Quality teachers for indigenous students: an imperative for the...

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The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives,2013,12(1),98–118 iSSN1443-1475©2013www.iejcomparative.org

Quality teachers for indigenous students: an imperative for the twenty-first century

konai Helu ThamanThe University of South Pacific, Suva, Fiji

This paper argues that all learners need teachers who are not only professionally qualified but also culturally competent. This is particularly so with teachers of indigenous students, who face the conflicting expectations of schools and those of their home cultures. References to Pacific students will be used to illustrate some of the conflicts as well as attempts to address teaching and learning issues in Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

Keywords: Pacific indigenous knowledges, teacher education, Pacific research frameworks, wisdom, culture.

Quality education for indigenous peoples means that our education in principle isbasedonourownculture,ourknowledge,ourownlanguagesandlearning/teachingtraditions.Fromthisplatformindigenouspeopleswillbeabletoreachforthebestintheglobalgardenofknowledge(oleHenrikMagga,PresidentoftheUNPermanentForumon indigenous issues,cited inKing&Schielmann,2004,p.10).

This article is about the need for cultural competence among the attributes of those whoaregoingtobecometeachersinPacificislandCountries(PiCs),aregionthatisarguablyoneof themostculturallydiverse regionsonearthandwhere indigenouspeopleusuallymakeup themajorityof the region’spopulations.Consequently theterm‘indigenous’ isproblematicwhen it isused in thecontextofPiCsbecauseoftheUnitedNations’definition(ofindigenouspeople)asthosewhoareminoritiesintheirowncountriesandreflectedintheabsenceofanycasestudiesfromthePacificregioninaUNpublicationon‘Thechallengesofindigenouseducation:practiceandperspectives(KingandSchielmann,2004).Forthepurposesofthisarticle,indigenouspeoplereferto(first)peopleoftheland,irrespectiveofwhethertheyconstitutemajorityor minority populations.

AlthoughPacificindigenouspeople’srighttoformaleducationisnotdenied,many,especiallythosewholiveinruralareasandremoteislandsaredisadvantagedinthatthey have limited access to formal education, especially high school and tertiary

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education. This is particularly so in countries of Melanesia such as Papua NewGuinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Furthermore, the education that is provided in most PICs in the form of schooling is often culturally undemocratic in that it does nottakeintoconsiderationthewaysinwhichPacificpeoplearesocialised,learn,andcommunicatewithoneanother (ramirez&Castaneda,1974).Today, an importantchallengeforPacificeducation,especiallyformaleducation,ishowtopreparepeopletoliveinanincreasinglyglobalisedworldandatthesametime,developsystemsofeducationthatwillensurethesurvivalandcontinuityoftheir(Pacific)cultures.Thisis the hidden message in all educational plans and an important part of the underlying principleinthePacificEducationanddevelopmentFramework2009-2015.inorderto make progress towards this end, Pacific education must first acknowledge thevaluesandknowledgesystemsofPacificpeoplesinordertoensuretheirsurvivalandcontinuity, in the faceofwhatUNESCohas called the increasingglobalisationofforeigncultures,theirlanguages,knowledgesystemsandcommunicationnetworks.

Forthepurposesofthisarticle,educationissimplydefinedas‘worthwhilelearning’.Formal education would refer to organised, institutionalised, worthwhile learningas in schools; non-formal education toorganised, non-institutionalised,worthwhilelearning;andinformaleducation,toworthwhilelearningthatisnotorganisedandnotinstitutionalised. Indigenous education refers to the education systems of indigenous peoplesthatwas,inrelationtoPacificislandcommunities,thedominantsystemofeducationbefore the introductionofschools,butnowexistonlyoutsideofschoolsmainlyinruralareas.Cultureisdefinedasthewayoflifeofapeoplethatincludestheirvaluesandknowledgesystemsexpressedthroughtheir language(s).ofall thedefinitionsofculturethatexist,theUNESCooneistheclosesttothewayindigenouspeople themselves see culture. UNESCo recognises that culture in inclusive ofspiritual, material, intellectual and emotional considerations, and provides the foundationforeducationforsustainabledevelopment(UNESCo,2005).Thisviewisdifferentfromthewayculture isperceivedbymanyWesterners,orexpressed invariousformaldocumentswhereitisoftenseenasavariableandseparatefromotherssuchaseconomy,environment.idistinguishbetweencultureandethnicity.Whereasethnicity, like race, is a notion based on biology and shared gene pools, culture is a social concept, based on shared values, behaviour, and performance. Membership of anethnicorracialgroupisdeterminedbybiology;whereasmembershipofaculturalgroup is determined by behaviour and performance. People may belong to a particular ethnicgroupbutdonotidentifyculturallywiththatgroup.Pacificpeopledidnothavea notion of ethnicity before European contact but they had a concept of culture in thattheywereawareofpeoplewhoweredifferentfromthembecausetheybehaveddifferently towards one another as well as towards others (Linnekin and Poyer,1990).Thedistinction isofparticular interest toeducators in thatwhileaperson’sethnicitycannotbechanged,cultureislearnedandapersonmaylaterchoosewhichcultural group(s) s/hemaywish tobe identifiedwith and/or belong to. indigenouseducation is usedhere to refer to a systemofworthwhile learning associatedwiththe cultures of indigenous peoples. In this article, I shall outline the main features of

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Pacificindigenouseducation,andhowtheydifferfromschooling, inorder todrawoutsocalledstrengthsandweaknessesineach,inlightoftheculturalcontextsandlearningneedsofPacificpeople.iwillthenoutlineexamplesofwhatPacificscholarsand researchers are currently trying to help improve learning not only for indigenous students but also prepare future teachers to recognise the special learning needs of indigenous school children.

EDUCATION bEfORE SCHOOLS

Before schoolswere introduced to Pacific island communities in the early part ofthe 19th century, (indigenous) education was the joint responsibility of extendedfamily members and the community. in today’s expression, we would say thatlearningwasmainlynon-formalandinformal,underpinnedbysharedvaluesderivedfromculture,aimedatculturalsurvivalandcontinuity.Thecontentoflearningwassourcedfromlifeitselfanddrawnfromaknowledgesystemandepistemologythathad existed for thousands of years. Cultural values underpinned the processes of teaching and learning and through observation, imitation and practical activities, the accumulatedknowledge,skillsandvaluesofthecultureweretransmittedtothenextgeneration, using the vernacular language, by appropriate persons, usually elders, to futuregenerations.Successful learningwas judged throughpeople’sbehaviourandperformanceandaperson’sfailuretobehaveappropriately(toknowwhattodoanddoitwell)waslargelyareflectionofpoorteaching,becauseteachersweresupposedtomodelthe(appropriate)behaviourexpectedofyoungpeople.indigenouseducationmaybesaidtooccurinaneco-culturalenvironmentwherelearningwasfacilitatedbythosewhothemselveshadmasteredtheworthwhileknowledge,skillsandvaluesthatwereexpectedtobepassedon(Thaman,1985;1988).

