Indigenous Education Foundation
Supporting Indigenous-led cultural and ecological education programs
To achieve our mission we focus on three pillars of education:
Language
Culture
Ecology
Join IEF in supporting Indigenous-led education programs strengthening connection to language,
culture & ecology
Join IEF in supporting Indigenous-led education programs strengthening connection to language, culture & ecology
Impact Stories
Mentawai’s indigenous language dictionary project reaching new milestones
2022 marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages, and the Mentawai Cultural Education Foundation are already gearing up to publish a revised edition of their 2019 Mentawai (Rereiket) dictionary. Worldwide, Indigenous languages are...
Support Mentawai community to help preserve their language, economic independence, and one of the world’s most pristine biosphere reserves
Language is a shared experience. Imagine a student who returns home from school and lacks the ability to speak with their grandparents, close relatives, or even their parents. Indigenous Mentawai students face that reality every day.
Indigenous livelihoods in focus
Bai Tiru, a Mentawai mother fishes in the river for crabs, shrimp, and fish.Bai Tiru never wonders how she will feed her family. She looks to the right of the family’s home (Uma) and at the sky to determine if it is a good day to pick up the subba fishing net she had...
Our Commitment
Projects and education programs supported by IEF are designed and implemented by Indigenous Peoples themselves, in such a way that each program fosters full respect for Indigenous Peoples and their members’ identity, dignity, human rights, and cultural identity. IEF believes that by being Indigenous initiated and led, communities do not suffer adverse effects during the engagement process. From this starting point, social and economic benefits may be attained.
IEF ensures that all its programs are based on the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples during all phases of the project and campaigns, including the identification, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all project activities.
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Indigenous Perspectives
Future leader finding voice through indigenous education
The power of indigenous and modern education: It is often said that if you pursue an indigenous education you must forego a modern education, and it is also said that if you pursue a modern education you risk being educated out of your indigenous culture and identity. Read Martison Siritoitet’s story about how he was educated into his culture and avoided being educated out of it when he pursued an education at a modern university far away from his family and community in the Mentawai isles:
In 2019, Martison was invited to represent indigenous Mentawai youth and share story of his culture at the Indigenous Film Festival in Bali. In the 3 months leading up, Martison produced a short film focused on their Mentawai cultural learning hub program, which was screened at the festival.
Building proud and resilient communities
IEF supports the 2030 UN
Sustainable Development Goals
and Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.
ACN: 168 130 096
ABN: 67 168 130 096