<
https://theconversation.com/connecting-to-culture-heres-what-happened-when-elders-gifted-totemic-species-to-school-kids-202386>
"In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, a totem is a spiritual
emblem from the natural world, such as a plant or animal. The totem is gifted
to an individual by a parent or elder, usually around the time of their birth.
Some people have several totems.
The connection is mutually beneficial: the totem is a protector of the person,
who in turn shows their respect for the totem by caring for it.
We wanted to find out if totemic species, when gifted to schools by Traditional
Custodians, could generate care for threatened species - while also embedding
cultural awareness and Indigenous knowledge in the Australian science
curriculum.
We ran a pilot program to test the idea and build an evidence base. The program
was successful. Care for the totemic species increased and students expressed
enthusiasm for this approach. And there were other benefits too."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