WhenChristianmissionariesestablishedschoolsinvariousPacificislandcommunitiesless than two hundred years ago, no one asked howPacific people conceptualisedwisdom, learning, teaching or knowledge or what values were emphasised.Missionaries introduced schools completewith introduced conceptual frameworks,setsofpracticesandvalueswhichweresupposedtoofferPacificpeopleopportunitiesfor enlightenment, civilisation, and later cash employment. The main aim of schools andthenewlyestablishedreligiousbodiesthatintroduceditwasconversionoflearnersto a new religion and anewwayof life, amounting to a transformationofPacificpeoples,theirculturesandcommunities.Thecontentofschoolingwasintheformofsubjects,sourcedfrombooks,whichcontainedwhatwasconsideredworthwhilebasedonadifferent (European)epistemology.Christianvaluesprovided the rationale forteachingandlearningandtheteacherswereforeignmissionarieswhohadlearnedandtranscribedthelanguageofthepeople.Learningwasconfinedtospecialplacescalledschoolsandspecialpeople(teachers)wererequiredtoteachthenewsubjectstothosewhoattendedschool.Learningwasmainlythroughroteasmuchofitdidnotrelatetoreallife;itwasassessedthroughpenandpapertestsandthosewhofaileddroppedout of school and did not proceed to the next level of learning. Thus it is probably safe to say that schooling has largely resulted in the destruction and/or the devaluing

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ofPacific indigenous educational systems togetherwith the values andknowledgethatunderpinnedthem.Theassumptionthen,asitisnow,was/isthatwhateverwasdeemedworthwhiletolearnandtoteachinEurope(ornowintheU.S.A.,AustraliaandNewZealand)wasimportantfor the livelihoodsofPacificpeopleaswell.Thecontentandprocessesofschoolingwas(andis)assumedtobe‘universal’andculture-free.However,duringthepasttwodecades,andencouragedbytheUNWorlddecadefor Cultural development (1987-1997), and now The UN decade of EducationforSustainabledevelopment (dESd), an increasingnumberofPacificpeople andcommunities have been asking questions of their education systems and some are tryingtoputculturebackintotheformaleducationprocessasawayofaddressingthedeteriorating quality of school education in most parts of the region or just because it isimportantforitsownsake(Thaman,1992;Pene,Taufe’ulungaki,&Benson,2002:Lini,2002;Thaman,2010).Theimplicationsofthistrendforteachereducationhasbeen a major concern of several educational initiatives in the region, including those associatedwiththeUNESCoChairinteachereducationandculture,locatedattheregionaluniversityoftheSouthPacificandPridE.

CULTURE, TEACHING AND LEARNING

Western social scientists tell us that culture matters because of the way it shapespeople’s beliefs and attitudes, their roles and role expectations aswell as thewaythey interpret and make meaning of their own and other’s behaviour (Eagly andChaiken,1998).Sociologists inparticularassert that roleexpectations, learnedandinternalisedthroughtheprocessofsocialisation,helpguidepeople’sbehaviourandsocialinteractions,andwhenpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundsusetheirownindividualculturalcuestodefineandinterpretroleexpectationsofothers,roleconflictsoftenresult.Similarly,communicationproblemsoftenarisefromalackofknowledgeand understanding of cultural norms and cues, deemed important for interpreting the behaviour and conduct of those involved in the communication process, such as, for example, between teachers and students (riley, 1985;Widdowson, 1987; Ninnes,1991;Taufe’ulungaki,2000).Centraltotheteaching/learningprocessandamongthethingsthatusuallyinfluenceandaffectteachers’andlearners’roleexpectationsiswhathascometobeknownasroleboundary,which,whenbreachedandunfulfilled,oftenresultsinconflictsituations(Coleman,1996).Thenotionofroleboundaryseemstobeakintothepan-Polynesianconceptofva/wah,whichinmanyPolynesianculturescommonlyreferstobothaphysicalaswellasametaphoricalspacethatdefinesandsanctions inter-personalaswellas inter-group relations (Thaman,2002).Pedagogyhowever,mediatesroleboundaryalthoughpedagogyitselfisshapedbytheculturalvaluesandideologiesofthesocietyinwhichitoriginatesandteacherstransmitandreinforcetheculturalvaluesthatareembeddedintheirteachingapproaches(Barrow,1990;Leach,1994;Kelen,2002).Whereindigenousstudentsareconcerned,teachersmustbequalifiedprofessionallyaswellasbeculturallysensitive(Thaman,1999a).

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A CULTURALLy DIVERSE REGION

MembersofaPacificculturalgroupshareaculturalhistory,sustainedandmaintainedbyitsownlanguage,epistemologyandwayofseeingtheworld.ThePacificislandregionhasoverathousanduniqueculturalgroupseachwithitslanguage,knowledgeandvaluesystemsunderpintheindigenouseducationofgroupmembers.MostPacificcultureshaveexistedforthousandsofyears,andithasbeensuggestedbywriterssuchasLinnekinandPoyer(1990)thatPacificpeoples’differentresponsestotheonslaughtofoutsideforcessuchascolonialism(andnowglobalisation)was,andcontinue tobe,afunctionoftheirculturaldifferences.inPiCstherelationshipsbetweencultureandeducationareusuallyexpressed in twoways: thefirst relates to theconflictingemphasesofformaleducation(schooling)withthoseofmostlearners’‘home’culturesresultinginwhatLittle(1995)‘culturalgaps’;and,thesecondrelatestotheroleofschooling in the development of cultural and/or multi-cultural literacies along the lines thatHirsh(1988)suggests.Bothare importantconsiderationsin themover tore-examinePacificeducationbyPacificresearchersandscholarsespeciallyinthelasttwodecades,reflectedintheactivitiesoftherethinkingPacificEducationinitiative(rPEi).

