Moving Beyond Token Indigenization in Higher Education

Indigenization and decolonization have become pressing priorities in higher education, yet many faculty still struggle with what these concepts actually look like in their classrooms. It’s one thing to acknowledge Indigenous knowledge and history; it’s another to actively integrate Indigenous ways of knowing into discipline-specific teaching, assessment, and curriculum design.

I recently had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Royal BC Museum’s First Peoples Gallery, which has been closed since 2022 for decolonization and repatriation efforts. What I saw was a museum in transition—exhibits dismantled, artifacts packed away, and a repatriation team overwhelmed with requests from Indigenous communities. It was a powerful reminder that decolonization is not just about rethinking content; it’s about rebuilding entire systems.

This experience reinforced for me that higher education is in the same position as that museum: struggling to move from dismantling colonial structures to building something new. Many faculty are committed to indigenization, but they feel lost when it comes to making meaningful changes in their own disciplines. How do you indigenize trades programs like carpentry and electrical work? How do you decolonize science, fine arts, or health and human services? Are there universal principles that apply across disciplines, or does every field need a unique approach?

This article moves beyond abstract discussions of decolonization to explore concrete, discipline-specific strategies that faculty can use to implement real change. From developing faculty-driven indigenization playbooks to rethinking assessment models, these approaches aim to shift the conversation from theory to action.

Approach 1: Develop Discipline-Specific Indigenization Playbooks

Instead of broad, abstract guidance, create faculty-driven playbooks tailored to each discipline.

These could include:

  • Examples of Indigenous contributions within the field
  • Alternative ways of knowing relevant to the discipline
  • Assessment strategies that align with Indigenous ways of learning
  • Partnership opportunities with local Indigenous communities

Each faculty group could work collaboratively to develop a living document that guides their approach.

Approach 2: Embed Indigenous Knowledge Holders in Course Development

Bringing in Elders, Knowledge Keepers, or Indigenous practitioners should not be an afterthought, it should be part of course design from the start. Imagine a co-teaching model where an Indigenous expert works alongside a faculty member in a carpentry, science, or nursing program to rethink how knowledge is structured and taught.

Approach 3: Create an Indigenization Fellows Program for Faculty

We can’t expect faculty to make these changes alone. What if we developed Indigenization Fellows within each department, faculty who specialize in discipline-specific applications and mentor others in their field? These individuals could lead:

  • Departmental workshops tailored to their discipline
  • Curriculum consultations for their peers
  • Pilot projects for innovative classroom approaches

This creates sustainable leadership within each field rather than placing all responsibility on Indigenous advisors or broad institutional mandates.

Approach 4: Case Studies of Indigenous-Led Practices in Each Discipline

Faculty need tangible examples of what this looks like in action. Let’s create a library of case studies showcasing Indigenous approaches to knowledge, such as:

  • Carpentry & Trades: Indigenous approaches to building, sustainability, and materials
  • Health & Human Services: Traditional healing practices, Indigenous models of care, and trauma-informed approaches
  • Science & Math: Indigenous ways of understanding the environment, astronomy, and land-based measurement systems
  • Fine Arts: Indigenous artistic traditions, decolonizing the art history canon, and rethinking artistic expression through Indigenous worldviews

These case studies would serve as practical teaching tools for faculty struggling with implementation.

Approach 5: Indigenizing Assessment – Rethinking How We Evaluate Learning

If we are serious about indigenization, we must rethink assessment and evaluation. Many Indigenous ways of learning emphasize:

  • Oral knowledge transmission
  • Community-based learning
  • Hands-on, experiential education

This means moving away from standardized tests and rigid grading systems and exploring:

  • Portfolio-based assessment
  • Competency-based grading
  • Narrative and reflective evaluations

Let’s work with faculty to identify discipline-specific assessment models that align with Indigenous pedagogies.

Hiking This Up a Notch: A Faculty Innovation Lab on Indigenization

What if we stopped treating this as a compliance issue and started treating it as a pedagogical innovation challenge? We could develop an Indigenization Lab where faculty experiment, iterate, and share what works (and what doesn’t).

This could include:

✅ Interdisciplinary teams working together to solve real teaching challenges
✅ Rapid prototyping of new lesson plans and course designs
✅ A space to test and refine discipline-specific strategies

This keeps faculty engaged, accountable, and innovative, rather than feeling like they’re being forced into a compliance-driven process.

Final Thought: Let’s Move Beyond “Trying” and Start Rebuilding

The Royal BC Museum is dismantling its colonial exhibits. Faculty need to do the same in their own disciplines, not just adding Indigenous perspectives but rebuilding curricula from the ground up in ways that center Indigenous knowledge.

This won’t happen overnight, but with structured discipline-specific strategies, we can go beyond talking aboutindigenization and start doing it in ways that truly transform education.