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The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge for Nursing Curriculum

  • Della Stansfield and Annette J. Browne EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 25, 2013
International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship
From the journal International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship Volume 10 Issue 1

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge (IK) has the potential to complement the dominant epistemologies central to nursing curricula. Acknowledging IK as a thriving set of worldviews, we discuss how nursing educators might access and integrate IK in ways that are respectful and sustainable. IK is highlighted as an entry point for understanding concepts such as cultural safety, ethical space, and relational practice and as a strength-based approach to learning about Aboriginal people’s health. As with any use of knowledge, consideration must be given to issues of ownership, misappropriation, institutional responsibility, Indigenous protocol, and the creation of partnerships. Recommendations are provided for educators wishing to explore how to incorporate IK into nursing curriculum. With appropriate partnerships, protocols, and processes in place, the incorporation of IK may provide educators and students an opportunity to explore divergent epistemologies, philosophies, and worldviews, thereby encouraging broader perspectives about the world, ways of being, various types of knowledge, and nursing care.

Keywords: Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous people; nursing education; nursing curriculum; Canada; Aboriginal health; Aboriginal people

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Mary Kelly for her thoughtful approach to the editorial work she engaged in with us as we prepared this paper.

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  1. 1

    Epistemology can be understood as “the nature, source, scope and justification of knowledge” (Turner, 2011, p. 171).

  2. 2

    In Canada, the term Indigenous and Aboriginal refers to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, who comprise diverse “organic political and cultural entities that stem historically from the original peoples of North America, rather than collections of individuals united by so-called ‘racial’ characteristics” (Royal Commission on Aboriginal People’s, 1996, p. xii). We employ the terms Indigenous and Aboriginal to refer to all persons in Canada identifying as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit, status or non-status; however, this does not imply that these groups hold the same history, culture, identity, strengths, beliefs, knowledges, or educational desires.

  3. 3

    The term postcolonial does not imply that colonialism is a past era – or that our society has moved beyond colonialism. Rather, postcolonialism is used to refer to ongoing and new forms of colonialism that continue to be reproduced in current times (Browne, Smye & Varcoe, 2005; McConaghy, 2000).

  4. 4

    The ANAC was formed in Canada in 1975 as a non-governmental, non-profit organization concerned with improving the health of Aboriginal communities (ANAC website, http://www.anac.on.ca/).

  5. 5

    The concept of structural violence is increasingly seen in population and public health as a major determinant of the distribution and outcomes of health inequities (Browne et al., 2012). Paul Farmer (1993) defines it as “a host of offensives against human dignity: extreme and relative poverty, social inequalities ranging from racism to gender inequality, and the more spectacular forms of violence” (p. 8). The health of Aboriginal people’s in Canada can serve as a case in point (Browne et al., 2012): although overall health status has improved in recent years, inequities persist on virtually every measure of health and social status, including lower life expectancy, decreased access to health services, and disproportionately high rates of preventable, chronic, and acute health conditions (Adelson, 2005; Dion Stout, 2012; Haskell & Randall, 2009).

  6. 6

    The CIHR is Canada’s national health research funding agency.

  7. 7

    Elder as a designation is specific to particular communities and nations. Elders are not necessarily defined by age, and not all older people will be considered Elders. Rather, Elders are often those who show leadership in the community and have expertise or knowledge in particular areas (Barnhardt & Kawagley, 2005; Varcoe, Bottorff, Carey, Sullivan, & Williams, 2010).

