Indigenous education within urban contexts and negotiations in the diaspora: talanoa vā in the moana

Abstract

ABSTRACT Indigenous education within urban contexts is diverse within Oceania. Pacific peoples’ movements in the diaspora, including their educational journeys and responsibilities, are ongoing and fluid. This paper employs talanoa vā, an indigenous Pacific approach to understanding the negotiations of educational processes and practices in urban education contexts across the diaspora of Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and Aotearoa-New Zealand. We utilize talanoa as a method of gathering narrative data based on transoceanic education experiences. We argue indigenous education within urban contexts in the diaspora is fluid yet dynamic. The continuous movement of people for improved life and education further emphasizes the diverse ways Moana communities mobilize their knowledges and practices as well as educational aspirations across multiple networks in the diaspora. Indigenous education therefore is context-specific, inclusive of the negotiations across time and space that enable the sense making of educational experiences that empower the next generation in Oceania.