Schooling and indigenous education

TherPEiwaspartlytheresultofaconcernforthecontinuingdominanceofmainlyEuropean based knowledge, skills and values in the curriculum of Pacific islandschoolsandhowtheyhavehelpedtransformnotonlythestructuresandprocessesofPacificindigenouseducationsystemsbutalsothewayPacificpeopleseethemselves,theirenvironments,aswellasthewaytheythinkandcommunicatewithoneanother.The early 1990s saw an increasing number of Pacific-based educators expressingconcern about the school curriculum and called for a more concerted effort to create moreculturallyinclusivecurriculumforPiCs(TeasdaleandTeasdale,1992).Manyhaveembarkedontheorisingtheirowneducationaswellastheireducationsystems,inanattempttoclarifyforthemselvesthedifferencesbetweentheirreceivedwisdom(fromtheirformal,mainlyWesterneducation)andthewisdomoftheculturesinwhichtheygrewupandweresocialised,andfromwhichtheygainedimportantknowledge,skillsandvalues(Thaman,1993;NaboboandTeasdale,1995;Taufe’ulungaki,2000;Bakalevu,2000;Thaman,1988;1992;1993).Thishasbeenawelcomedevelopmentespeciallygiventheargumentthatthedifferencebetweenthesetwo(sources)issmallforthosestudentswhosehomeculturesareattunedtothecultureofformaleducationbutlargeforthose(students)whosehomeculturesarevastlydifferentfromthecultureandexpectationsofschooling(Little,1995)andthecontinuingtrendofPacificlearningenvironmentstobeculturallyundemocratic(Thaman,1993;2000).

Teaching and learning in a foreign language, characteristic of most classrooms in PiNs is probably themost obvious example of a culturally undemocratic learningenvironment. Language is often seen as a key player in the development of thinking andunderstandingaswellasthetransmissionofthesetofuturegenerations.Theway

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schoolstransmitknowledgeisbasedontheassumptionthatknowledgehasdistinctirreducibleformswhichprovidethebasisforsubjectdivisionsandcompetenceinasubjectisgainedseriallywhilelearningisseenasanorderedprogressionthroughahierarchyofknowledgeandskill,mediatedthroughlanguage.Thepointtoemphasisehere is that it is from value and belief systems that cultural groups develop rules of behaviour including those of communicative conventions, and teaching and learning strategieswhich are consistent with their own values and beliefs (Taufe’ulungaki,2002,p.18).MystudyofTonganteachersreflectedtheimportanceofTonganvaluesandbeliefsintheirperceptionsofthegoalsofschoolinginTonga–whichitoughttopreparestudentstobepoto–knowingwhattodoanddoingitwell,withinthecontextofTonganculture.Unfortunatelythestructureaswellastheprocessesofschoolingdoes not reflect the value emphases of the culture, which include: considerationof the spiritual; respect for authority; kinship and interpersonal relationships; restraintbehaviour;concreteandspecificcontexts;traditionsandcustoms;and‘ofa(compassion)(Thaman,1988).

inrelationtolearningandthinkingstyles,Taufe’ulungaki(2000)arguesthatthinkingof Pacific islanders ismainly right-brain dominated emphasising creative, holistic,circular,andpeoplefocused,withthemainlearningstrategiesbeingobservationandimitation rather than verbal instruction; trial and error rather than oral instruction; behaviour and performance in real life situations rather than practice in a simulated or contrived setting; mastery of context-specific skills rather than learning ofdecontextualised and generalisable principles; and, people and process oriented rather than issues or objectives oriented.

Formillennia,Pacificculturesprovided the frameworkand the lens throughwhichmostpeopleseethemselvesandtheirworld.TodayPacificpeoplesshareworldviewsthat comprise intricate webs of inter-relationships, providing meaning to, andframeworks for,daily livingandcultural survival.Generallymanifested invariouskinshiprelationships,suchframeworksnotonlydefineparticularwaysofbeingandbehavingbutalsowaysofknowing,typesofknowledgeandwisdom,andhowthesewere/arepassedonand/orcommunicatedtoothers.ManyPacificpeopletodaybelievethat for the sake of cultural survival and continuity, schools (and in turn teachers)shouldhavearoleinthetransmissionofthebestofPacificcultures,especiallytheirlanguages,tofuturegenerationsofPacificpeople(Pene,Taufe’ulungaki,&Benson,2002:Johannson-Fua,2006).ThisisparticularlyimportanttodayastheglobalmarketideologypervadesthelivesofeventhesmallestandmostisolatedPacificcommunity.Withglobalisation,educationisincreasinglyseenasacommodity(tobesold)intheglobalmarketplaceanddevelopedcountriessuchasAustraliaandNewZealandhavebeenproactivelymarketingtheireducationalserviceseverywhereincludinginPiCsmaking issues such as cross cultural transfer, globalised curricula and appropriate teaching and learning strategies important for Pacific people (Mathewson andThaman,1998).

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CHALLENGES TO TEACHING AND TEACHER PREPARATION

GiventhedegreesofconflictbetweentheexpectationsofPacificindigenousculturesandthoseofschooling,teachersinPacificschoolsfacethedifficulttaskofmediatingthe interface between the different cultural systems of meanings and values thatcontinuetoexistinschools.Teachers’professionalroledemandsthattheyinteractwithstudentsaswellastheirparentsbutoftenthereareconflictsintheclassroomsmanyofwhicharecommunicatedtoteachersindirectlybythebehaviouroftheirstudentsastheymovebetweentheirhomeculturesandthatoftheschool.itisimportantthereforethatteachersknowthedifferencesaswellascommonalitiesbetweendifferentPacificcultural perspectives. Moreover, they need to understand and continually re-think their roleandtheorisetheirowneducationinordertofindwaysofintegratingthedifferentcultures, which have contributed to their own development. For Pacific educationsystems, the role of teachers in revitalising learning cannot be overemphasised. This has serious implications for the institutions that train teachers.

