Indigenizing Language Teaching through School-Community Collaborations: (Re)Turning to the Land

Abstract

Resistance to colonization and multiple forms of coloniality is increasing worldwide in various spheres of society, and the field of language teaching, especially English language teaching, (hereinafter ELT), is not alien to these efforts. Coloniality in language and education policies has historically influenced Indigenous students’ education (Lomawaima & McCarty, 2006; McCarty & Coronel-Molina, 2017). This still holds true on Indigenous lands in Colombia, where ethno-education policies purport to sustain Indigenous students’ languages, cultures, and epistemologies, while education is mainly tailored to privilege western schooling practices as well as colonial ideologies around languages such as Spanish and English. Recent research has explored the tensions and impact stemming from these seemingly contradicting policies (De Mejia, 2005; Guerrero, 2009:2018). Similarly, studies conducted in higher education suggest that these colonial ideologies often undermine Indigenous students’ cultural and linguistic identities perpetuated through education (Alvarez-Valencia & Miranda, 2022; Cuasialpud-Canchala, 2010; Arismendi, 2016; Usma et al., 2018). Yet, less is known about the possibilities that open up in the resistance to this coloniality when language, especially English teaching is approached through Indigenous perspectives; that is when language teaching is Indigenized. Therefore, this dissertation centers on the Indigenization of language teaching in an Indigenous territory by drawing on Land-based education. Designed as a Community-Based Design Research CBDR (Bang et al., 2015), this study proposes to explore the possibilities school-community collaborations afford to attain an ecology of languages and move toward a dialogue among knowledges, as Wayuu members and the Wayuunaiki and Spanish-English teachers collaborate to center Indigenous perspectives in English teaching and learning. Results of this study indicate that, despite the existence of ethno education policies, coloniality continues to shape the schooling experience of Indigenous children and youth who resist this colonial influence in multiple ways. Findings also made evident the power Indigenous communities have to positively affect the education of their children and how this effect can be potentiated through language teaching, especially ELT. This study has implications for language teachers, learners, and Indigenous communities and is expected to inform language policymakers and language teacher education programs.