Objective: Explain the importance of curiosity and imagination in science.
Through traditional models of indigenous education systems, curiosity and imagination are fostered in children. Through story, they learn how the world and the environment works, then they test that in the world by becoming natural investigators and knowledge keepers. In Alaska Native culture, children played in the environment and were encouraged to go further away with age. Observing the people around them demonstrating how to live in balance, then being given a framework through cosmology and world view through story, and then they were nurtured to use rational thinking to build on their existing body of knowledge. This foundational knowledge is important for any later education. Rational deductive reasoning through curiosity is taught early. (DeWitt)
Objective: Explain the relationship between probability and risk.
Alaska Natives have a differing view on probability and risk. The probability of success is based on the cultivation of presence and the process of always getting ready. When the Alaska Native people were not hunting or gathering food, their time was spent creating and maintaining hunting, fishing, trapping implements, clothing, modes of transportation, cultural items, and themselves. Mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational health, were maintained through song, dance, drumming, games, competition, skills training, and ceremonies. These things in combination allowed a person to always be in a state of readiness which improved the probability of success in all areas of life. Being out of balance or lazy in any of the domains (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational) increased the risk of harm or poor outcomes. Meda also explains that it is important to understand the intricate workings of the environment to minimize risk. (DeWitt)
Sam also explains the importance of respect in hunting, fishing in all one does in Nature.  In today’s world, Sport hunting and sport fishing is like playing with your food, which is a description that some native people use.  This is treating nature, in fact all of living creatures, including the Earth as having no spirit, just cold material, which is not the way native people see Earth and everything in it. With this belief, one can see how animals won’t let themselves be hunted if you don’t respect and thank them. So, the native way, is the Earth, all of its inhabitants, the air, oceans, everything is connected and must be recognized as a system that is sacred since it was made by the Creator/God. (Demientieff)
Objective: Describe three values that people consider when making decisions about the environment.
Sam explains that the Earth and everything in it was created by the Creator, and should be treated with respect (Demientieff).
Everything in the environment is in interdependent. It is important to understand the relationships when making decisions about the environment. Values play a part as the environment is cultivated by native practices. How much effort is put into it, is related to how much the environment will provide. (DeWitt)
The economic value of the environment is also different among traditional native belief systems compared to a modern extractive resource based economy. It was not based on individual monetary gain, but about the prosperity of the community. Traditionally, when great wealth was accumulated by an individual or group it would be redistributed by hosting a potlatch and giving away all things that weren’t directly need for their household. This ensured that the community was well looked after, maintaining healthier people with a greater sense of wellbeing. This process also created and strengthened allies among the people. (DeWitt)
Even when there are bountiful amounts of food, cultural protocols would determine how food would be distributed. This is based on clan relationships and responsibilities. The job of the headman is to distribute what nature was yielding to people in a way that wouldn’t strain the resource. (DeWitt)
An important aspect is the educational value of the environment. From a young age children are taught how to interact with the environment. They learn cosmology and world view, a collection of stories, intricate knowledge of environment and how things work, this knowledge base would be grown and tested through the process of curiosity and imagination. The environment also teaches readiness through recreation. There are games of competition to mimic muscle memory. Hand games keep the mind sharp. Interacting with the environment also helps intuition and quick decision making. (DeWitt)
Another important value is the ethical value of the environment. In this value is the understanding of natural law, a need to understand importance of intentions and actions, discipline self, understanding place in natural world, thoughts and words precede actions and have an effect on environment- animals will know what you’re up to. Assumed success can lead to failure. Meda would also add that other values of the environment include humility, respect, communalism, and love. (DeWitt)
Most importantly, culture is the manifestation of the relationship with the environment. Language is a harmonic representation of the environment. Indigenous language are placed based, with geographical names that described an attribute of that area helping a person to understand its cultural significance. Language also has science, culture, world view all embedded in it and it explains how to be in relationship with it. (DeWitt)