Significance of child rearing and the principles of cultural child development in the tradition and contemporary practice among Indigenous people in Canada

The aim of the article is to carry out a literature review concerning the principles of cultural child rearing among Indigenous people in Canada as regards traditional practices and their contemporary adaptation in the shadow of the historical trauma of colonization. The main categories of analysis are cultural connectedness and cultural child development related to Indigenous understanding of child autonomy, discipline, spirituality, building relationships and community in Canadian Indigenous societies. In the first part of the article, the focus is on the importance of cultural connectedness and five areas of connectedness crucial to a cultural framework by which Indigenous knowledge is transmitted, preserved and promoted. In the second part, the principles of traditional child development in contemporary Indigenous practices with some examples such as the “Four Hills of Life” are explored. In conclusion, there is a brief reflection on Indigenous ways of child rearing in the context of its barriers and opportunities.

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