Moral Education Through Oral Narratives: Perspectives From Indigenous Communities

• In Event: The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Indigenous Research in Education: A Fireside Chat

Abstract

What does it mean to be a citizen? What does it mean to be part of a society? What are the responsibilities, roles, and rights of the citizens, especially if the person belongs to a marginalized indigenous community? A member of a society? A citizen of a country? How does one become a “good” citizen? In Indigenous cultures, civic and moral education promote harmony among people and harmony nature. In this two part study, first I explore this question in particular settings, indigenous students in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh (Appendix A). In the second part of the study, I explore how indigenous communities use oral storytelling for the moral education of children in three indigenous communities in three countries.

Author

• Maung T Nyeu, Harvard University