Tag Archives: CBC

Entry #16: CBC News – Saskatchewan Graduation Rates

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/sask-grad-rates-1.4302374
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/sask-indigenous-graduation-rates-1.4148401

These two articles from CBC examine the trends in graduation rates in Saskatchewan. With Aboriginal student graduation rates lower than non-Aboriginal students, other issues raised for discussion include social circumstances and budgetary constraints. Engagement has been identified as a key element to providing a higher quality of education for First Nations and Métis students. These articles help to explain some of disparity in postsecondary attendance rates, and subsequently, opportunities for advancement for Aboriginal youth. The articles also link to similar articles from slightly different perspectives regarding the graduation rate research.

Module 3 Post 5 (Jarrett Martineau)

Jarrett Martineau is a digital media artist, and academic whose work is focused on the relationships and interconnectedness of digital media, storytelling and social movements. His academic work focuses on how media can inform political resistance and action.

Though Jarrett’s work is extensive and includes very diverse content, I have posted a few notable projects below.

Reclaimed

A CBC radio podcast that explores how Indigenous artists are reclaiming culture through music.

Revolutions Per Minute

A record label focusing on supporting the promotion and distribution on Indigenous music throughout Turtle Island. In addition to co-founding this label, Jarrett has also helped to distribute RPM’s music through their own streaming platform.

Decolonizing Media

Is a media producer, blog and apparel company that focuses on supporting community resistance through the reclamation of settler imagery. The goal of this organization is to challenge the false identities of Indigenous through remix culture.

Entry #5 – CBC News – Indigenous

(http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous)

The CBC has an online category on its news website dedicated to news stories that are relevant to Indigenous audience members. This area of the site includes new articles, blog links, videos, radio links, and opinion pieces. This resource is particularly useful for examining contemporary issues involving and affecting Indigenous peoples and communities in various areas of Canada. The same and similar resources are also available in French through the Radio-Canada branch of CBC. Of note is that the news stories are not simply about Indigenous peoples, but rather for Indigenous cultural perspectives, such as a section on hunting and gathering issues that contains an article about pickerel. This website is valuable for examining currently relevant issues and topics, as well as for recognizing how the media can be connected to and support Indigenous worldview.

Module 4.3 Jo-anne Chrona CBC Podcast

So this podcast was recommended to me by the principal at one of my schools. So much of conversations at schools these days are focused on the new emphasis in the curriculum document on Indigineity. She felt that what Jo-anne Chrona had to say during this podcast was particularly worth listening to. Hint: her part of the podcast doesn’t start until just after the 26 min mark.

4.4: Reporting in Indigenous Communities

Website: http://www.riic.ca/

This website is a resource for journalists who work with indigenous communities. It was created by Duncan McCue, who is a CBC journalist. McCue has also been a professor at the UBC School of Journalism. I found the most useful section of the website to be a Reporter’s Checklist. While the is written with a great deal of humour, it also serves as a valuable list of cultural concerns journalists should be mindful of when working in indigenous communities (e.g., Have you requested permission to film or photograph a ceremony? What are the protocols about naming, or using the image of, a deceased person in this Aboriginal community?). In the Teachings section, reporters who have worked with indigenous communities are encouraged to leave blog posts about their experiences in an effort to build “collective wisdom”. The Resources section is a collection of links to sites that can help reporters build their understanding of indigenous issues in Canada.

4.3: 8th Fire Dispatches

Website: 8^th Fire Dispatches

8^th Fire is a four-part mini-series from CBC that examines the past, present, and future of Canada’s relationship to its indigenous peoples. The mini-series’ website includes many resources relevant to indigenous knowledge. Two that I want to highlight are “Maps” and “Aboriginal Filmmakers”.

The “Maps” section includes a series of thematic maps that can be layered over the map of Canada. One map is a Stories Map, which includes dispatches from different First Nation voices across Canada. These dispatches focus on a variety of topics including history and culture to economic development projects. The Treaties and Land Claims map provides a visual overview of historic treaties, Peace and Friendship Treaties, settled land claims areas, and unsettled land claims areas.

The “Aboriginal Filmmakers” section profiles a handful of Aboriginal filmmakers. Profiles are linked to “dispatches” that the filmmakers have created for CBC as part of the 8^th Fire Series. Most of these dispatches are short documentaries. I feel this dispatch from Jessie Fraser is timely with our recent discussions around Inuit in Nunavut: An Inuk Reporter in Iqaluit

1.4: National Indigenous Media Association of Canada

National Indigenous Media Association of Canada

This organization represents Indigenous broadcasters in Canada. Their mandate includes helping Indigenous broadcasters reach areas with weak ICT infrastructure and advocating for Indigenous broadcasters in front of legislators and regulators. One of the more interesting resources available on this site is a timeline of this history of Indigenous broadcasting in Canada. The site also outlines in great detail Canadian policies for Indigenous broadcasting. These policies are quite detailed, covering topics such as what constitutes “native programming” and “native music”?

Module 2 Post 5: Aboriginal Programming

For National Aboriginal Day, the CBC is hosting a variety of Aboriginal television programming, much of which is hosted at the following link: CBC – National Aboriginal Day

One program I viewed this evening was a documentary called “Trick or Treaty?” (link to the NFB), made in 2014 by Alanis Obomsawin, which discusses Treaty No. 9 – signed over a century ago under false pretences – perhaps especially because of the manipulation of oral information. The documentary emphasizes that the government manipulated what was said to the Chiefs who signed the treaty, who would have had a very different understanding of the magnitude of what was orally agreed upon, in order to gain their signature. It’s an interesting film that lays bare the exploitive actions taken by Canada to have this treaty agreed to and the actions that have been taken by Indigenous groups (and non-Indigenous, e.g. as a workshop led by a white educator is woven throughout the film) against it, especially in recent years.