Tag Archives: Inuit

Module 4: Post #1- Organizations Working Towards Human Rights

It is encouraging and exciting to learn about different organizations involved in teaching different aspects of Indigenous culture and history and working towards making a difference in terms of education, empathy and understanding. Most importantly, Indigenous people are involved and active in these organizations.

Here is a list of some organizations that seem to be helping to make a difference.

http://www.fncaringsociety.com/– The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society

  • information on how to get involved in your community and make a difference for equal opportunities to succeed

http://projectofheart.ca/teacher-guideslesson-plans/– Lesson plans created by FNCFCS to teach about social justice issues  

http://projectofheart.ca/– Project of Heart

  • created by Sylvia Smith to commemorate the Indigenous children who died in residential schools and to find ways to take action and form relationships between Indigenous and non Indigenous people.

http://projectofheart.ca/history/– Teaches empathy through history

http://www.kairoscanada.org/– KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (unites eleven churches and religious organizations)

  • pursues ecological justice and equal rights

http://www.kairoscanada.org/dignity-rights/indigenous-rights/blanket-exercise/– Kairos Blanket Exercise

  • A simulation exploring relationships between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Participants role play First nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples with blankets representing land to understand the impact of land colonization

** It is recommended that the The Blanket Exercise should always be followed by a talking circle and to be aware that it will likely raise deep emotions. Local First Nations, Métis or Inuit individuals or representatives should be invited to the workshop to honour the traditional territory, to teach, and to begin to build a relationship. (http://sttpcanada.ctf-fce.ca/lessons/wilton-littlechild/activities/)

http://www.legacyofhope.ca/– Legacy of Hope Foundation

  • raises Awareness of the Legacy of Residential Schools and the impacts on First Nations, Metis and Inuit Peoples

Module 3.3 – Canadian Medical Schools and “Affirmative Action”

Affirmative Action is a buzzword in the United States.  US Universities and Colleges frequently use applicant demographics to select students for admission, including increasing the percentages of ethnicity diverse students admitted, sometimes with slightly lower scores than other applicants. The intent of such a program is to increase minority representation at institutions of higher learning and to, ideally, decrease negative outcomes experienced more frequently by minority groups, primarily underemployment and poverty.

McGill University’s medical school is an example of such a policy put in place in Canada.  I know that at UBC we have created a distributed medical program which puts our students into clerkships in smaller communities across the province in the hopes that they pull put down roots in these more disparate regions and thus help to resolve a doctor shortage.  I’d hope that in addition to admitting more Indigenous students that universities are making more efforts to have, for example, Inuit doctors train in Inuit communities with the resources that are available there.

Module 3.1 – Intercontinental Cry

Intercontinental Cry is a magazine/web journal that serves to “amplify the voices and strengthen the efforts of Indigenous Peoples around the world” due to the significant lack of representation of Indigenous people in news media.

What I was particularly interested in at this point was the fact that this website is very focused on using Indigenous writers to speak on their own experiences.  Much of the academic literature on Canadian First Nations, Aboriginal, Inuit, and Metis populations is written by white researchers, probably due to their familiarity with the publication cycle and their access to services that help them to gain publication.  Fortunately a resource like IC helps authors with potentially less access to traditional streams of publication to have their voices heard, amplified, and shared with the world via the internet.

I think this could be a useful resource particularly at the high school level, for students to read and reflect on the impact of Indigenous voices on the Web.

Module 3, Post 1- Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project

After watching the videos presented to us in week 8, I wanted to search for more example of youths’ use of technology as a means to document their peoples’ experiences and learn more about their culture, history and perspectives on various issues. That is when I stumbled upon the Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project.

This is a collaborative project involving elders and youths from Nunavut as well as the University of British Columbia. The site includes many videos in which the youths interview elders, other members of the community and each other to gain a better understanding of their culture while documenting it in an effort to preserve it. A historical timeline and stories about history, the caribou and survival skills are also featured in the site.

This is but another great example of how youths are using media as a medium and an opportunity to tell others about their culture and present it to the world. Despite living in the same country, these youths recognize that Canadians know very little, if anything at all, about their culture and ways of life. One of the youths involved in the project discusses how the Government isn’t properly educating Canadians about Inuit culture, which is why he feels it this project is important to teach his peoples and others about their ways of life in order to keep their culture alive.

This site shows how youths are able to create something that is positive and educational when given the proper tools, freedom to be creative and access to traditional knowledge.

I also came across this article in which a local Vancouver-based hip-hop artist talks about how she uses media and music to bring awareness to the missing and murdered Indigenous women. Hip-hop, which she describes as a “contemporary form of oral tradition”, is how she communicates her peoples’ history for others to hear. The song “Sisterz” is quite powerful.

Module 2.3: Indigenous Health Research Group

The University of Ottawa hosts an interesting website & blog called the Indigenous Health Research Group, which brings together a group of researchers (the primary focus in this case being local dietary and physical activity practices/habits) and indigenous communities and remote First Nations in Canada’s north.

I was interested in their blog and other materials because the research focuses so heavily on collaboration with communities rather than strict ‘intervention’.  For example, these researchers (a very interdisciplinary team) work to help increase access to traditional/wild foods, and help to encourage traditional cultivation, or to encourage things like the Bison hunt in generations who may not have experienced these traditional activities.  This helps disparate/isolated communities to regain their self-reliance and to diminish their need for imported foods.

Interactive website – Inuit of Nunavut

Nanisiniq Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or The IQ Adventure! is an interactive site where the user has the ability to explore the landscape and learn from Inuit of Nunavut. Although the site contains a few broken links, the information available is plentiful. One can begin by viewing an interactive movie, embedded with game elements, where the player must complete challenges to create their own Inuksuk. As the adventure progresses, the user is able to listen to Inuit Elders sharing stories, view images of artistic artefacts such as carvings and prints, and learn pieces of the language. In addition, learning resources are also available for educators such as teacher’s guides and suggested learning activities that explore the guiding principles and values of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.

In an attempt to preserve and promote Inuit knowledges, this project is an example of how technologies can support the documentation and sharing of traditional knowledge and culture. Interestingly, the site is bilingual (Inuktitut and English) thereby creating an additional opportunity to document and preserve the language for future generations. This particular online learning environment has created a virtual space where Inuit peoples are able to have their voices heard and is giving them a chance to claim their own identity in cyberspace.

Module 1 Post 4 – The Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia

This incorporated, nonprofit association was mentioned in an article so I decided to look into it further. The Head Start program is designed for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit families across Canada to offer children an Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on culture and language, school readiness, health promotion, social support, nutrition, and parent and family involvement.

Link: http://www.ahsabc.com/

Inuit Broadcasting Corporation

This site (http://www.nac.nu.ca/index.php) was very interesting as a demonstration of how media and technology can be used to further the cultural interests of First Nations people. Instead of being buried by the technology, the Inuit have used it to represent and spread their culture. What a great opportunity to learn and help for everyone involved in the project. What a great resource for those receiving the IBC broadcasts. This is a “new media” model that makes the users the media providers.

Trevor Price.