Nlakapmux Grandmothers' Stories

Nchwa' squest. My name is Beatrice Tiila Marie Anderson. I am Nlakapmux, a social worker, educator, mother, wife, Grandmother, and great Grandmother. Not all learning in Indigenous communities is attained through formal institutional settings. Much of our important learning comes from Indigenous Knowledge (IK) passed on through family and social contexts. This research examines, documents, and contributes to knowledge about how generations of Indigenous Nlakapmux Grandmothers from the Interior of British Columbia carried out their responsibilities to transmit Nlakapmux educational and socio-cultural knowledge to their family and community members. Grandmothers are an integral part of the family's social learning environment. This knowledge is important to understand because traditional family pedagogies were and continue to be at the heart of how Nlakapmux children learn and how Nlakapmux knowledge and values are transmitted and sustained. The process of colonization lessened this important approach to Indigenous intergenerational learning. My work is therefore an important perspective from an "insider" acknowledging and celebrating Indigenous voice and knowledge.