Read the following extract from a book written in 1910 describing how boys in Malaita learnt knowledge and skills.

 
The boy follows bigger boys and men along the bush tracks at first on their short and peaceful errands.  He begins to learn woodcraft, to use his eyes and ears, to be ever observant and on the watch. He finds out the various trees and their uses: this for canoe planks, that for its seats, this for firewood, that for house posts, this for arrows or bows, that for club or spear.  He carries a small bow and arrow he has made by watching the bigger boys and will soon begin to practice shooting and later spear-throwing, imitating the men as they do these things.  He will soon be asked to help with simple activities in house building as he watches the older men build a house.  He goes fishing with the older boys and begins to feel the pull of the fish and how to throw the line.  From an early age he has been forced to learn how to handle and stand up in a canoe, simply by being put into one and having to paddle.

 

Think about the story you have just read, and the talks about how people learnt at home, and answer the following:

           

In traditional society

            1.  Did people go to school?

            2.  Were there professional teachers?

            3.  How did people learn knowledge and what kinds of knowledge did they learn?

            4.  How did they learn skills?

            5.  Which of the following were most important in traditional education?

                        Listening

                        Watching

                        Talking

                        Imitating

                        Reading

                        Doing

                        Practicing

                        Writing

     6.  Which of the above are usually most important in modern schooling?

     7.  RTCs aim to teach skills for rural living.  Which of these do you think should be

          important in RTCs?

 

In the story you read in activity A4.1, the boys were not only learning skills but knowledge: the knowledge of different types of trees and their uses.

This is an example of indigenous knowledge. This means knowledge which was learnt in traditional society, not knowledge which has been brought from outside.

Because so much of the knowledge we learn in school has been brought from outside, especially in books, we sometimes forget that our own parents and grandparents have a huge amount of traditional knowledge which is in their heads, not in books, and has been passed down from generation to generation. There is a danger that, if we concentrate too much on the outside knowledge we learn in school, some of the indigenous knowledge may not be passed on and may be lost for ever. There is also a danger that people come to think that the knowledge in books is better than indigenous knowledge, so they do not bother to learn the indigenous knowledge. If RTCs are teaching people skills for rural living some of this knowledge should be passed on by RTCs.

One example of this kind of knowledge was given in the story in activity A4.1. Another example is from agriculture. In every area people know, or knew, what types of soil were suitable for each kind of crop, where that soil is most likely to be found and what kinds of vegetation indicates the presence of each type of soil. Many languages have names which classify soil into different types with different uses. Soil scientists have found that these classifications are often more accurate for the local area than the soil classifications learnt in modern soil science.

In your groups, make lists of all the kinds of indigenous knowledge which might still be useful.

Much indigenous knowledge depends on language and many young people are no longer learning their own language thoroughly.

When you next go home, think of the types of indigenous knowledge you have just listed and try to learn more about them, including the language names and classifications you may not know.

Read summary sheet A2, Some types of indigenous knowledge.

Read the following story written about Longu in Guadalcanal in the 1920s.

“At this stage in children’s upbringing no explanations are given, but the parents insist that the child must share food with other children. A young child, given a piece of fruit, is told to give half to the child he or she is playing with and, if they do not do so, the adult breaks a piece and gives it to the other child.”

Values are beliefs which people hold about how people should behave or treat other people: good or right ways and bad or wrong ways.

1. What values were the parents trying to teach their children in the story above?

2. Are these values still important in Solomon Islands communities?

3. List other values which most Solomon Islands people teach their children.

4. Where are such values best taught: in the home or at school or RTC?

5. Is it possible to teach such values in school or RTCs if they are not taught at

home?

So far we have looked at positive values or attitudes i.e. behaviour which we would like to encourage in RTC students.

However, there may also be negative values or attitudes, based partly on traditional society, which may make our work in RTCs more difficult.

Read the following stories:

Stori 1

Nem blong mi Agnes. Mi blong Malaita. Mi skul long Aligegeo. Taem mi skul long dea, wanfala pis ko hem stap, an hem telem mifala gele hem gud foa mifala lanem mekanik. Samfala boe kros long dis kaen, bat mifala staka gele, so olketa boe no save duim eniting nao.

Go go mi finis fom tri bat mi no pas gud foa go long fom foa. Mi laek skul iet, so mi aplae go long wanfala RTC. Taem mi go long dea, mifala siusim olketa sabiekt an mi telem prinsipol mi laek siusim mekanik. Hem luk sapraes lelebet, bat hem agri, so mi go long klas blong mekanik. Taem mi go long klas mi lukim evri boe nomoa an olketa luk strong long mi. Samfal singaot, “He, iu long rong klas.” Mi stat for sem, bat mi sidaon kwaet long klas, weitem tisa.

