Official JAG competency wording: Demonstrate politeness and civility
Category: Life Survival
Source themes: respect, etiquette, professionalism
Source: JAG Competencies Descriptions.docx.
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Reviewed OSEU and Wolakota interview connections
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Kinship Ways - Victor Douville - OSEU #4 · OSEU 4
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): The speaker connects codes of respect with close relationships and explains that respectful behavior has a cultural context. OSEU 4.2 specifically addresses behavior patterns, codes of respect, and values.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: The revised standard retains the meaning supported by the cited interview passage. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
Kinship structure, we should be able to go back to learn the behavioral patterns. There are about eight of them, and they're all addressed interrelationship between siblings, parents, in-laws, collateral relatives. So, that was a core of our society we call a wāʻohula, which is to respect, but I use these terms. So, these kinship terms spell out what you should do, behave towards your relatives. We lost a lot of that. Myself, I've grown up in that world of the behavioral patterns and kinship system. I knew all of my relatives, and we go by anthropological term, which is a bifurcate marriage system where we have a second set of parents, which evolves into a second pair of brothers, sisters, siblings. And the interrelationship between them is close. But the wildest thing is that we have two separate kinship behavioral terms. One is complete avoidance, and the other one is a lot of interaction between brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws. And that's to promote a levering, which if your wife dies, and if you make an arrangement, her sister would become the mother, and same thing with when the husband dies, the same thing there. So, you have a sorority there, so that's what this avoidance is, and also teasing and joking with your relatives, your brother-in-law and sister-in-law. You joke with the brother-in-laws to see how far they go for the sister-in-law's possible marriage. So, you have to understand a lot of that, so that plays a large role in how you do that. And you also try to avoid yourself, like I avoid my mother-in-law. I don't talk to her. I don't look at her. That's a sign of deepest respect. Same thing with my wife. She never talks to my father. So she always says, I really got a good daughter, because she never talks to me, and she cooks for me. She's nice. So, we're always trying to play jokes to get them to talk, to break that taboo. And that's there to prevent parental interference in the marriage, initially. So those are some of the things in the kinship system that we have to go back to. Also, the idea of sharing, the idea of these related families connected into the clan system. So the core of that, of course, is respect, how you address somebody. Whoever you address usually carry out the behavioral patterns within her. So for instance, my sister-in-law, what we call hunka, that's your female cross-cousin. But your parallel cousin, your sister-in-law, of course, is your term you use, hunka. Hunkashi is, you put the she at the end, which means taboo, which is your cross-cousin, female cousin, because you can't have no relationship with her. You sort of have partial avoidance, which you can joke with your sister-in-law. So I grew up in a world doing that. So a lot of those have to be brought back to formally respect, and you can't, in the system, you can't look anybody straight in the eye. You have to kind of look at a distance. His term is, he's looking at me with a white smile, which means angry. So those are things that are part of the respect that we have with regard to relationships. So those are some things that I really feel should be brought back, some that can work. Of course, we have to talk to our in-laws, our fatherin-laws. We understand that change has to be made. If we have this idea of respect, we'll be able to form a close relationship as it extends in linkage and networking. And so that's what we really want is to, the kinship system has to be developed where we'll go back to terms, the behavioral patterns, and the interrelationships that occur.
Learn About: What examples does Victor Douville give of respect, and how can the same behavior be understood differently across contexts?
Learn From: How could you learn what respectful behavior means to someone before assuming your own expectations are shared?
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0026; video aGH5tNetYnE; passage containing: If we have this idea of respect, we'll be able to form a close. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Sacredness & Children - Jace DeCory - OSEU 4 · OSEU 4
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): Her description of respectful interactions supplies a behavioral example for discussing civility. Students can examine words, tone, and consideration without copying a cultural practice.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: The revised standard retains the meaning supported by the cited interview passage. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
One of the most important parts of relative and kinship is that our elders modeled appropriate behavior.
Learn About: What does DeCory say learners notice in others’ behavior?
Learn From: What respectful behavior would you model in a group learning activity?
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0208 · video ID oYIir295Jgc · cited transcript passage. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Traditional Gender Roles - Stephanie Charging Eagle - OSEU #4 · OSEU 4
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): Stephanie Charging Eagle describes respecting personal belongings and boundaries in a shared one-room home. This supports G51 by inviting students to practice considerate behavior in shared spaces.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: New connection to the overall current understanding. No specific OSEU standard alignment is claimed. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
As a Lakota woman, as a girl, as a young girl, I was taught certain things that I could and could not do. And there was always in the group with males or with adults what I could do and couldn't do in the presence of others. And because I grew up in a one room to room house, you know, one area was the sleeping area. But that in itself is a good example of how the Lakota male and female are separated and have their own area, their own roles, responsibilities. But we were never allowed. My sisters and I had our own sleeping area and where we kept our our clothes, everything, our personal belongings. We had an area that was our area. It was understood that we kept our area clean, you know. And then my brothers had their own. I have an older brother and a young, younger brother. And their area was similar to ours. But what we could not do is go over to their area, especially with the girls.
Learn About: What details in this passage support the speaker’s account of respecting boundaries? What would you need to hear in the full interview before interpreting it?
Learn From: How could you practice considerate behavior in shared spaces? Use a fictional or classroom example if you prefer, and explain which part of the speaker’s account informed your approach.