Another reason why it is important for higher education institutions to focus oncultural competence as important attributes for graduate teachers has been the fact that insomecountries, therearehighpushoutratesandthereforewastagedespiteoverthreedecadesofdonor-assistededucationalreforms(Sanga&Taufe’ulungaki,2005).The quality of schooling had therefore increasingly become a concern of Ministries ofEducationaswellasaiddonorsnottomentionstudentsandtheirparents(AdB,1996).Universally,schoolshadbeenexpectedtofulfil threemainagendas,namelythe promotion of economic progress, the transmission of culture from one generation tothenextandthecultivationofchildren’sintellectualandmoraldevelopment.Theassumptionhereisthatchildrenwouldbehelpedtogrowintellectuallyandmorallybyexpandingtheirknowledgeandunderstandingoftheirculturalheritages.Thispersonalgrowthwouldempowerthemtobuildupontheirheritagethroughdiscoveringimprovedwaysofmanagingthemselvesandtheirenvironment,andgeneratinggreaterwealthfortheirsociety.However,schoolsinbothdevelopedaswellasdevelopingcountrieshave fallen short of this ideal synthesis mainly because the economic and cultural agendasof schoolinghave increasinglycome intoconflict (Serpell,1993). inPiCsthe problem has been further complicated by the existence of differing perceptions aboutchildren’sintellectualandmoraldevelopmentandtheirrelationshiptothetypeofsocialisationpracticesthatexistindifferentPacificsocieties,oneembeddedwithin(Pacific) cultures and vernacular cultural traditions on one hand, and a European-based perception that informs teaching and learning in school and higher education institutions, on the other. In this scenario teachers occupy an important but culturally ambiguous position. Whilst their professional training commits them to the rationale andpracticesofawestern-derivedschoolcurriculum,theirpersonalidentitiesareoftenrooted in their own cultural traditions, values andnorms.Furthermore,while theirtrainingmakesthempartofintellectualelite,theirearlysocialisationoccurredwithina vernacular/indigenous culture that is very similar to that of many of their students. In mostPacificcommunities,schoolchildren’srelationshipswiththeirparentsandotherelderscontinue tobenegotiatedwithin the termsofreferenceof localculturesand

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vernacularorindigenouseducationsystemsthathavetheirownideasaboutcognitivedevelopment, interpersonalandsocial responsibility,aswellas thedevelopmentofwisdom.

Atschoolhowever, thevaluesof thestudents’homeculturesareusuallyneglectedand/or de-emphasised and discouraged because they often conflictwith the valuesthattheschoolistryingtopromote(forexample,competitionversuscollaboration).For example, schooling and the educational bureaucracy rely on universalism and impersonality,indigenouseducationsystemsrelyonspecificcontextsandinterpersonalrelationships.Andwhile schooling andhigher education promote individualmerit,indigenouseducationisbasedontheprimacyofthegroup.Today,theextenttowhichtheschoolanduniversityrepresenttheculturesofPacificcommunitiesisminimal(Sanga,2000).Atbestschoolingofferstheluckyfew(lessthan5%)accesstothemodernised,monetisedsector;atworstitisarecipeforstudentfailureandthedestructionofthebestofPacificislandculturesandcommunities.Todayastheglobalmarketideologypervades the livesofPacificpeoplesandtheirPacificeducation, it is importantforthose involved in the preparation of teachers to continue to re-think and re-examine theirwork.Thisisvitalaswearenowwitnessingaresurgenceoftheculturaldeficitmodel not only in relation to schooling but also to students and the communities that sendthemtoschoolwhoareoftenblamedforstudents’underachievementinschool(FijiTV,Localnews/12.7.06)

The recent focus of higher education institutions on graduate attributes in general and teacher attributes inparticular is awelcome sign to thosewhohavebeenworkingtowardsensuringculturalsensitivityandinclusivenessamongthePacific‘steachingforce.Thismaybeseenasaculminationofnearlytwodecadesofadvocacybeginningwith the 1991 UNESCo sub-regional workshop held in rarotonga, Cook islandswhich had reaffirmed the need for Pacific ownership of the school curriculum ifimprovementinstudentlearningoutcomesweretooccur.Therarotongadeclarationhadnotedthevitalcontributionofteachersinsuchaprocess(TeasdaleandTeasdale,1992),shortlyafter;thePacificAssociationofTeacherEducators(PATE)wasformedwiththeaimofre-examiningtheircurriculumofteachereducation.Thisworkwasfurtherstrengthenedbytheestablishment,in1998,oftheUNESCoChairinteachereducation and culture at the USP tasked with advocacy, teaching, research, andpublications, of the centrality of cultural considerations in teacher preparation and curriculumdevelopmentinthePacificregion.

Review of the teacher education curriculum

With funding from theUNESCooffice for thePacificStates located inSamoa, amajorcollaborativeresearchprojectwhichwasundertakentofindouttheextenttowhichthecurriculumofteachereducationreflectedand/orincorporatedelementsofPacific cultures and theirKnowledge andValue systems.TheProject itself helpedraise awareness among teacher educators in the various training institutions, abouttheimportanceofPacificculturesintheeducationofteachersbothasapedagogical

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toolaswellasanimportanttopicofstudy.TheprojectalsoprovidedanexampleofpartnershipbetweentheUniversityoftheSouthPacific’sinstituteofEducation,theUNESCoChairinteachereducationandculture,PATEandstaffofsevenregionalteacher education institutions: three in Fiji, and one each in Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Kiribati, and Solomon Islands. The information gathered helped in the development of educational material aimed at enhancing the ability of teacher educators to better contextualise their own teaching and thus provide better role models for traineessinceitwasclearfromthesurveyresultsthatmanycollegestaffwereeitherunableor unwilling to seriously take into consideration the cultural backgrounds of theirstudentsintheselectionofcoursecontent,methodsofteachingaswellasassessmenttechniques(Thaman,2000).

An importantoutcomeof theaboveprojectwas thepublication in2000of severalTeacherEducationModules targeting teachereducatorsaswellas trainee teachers.The authors of these Modules are Pacific researchers and educators who wereconcernedwiththeneedtomaketeachingandcurriculummoreculturallyinclusive.Using the general theme of Cultural Democracy in Teacher Education, six Modules wereproducedandauthoredbyPacificscholars.Theyincluded:

• Thaman’sTowardsculturallydemocraticteachereducation;

• Taufe’ulungaki’sVernacularlanguagesandclassroominteractioninthePacific;

• Nabobo’s incorporating local knowledge in teaching about education andsociety;

• Tupuola’sMakingsenseofhumandevelopment:beyondwesternconceptsanduniversal assumptions;

• Bakalevu’sWaysofmathematisinginFijiansociety;and

• Sanga’sLearningfromindigenousleadership.

