Author Archives: Joshua Campbell

Assistive Technology Consultant with SET-BC. Father of 2, husband of 1, golfer of about 95.

Promoting and protecting language through media, technology, and connected communities.

First Peoples’ Cultural Council

The First People’s Cultural Council is a BC Provincial Crown Corporation formed in 1990 and supported by the First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Act with a mandate to assist BC First Nations in their efforts ot revitalize their languages, arts, and cultures.

As my research is focussing on the use of technology for the preservation of language, I was interested to see this site outline First Nations’ language support across various funding categories, including:  Mentorship-Apprentice, Language and Culture Camps, the BC Language Initiative, and the FirstVoices resource that I have mentioned in previous posts.

This site is a fulsome resource for many facets of language learning and language preservation including a Language Toolkit for communities wishing to develop language revitalization projects.

 

Status of Aboriginal Languages in Canada

This page is not so much a tremendous resource, as it is a great infographic (and who doesn’t love infographics) provided by a company called WinTranslation, which is an Ottawa-based for-profit translation service.  Providing language translation is important for many reasons in the corporate, advertising, and communications world, and I was very pleased to see that this company provides peer-reviewed translation services into over 35 of Canada’s Aboriginal Languages.

Census 2016: The Aboriginal Languages of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit

This Statistics Canada webpage is a summary of information from the 2016 Canadian census and is current as of October 25, 2017.  It contains a number of significant highlights including a growth of over 3% in the number of Aboriginal People who could speak an Aboriginal Language over the past decade.  So much of what we read speaks of a decline in Aboriginal language use, and more concerning, the growth in the number of Aboriginal languages in Canada that are in danger of becoming extinct – in that light, this census data is encouraging.

The census data also points to young Aboriginal people learning their languages at a younger age, and an uptick in Aboriginal language instruction.

First Haida language film offers rare, powerful glimpse of Haida people

OK, perhaps this is veering off the web-based resource as well, but it is very connected to my research theme, and super relevant to the discussions in the course.  I stumbled across this CBC – The National article (and then, as one does, many other articles on the same topic) this week, and was excited to see how film and technology are playing a role in preserving language and culture in this surprising project.

Creating a feature-length film in a language that only a few people speak is both a tremendous undertaking (who can learn and speak the language well enough to fill the roles?) and a significant financial investment.  While the first is a logistical challenge, the second represents a pattern of hope in the restoration of traditional languages and can only mean good things to come.

Pathways to Technology – Interactive Map

Pathways to technology is a project aimed at bringing high-speed, reliable, and low-cost internet to First Nations.  Recognizing that connectivity brings access to health care, education, employment, and economic growth, this project looks to remove some of these barriers for remote, and typically under-connected communities around BC.

The link (in the title) directs towards an interactive map of the 203 First Nations around BC, and displays their name and connection type.  As an educator who visits these communities from time to time, this information is more than informative, it directs the kids of supports that we provide, and opens doors to different conversations.

Module 2 – Digital Storytelling – Who tells the story?

In progressing through this course, I have learned so much. Back in module one, I thought that I could be a very active participant in the process of preserving Indigenous culture through digital storytelling (in all forms).  In this module, I have come to understand that my previous understanding was short-sighted. This research weblog entry looks at various examples of stories (and information) being recorded (or NOT recorded) by Indigenous people themselves. While motives may be pure, the slide into cultural appropriation is subtle, but prominent in so many cases.  As I begin to shift my research, I will stay in the realm of digital storytelling, but look at it more from a different angle than originally planned.

Cry Rock – a short film by Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk Nation)

With less than 15 Nuxalk language speakers and storytellers remaining, does it not make sense to capture these stories in video or audio form?  The answer is not as simple as you might think.  This film explores the conundrum of oral tradition in an increasingly digital world.  

Why can students eagerly recall what happened on last week’s epi

sode of Hannah Montana, but think they can’t memorize a story passed along orally?  “It’s just a state of mind … there are so many influences affecting our people.”  

“Oral storytelling is more than the words being spoken.  Our stories and language cease to be a part of us if they only exist within a recording.”

Note: the site states that the film is only available for free viewing until October 27th, it is however, available at the UBC Xwi7xwa Library.

N’we Jinan – a different way to express identity and culture

Amy Parent comments that “Indigenous knowledge can be expressed in multiple ways, and I think that ties into what we are talking about today – the digital realm.”  N’we Jinan is a non-profit production company that seeks to capture the voices of indigenous youth, empowering them to share what they feel is an important message.  

Starting with a question, such as “What does it mean to be an Indigenous youth in Surrey?”, students are assisted in writing and recording a song and music video to share their message.  With examples from across Canada,

 

Native Appropriations

This site, (perhaps more of an updated version of the chat-boards that Zimmerman refers to), claims to be a  “forum for discussing representations of Native peoples, including stereotypes, cultural appropriation, news, activism, and more.”  I came across it while looking for Native Appropriations in the world of professional sports (Chicago Blackhawks, Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins).  This site has a page dedicated to “Natives Against Redsk*ns”, but also offers a range of information and opinions about appropriated Indigenous culture and ties from other current events to Indigenous issues.

