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From the voices of the oppressed: Cultural and educational experiences of indigenous people in the Andean Region of Ecuador
Abstract
This study critically explores the socio-cultural, political, and pedagogical issues that characterize the experience of indigenous people in the official and informal education system in the Andean Region of Ecuador. This experience is documented through the actual voices of the Indians themselves. It is their testimonies that construct and incorporate the reality of formal and nonformal schooling, including the complex interactions involved between the teacher and student, the content and focus of curriculum, the role of language and culture, the structure of the school, and the inclusion and exclusion of the indigenous community. By means of a series of dialogic, in-depth interviews, the researcher engaged twelve indigenous leaders from five Indian Organizations (a national Confederation, a regional Confederation, and three provincial Federations), in describing, conceptualizing, and theorizing about what education has been and what it might become. The major focus in these interviews was: (1) the historical context of education for indigenous people; (2) the lived educational experience of the participants and its support or negation of indigenous self-respect, cosmovision and beliefs, history, culture, class, and ethnicity; and (3) the contributions of historical context and educational experience to the formulation of indigenous education as an alternative position. Two major themes were made evident in this study. The first theme that emerged from the data is the condition of subordination. Testimonies detail an educational experience that was clearly shaped and positioned by the multiple, complex, and even violent negation and exclusion of indigenous history, language and culture. The second theme is that of indigenous resistance and determination. Despite efforts to "civilize" and destroy the cultural capital that characterizes indigenous identity, the people and their communities have, for most part, maintained a strong sense of ethnic valor. Testimonies document the ongoing nature of this struggle and describe numerous and varied forms of resistance. Overall, this study reveals that government and church sponsored education is neither viable nor appropriate. Participants make clear that only an autonomous indigenous education can afford the potential of a future for these communities, nationalities, and peoples.
Subject Area
Multicultural Education
Recommended Citation
Aulestia, Juan Alfonso, "From the voices of the oppressed: Cultural and educational experiences of indigenous people in the Andean Region of Ecuador" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9022663.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9022663