Aswellastheproductionofteachereducationmaterial,theUNESCoChairtogetherwithstaffandstudents in tertiary institutions in theregioncollaborated incarryingoutresearchintovariousindigenouseducationalideasofseveralPacificcultures,asawayofprovidingbasicinformationaboutPacificKnowledgeSystems.Animportantoutcome of this partnership has been the publication of Educational Ideas from Oceania (Thaman,2003,revisedin2009)acollectionofessays,authoredbystaffandstudentsfromaroundthePacificregion.ThebookisbeingusedasatextforundergraduateandpostgraduatestudentsattheUSPaswellassometertiaryinstitutionselsewhereintheregion.AculminationoftheadvocacyforPacificculturesandknowledgesystemsinthecurriculumofformaleducationwastheendorsementbyPacificForumEducationMinistersin2010ofthePacificregionalStrategyforCultureandEducationwhosevisionis‘CulturallyinclusiveEducationforAll’.Alotofworkremainstobedone,especially in relation to the preparation of teachers, in order to realize the goals of this framework.

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RETHINkING PACIfIC EDUCATION INITIATIVE (RPEI)

Theconcern aboutownership and relevanceofPacific education togetherwith theneed for cultural democracy in the school and higher education curricula provided therationaleforthere-thinkingPacificEducation(rPEi)heldin2001,attheUSP.Co-hosted by the USP Institute of Education and the School of Education, Victoria UniversityWellington,theinitiativeprovidedanopportunityforPacificeducationalresearchers and educators to evaluate educational progress in their own countriesandcalled for a re-focusof educationalplanningonPacificvalues andknowledgesystems.Aspecificgoalofthisinitiativewasteachereducationandtheneedtoensurecultural competence among graduate teachers through helping them theorise their educationaswellasdevelopingandusingculturallyinclusivecontentandpedagogiesin the classroom.Culturally inclusive teacher educationwas seen as central to theachievementoftheobjectivesofrPEi.The‘Treeofopportunity:re-thinkingPacificeducation’ contains the papers presented at this symposium and it too is a usefulresourceforPacificandnon-Pacificeducatorsintheregionandbeyond.

The2001symposium,togetherwithotherrPEiinitiativeswasfinanciallyassistedbythegovernmentofNewZealandforwhomrPEimembersaregrateful.inparticularfunding fromNZAidenabled several education research projects to be completedin New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon islands, Papua New Guinea andVanuatu.Thefindingsoftheseresearcherswereseenasimportantforthere-thinkingprocessinthecountryoftheresearchers.Aswellasresearch,rPEihasalsojointlyorganisedandhostedseveraleducationalconferencesaimedatraisingawarenessoftheneedtore-thinkandreclaimPacificeducationbyPacificpeople.Theseincludedthere-thinkingVanuatuEducation,PortVila(2002);re-thinkingEducationalAidinthePacific,Fiji (2003);re-thinkingTeacherEducation,Samoa (2004),rethinkingEducationinMicronesia,Majuro(2004);andTowardsCulturallyinclusiveCurriculumdevelopmentinFiji(2006);andFuturedirectionsinFiji(2010).rPEicontinuestobe a network of Pacific educatorswho are passionate about and committed to theimprovementofteachersandteachinginPacificcommunities,betheyinthePacificislandsorindevelopedcountriessuchasAustraliaandNewZealand.itisimportantthat these educators and researchers are encouraged and supported so that they can continue tomakeadifference to theeducationof their fellow islanders, especiallyteachers.ThefocusofrPEionindigenousculturesandtheirknowledgeandvaluesystemshaveresultedinbothpositiveoutcomesaswellaschallenges.

TheemphasisonindigenousEducation(iE)isduetoourbeliefthat:

• iEwillhelpPacificcountriesindevelopingculturallyinclusivecurriculumandinstruction and thereby move closer to achieving many of their educational goals, especially thoseassociatedwithEFA,decadeofLiteracy,decade fora culture of peace, and Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. In 2010,PacificEducationMinistersendorsed thePacificregionalStrategyforCultureandEducationwhosemainaimisculturallyinclusiveeducationforall;

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• iEwillenhancethestatusofresearchanddevelopmentofPacificepistemologiesandknowledgesystems;

• iEwillbringaboutasenseofownershipofeducationsystemsbyPacificpeoples(Teasdale&Teasdale,1992);

• iE will result in more relevant and culturally appropriate and meaningfulcurriculum, pedagogy, and assessment methods in formal education in PICs;

• IE may reduce failures and push-outs in schools;

• iE allows Pacific teachers and tertiary students to study and research theirowncultures,knowledge systemsand languages andbetter contribute to thedevelopmentoftheirowncountries;

• iE will help decolonise education and empower Pacific peoples to developtheirownmodelsandframeworksfordevelopmentespeciallyforteachingandlearningandthusreducethedependenceontheideasandskillsofpeoplewhooftendonotunderstandtheculturalcontextsofthecommunitiesinwhichtheywork.

Despite the advantages of focusing on indigenous education, there continue to be seriouschallengestotheworkthatisbeingcarriedoutintheregion.Theseinclude:

• Lack of relevant and appropriate resources, both human and material, to assist thosewhowishtobettercontextualisetheirwork,beitinteaching,curriculumplanning or policy development

• over-dependenceonforeignfinance,technicalassistance,andpersonnel,andtheir educational ideas and theories,making it difficult for Pacific people toopenlycritiquetheprocessesaswellastheplannedoutcomesoftheassistancethat they receive

• Failureofmanyindigenousaswellasnon-indigenouspeopletoacknowledgeand/or value indigenous knowledge and the people who produced thatknowledge;

• Untilrecently,themarginalisationofPacificculturalknowledgeandvaluesininstitutionsofhigher learningteachingandresearch.(USPhasnowincludedPacificCultures and Societies as a priority area in its research agenda andStrategicPlan2013-18)

• The continual appropriation of Pacific knowledge by some individual andorganisationsoftenclaimownershipoftheknowledgeofPacificpeoples

• The continuing epistemological silencing of attempts to centre teaching and learninguponthevaluesandknowledgesystemsofPacificpeoples.(FocusingonPacificculturesandtheirknowledgesystems,characteristicoftheworkofmanyPacific educators such as those atUSP, has been labelled by some as‘culturalist’,motivatedbypersonalyearningsforaneragoneby(seeBurnett,2005)

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• The strong force of globalisation, which discourages Pacific teachers andstudentsfromrecognising,valuingandstudyingtheirownindigenousknowledgesystems for fear of being branded as old fashioned, romantic or even racist.

