This paper critically examines issues of Native language literacy in teacher education, curriculum development, policyand planning within the social, cultural and political contexts of indigenous knowledge systems. It is based on an ongoingcooperative project between the Kosrae State Department of Education (DOE), in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia(FSM), and Shonan Institute of Technology (SIT) in Fujisawa, Japan. Its purpose is to help maintain and enrichthe Kosraean language, culture and knowledge-based systems, including traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Theproject has been ongoing since 1999 with partial funding (2001–2004) from the Japan Ministry of Education and Science.Additional funding has come from SIT. In keeping with the belief that it is the responsibility of colonizing powers(Spain, Germany, Japan and the US, in the case of Kosrae) to finance indigenous language and culture projects, no FSMmonies have been used. Likewise, in keeping with the belief that such programs should be community based rather thandictated from above or the outside, the authors of project materials are Kosraean students, teachers, and holders of TEK.

This paper critically examines issues of Native language literacy in teacher education, curriculum development, policyand planning within the social, cultural and political contexts of indigenous knowledge systems. It is based on an ongoingcooperative project between the Kosrae State Department of Education (DOE), in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia(FSM), and Shonan Institute of Technology (SIT) in Fujisawa, Japan. Its purpose is to help maintain and enrichthe Kosraean language, culture and knowledge-based systems, including traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Theproject has been ongoing since 1999 with partial funding (2001–2004) from the Japan Ministry of Education and Science.Additional funding has come from SIT. In keeping with the belief that it is the responsibility of colonizing powers(Spain, Germany, Japan and the US, in the case of Kosrae) to finance indigenous language and culture projects, no FSMmonies have been used. Likewise, in keeping with the belief that such programs should be community based rather thandictated from above or the outside, the authors of project materials are Kosraean students, teachers, and holders of TEK.