A comparative study of animistic thought of Ojibway children on Wikwemikong Reserve Manitoulin Island
Date
1975-09
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Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Language is the way a people see their world. Language is the
way a people see reality and language is the way a people structure their
world. To apply the rules which govern one structure upon a structure
which has its own set of rules is a futile exercise. The educational
system has been imposed on the Ojibway people from outside their frame
of reference. This study resulted from concern over the inconsistent
effects of education on Ojibway people.
Animism as a concept has been studied by many researchers. Its
interpretation, application and effect on the development of cognitive
growth has borne many conclusions. Animism was initially established as
a stage in the development of thought processes in the field of psychology
by Piaget who intimated its universality and general application to
all peoples. Researchers have since found inconsistencies in animistic
thought processes and attributed them to cultural differences.
This study of animism as a concept was applied to the Ojibway
language group of Manitoulin Island in Ontario. This study was designed
to interpret the concept of animism and its effect on cognitive development
among the school children of Wikwemikong, Ontario. The concept of
animism was studied through the use of a constructed instrument designed
to detect the presence of or lack of presence of animism among a random
sample of academically paired school children in three of the four
Piagetian levels of animism. The animism testing instrument was administered
in Ojibway-English (bilingual) and English (unilingual) to two
equal groups of children, who were equally divided by sex. The data was analyzed at the .05 level for statistical significance by an analysis of
variance.
The results of the study showed the strong influence of language.
The bilingual children responded to the concepts of animism within the
Ojibway framework while the unilingual children responded significantly
more to the Piagetian definition of animism.
Other findings indicated there was no significant difference
between grade levels in either the bilingual or unilingual groups. However,
females scored significantly higher than males.
The interaction between language and grade of bilingual and unilingual
speakers was statistically significant. The bilingual children's
concept of animism increased with age while the unilingual children's
concept of animism decreased with age. This age/grade pattern coincided
with the Piagetian theory.
An analysis of the reasons for subjects responses showed that
the bilingual group became stronger in their concept of animism as they
got older while the unilingual children conformed with the Piagetian
definition of animism in which the child's animism becomes weaker with
age. There was no consistency in the sequence of the levels of animism
though all four levels were evident in the responses from both groups.
Since this study revealed that in the concept of animism Ojibway
children mature in a uniquely Ojibway manner and that English speaking
Ojibway children regressed, the education system under which the Ojibway
children are made to conform should build upon the Ojibway child's own
philosophical framework in order to succeed. The teachers should be
native teachers or at least fluent in the native language and knowledgeable
in the culture of these people.
The study recommended that the Ojibway language become the language
of instruction thoughout the school system and that English be
taught as a second language.
The finding of no significant differences among grades implies
that curricula may be more effectively organized on a non-graded basis.
Perhaps the age-grade segregation of the present system needs to be
modified or discontinued.
The discovery of a unique approach to animistic thought among
Ojibway children suggests that curricula might be better established on
a comparative format. That is, Ojibway children might view other people's
values in comparison to their own.
Since the concept of animism to the Ojibway has no restricting
framework and since in the Ojibway language animism is the centre of
Ojibway ethno-metaphysics, a world that is a harmonious whole, the
school of the Ojibway must be modified to correspond more to his world
and away from the restricting structures that have existed up to this
day.
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Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Department
College of Education
Program
College of Education