TOwARDS A SyNTHESIS Of INDIGENOUS AND wESTERN EDUCATIONAL IDEAS IN TEACHER PREPARATION

There have been some positive signs in relation to the struggle for cultural democracy in highereducation,includingteachereducation.Theinclusionof‘Pacificconsciousness’inalistofdesirablegraduateattributesfortheregionaluniversity(USP)isanexamplealthough ‘consciousness;hasnotbeenadequatelydefined forcurriculumpurposes.Thereisnowacompulsorycourse,PacificStudies,forUSPundergraduatesbutitdoesnotspecificallydealwith indigenouseducationor indigenousknowledge.TheonlyEducationundergraduatecourseonindigenouseducationwasdeletedinordertomakewayfortwogenericcoursesforsecondyeardegreelevelstudiesaspartof theon-goingStrategicAcademicreview.Thereare,however,somepostgraduatecoursesthatincludeindigenousandtraditionalknowledgeandindigenouseducationindisciplinessuchasGeography,PacificStudiesandEducation.Furthermore,anincreasingnumberofpostgraduateandthesisstudentsarechoosingindigenousortraditionalknowledgesystemsasareasofresearch,thusaddingtothestoreofknowledgethatcanbemadeavailabletothosewhoteachPacificstudentsespeciallyinhighereducationinstitutionsinthePacificregion.Morespecifically,attheSchoolofEducationwhichoffersteachereducationprogramsfromEarlyChildhoodtoTertiary,thefollowingareexamplesofwhatisbeingoffered:

• inpre-serviceaswellasin-serviceprograms,studentshavebeenencouragedto study and research indigenous education and knowledge systems: inparticular, indigenous educational ideas and processes. One of the outcomes of this opportunity has been the publication of Educational Ideas from Oceania, consisting of essays on different conceptualizations of teaching, learning, knowledge and wisdom, from around the Pacific region. it provides usefulinformation about indigenous education in the countries concerned and is a useful text for both undergraduate and postgraduate students;

• An increasing number of Pacific students are choosing to study Pacificindigenous education, in universities in Australasia, including at the School ofEducation, taking up the challenge of researching their own cultures andepistemologies. The launching of dr. Nabobo-Baba’s book ‘Knowing andLearning:anindigenousFijianapproach’inJuly2006,andSereimaNaisilisili’sPhd study onTraditionalKnowledge ofCu’u (VanuaLevu, Fiji, 2011), aretestimonies to the courage and determination of such scholars;

• For teacher educators, a series of Teacher Education Modules on the theme ‘Towards culturallydemocratic teacher education’havebeenmade availablefromtheUSP’sinstituteofEducationsince2000.These, togetherwithotherpublications, including conference papers and student theses, form the core

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ofresourcesonindigenouseducationavailableforusebythosewhomaysochoose;

• in the area of curriculum development, a major focus of the work of theUNESCo Chair in teacher education and culture has been advocacy forindigenising the curriculum of teacher education by incorporating local and indigenousknowledge,andencouragingteachereducatorsaswellastraineestodothesame.Thisisdonethroughtheteachingcurriculumcourses(forexample,Advanced Curriculum Study), as well as through advocacy as a curriculumconsultantandfoundingmemberoftherethinkingPacificEducationinitiative(rPEi). in2006, therPEi and theUSP instituteofEducation (ioE)hostedcurriculum planners from around the region in a conference to discuss and re-thinkthecurriculumoftheirrespectivenationsandhowtheymightbechangedin order to make it more culturally inclusive. Indigenous resource persons from PiCs,NewZealandandAustraliaprovideduseful suggestionsas tohow theschool curricula as well as school examinationsmight be changed in orderto provide for amore culturally democratic learning environment in Pacificschools.Theresultingpublication,rethinkingthePacificCurriculum(Sanga&Thaman,2009)isnowusedbyundergraduatesaswellaspost-graduatestudentsat the USP;

• in2004,PacificKnowledgeSystemswasincludedinalistofresearchpriorityareasforUSPbutwasdeletedfouryearslaterwhenanewPVCresearchtookover.ApolicyonPacificartsandculturewasalsoacceptedbytheUniversityCouncil in 2004 that required, among other things, the mainstreaming ofPacificcultures,theirartsandknowledgesystemsinthecoursesandprogramsofferedbyUSP.AlthoughacourseonPacificStudiesisnowcompulsoryforallundergraduatestudentsatUSP,andPacificculturesandsocietieshasbeenrestoredasaresearchcluster,thereisanurgentneedtoembedPacific-nessinallaspectsoftheuniversity’swork,especiallyinrelationtoimprovedfocusoninter-personalandinter-grouprelationships,asitisinthisareathatpotentialconflictsareboundtooccur.WiththeendorsementbyPacificEducationMinistersoftheregionalFrameworkforCultureandEducationin2010,theregionaluniversityis duty bound to assist its staff aswell as futurePacific educatorsmake thevision of the Ministers, for culturally inclusive education for all, a reality.

Research: combining indigenous and global knowledge

Research is an important consideration in Indigenous Education, especially research conductedbyPacificpeopleswhoareworkinginEducationand/ortrainingteachers.in thisarea,whatmostPacificscholarshavefoundwas theabsenceofanyseriouschallenging of the unilateral assumptions of a universal model of research, withtheAcademybeing the central authority in knowledge production.Although someuniversity researchers had noticed that somethingwas amiss,manywere probablytoo afraid to say anything for fear of being ridiculed and/or victimised. Some realised thatEuropean-derivedsystemsandframeworksofresearchdidnothavetheconcepts

