Effective cross-cultural dialogue: Challenges and opportunities

McGill Journal of Education, Fall 2002 by Jeff Lambe, Jake Swamp

... for cross-cultural communication to be open and effective, interlocutors must be aware of their boundaries, both personal and cultural, so that they might know the limits on and possibilities for understanding one another in the exchange. That is, in understanding another person and culture you must simultaneously understand yourself. The process is ongoing, an endeavor aimed not at a final transparent understanding of the Other or of the self, but at continued communication, at an ever-widening understanding of both. (Sarris, 1993, p. 6)

ABSTRACT. When one engages in cross-cultural dialogue in situations where vast cultural differences are involved, it comes as no surprise that misunderstandings can arise. This can happen particularly in education initiatives where Native culture is being shared with non-Native people. Contentious issues between Native and non-Native people reflect very different world-- views, an oppressive history and a challenged present. Discussing challenges in cross-cultural dialogue between Native and non-Native people can be a beginning to remedy larger issues of history, race, and culture, benefiting Native/non-Native relationships now and in the future.

EFFICACITE DU DIALOGUE INTERCULTUREL: DEFIS ET POSSIBILITIES

RESUME. Lorsqu'on amorce un dialogue interculturel la ou existent de profondes differences culturelles, il faut s'attendre A des malentendus. Cela se produit particulierement dans les initiatives d'education ou la culture autochtone est souvent partagee avec des non-Autochtones. Les questions litigieuses entre les Autochtones et les non-Autochtones refletent des points de vue differents sur l'univers, des antecedents d'oppression et un present remis en question. L'analyse des defis dans un dialogue interculturel entre Autochtones et nonAutochtones peut etre un premier pas pour rem6dier A de plus grands problemes d'histoire, de race et de culture qui seront benefiques aux rapports entre Autochtones et non-Autochtones aujourd'hui et demain.

BACKGROUND

Kainaraserakowa, The Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora) is among the first attempts to accommodate diversity on Turtle Island (North America). A Huron named the Peacemaker and a Mohawk named Aiionwatha inspired the principles of the Kaianaraserakowa a thousand years ago. The Kaianaraserakowa is the result of respecting and accommodating differences during a time of warfare and revenge that may have lasted for hundreds of years. Consistent with historic written documents and contemporary expressions of the Kaianaraserakowa are efforts at creating, maintaining, renewing and spreading peace among people. Today, this effort continues with an emphasis on concern about environmental and social issues. As long as oral history remembers, Haudenosaunee leaders have strived to the best of their ability to ensure that every decision and action promotes a healthy natural and social environment for seven generations into the future (Thomas, 1992). This principle of culture continues to the present day. Ensuring a healthy social and natural environment for seven generations into the future is achieved in part by reaching out to non-Native people in an effort to promote cross-cultural understanding about environmental and social concerns.

The Tree of Peace Society has been involved with environmental and social issues on both a national and international scale for over thirty years. The Society is a non-profit environmental and cultural education center that began at Akwesasne Mohawk Territory in 1982. Since 1982, The Tree of Peace Society has been effective in teaching issues related to the expression and preservation of Haudenosaunee language and culture with youth and Elders, and environmental and social ethics to college students and adult learners. Because the staff of The Tree of Peace Society are both Native and non-Native people, they have experience in addressing sensitive questions that arise when sharing ideas cross-culturally. Articulating and discussing challenges as they arise becomes the content for teaching about issues related to respectful cross-cultural dialogue. Although misunderstandings and contentious issues often arise, so does respectful dialogue: learning about, acknowledging and honoring differences and similarities. This discussion will expand upon some of the challenges and opportunities the nonprofit environmental and cultural education organization the Tree of Peace Society has experienced in its efforts at engaging in cross-cultural dialogue and the sharing of Native culture with non-Native people.

Using a case study of a two-day seminar that the authors facilitated entitled Principles of Peace and Cross-Cultural Dialogue (October, 2001), and relevant literature, we will discuss challenges and opportunities of engaging in respectful cross-cultural dialogue between Native and non-Native people. For this paper, effective cross-cultural dialogue means to minimize misunderstanding and diminish miscommunication between people.