CHAGS13, Dublin – Education for Contemporary Hunter-Gatherers: A challenge for ISHGR

Abstract:

Education plays a crucial, yet complex and often paradoxical role for contemporary hunter-gatherers. Education is a human right, but it is also a tool of assimilation. It is a key to economic opportunity and to informed participation in political and decision-making processes – but the barriers to success facing hunter-gatherers in formal education systems are formidable. The ethos and practice of schooling often conflict with local livelihood strategies, culture, and knowledge, and the exchanges and benefits offered by formal education usually remain out of reach. What kind of education could contribute to ‘living well together’, for hunter-gatherers, those they live with, and for all of us?

In an effort to better understand and approach these challenges, the Research and Advocacy Group for Hunter Gatherer Education (HG-Edu) was established at CHAGS 12 in Penang, Malaysia. The central aim of this group is to use understandings based on scientific research to support hunter-gatherer communities’ ongoing efforts to control their own educational options, and to secure sustainable livelihoods. Our research and advocacy approach connects the concept of education with realistic livelihood opportunities, land rights, biodiversity, and other environmental and cultural issues.

Indigenous knowledge and skills are important for hunter-gatherer communities themselves. They are also a critical element of human diversity. What is the role of formal education in maintaining or undermining these diverse and important environment-based lifestyles? What approaches are hunter-gatherer communities employing to gain access to the skills and knowledge that they deem appropriate for their needs, and how can these be recognized? How can research-based understanding and advocacy support self-determination for hunter-gatherer communities –in terms of education, and more broadly?

This plenary panel will begin with an introduction to the findings of recent research examining hunter-gatherer education at a global level, highlighting the main cross-cutting findings. We will then have three speakers, talking on related themes relevant to the HG-Edu mission:

• Marilyn Ngales (University Lyceum in the Philippines) is an Indigenous researcher who works closely with hunter-gatherer communities in the Philippines. She will discuss the role of formal education for hunter-gatherer children.
• Yon Fernandez de Larrinoa (FAO Indigenous Peoples Team) is an expert in both Indigenous food systems, and the decision-making processes of the UN; he will discuss hunter-gatherer knowledge about food, and the role of education in its maintenance.
• Jennifer Hays (University of Tromso, Norway) is a founding member of the Hunter Gatherer Education – Research and Advocacy group (HG-EDU), she will discuss recent research about hunter-gatherer communities in the global south.