Everyday Embodiments of Mutual Responsibility among Babies and Toddlers in Tahlequah

• In Event: Children’s strengths for learning and communication in LOPI, in Indigenous-heritage communities of the Americas

Abstract

Drawing from a multi-sited, video-cued study co-constructed with nine communities, we offer two examples of babies and toddlers caring and taking responsibility for one another while coordinating their efforts with caring adults. In one example a five-month-old was crying uncontrollably for a few minutes while an 11-month toddler looked on. In the second example, toddlers and babies gathered at a table in the classroom multiple times, an act that required patience and long waits by adults and children alike. We share how UKB and Cherokee educators and community leaders used stories from the past and present to explain why their children know and respond to collective needs so young.

Authors

• Jennifer Keys Adair, The University of Texas at Austin

• Andrew Dayton, University of Southern California