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bywhichtheirexperiencesandrealitiescouldbeappropriatelyrepresented,named,described,andunderstood.ifindigenousknowledgewasincludedinsomecourses,asin Education for example, it tended to occupy a marginal position compared to those ofWesternorGlobalknowledge.Pacificscholarswhojoinedthestaffofuniversitiessometimesnoticedthatwhattheythoughttobeappropriatefortheirresearchaswellas those of their students needed to be within existing colonial frameworks eventhoughpoliticaldecolonisationhadalreadyoccurredinmanyPacificcountries.Moreimportantly,somerealisedthatthetoolsthattheywereusingbelongedtothoseverymodelsthattheyweretryingtodeconstructandtheyrealisedthattheywereindangerofbecomingequallyoppressive themselves.Theydecided that itwas time to looktowardstheirculturesforappropriateframeworks/spacesinwhichtheycouldbeginto create and theorise their own indigenous knowledges and education (Thaman,1992).FornearlytwodecadesnowanumberofpioneeringworksbyPacificscholarsare beginning to be recognised and accepted as relevant resources for teaching and researchinhighereducationinthePacificregion,andmanymorearebeingdevelopedandcritiqued(seeforexample,Thaman,1992;Tamasese,Peteru&Waldegrave,1997;Smith,1999;Bakalevu,2000;Manu’atu,2000;Maua-Hodges,2002;Nakata,2001;Taufe’ulungaki&Johannson-Fua,2005;Nabobo-Baba,2006;Naisilisili,2011).

inmanyoftheeffortstodecoloniseteachingandresearchframeworks,theworkofindigenous educators inAotearoa, New Zealand is here acknowledged. Since the1990s,Maori researchers have beenworking towards creating amore appropriateinterfacebetweenindigenousknowledgeandglobalknowledge,andbetweenformaleducation and indigenous education, through developing Maori education and Maori researchframeworks(Smith,1999).Today,thereareconsciouseffortstoencourageandnurtureresearcherswithinhighereducationinstitutionsaswellasinMaoriandPasifikicommunities.TheincreaseinMaoriandPasifikistudentswhoarestudyingforhigher degrees in universities in Oceania is testimony to a determination of Maori and Pasifikipeopletoreclaimtheireducationandknowledgeproductionprocesses.Formalorganisationshavealsobeencreatedtoassistinthiswork,suchastheMaramatangaresearchCentreof theUniversityofAuckland(www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/sites)andtherethinkingPacificEducationinitiativeintheregion.it isobviousthatresearchinto indigenous knowledge has becomemore urgent than ever because the peoplewhomayholdthisknowledgeare theelderswhomaynotbearoundtosharetheirknowledge.

Pacific research frameworks

iwishtobrieflydiscussheresomeofthePacificresearchframeworksthathavebeenuseful in the decolonising process. The Kakala Framework was recently appliedin a research project in Tonga on Sustainable Livelihood. Developed by the author in 1992,Kakala is sourced from theTonganmetaphor of the same name –whichmeansagarlandoffragrantflowers.KakalahasequivalentsinotherPacificcultures,forexample,salusalu(Fiji),lei(Hawaii)andhei(Cookislands),andinsomeAsiancultures (forexample,hanawa inJapan).Theprocesses involved inkakalamaking

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are similar to those used in the research process and comprised of toli (materialsselection), tui (makingofakakala)and luva (presentationofakakalaasa signofrespect and love). in the presentation of a research report, it is important that theresearchersrespectthecommunitiesinwhichresearchwasconductedandresearchersareaccountabletothem.AmoredetaileddescriptionofthekakalaframeworkmaybefoundinThaman(1997)andJohansson-Fua(2006).Theframeworkwascritiquedandenhancedin2005withtheadditionoftwomoresteps:teu(preparation)andmalieandmafana(evaluation)byTaufe’ulungaki,Johansson-FuaandVanuatu.Thisexpandedkakalaframeworkwasadoptedinamulti-countryresearchprojectonEducationandSustainableLivelihoodwhichwaspilotedinTongaandfundedNZAid.

TheFa’afaletuiframeworkwasdevelopedbyTamasese,PeteruandWaldegrave(1997)and is of Samoan origin. It is based on three major emphases in the consideration of (three)vantagepointsinrespectofaneventorissue,namely:i)peoplelookingdownfromamountaintop;ii)peoplelookingdownfromatree;andiii)peopleinacanoe(whoareclosetotheaction).researchersaresaidtobethepeopleinthecanoe,whoare closest to the actionwhile policy analysts are like thepeopleon themountaintopwho critique the research and help analyse the different perspectives from theinformation gathered.

The Tivaevae framework was developed by Cook islander Maua-Hodges (2002)and is particularly important for teamwork among researchers. Tivaevae refersto the communal art ofquiltmaking (tivaevae) andhasbeenapplied to individualresearchersconductinginterviewswithpeopleintheircommunities,collectiondataand contributing to the design of the overall research project. Thismodel reflectsandrespectstheethnicdiversityofPacificresearchersandtheircommunitieswhilemaintaining an overall structure for the research. The tivaevaemodel when used,ensurescoherencesinceallthedifferentpatternsandpartsofthetivaevaearesewnorwoventogetherinanappropriateway(Koloto,2002,p.9).

TheVanua frameworkwas developed andusedbyNabobo-Baba in her study thatdocumented Fijian epistemology in the vanua of Vugalei. Vanua is that holistic conceptionofpeople,land,genealogy,life,place,knowledge,clansallwrappedintoone, and central to all indigenous communities and worldviews. Nabobo-Baba isnowusingher framework to teach researchPacificresearchMethodologies at theUniversityoftheSouthPacific.

Kakala, Fa’afaletui, Tivaevae and Vanua have been successfully used in researchstudiesinthePacificregionincludinginNewZealandinthepastdecadebyscholarssuchasKoloto(2000)andJohansson-Fua(2006)whoclaimedthattheirresearchwasimportantbecauseitwasthefirsttimeresearchersusedPacifictheoreticalframeworksand methodologies in a major research project in the region. As principal researcher, Koloto for example, found that all three models provided useful frameworks forherteamwhofoundtheworkexcitingandagoodopportunityforateamofPacificresearchersfromdifferentPiCs tocometogetherandconductresearchwithin their

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owncommunitiesandenhancedtheirskills.itwasalsoanopportunitytofurthertesttheeffectivenessofPacifictheoreticalframeworksandvalidatethemforotherPacificscholars and researchers.

