Katie Dickison

LBST 330

Sean Ashley/Josema Zamorano

November 8, 2018

Reading Response 4

As I was reading Chapter 2 of Linda Tuhiwai’s “Decolonizing Methodologies” I began to consider how my personal views and experiences may shadow new knowledge and understanding. The chapter focuses on research through imperial eyes; the way that western society sees the indigenous culture. What Tuhiwai brings to light is that Western society has cast the indigenous culture under a certain lens by comparing it against western culture and making it seem as though it is lesser rather than simply, being different. Instead of seeing it for what it is and accepting it as a new way of understanding the West tried to apply their values and beliefs on a system that already has one developed and when it didn’t work, it was seen as though the indigenous were the problem and not the West. Understanding is something that you gain; you cannot acquire it right away and it takes time, a lot of time to develop. In trying to gain new understanding it’s important to be open, to not let your bias hold you back, and to be a good component within the dialogue of play with new knowledge and research that may come your way for that is the only way to create a greater understanding.

In reflecting on the concerns that I have about myself as a researcher I do worry as to how my research will come across to others and how my understanding will be received. No matter how old you are or where you come from each and every one of us carries our own experiences and beliefs and that in some way or other shapes our understanding. There’s no avoiding it so the key is to acknowledge that it is there and to know what it is so that when you come to conclusions you know how you got there. Due to the fact that I was born and raised in Canada in a traditional household, and going to a traditional school, that has a had a big impact on my life and in one way or another it shapes the way that I see the world. All my past experiences came from that life and I haven’t known anything else, but at the same time, I know that there’s something else out there and I would never pretend to know what it’s really like if I haven’t lived it. However, I know that I will compare it to my more traditional lifestyle, but that’s not to say that it’s any lesser. I know that it’s different, that’s what makes it’s so interesting to me. I always try to be as open as possible and I try not to cast judgment before it’s due because I like to think that I’m welcoming of new knowledge. I never assume that someone is wrong, just that they have a different opinion than I do. I try to see things how they would and to understand how they came to that conclusion. I have this need to understand people and to know what makes them who they are. I find humans so fascinating because each and every one of us has our own story; it’s something that’s so personal and each one so unique. That’s why I’m so interested in doing research on the society behind the art. I want to look into the world that created the art that has been beloved for centuries.

The challenge for me as I conduct my research is to not create conclusions because I know that my answers will be harder to find. I will never truly know what an artist was really thinking or what the society was really like because I wasn’t there; I didn’t live it. And there’s no way for me to interview anyone from that period because they are long gone. Due to the fact that I carry my bias with my I fear that because I am searching for answers that will be harder to find I won’t be able to help myself from putting my past experiences, my traditional upbringing, into a world that is not my own. That is what the West did and look how damaging that was and is for the indigenous community. They never sought a greater understanding because if so they wouldn’t have cast their system on a society that already had one. For that is no way to truly understand anything; in doing so you’re only putting up walls to where the knowledge can’t reach. I just hope and pray that I don’t offend anyone with my understanding. I will try my best to see things for how they are and not for what I want them to be. However, I have only stated one of my main concerns and I don’t think that there’s any use in me addressing it right now because I can’t predict the future. I have no idea what’s to come and the problems that I may face; for this is merely a prediction