. Dead--did I say: There is no death, only a change of worlds. Chief Seattle, 1854 The title for this paper draws on the traditions of the Indigenous people of the northwest coast of North America, in particular Vancouver Island, ancestral home since time immemorial to the Kwagiulth, NuuChah-Nulth, and Coast Salish peoples. The Thunderbird speaks of transformation and change and is visually represented according to the artistic styles of each area. When the Thunderbird is in flight, the movement of the wings creates the sound of thunder and when it glances from side to side, lightning is emitted. Sometimes the presence of the Thunderbird creates fear within the community because of its great power to change the fabric of the community. The flight of the thunderbird brings change and renewal and is the most visible reminder that change is inevitable. It is the role of the traditionally trained elder to help young people and the community in general cope with change and understand the place of fear as one of the many ways to cope with change. The old people, by virtue of their training, are the direct links to the ancestors, particularly in the roles of guiding and comforting. Each area defines the way in which the Thunderbird, as agent of change, determines behavior within the family and the community. Each area validates the knowledge of the old people with regard to hereditary song and regalia use. Behavior in this context is determined by the application of specific rules and regulations applied during times of change such as birth, initiation, traditional namings, and the ultimate transformation, death. The following discussion seeks to combine the strengths of these traditional indigenous cultural supports for children with international children's rights treaties in helping to promote the right of all Aboriginal children in Canada to a meaningful education. [1] The global context for this discussion is the International Decade for the World's Indigenous Peoples, which runs from 1995 to 2004. The paper attempts to weave these two worldviews from the perspectives of a Euroamerican children's advocate/academic and a traditional Coast Salish protocol advisor, both of whom are dedicated to bridging the language of children's rights with an expression of traditional indigenous cultural values and educational practices supporting children. The flight of the Thunderbird, the mythological figure representing powerful spiritual vision, change, and transformation, is used to symbolize this process. The paper will examine a variety of issues relating to indigenous children's education. Special emphasis will be placed on devising new educational frameworks that are more responsive to the needs of indigenous children by applying the strengths of their traditional culture to the contemporary challenges of the modern world. In doing this, ways are suggested in which international treaties, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (Ministry of Canadian Heritage 1992), can provide support for traditional indigenous values that promote children's healthy development and encourage young people's self esteem by stimulating their participation in civil society. The discussion also draws on the experiences of recent programs focusing on indigenous children's educational rights cohosted by the Institute for Child Rights and Development at the University of Victoria, in partnership with local Coast Salish and Kwagiulth communities situated on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Suggestions and lessons learned from these experiences are presented in the context of Aboriginal educational reform in Canada and the Americas. …