There is a famous phrase among indigenous peoples about walking in two worlds. One is the traditional teaching path, and the other is the Western world path. I have related to and thought about this statement throughout my teaching career, especially as I have worked to inculcate my students' mother tongue and culture.
When I was a kid, Indigenous history was just one unit of dozens focused on Western history and success. Current events and indigenous peoples were never included in the same sentence. I felt like my Indigenous identity, especially my Rakshota identity, was seen as a blip in history and not important enough to learn about. I came to know about Rakshta's teachings only with my family and at home. Rakshota sounded foreign to me until my freshman year of high school, where he was enrolled in two years of classes but eventually dropped out. I have struggled throughout my life to gain confidence, a sense of belonging, and pride.
This experience inspired me to begin my master's capstone research project on Maspiya Luta Owayawa's dual immersion program. My colleagues and I focused on taking the teachings of education and transforming them into education based on Lakshta culture. Mashpiya Ruta Owayawa students receive a culturally-based education, learning through the Rakshta language and perspective, which is the focus of the curriculum. These students are growing up in a school environment where Rakshota language and culture are normalized and celebrated.
I still vividly remember one experience when I was interviewing students for my project. When I asked them questions, they answered fluently in both English and Lakshta, and most of the sentences were a mix of languages. They expressed their gratitude for this education and confidently assured me that they recognized themselves as leaders in our community. One student even said, “He shows that he is proud just by being a Rakshota all the time.”
After the students left, I cried tears of joy. Because the students' answers, especially this one, were things I could never have said at that age. It was one of the most enlightening and emotional conversations I've had in my life.
These students' experiences and relationships with education are very different from the experiences of all previous generations of Rakshotas, including myself. Students of this generation come to school every day and sing Rakshota devotional songs. Their core literature consists of traditional stories that have been passed down through generations within our tribe. Classroom management is done through Rakshota values and kinship. This is their educational experience. They are proud and confident to lead the way in an education system built by Indigenous peoples, for Indigenous peoples.
I look back at my life before becoming a teacher and my current development and consider myself lucky to be able to walk this path, a path rich in Rakshota language and culture that my students walk alongside me. I often find it hard to believe that. I am proud to have contributed to the revitalization of the Lakshta language and to have built a foundation of Lakshta knowledge system and teachings for future generations. My hope is that 50 years from now, I will be surrounded by a community that speaks fluent Rakshota, and that their children and grandchildren will be learning and walking the same path as my students today.