Published Online: 2013-06-25

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin / Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  4. Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Canadian Schools of Nursing: A Mixed Methods Study
  5. Education Reforms in Nigeria: How Responsive is the Nursing Profession?
  6. Writing History: Case Study of the University of Victoria School of Nursing
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  20. The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge for Nursing Curriculum
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  22. Female Arab-Muslim Nursing Students’ Reentry Transitions
  23. High Fidelity Simulation Effectiveness in Nursing Students’ Transfer of Learning
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  25. Nurse Educators’ Perspectives on Student Development of Reflection for Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practice
  26. The Emerging Doctor of Education (EdD) in Instructional Leadership for Nurse Educators
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  29. Educating Nurses for the Twenty-First Century Abilities-Based Outcomes and Assessing Student Learning in the Context of Democratic Professionalism
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  31. Educating DNP Students about Critical Appraisal and Knowledge Translation
  32. 5-Years Later – Have Faculty Integrated Medical Genetics into Nurse Practitioner Curriculum?
  33. Stress, Depression, and Anxiety among Undergraduate Nursing Students
  34. Knowing Self and Caring Through Service Learning
  35. Teaching Experiences of Second Degree Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Faculty
  36. Reading Ella: Using Literary Patients to Enhance Nursing Students’ Reflective Thinking in the Classroom
  37. Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Students Use of Emotional Intelligence in Nursing as “Caring for a Human Being”: A Mixed Methods Grounded Theory Study
  38. Effective Classroom Teaching Methods: A Critical Incident Technique from Millennial Nursing Students’ Perspective
  39. Simulation Education Approaches to Enhance Collaborative Healthcare: A Best Practices Review
  40. Erratum to 5-Years Later – Have Faculty Integrated Medical Genetics into Nurse Practitioner Curriculum?
https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2012-0041
Keywords for this article
Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous people; nursing education; nursing curriculum; Canada; Aboriginal health; Aboriginal people

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  4. Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Canadian Schools of Nursing: A Mixed Methods Study
  5. Education Reforms in Nigeria: How Responsive is the Nursing Profession?
  6. Writing History: Case Study of the University of Victoria School of Nursing
  7. Fear and Loathing: Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Experiences of a Mandatory Course in Applied Statistics
  8. How does the Nurse Educator Measure Caring?
  9. Psychometric Properties of the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric
  10. Arts-Based Learning: Analysis of the Concept for Nursing Education
  11. Critical Service Learning in Community Health Nursing: Enhancing Access to Cardiac Health Screening
  12. Collaborative Learning Using Nursing Student Dyads in the Clinical Setting
  13. The Effect of Social Contingencies on Nursing Students’ Reactions During a Rural Clinical Placement
  14. Voices of Innovation: Building a Model for Curriculum Transformation
  15. Bridging the Gap: Clinical Practice Nursing and the Effect of Role Strain on Successful Role Transition and Intent to Stay in Academia
  16. Resisting, Reaching Out and Re-imagining to Independence: LPN’s Transitioning towards BNs and Beyond
  17. Exploring the Issue of Failure to Fail in a Nursing Program
  18. Inclusive Mosaic: Promoting Diversity in Nursing through Youth Mentorship
  19. Interactive Learning Research: Application of Cognitive Load Theory to Nursing Education
  20. The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge for Nursing Curriculum
  21. The Value of Community-Focused Interprofessional Care in Peru for Developing Cultural Competency in Health Professions Students
  22. Female Arab-Muslim Nursing Students’ Reentry Transitions
  23. High Fidelity Simulation Effectiveness in Nursing Students’ Transfer of Learning
  24. Communities of Practice in Nursing Academia: A Growing Need to Practice What We Teach
  25. Nurse Educators’ Perspectives on Student Development of Reflection for Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practice
  26. The Emerging Doctor of Education (EdD) in Instructional Leadership for Nurse Educators
  27. Five Years Later: Are Accelerated, Second-Degree Program Graduates Still in the Workforce?
  28. Knowledge and Perceptions of HIV/AIDS among Cameroonian Nursing Students
  29. Educating Nurses for the Twenty-First Century Abilities-Based Outcomes and Assessing Student Learning in the Context of Democratic Professionalism
  30. In Real Time: Exploring Nursing Students’ Learning during an International Experience
  31. Educating DNP Students about Critical Appraisal and Knowledge Translation
  32. 5-Years Later – Have Faculty Integrated Medical Genetics into Nurse Practitioner Curriculum?
  33. Stress, Depression, and Anxiety among Undergraduate Nursing Students
  34. Knowing Self and Caring Through Service Learning
  35. Teaching Experiences of Second Degree Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Faculty
  36. Reading Ella: Using Literary Patients to Enhance Nursing Students’ Reflective Thinking in the Classroom
  37. Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Students Use of Emotional Intelligence in Nursing as “Caring for a Human Being”: A Mixed Methods Grounded Theory Study
  38. Effective Classroom Teaching Methods: A Critical Incident Technique from Millennial Nursing Students’ Perspective
  39. Simulation Education Approaches to Enhance Collaborative Healthcare: A Best Practices Review
  40. Erratum to 5-Years Later – Have Faculty Integrated Medical Genetics into Nurse Practitioner Curriculum?
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