English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

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In traditional Haudenosaunee society, children had a prominent voice within their
communities. Children were educated by their Elders in the traditional teachings
and stories were used as a way to create their individual awareness of the importance
of culture and community.
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
For Aboriginal peoples, traditional or
Indigenous knowledge is a vehicle for the
transmission of culture. This
knowledge is unique to the different
Aboriginal peoples.
Aboriginal peoples are taught that the
transfer of traditional knowledge is sacred;
therefore traditional knowledge needs to
be handled with the utmost respect, care
and humility by both the person(s) sharing
the knowledge and the person(s) receiving
it. When utilized as a tool for healing
and wellness, traditional teachings can
become “a powerful tool for increased selfknowledge
and self-care.” - Mussell, 2005
Aboriginal peoples are taking measures to
protect Indigenous knowledge in Canada
and internationally. The term used to
describe this process is Ownership,
Control, Access and Possession (OCAP).
- First Nations Centre, 2007
When Indigenous teachings are shared,
child welfare professionals should use
this knowledge with respect, care and
humility.
TEACHING
Balance is important in life.
B. TEACHINGS THAT SUPPORT THE FIRST
NATIONS, INUIT AND MÉTIS FAMILY
Each culture has a foundation of original traditions
and teachings passed on through generations, so that
children would know who they are, what their
responsibilities are and what would be expected
of them as adults. Many of the teachings are being
reclaimed and remembered by First Nations, Métis
and Inuit communities. In that reclamation,
Aboriginal peoples are coming to understand how
violence was traditionally addressed in the
community and how children were traditionally
protected.
Traditional knowledge can help child welfare
professionals understand the depth and complexity
of providing services to an Aboriginal family
experiencing family violence.
THE MEDICINE WHEEL
Aboriginal worldviews assume that all forms are
interconnected; that the survival of each life form is
dependent on the survival of all others. Aboriginal
worldviews also recognize that the force that
animates the life forms is derived from an unseen
but knowable spiritual realm. Aboriginal worldviews
assert that all life is sacred and that all life forms are
connected. Everything that exists in the circle is one
unity, one heart.
The Medicine Wheel, also known as the Sacred Circle
of Life or Wheel of Life, represents the circle that
encompasses all life and all that is known or
knowable, linked together in a whole with no
beginning and no end. The lines intersecting at the
centre of the circle signify order and balance.
The Medicine Wheel teaches the gifts of the four directions and the importance of
maintaining a healthy balance in our families, in our homes, in our Clans, in our communities,
and in our Nations. The Medicine Wheel has endless applications. It can be
used as a teaching and healing tool as well as to instruct individuals about how to live
a balanced life.