7 fires

Seven Fires Student Name: School Name: Abstract This paper reflects an overall view of human development from the Aboriginal worldview perspective through Elder Danny Musqua teachings. The author attempts to survey the seven primary stages of human development that will comprise the holistic knowledgebase of these stages. He terms it as the Seven Fires of Life. Since the topic is complex and wide to represent it in a systematic way requires an intensive search. It reflects the challenges that come as a result of documenting and preserving Elder Danny’s Teachings. In addition, it articulates the knowledge of human development as rooted from North America’s knowledge system since it has been noted that modern technology impact has made this knowledge diminish. She further examines the Aboriginal culture and how from childhood people have acquired the Aboriginal knowledge through the lifelong process of oral traditions and experiential learning. Furthermore, she reflects her arguments on oral tradition as her major research methodology employed in her project. That oral tradition as a means of preserving and transmitting ideas to the people in the Aboriginal world is still regarded as a crucial guide to learning though it is of age. The benefits accrued from this project include the endorsing of Aboriginal methods and principles that are to be used in the education process, the role of the Elders as the key source in acknowledging oral tradition as a research methodology being emphasized, the establishment of a guide that can be used for research and education purposes and a forum organized in which the elder’s critical role as a guide and teacher will be shared. Introduction The Seven Fires Title: The Seven Fires: The lifelong process of Growth and Learning as explained by Salteaux Elder Danny Musqua Author: Diane Knight Publication data: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan 1999@Copyright Diana Knight, 1999.All rights reserved. Publisher: Head of Department of Educational Foundations, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. In summary, this book examines the seven stages of human development or “fires” as described by Elder Danny Masqua. Oral tradition in Salteaux describes the “fires” as a learning process of life (Seven Fires, 1999, p.10). The fires constitutes of a humanbeings’ life in the womb as a result of conception; one’s ability to walk; the fire of seven years; little women and men, the young adult, adulthood, the aged and finally death (Seven Fires, 1999, p. 10).Oral teachings and experiential are the key ingredients of attaining knowledge throughout the seven fires of human life and it involves the spirit, heart, mind and body as a holistic process. Furthermore, it reflects the understanding and appreciation for the Aboriginal Culture and tries to complement teachings in graduate study in Western society with the teachings attained through Salteaux learning traditions. Moreover, it encompasses the lifelong journey of learning as manifested through Salteaux oral traditions and it also tries to criticize how the colonization process has disrupted educational process for the aboriginal people. In addition, it touches on oral tradition methodology which encompasses many areas of knowledge; it gives a b...