Please see our new website:
http://www.lclark. edu/~iwok

The Indigenous Ways of Knowing Program

Mission

To empower Tribal communities by providing educational experiences through a multicontextual process rooted in Indigenous Worldviews.

About the Program

The Indigenous Ways of Knowing Program has four main components; Lifeways Program (Language and Artisans), the Indigenous Scholarly Talking Circle, Education and Counseling Training (curriculum) & Student and Community Support. We are governed by the IWOK Leadership Council; they set our vision according to their knowledge of the critical unmet needs of our Native Communities in balance with the strengths of Lewis & Clark College.

As we look to the twenty-first century, honoring and learning from the tradition, wisdom, and resilience of Native American cultures, people, and communities is essential to our nation’s positive leadership. In an increasingly multicultural and complex world, The Indigenous Ways of Knowing Program will prepares native and non-native teachers, counselors and related community leaders for positive and informed leadership roles.

Lifeways Program

The IWOK Lifeways Program actively engages carriers of Indigenous Knowledge & their students in an intense learning experience through workshops, lectures and traditional transfer through formal protocol.

Our first Lifeways Lecture, in May 2007, featured Takirirangi Smith, a Master Maori Carver. Over the next year our vision includes incorporating future programs that include Master Linguists and Master Artisan Canoe Builders & Cultural Carriers.

Indigenous Scholarly Talking Circle

A community of Tribal Elders, Leaders, Students & Academics interested in preserving Indigenous Knowledge through traditional pathways and scholarly discourse.

Education & Counseling Instruction

The IWOK Program has a series of approved curriculum at the Graduate level to compliment our programs in both Education and Counseling.

These courses can be accessed through becoming a student in the graduate school or participating as a practicing professional through our Continuing Education Program.

Student and Community Support

The IWOK Program Office and staff operate as a primary point of contact for any Native student wishing to learn more about Lewis & Clark and higher education opportunities as well as faculty and staff interested

in Indigenous Knowledge. We will be hosting the 2008 Oregon Indian Education Association Youth Conference (OIEA) in May 2008. We are active participants in local and regional organizations and activities that promote and support Native Programs and Communities.

IWOK Staff

Mary Clare, Co-Principle Investigator, IWOK Program
Mary M. Clare is a Professor and Director of The Oregon Center for Inquiry and Social Innovation in the Graduate School at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Her research and scholarship have focused on applications of psychology in schools with particular emphasis on identifying and correcting enculturated systems of oppression. Her book, Responsive Assessment: A New Way of Thinking About Learning (1994, Jossey-Bass) is in revision.

Se-ah-dom Edmo (Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce, Yakama), IWOK Coordinator
Se-ah-dom was born and raised in the Portland-Metro area and has strong ties with local and regional Native communities. She has worked extensively with AmeriCorps, OMSI and, most recently, OHSU's School of Medicine where she coordinated the Diversity Achievement Programs which assisted students from groups underrepresented in medicine to pursue medical careers. She was active as a descendent of the Celilo community in preparations for the commemoration of 50 years since the inundation of Celilo Falls (March 10, 2007).

Roy Sampsel (Wyandotte,Choctaw), Adjunct Professor, IWOK Leadership Council Liaison
Roy is currently the Executive Director of the Institute for Tribal Governance. He was formally the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Interior, for Indian Policy. Roy is active in tribal fish restoration projects based in the Columbia River Basin. He assisted in the development and served as the first Executive Director of the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission (CRIFC).

History of the Program

In the fall of 2005, the Ford Foundation awarded the Lewis and Clark Graduate School funding for a planning grant to support the development of The Indigenous Ways of Knowing Project. This Project, an innovative Native American studies program, is housed in the Graduate School's Oregon Center for Inquiry and Social Innovation and has its foundation in the commitment to strong schools and communities shared by tribal leaders of the Pacific Northwest and the faculty and administration at Lewis & Clark College.

The Indigenous Ways of Knowing Project created curriculum for Lewis and Clark graduate students, Native American and non-Indian, that will prepare them to live and be of service in a world where multiple voices, multiple cultures and multiple ways of knowing are central to successful, life-long professional growth and service. The Indigenous Ways of Knowing also created systems of support for incoming Native American students and faculty.

As we look to the twenty-first century, honoring and learning from the tradition, wisdom, and resilience of Native American cultures, people, and communities is essential to our nation’s positive leadership. In an increasingly multicultural and complex world, The Indigenous Ways of Knowing Program will prepare native and non-native teachers, counselors and related community leaders for positive and informed leadership roles.

Contact