Stories and reflections on gikinawaabi: Recentering Indigenous Knowledge in early childhood development through food- and land-based practices

• Indigenous Knowledge can inform the field of early childhood development. • The study team used participatory and Indigenous methodological approaches. • The study team included Michigan-based researchers, administrators from Indigenous early childhood programs, and Indigenous community members. • Using PhotoVoice, the team documented that traditional practices and relationships in Michigan Indigenous families are often shared with children through land and food-based traditions. • Cultural activities support children to learn through observing and participating in community and family responsibilities. To explore the ways that Indigenous Knowledge can inform the field of early childhood development, the current study examines how cultural traditions and relationships support Indigenous children's well-being. Using a participatory approach and Indigenous methods, the study team, which included Michigan-based researchers, community partners from Indigenous early childhood programs, and Indigenous community members, used PhotoVoice to identify how traditional food- and land-based practices support children's development. Findings, which align with multi-disciplinary research conducted with other Indigenous communities, suggest that traditional practices and relationships are often shared with children through everyday activities. Moreover, these practices and relationships are often shared through food and land-based traditions. Much of what was documented regarding the cultural ways that Indigenous families in Michigan support children's development through culture involved children learning through observing and participating in community and family responsibilities. To learn through observation, translated in Anishinaabemowin as gikinawaabi in the Ojibwe dialect, is a foundational approach to learning in Michigan Indigenous communities. We are now building on this project by using the findings to develop early childhood education curricular components that are locally grounded. The findings are also being used to advocate for appropriate federal policy and legislation for tribal early childhood education programs.