Indigenous Pedagogies for Transformative Change: Delivering Indigenous Cultural Safety Education to Medical Students

Abstract

Relying on western pedagogies to promote culturally safer care undermines its principles and intent. There is a need for more research on the use of Indigenous pedagogies to engage settlers in cultural safety education. This paper reports findings from the Beading Cultural Safety (BCS) project which delivered cultural safety education rooted in Indigenous pedagogies to 2nd and 3rd year medical students in northern Ontario. The 1-day training found that the use of storytelling, sharing circles and the gifting of Indigenous beadwork challenged participant beliefs, fostered reflexivity and relationality, and enabled them to explore new roles.