“You can’t cram for this kind of education”: Centering Indigenous Elder pedagogy to reclaim respectful and socially just education

Drawing from our experience engaging Yakama culturally sustaining education, we describe and discuss how Indigenous peoples in settler colonial societies are organizing and thriving to counter ongoing political volatility and assimilation efforts that destroy our languages and relationships at Yakama and within Indigenous communities around the world. We examine the importance of Indigenous storywork, Elder pedagogy and praxis, and honoring Indigenous cultural teachings in education. We propose that returning to Indigenous-centered multigenerational learning models is inherently anticolonial and can help infuse teachings on academic and life topics with a greater depth for learners.