Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony

Written by daughter-father team Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning through Ceremony is a short, yet richly-packed book of interest to a wide audience, but particularly to educators seeking more inclusive approaches of Indigenous ways of teaching and learning. Drawing from the professional work and life experiences of its co-authors – Dr. Sara Florence Davidson is a Haida educator and scholar, and Robert Davidson is an internationally renowned artist of Haida ancestry – Potlatch as Pedagogy combines “memories, stories, teachings, and potential educational practices.” In a straightforward, conversational tone, Sara Florence Davidson recounts the Davidson family’s personal history; the historical and cultural context of the potlatch ceremony within the social structure of the Haida people; the impact of the Potlatch Ban by the Canadian government from 1884-1951; the passing down of knowledge from Haida Elders to Robert Davidson; her experiences teaching Indigenous youth; and her relationship with her father.

An opening chapter explains how Potlatch as Pedagogy was developed. Initially, Sara Florence Davidson’s interest was in understanding how her father’s learning might help her classroom work. As she writes, “… I went to my father seeking a list of teaching strategies to use with my Indigenous students to support their academic success.” But instead of receiving a list, she came to understand, through her father’s life stories and the traditional Haida stories that he had learned and shared, certain themes which developed into nine principles (sk’ad’a) of learning and teaching. As Sara Florence Davidson explains, sk’ad’ada is the Haida word for “teach,” whose base sk’ad’a means “learn.” Through sharing excerpts of her interviews with her father, as well as her personal narrative, she describes the nine sk’ad’a as: learning through strong relationships; authentic experiences; curiosity; observation; contribution; recognizing and encouraging strengths; honouring the power of the mind; Indigenous history and stories; and spirituality and protocol.

As Potlatch as Pedagogy builds on Sara Florence Davidson’s interviews of her father, it serves to document and demonstrate her own learning through the guidance of “Elders and knowledge keepers instead of from books and courses.” Later sections trace the revitalization of the potlatch ceremony; touch upon residential schools; and recall Robert Davidson’s experiences as a young man with carving and raising a totem pole in his village in 1969 for the first time in almost one hundred years, and his experiences in attending and co-hosting potlatches through the ensuing years.

Although there is some repetition in Potlatch as Pedagogy and the stories and content don’t always flow in a linear way (which can slow down the reading process), the summary boxes included with certain chapters help reinforce content and connections to specific sk’ad’a. In the book’s final chapter, Sara Florence Davidson discusses how the Haida potlatch has been used as a form of pedagogy. She also expands upon each sk’ad’a with thoughts on how to incorporate these principles into action within contemporary educational settings. Overall, she shows how linking storytelling and lived experiences with each of the sk’ad’a can inform and strengthen pedagogy and lead to innovative teaching practices.

This is not a book to be read quickly; it requires reflection to fully appreciate its content, purpose, and value. But time spent with Potlatch as Pedagogy will connect you with the Davidsons’ stories and enrich your understanding of Haida knowledge, culture, and historical struggles; and stimulate thought for considering how Indigenous knowledge, storytelling, and pedagogies could be included in educational practices.

The back matter includes an Appendix with a timeline of feasts and potlatches (co)hosted by Robert Davidson and a list of references.