Tisa hem kam an hem lu-luk strong long mi tu. Hem se long mi, “Diswan hem no klas blong hom eko,” an mi se, “Mi save.” Olketa boe la-laf moa.

Tisa hem tisem mifala long said long enjin, an hem stat foa kalem mifala foa duim samfala wak long enjin. Go go hem telem mi foa openem wanfala nat wetem spana. Mi traem best blong mi bat hem strong tumas. Olketa boe evriwan stat foa laf moa. Samfala se, “Fitim mekanik tu?” Mi sem tumas, mi klosap dae. Tesa tu hem stat foa laf an hem se, “Mi telem iu finis, diswan hem no klas blong hom eko.”

Go go mi kanduit openem disfala nat. Wanfala strong fala boe hem kam klosap long mi an se, “O K, sis, bae mi helpem iu. Bat ae ting iu no fitim mekanik.” Evriwan laf moa an samfala saot tu. Go go mi ting se evriwan long skul herem.

Disfala strong boe hem trae foa openem disfala nat, bat hem kanduit openem tu. Go go evriwan la-laf moa long hem. Hem no folt blong mi. Nat hem taet tumas. Bat hem let nao. Mi sem tumas an neks de mi go long klas blong hom eko.

Stori 2

Nem blong mi David. Taem mi skul long praemeri mi hepi tumas. Tesa blong mifala hem eksplenem evri samting gud long mifala an hem no askem eni kwestin.

Taem mi skul finis long praemeri dadi blong mi no garem skul fi foa mi go long sekonderi, so mi aplae go long wanfala RTC. Taem mi go long RTC mi stat foa garem problem. Samfala tisa stat foa askem kwestin long mi. Olketa se hemi gud foa mifala tok aot long klas. Olketa askem aedia blong mifala tu. Bat mi sem foa tok aot long klas.

Long kastom blong mifala hem tambu foa tok long ae blong staka pipol. Olketa sif o bik man nomoa save duim dat kaen. An mi sem tu foa tok long ae blong olketa gele. No gud olketa laf long mi.

Long hom, olketa telem mifala iu no tok bak long olketa bik man olsem tisa. Hem waka blong mifala iang man foa lisen nomoa an herem wanem nao bik man hem telem. Iu no telem aedia blong iu.

Go go mi kam long disfala RTC, mi konfus nao. Bae mi faloem kastom blong mifala o bae mi faloem olketa tisa blong RTC?

Stori 3

Nem blong mi Tuki. Las astade mi go long domitori blong RTC blong mifala, taem evri studen stap long klas. Mi fogetem wanfala buk blong mi. Taem mi go insaet mi lukim wanfala wantok blong mi, Garo, klosap long bed blong nara student, an hem holem wanfala samting wea hem laek haedem. Sem taem mi lukim bokis blong nara studen wea hem slip long disfala bed hem open.

“Wanem nao iu duim?” mi askem Garo. “Mi lukaotem pen blong mi,” hem se. “Hao nao iu lukaotem pen blong iu long dea,” mi se. “Hem no bokis blong iu.” “Mi save,” Garo ansa kam, ”Bat mi lendem pen blong mi long Sanga. Mi faendem nao.” “O K’” mi se long hem. “Bae mi tekem buk blong mi an iumi go bak long klas.”

Mi tufala go bak long klas bat long aftanun mi herem disfala studen, Paia, wea Garo go long bed blong hem, telem aot seleni blong hem lus long bokis blong hem. Mi go stret long wantok blong mi, Garo, an mi askem hem, “Iu tekem kam eni samting long bokis blong Paia?” “Nomoa,” hem se. “Mi tekem kam pen blong mi nomoa. Mi no lukim eni seleni long dea.”

Long ivining prinsipol blong skul hem kolem evri studen long haus blong kai kai, an hem telem mifala twenti dola hem lus long bokis blong Paia. Hem telem mifala sapos eniwan tekem o lukim disfala seleni, o lukim eniwan long domiteri hem mas telem hem. Sapos nomoa, evriwan long skul bae panis an brasim wanfala ples long skul neks de.

No eniwan go lukim prinsipol so astade mifala evriwan panis. Mi nao mi lukim Garo long domiteri an mi lukim hem openem bokis blong Paia. Sapos mi go long prinsipol ae ting mifala no panis, but hem had foa mi go bekos Garo hem wantok blong mi. Sapos studen blong nara aelan mait mi telem aot, bat foa wantok blong mi hem had. Hem tambu tumas long kastom foa bringem trabol long wantok blong iu, nomata hem du rong.

1. What values or attitudes are shown by each of these stories?

2. To what extent do you think these values or attitudes are traditional in most Solomon Islands communities?

3. What problems can they cause in RTCs?

4. Should we try to change values and attitudes such as these? If so, how?