Takingadvantageofopportunitiestofurtherre-thinkPacificeducationandimproveteaching,learningandresearchoutcomesintheregionissomethingthatarecentweb-basednetworkofPacificeducators(NoPE)hopestorealise.NoPEprovidesaforumforeducatorstoshareknowledgeandexperiencesthroughtheuseofnewtechnologies.Many of these educators are teachers and/or teacher educators, and some have been workingintheareaofindigenouseducationforsometime,tryingtolearnmoreaboutit,promoteitandbasicallyre-claimitforthemselvesandtheircommunities.NoPEalsoisevidentofthefactthatPacificpeopleareadaptingtonewchallengesandtakingadvantageof the globalisationof technologies to stay connectedwith one another.The goods that many value, such as cars, TVs, computers, et cetera, are being used to restoreandfacilitatetraditionalknowledgeandinformation.Thisisevidentthroughthemanysiteson theWWWthatattest to the fact thatPacificpeoplesarekeen torecognise their sharedhistory,culture, languageaswellas religion.Theinternet isbeingusedtoemphasisuniquecharacteristicsofparticularPacificidentitiesaswellasaPan-Pacificidentity.

The growing interest in Pacific Studies and Pacific epistemologieswas evident inthe number of Pacific peoplewho presented at a curriculum conference in Fiji in2007.itisalsoincreasinglyevidentamonguniversityresearchstudentsinAustralia,NewZealand,HawaiiaswellastheUSmainlandwhohaveculturallinkstoPacificcultures(Kiste,2002).Newinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(iCTs)arealsoallowingPacificpeoplearoundtheworldtoincreasetheirprofileinmainstreamsocietywithoutinfringementofautonomy–thusofferingpotentialforgreatersecurityforindigenousvaluesandknowledgesaswellasgreatersharingwithotherindigenouspeopleselsewherewhilemaintainingtheircorerelationshipswiththeirowncultures(Thaman,2010).

valuing and using the wisdom of indigenous education

AlthoughsomeprogresshavebeenmadeinthePacificregiontowardsreclaimingPacificindigenouseducationandusingittostrengthenandimprovethelearningoutcomesofformaleducation,wehavealongwaytogoandalotofworkremainstobedone.ThefollowingaresuggestionsforconsiderationbyteachereducatorsbasedonourexperienceinteachingandlearningaboutiEinthePacific.Theyinclude:

• Encourage and develop studies of indigenous educational ideas among trainees. This is particularly important formulti-cultural contexts where teachers areoften culturally different from the students that they teach;

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• ConductandencourageresearchintoPacificknowledgesystemsasawayofacknowledgingandrespectingtheknowledgeofindigenouspeoples.developand/orusewherepossiblePacificresearchframeworks;

• Include community elders and community members in decision-making especially in relation to teaching and resource development in the areas of cultureandlanguages.ownershipofknowledgeandlearningisanimportantconsideration in indigenous education;

• Demonstrate and encourage cooperative and participatory methods of teaching and promote the use of these in classrooms;

• Encourage students to take courses in vernacular languages, if these are offered; better still, make these compulsory for teacher trainees;

• Encourage teacher educators to contextualize their teaching and develop culturally meaningful resource materials and assessment in their courses;

• Offer opportunities for teacher educators to learn more about the home cultures and languages of the students that they teach;

• Work towardsdevelopingsynergiesbetween teacher training institutionsandcurriculum development units so that information and experience are shared amongthosewhoareresponsibleforcurriculumreformandteachereducation;

• Encourage and support the use of vernacular languages in the classroom;

• developcoursesandteachingmaterialsthatrecogniseandvaluePacificculturalknowledgeandwaysofthinkingandbeing;

• Demonstrate the use of a variety of methods of teaching and promote the use of culturally inclusive curriculum and pedagogies;

• Use a variety of assessment methods and work towards more continuousassessmentratherthandependenceonfinalexaminations.

CONCLUSION

The case for valuing, addressing, and integrating indigenous knowledge into thecurriculaofPacificschoolsandhighereducationinstitutionscannotbeoveremphasized.This is particularly so because the reasons for the lack of education in some parts ofthePacific(especiallyinruralandremoteareas)gobeyondaccesstoschooling,affordabilityandlackofresources.Furthermore,whenpriorknowledgeorindigenousknowledgeisintegratedintotheclassroomorlearningenvironment,studentsbetterconnecttothematerialtaughtandcanbecomethemajorknowledgesourcesfortheircommunities’sustainabledevelopment(WorldBank,2005).

For thoseofuswhostill call thePacific islandshome,butwhowereorarebeingeducated in higher education institutions outside of our home countries and cultures, ournewlyacquiredworldviewsmayrepresentourflightfromourculturalroots,from

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natureandfromoneanother.Perhapsitistimethatwemorecloselyexamineourown(cultural)waysofthinkingandknowinginordertoexplorewhatmightbechangedinourteachingandlearning,sothatwecancreateforourselvesandforthoseunderour care, an educational environment that is not only sustainable but inclusive in its processes, contexts and outcomes.

iendwithapassagefromMotarilavoaHildaLini,ofVanuatu,whoprovidesarationaleforindigenousEducationinPiCsthatisdifficulttocounteract.Shesays:

Conflictsbetween indigenousculturalvaluesand foreignvalueshavebecomeongoingissuessincethewaveofEuropeancontactfirsthitthePacificislands...LikeaPacificwomaninpain,sometimesthepainbecomesunbearableandthePacificspiritualitycriesoutloudlyforattention...Thesearewarningsignstore-examineourpast,re-defineourpeacefulco-existencewithotherswhosharethesamemotherearthandtopayourrespectwhereitisdue.Thismustbeacceptedas an ongoing process in order to heal the past damage and restore the natural peace elements needed for future generations to inherit their natural human rights inasafeenvironment(Lini,2002,p.4).

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Professor konai Thaman holdsaPersonalChairinPacificEducationandCultureattheUniversityoftheSouthPacific.SheisaTongannationalandhasworkedattheUSPsince1974.ShehasaBAinGeographyfromtheUniversityofAuckland,anM.A. in International Education from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and PhD in Education from the USP. She has conducted research, consultancies andpublishedwidelyintheareasofteachereducation,curriculumdevelopmentand culture and education and has held senior administrative positions in the USP including Director of the Institute of Education and Pro Vice Chancellor and ActingdeputyViceChancellor.SheisaFellowofAPEidandamemberofseveralinternationalandprofessionalorganisationsincludingtheUNiTWiN/UNESCoAsiaPacificHigherEducationNetworkandtheJointiLo/UNESCoCommitteeof Experts on the Application of the Recommendation on the Status of Teachers (CEArT),andtheAsiaPacificregionalScientificCommitteeonresearchinHigherEducation.Sheisalsoawidelypublishedpoet(fivecollectionshavebeenpublished)[email protected]

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