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Description
Through a qualitative inquiry of four Indigenous elders, this study explores sacred purpose. Sacred purpose, within Indigenous wisdom and teachings, acknowledges the sacredness of purpose viewing it as an individual's reason for being here; it is the individual and collective responsibility to find and use each individual's sacred purpose; and above all else purpose keeps us connected to all things sacred. Similarly, within Western research, there is the construct of purpose in life and it has shown significant implications for our lives consisting of psychological adjustment and well- being, resilience, personal development, identity development, hope, life satisfaction, empathy, gratitude, pro-social moral action and civic engagement, generosity, substance abuse recovery, meaning in life, and more. This study utilized an Indigenous research design and through the conversational method it gives voice to four Indigenous elders and uncovers the principles, derivations, stories, teachings, and themes of sacred purpose. Additionally, this study inquired into how sacred purpose can guide the development of a curriculum within educational domains and how it can be conceptually and methodologically actualized within the frameworks of the pedagogy of the eagle and the condor. The four Indigenous elders of the study were Angelbertha Cobb, Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, Grace Sesma, and Jerry Tello. Conversations with the elders were transcribed and organized into two formats: condensed stories/conversations and thematic grouping, also referred to as codices. The elders' teachings, suggested that sacred purpose is: multidimensional, fluid, complex, relational, about one's responsibility to learn and teach, it is about passing on cultural treasures (music, art, dance, teachings, customs, song), it is about balance, it is about healing, it is about lived experiences, it is about personal gifts/talents/passions, it is about listening to the guidance of the ancestors and it is about living life as a ceremony. Findings from this research also suggested that sacred purpose has implications for education, adolescence, and for transformational healing. Curriculum emerged as a result of the elders' conversations, serving to spark dialogue about ways in which sacred purpose could be used in traditional and non-traditional educational domains.
