Chapter 14: (S)He who Will Transform the Universe: Ecological Lessons in Community Education from the Indigenous Americas

This chapter discusses Indigenous¹ community education—focusing on the Pueblo de Cochiti, a Keresan-speaking community in New Mexico, and Hatun Shonko, a Quechua Wanka-speaking community in Perú—via the exploration of the agricultural community as primary learning space, community members as educators, endangered ecological philosophies, and Indigenous languages.

Comparative educational research allows researchers and communities to identify common educational themes, challenges, and solutions. The four characteristics of comparative educational research are as follows: (1) emphasis on descriptive outcomes, (2) relationship to development, (3) an understanding of each culture, and (4) presentation of useful generalizations (Noah, 1985). The comparison of Hatun Shonko and Cochiti communities draws on these methodological strengths, while also enhancing the literature about eco-education. However, this comparative project is also timely, because these communities are in a stage of economic and environmental shift, during which they are redefining tradition and development. This period of rapid transition also unfortunately endangers the maintenance and continuity of Indigenous praxis. Though Indigenous knowledge and practices can potentially address some of the greatest ecological challenges of our time, they are constantly in danger of disappearing (Godenzzi, 1997). Therefore, support for and the application of Indigenous ecological knowledge, which is culturally framed within formal and informal educational planning, becomes a critical matter in sustaining global ecological diversity for all.²