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0042; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoQbKXb6xLE; opening passage. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Loss of Identity, Values & Language - David Bald Eagle - OSEU 3 · OSEU 3
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): David Bald Eagle recalls welcoming travelers with water and meals and compares generosity with later conflict and prejudice. This supports G51 by inviting students to consider hospitality and civility.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: New connection to the overall current understanding. No specific OSEU standard alignment is claimed. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
Before World War Two, everybody got along real good. We had white people here traveling from village…from our Indian villages…to activities maybe in Rapid City…or way over there they go by wagon trains. And they could stop any place along the way at a ranch or something to water their horses and things like this. And they were always there to welcome them…give them dinner or something…just like we did here. ‘Have dinner with us.” Some of them knew my dad. They’d say, “C’mon Taylor, put your horses away. We’ll feed them. Don’t worry about that. We’ll feed them. Have coffee or something.” And we’d stop there and we’d have lunch with them. Sometimes before we’d leave there, they gave us watermelons or something to take along as lunch. We are on our way. Today, it’s not that way. Any place you go, if you get what you want, you pay for it. Sometimes you pay dearly for it.
Learn About: What details in this passage support the speaker’s account of hospitality and values? What would you need to hear in the full interview before interpreting it?
Learn From: How could you consider hospitality and civility? Use a fictional or classroom example if you prefer, and explain which part of the speaker’s account informed your approach.
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0059; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETOjZKS3n4A; opening passage. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Traditional Kinship Roles - Dr. Sherry Johnson & Dr. Nadine Eastman - OSEU #4 · OSEU 4
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): Sherry Johnson and Nadine Eastman describe kinship terms, strong relationships, and teaching roles at home and school. This supports G51 by inviting students to consider considerate responses to relatives.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: New connection to the overall current understanding. No specific OSEU standard alignment is claimed. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
Without the kinship you have nothing because the kinship ties are strong and to be claimed as a relative and for whatever you, whatever relative you want to make, those are the strongest ties you can have to a person. And to be, to address people with their kinship terms is much more powerful than anything else. And then we have specific roles that there's things that young girls should do and things that young boys should do and we explicitly teach that behavior. It's taught in the homes too but maybe not all of them and then we teach it in schools too. We have pretty good cultural teachers that talk about women's roles and men's roles as part of our community.
Learn About: What details in this passage support the speaker’s account of kinship roles? What would you need to hear in the full interview before interpreting it?
Learn From: How could you consider considerate responses to relatives? Use a fictional or classroom example if you prefer, and explain which part of the speaker’s account informed your approach.
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0083; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMElQDuWJ_s; opening passage. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Teaching Today’s Students - Delores Taken Alive - OSEU 3 · OSEU 3
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): Delores Taken Alive describes inviting knowledgeable Elders into classrooms and urging knowledge to be shared with younger generations. This supports G51 by inviting students to show respect during a disagreement.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: New connection to the overall current understanding. No specific OSEU standard alignment is claimed. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
I talk a lot to not only the language, but I talk a lot to my students about our way of life. In order to do that, you need to be knowledgeable or you can call in an elder and talk to the class…bring them in and ask them questions about what they know. A lot of our elders speak English now. Most of the elders are really knowledgeable about our way of life. And that needs to be shared. I’ll say to the elders…when we have an elder meeting, “We need to share now. Don’t hang on to your knowledge and leave us with your knowledge,” I said. “When that happens, it’s really going to hurt our younger generations that are coming up. Now is the time to share.”
Learn About: What details in this passage support the speaker’s account of learning with elders? What would you need to hear in the full interview before interpreting it?
Learn From: How could you show respect during a disagreement? Use a fictional or classroom example if you prefer, and explain which part of the speaker’s account informed your approach.
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0119; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enwBuBHysMs; opening passage. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
G51 — Demonstrate politeness and civility
Explore G51 · Appreciating Life & Family - Delores Taken Alive - OSEU 4 · OSEU 4
Reviewed teaching connection (Supporting): Delores Taken Alive recalls a kind, patient home with communication and togetherness. This supports G51 by inviting students to consider patient and considerate communication.
Updated for Proposed August 9, 2024: New connection to the overall current understanding. No specific OSEU standard alignment is claimed. Original JAG–interview approval retained.
So we have real good life experiences. Growing up and disciplining us, we never knew what spanking was. We never knew what hitting was, nor yelling or screaming or any of that, you know, ways that, you know, make you feel bad. They are always so kind and loving. And after we have, you know, before my sister died, I always talk about our way of life, the upbringing. And we said, you know, did you ever remember being spanked or, you know, things that I mentioned? No. How about you? So I said, no. I don't ever remember. So that's how, you know, we, that's how we grew up. And I always think about, you know, our parents. How are they so patient? And they're so loving that, you know, we have not known any violent ways in our home. And we always, there's always communication. There's always togetherness because we grew up in a one-room log house.
Learn About: What details in this passage support the speaker’s account of patient communication? What would you need to hear in the full interview before interpreting it?
Learn From: How could you consider patient and considerate communication? Use a fictional or classroom example if you prefer, and explain which part of the speaker’s account informed your approach.
05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0126; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgnYgOz17vM; opening passage. Teaching interpretation is separate from official wording and the interviewee’s account.
Human Shaped Learning connection
Chapter 13: Fostering Collaboration and Community in the Classroom
Reviewed teaching connection: Reviewed connections: G51. Use a shared task with meaningful roles, turn-taking, paraphrasing, and feedback.
Human Shaped Learning with Front Matter.docx · Ch. 13, actual manuscript pp. 99–105; Practical Strategies for Collaboration
Chapter 2: How Relationships Shape Student Learning
Suggested teaching connection: Suggested teaching connection for agency, based on G51 competency. Offer students choices connected to their interests and acknowledge their ideas before guiding the task.
Human Shaped Learning with Front Matter.docx · Ch. 2, actual manuscript pp. 21–27; chapter opening and conceptual discussion
Plan with these recommendations and select more HSL chapters.