Joining hands in hope: an autoethnographical analysis of a non-Indigenous educator engaging in Indigenous pedagogy

Abstract

I am a South African who is now a Canadian, with lived experience in both Indigenous contexts. I use these experiences as a springboard into an autoethnography about me as a non-Indigenous educator, understanding authentic relations in Indigenous contexts. I use stories, poetry, reflections and academic literature braided together as an exploration of self in relation to Indigeneity, and a discussion of implications for other non-Indigenous educators working in Indigenous contexts. Within this thesis, I use the word Indigenous as meaning a group of people who were first on any particular piece of land and have lived on it continuously.