Cultural aspects of preschool education: Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi Indian children's 'ways of knowing and communicating' in early intervention and Head Start programs

This research investigated what Anishinabe cultural values and beliefs are transmitted in the Head Start and Early Head Start of the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, and how Anishinabe values and beliefs affect instructional communications, teacher/student relationships, and the learning styles used by Native teachers in the educational process of Anishinabe children in the preschool situation. The study used an ethnographic approach to identify what informants would describe was their culture among the four Inter-Tribal Preschool programs. Observations completed in the classroom, home and community environment sought to discover how parents, teachers, children and staff use the culture in the preschool process. Outreach to interview Elders and grandparents from each of the four communities were an important component of this research in reconstructing the aboriginal culture and Tribal history.; Triangulation of results was completed through ethnohistorical research examining the original culture from first contact forward. Specifically, the project inquiry focused on substantiating the elements described in the interview context to determine if aspects of the aboriginal traditional culture remained active in the communities. Progressive ethnologies and history were used to reconstruct the transitional stages of the cultural evolution in the sociological and ideological beliefs and values of the three Anishinabe groups studied; and to evaluate the impact of endemic forces of change.; The results of this research found that the cultural orientation of the Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi (Anishnabe) groups interviewed reflected differential stages of traditional "knowing," "expression" and "training" of children in the Inter-Tribal preschool environment. The transmission of the cultural values and beliefs from adults to children in the Inter-Tribal programs was evident and appeared to vary across centers dependent upon the amount of bicultural exposure experienced by informants; the availability of parents, teachers, caregivers and volunteers versed in the traditions. Socialization of children into the culture was consistent within the Tribal communities, as was the involvement of culturally competent community resources to guide the administration and delivery process of the Head Start Programs.