 

First Voices

Zimmerman comments that CD-ROMS are an excellent media for preserving Indigenous languages.  Of course, since the time of his writing, the internet has vastly improved, and is able to stream information exponentially faster, and store vast amounts of information efficiently – enter First Voices.

First voices is a BC-based suite of web-based tools designed to support Aboriginal people engaged in language archiving and teaching.  It contains thousands of text and audio entries from Indigenous Nations around Canada.  Much of the audio (both words and phrases) are recorded by local elders, and are categorized alphabetically or by topic.

(Here is a Nuxalk welcome, made available on the site.)

WELCOME
“YAW, SMATMC UKS!
QALXALULHM TS UULH LHUP STUTWINAKMTS AP S PUTL’ AP!
YA TI SLQ’ TS TC SKA ACWSALC AP ALH TIS S LHK’MSTALH TS! WAY!”

“HELLO, ALL YOU FRIENDS!
I WELCOME YOU ALL AND THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING!
I AM GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE LEARNING OUR LANGUAGE! (OKAY)!”

While many of the entries are available to the public, some are password protected at the request of the language community.

First Voices also includes instructional guidance for groups wishing to participate in language archival. It recommends recording tools and methods, and simple training for submitting entries.

 

First Nations Films

In keeping with the theme of digital storytelling (or perhaps, moving slightly away from the theme, in that I originally thought that anybody could make these digital stories), First Nations Films is a film company that creates and distributes films and documentaries for, by, and about Indigenous people.

 

Each of the films in their collection has a trailer available on their catalogue site, and is available for purchase through the site. Watching the trailers is a great starting place for exploring the world of Indigenous film-making and production.

Module 1 Weblog: Josh Campbell

Technology is NOT Culturally Neutral

I came across this page, perhaps obviously, in the exploration of our first discussion question.  While its conclusion is made clear in its title, and I didn’t whole-heartedly agree with the author’s thesis, the inclusion of Neil Postman’s thoughts, (““we rarely talk about television, only about what is on television—that is, about its content.”) caught my attention, and gave cause for thought.  

I find myself doing just as Postman suggests, in that I often look at the content of digital media and the internet, as opposed to the existence of it, when analyzing its use and effects on culture and education.

 

Oral to Digital Storytelling in the Haida-Gwaii

This page (and video) outlines one of the initiatives in School District #50, Haida Gwaii.  For this project, the teacher identified the following goals:

  • to explore the possibilities of the iPad as a tool for language development.
  • To become more comfortable with using various apps for story creation.
  • For students to understand that technology is a tool for learning and not just a device for entertainment.
  • To support Haida language development, cultural learning and social emotional learning.
    To Increase their engagement and connections to the Haida culture in an engaging and meaningful way.
  • To collaborate with the Elders to preserve and revitalize their language using 21st century learning tools.

To this end, SET-BC was able to support the classroom team with various technologies and training.

Disclosure:  While I work for SET-BC, this wasn’t my initiative, rather was headed by a colleague who put this resource together.

 

Place-Based Learning in Aboriginal Communities

This 10-minute YouTube video has Suzanne Stewart, a member of the Yellowknife Dene First Nation, and Associate Professor of Indigenous Healing in Counselling Psychology, OISE, discussing the concept, philosophy and practice of Place-Based Learning, specifically in Aboriginal Communities.

In her interview, Suzanne outlines that Place-Based Learning is not only about the geographical context of learning, but also the “socio, political, and cultural position of the student and their family.”

 

First Nations Technology Council

The First Nations Technology Council is a BC-Based, unfunded organization that seems to bridge government, industry, academia and First Nations communities.  It does to across four distinct areas: Digital Skills Development, Connectivity, Information Management, and Technical Support & Services.

Bringing connectivity to remote communities is a major issue in British Columbia, but failure to do so creates an chasm of economic potential.  Part of this council’s

This Technology Council, based out of British Columbia plans to educate community members about the importance of digital and connected technologies in hopes to ensure Indigenous collaboration and involvement in the growing technological sector. Their goals are structures around 4 themes: digital skills development, connectivity, information management, and technical services and support.

 

BC Ministry of Education: Aboriginal Education Teaching Tools and Resources

This website includes a number of valuable resources when it comes to bringing context and meaning to Aboriginal Education in BC.  

Of particular interest:

In the larger context, these resources are a part of the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements put in place through the acknowledgement that, “Historically, British Columbia schools have not been successful in ensuring that Aboriginal students receive a quality education, one that allows these students to succeed in the larger provincial economy while maintaining ties to their culture.”