Indigenous Education: Protocols

Protocols and methodologies are the gifts that come from the creator.

This is a cultural framework that has been practiced since time immemorial.

When accessing sacred teachings, knowledge, and understanding of culture, ceremonies, and traditions.

When you are wanting to request certain information from knowledge keepers, or Elders there are protocols are to be used in order to have your specific request fulfilled.

Each First Nation’s communities have their own unique and diverse way of Protocols and it will differ from region to region.

The idea of the Protocol is to establish a dialogue with an Elder or Knowledge Keeper and enter a path to respectfully obtain cultural knowledge.

Why Would You Give Protocols?

When you approach an Elder or Knowledge keeper one of the protocols you can do offer Tobacco.

This tobacco is a sacred material that comes from the earth and used in our peace pipes which is our strongest form of prayer to the creator.

This tobacco you use is a way of asking an Elder or Knowledge Keeper to request a certain objective which can be to lead a ceremony, offer prayer, or share some specific knowledge.

The Elder or Knowledge keeper will then either accept or reject the tobacco based on their own humility to know if they can deliver what you are asking of them.

This is a powerful way of creating a relationship and creating a path of learning Indigenous Knowledge.

Some of the things that go along with Protocols now is also to add a small gift along with the tobacco when the task that has been asked is being done.

For example….

When we are at a Powwow, sometimes there are dance specials.

Within these dance specials, you may ask an Elder to pray for your family, pray for your gifts that you are going to give away and to offer blessings for everyone.

You may approach this Elder with tobacco to see if they would be able to do this task.

Then you can give the Elder a blanket as well along with some travel and coffee money to further honor them and give thanks for their prayers.

An Elder or knowledge keeper may never even ask for other gifts or money but it is a very nice gesture for their time and years of knowledge and teachings they are utilizing to carry on the specific tasks.

Tobacco and Prints

Tobacco is given to represent the pipes.

Prints you give as well are cloth materials that are represented by different colors. Each color has different meanings like representing the different directions and also the different elements and laws of our planet.

How You Can Teach This to Youth

Teach kids that there is a two way street of accessing knowledge.

1. To Give and Offer First
2. Then to respectfully receive

You can teach them to respect these protocols and ways of doing things.

Ask the youth to write down 5 things they might want to ask an Elder or Knowledge Keeper.

Ask the youth how they might approach an Elder and what are they offering in return for this knowledge or task they are asking.

Ask an Elder

Here are Some Questions For an Example

1. Why do we use Protocols and What do The Colors of Prints Represent
2. What is the Chicken Dance Ceremony and Why do We Do it
3. Can You Teach Me How to Speak My Indigenous Language
4. Can You Teach Me a Prayer I Can Say For My Family Each Morning
5. What Do The Different Types of Smudges Mean and Why Do We Use Them

These are just a few questions that you can ask or ideas to get your mind going.

Get the Kids to come up with their own list and what types of questions they might want to ask.

Please comment on the type of protocols that you use in your Tribe?