What kind of pen do I need to use to write my culture and my language?

Authors

  • Satoru Nakagawa University of Alberta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/G23S3G

Keywords:

narrative inquiry, orality, literacy, aurality, intergenerational, Indigenous peoples

Abstract

Through a form of narrative inquiry involving the use of vignettes and ruminations about present and past, the author examines the role(s) of orality, literacy, and aurality in the intergenerational transmission of his language and culture. Weaving together stories from childhood, memories, and translations of his grandmother’s poetry, the author raises questions about how we, as Indigenous peoples, might ensure that we are able to teach our own next generations our spirits, hearts, being/knowing of the world and who we are as human beings now that oral cultures are being discarded--or worse, written down.

Author Biography

Satoru Nakagawa, University of Alberta

Satoru Nakagawa is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Policy Studies specializing in Indigenous People’s Education at the University of Alberta.

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Published

2011-05-03

How to Cite

Nakagawa, S. (2011). What kind of pen do I need to use to write my culture and my language?. Language and Literacy, 13(1), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.20360/G23S3G

Issue

Section

Articles