How Native Traditions can Inform Digital Practices

To state that we live in the information age is equivalent with stating that the sky is blue. You gain no peer admiration for your brilliance and may be judged for the simplicity of your thinking. Yet I will make the obvious statement: we live in the information age! So what?  So, we are informed, inundated and at times incensed by exchanges of information. Yet even in this current age, can we really say that we understand what it means to respect information?  This is a skill or tradition which often escapes the rapid strokes of our keyboards and allure of the “send” button.

I recently had the opportunity to read about some of the teachings of the Piikani Blackfoot Nation on http://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/. I will never view information as I previously did. What I learned from the teaching of Dr. Reg Crowshoe and Geoff Crow Eagle is that the stories, dances, songs and customs they share are not merely for entertainment. They are sacred and highly revered means of passing on information about identity, and necessary understanding to live well and maintain their ways of life. This transference of information is a shared responsibility by all adult members of the Nation and is conducted with respect and integrity. The culminating result of this process of sharing is that there is deep understanding and learning because both the giver and receiver of that information respect its authority. Furthermore, it is vitally important that the individual who is sharing the information does so in such a way that understanding occurs.


Quite often, digital exchanges of information cause confusion and conflict. I believe that if we learn from the traditions of the Piikani Blackfoot Nation and teach our students/children to engage in exchanges of information with a desire for understanding and demonstration of respect, then we will be providing them with the necessary understanding to live well –emotionally and mentally in ever an changing world.

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