Author Archives: Janna

As a public school educator I was very interested when I saw the ads and recommendations for Medicine Wheel Education on Facebook. In general Medicine Wheel Education looks engaging and interesting for their target audience of elementary school children. After careful inspection I have a few concerns….

1. Advertised as “Culturally Appropriate First Nation’s Resources for Everyone!” – Is it not a concern that there are many distinct First Nation Cultures in BC, each with its own stories and traditions. Should we as educators seek out resources more specific to the land on which we live?
2. The authors and designers are not Indigenous themselves – does this matter? The biography notes that the creator of Medicine Wheel Resources was given permission to tell the stories he has learned from Elders who taught him.

When is something appropriation vs sharing of knowledge?

Sources

“Medicine Wheel Education.” Medicine Wheel Education, medicinewheel.education/.

The Winnipeg Hearings for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is scheduled for this October. At the political level the need for this inquiry has been greatly debated, while among Indigenous Communities there is recognition that something must be done to insure the safety of Aboriginal Women and Girls, who are 3.5 times more likely then their non-native peers to experience domestic abuse or assault.

The MMIWG Inquiry is having difficulty getting organized, communicating and meeting the needs of the families involved. Critiques like Mi’kmaq lawyer, professor, activist and politician Pam Palmater are speaking out how the MMIWG is not doing justice to the inquiry process.

Sources:

• “A look at what needs to change: The National Inquiry into MMIWG and Thunder Bay | APTN InFocus.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn1st84_ZeY.
• “National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls .” National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/en/.

Music shared through technology is aiding in the resurgence of Indigenous Cultural Awareness.

Indigenous Culture is being celebrated and shared through music. In the past First Nation artisits like Buffy Sainte Marie and Susan Aglukark were considered an exception. Presently we are seeing more Indigenous artists being celebrated in mainstream entertainment not just for their musical talent, but also for their contribution to Aboriginal Culture. Many of the songs written and performed by these artists share language, traditional song, drumming and dance as well as messages about traditions, the impact of colonization and histories of Indigenous Peoples.

In a CBC interview singer and songwriter Art Napoleon said he choose to produce his album “Creeland Covers” entirely in Cree in order to share a little of the language with others.   While groups like A Tribe Called Red are using their popularity to increase awareness about the hardships Indigenous Peoples face worldwide.

Catalina Johnson writes in a bandcamp daily article “The Anti-Colonial Beats of Indigenous Hip-Hop” that music, especially Hip-Hop, which is really a form of oral storytelling allows artists to take back the narratives of their people. Indeed one Hi-Hop musician, JB the First Lady, notes Hip-Hop did not only allow her to learn her language, but also connected her with traditional songs, dancdes and ceremonies. “Our songs, our dances, our ceremonies, and our language comes from the land,” she explains. “That’s why land is very important to people here in Turtle Island. It’s a direct link to our ancestors and to Creator.”

Sources:

• Johnson, Catalina Maria . “The Anti-Colonial Beats of Indigenous Hip-Hop.” Bandcamp Daily, 18 July 2016, bandcamp.com/2016/07/18/indigenous-hiphop-feature/.
• Monkman, Lenard. “Tom Petty song Wildflowers lives on in Cree language.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 4 Oct. 2017, http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/tom-petty-cree-cover-1.4327630.
• Napoleon, Art. “Creeland Covers.”

The contribution of the Indigenous Peoples to the survival of the early European Settlers is often glanced over, or not touched upon at all in our classrooms.

It is important to remember that without the help of Indigenous Peoples settlers would not have survived, contents would not have been so easily explored, skills would not have been learned. Unfortunately these early teachings were lost in the idea that one culture was better then another, and that there was no “science” behind Indigenous Medicines.

The website RealFramacy.com lists 31 of the well Native American medicines. Unfortunately there are many more that have been lost because of the refusal of the dominant culture to understand, and learn from other cultures. The 1992 Drama “Medicine Man” touches on the idea that many traditional medicines have been lost to the world because of colonization and in turn – industrialization, and globalization.

Perhaps technology can document traditional medicinal knowledge before, like many languages, it is lost to the world. Perhaps the sharing of traditional medicinal knowledge online will allow the sharing of history and create a culture of respect for Indigenous cultures.

Sources:

• McTiernan, John, director. Medicine Man. Medicine Man, Hollywood Pictures Cinergi Pictures, 7 Feb. 1992.
• 31 Powerful Native American Medicinal Cures.” com, 17 Jan. 2017, realfarmacy.com/forgotten-native-cures/.

University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student Qaġġun Zibell (Chelsey), developed a website that will help introduce the Inupiaq language.   In an interview Zibell recognizes that the website cannot fully teach the language, but can be uses as a more modern resource for connected learners. The site features games, videos and interactive activities.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Information and News Bulletin also notes that Inupiaq is designated as a “severely endangered” by The Endangered Languages Project.

Sources:

• Carl-Acosta, Marissa . “New Website Helps Teach Inupiaq.” UAF news and information, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 11 Oct. 2017, news.uaf.edu/new-website-helps-teach-inupiaq/.
• “The Endangered Languages Project.” Endangered Languages Project, www.endangeredlanguages.com/.
• Zibell , Qaġġun . “Inupiat Langauge.” Inupiat Language, University of Alaska Fairbanks, July 2017, inupiatlanguage.community.uaf.edu/.