Singular or easy answers may not exist for much of what I ponder. Because of the messiness of life, it is important to view things from a variety of perspectives in considering possibilities. A Coyote tale may help illustrate how new perspectives can be found through kindness and openness to others. In this story, Rabbit teaches Coyote a special song that makes his eyes fly out and then back to him, but Rabbit warns that the song should not be used more than three times–a warning that Coyote does not heed and ultimately costs him his own eyes1. As he stumbles blindly down the trail, Coyote encounters first a Mouse and later a Buffalo, each of whom offer Coyote one of their eyes. These gifts allow Coyote to see, albeit viewing the world differently through his new eyes. So, too, Mikmaw elders Albert and Murdena Marshall share about the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, which “refers to the ability to see from one eye with the strengths of one way of knowing and to see from the other eye with the strengths of another way of knowing”2. This concept of multiple ways of seeing is also important when considering that Indigenous peoples are not homogenous, representing individuals from over 500 federally recognized tribes in the U. S., bringing diversity of histories, experiences, and traditions3.
In reflecting on my own journey, I would like to think that I bring multiple ways of knowing to things–both that of the world of practice in which first-hand interactions are central and that of literature, which captures ideas and findings in a relatively static manner representing specific understandings at particular points in time. At the same time, there are many different perspectives that I have just been introduced to and possibly others that I have not been exposed to yet.
Sources:
1, 2 Greenwood, M., & Jones, E. (2015). Being at the interface: Early childhood as a determinant of health. In M. Greenwood, S. de Leeuw, N. M. Lindsay, & C. Reading (Eds.).
3 Peacock, T. D., & Day, D. R. (2000). Nations within a nation: the Dakota and Ojibwe of Minnesota. Daedalus, 129(3), 137-159.
In reflecting on my own journey, I would like to think that I bring multiple ways of knowing to things–both that of the world of practice in which first-hand interactions are central and that of literature, which captures ideas and findings in a relatively static manner representing specific understandings at particular points in time. At the same time, there are many different perspectives that I have just been introduced to and possibly others that I have not been exposed to yet.
Sources:
1, 2 Greenwood, M., & Jones, E. (2015). Being at the interface: Early childhood as a determinant of health. In M. Greenwood, S. de Leeuw, N. M. Lindsay, & C. Reading (Eds.).
3 Peacock, T. D., & Day, D. R. (2000). Nations within a nation: the Dakota and Ojibwe of Minnesota. Daedalus, 129(3), 137-159.