Tag Archives: language

Musqueam: A Living Culture

The Musqueam: A Living Culture web site provides information about the Musqueam people, their language, territory, history, and present information about educational tours and local events. The educational tours are a great idea for classrooms tours or groups of (12+) people.

The site also features some great educational videos from the Musqueam Nation’s YouTube channel. Here is the featured video which discusses some of the history and traditions of the Musqueam people.

Featured image by jamesabbott1963 (CC BY 2.0)

Nuymbalees Cultural Centre

This is a link to the Nuymbalees Cultural Centre’s website. http://www.museumatcapemudge.com/#!form__map/c24vq

This cultural centre is located on Quadra island in the village of Cape Mudge. Their mission is a broad one centred on cultural preservation and reinvigoration. In so doing they collect and preserve traditional artifacts, record traditional stories, offer language courses in the Kwak’wala language, and much more.

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4.5 – Kreyol to be Used in Haitian Schools

When self-determination and representation come to mind, Language seemingly plays a huge role. It is a tricky piece as well, since so much of the academic content out there is in English. However, it is fundamental to establishing a real representation of the community. Haiti is making shifts to teach nationally in Kreyol versus their colonial adopted language, French.

A Creole Solution for Haiti’s Woes

It does not sound like the content and pedagogy used in Haiti represent the place well, but moving towards adopting their native language is a huge shift.

As an aside… Language is a tricky thing. Despite Kevin Costner’s best efforts to create Dances with Wolves using predominantly Sioux, they lost authenticity by using a single language for male and females… whereas the Sioux have two forms of speaking that are gender dependent.

Native Resolution, RezWorld and Skins

“By immersing Native Americans in their traditional languages and customs, Thornton hopes to teach them how to preserve parts of their culture in danger of dying out.”

The article linked to below explores the work of Don Thornton who created a language education game called RezWorld. The first iteration of this game was in Cherokee, but it can be adapted for any language. The article also leads us to the abtec website and to the Skins project (link below).

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_184/5652-Native-Resolution

http://www.abtec.org/

On the AbTec.org site is a network of people dedicated to encouraging aboriginal presence in the areas of “web-pages, online games, and virtual environments that we call cyberspace.” The site has articles outlining the curriculum for game design for First Nations youth (E.g.: Skins 1.0: A Curriculum for Designing Games with First Nations Youth).

Post by Trevor Price

July 4, 2015

Module 2 / Post 5: Handbook for Recording Aboriginal Languages Volume 1

Handbook for Recording Aboriginal Languages Volume 1 is a fascinating resource that looks at largely the technical side of recording Indigenous languages. I was struck by one of the quotes on the first page that talks about how young people love technology and by recording Indigenous speakers, the resulting audio can be used to create many multimedia presentations for learning.

There is also a workbook that goes along with the handbook called The Aboriginal Language Program Planning Workbook. It’s a better read and focuses on how First Nations communities can go about engaging its members in participating in a language program. There’s even a section that discusses why Aboriginal languages are worth saving. It’s a fascinating read and even looks into the stages of revitalizing a nearly lost language. I was glad to see that it even talks about intergenerational transmission of language. The Handbook had me thinking that the focus was only on using technology to save Indigenous languages, but the Workbook shows that technology is only a tool in a much broader strategy.

The latter resource offers some excellent insight into Indigenous education, and since language and ways of knowing are bound together, it can possibly tie into my research on epistemology.

~Dan

Module 2.2 Aboriginal Voice Cultural Working Group Paper

This paper focuses on ways Aboriginal people can use ICT effectively to protect indigenous knowledge and to avoid further misrepresentations and stereotypes about them. It offers many ideas and perspectives that can spark further dialogue on various issues, and truly emphasizes the vital role ICT will play on Aboriginal nations throughout the entire discussion paper. As Indigenous communities integrate further in the knowledge society, the affordances of technology substantially increases with respects to the promotion of language, culture and community connectedness. It also highlights the control Indigenous people will have if they integrate ICT on their own terms and at their own pace.

http://www.kta.on.ca/pdf/AboriginalCultureinaDigitalAge.pdf

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.

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Module 2 post 2 Endangered languages in Borneo a survey among Iban and Murut in Temburong, BruneiPDF

endangered languages in Borneo1

This article looks at a 2008 survey of two indigenous tribes in Temburong District in Brunei and analyzes the changes the language has undergone by comparing the youth and the elderly. This article discusses endangered languages in Brunei specific to the District of Temburong.

Module 1 / Post 5: Blackfoot Digital Library

The Blackfoot Digital Library is a repository of digital artifacts pertaining to the Blackfoot peoples. On this website you will find a dictionary of the Blackfoot language both written and spoken. There is also a long but interesting video on the Plains Sign Language that was filmed in 1930 featuring members from many different Plains Nations. The video is completely silent and features a video dictionary of terms from the Plains Sign Language.

It is interesting to watch and listen to these languages, however I find it challenging to understand since it is devoid of context. Language and culture are intertwined and to learn the various Blackfoot phrases from a website is merely an act of rote memorization. While a website can be an invaluable aid to preserve First Nations’ languages, I would imagine it is a challenge to actually learn those languages from the website.

~Dan

Module 1 | Post 5 A link to my own place

As I stated in an earlier post, I grew up in Salmon Arm which is located on Shuswap Lake and is located approximately 500 km to the North and East of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Neskonlith band has a community that lives on the outskirts of Salmon Arm and they also have several communities near Chase, BC. Chief Judy Wilson is the current leader of this band. She is an interesting person and has an varied background in technology, communication and education. Her experience includes audio-visual production, book publishing, broadcast journalism and web planning. She has completed the second year of a First Nations Public Administration program and is working towards a Master’s Degree in Public Relations. She is a role model for her own community as Derik Joseph defines one in his paper and talk.

I found a wealth of resources and links on this site and want to share them here with ETEC 521 students. It is a wealth of information about issues and content important to the community and it is an example of how technology is being used to build and share knowledge both within and outside the community.

For a past class, we were asked to create a digital story. I created one and tied it to the places I have been and worked. I thought it appropriate to share it here as we start the course and tie myself to place and share in the tradition of providing my own context and perspective before embarking on my journey in this course or sharing my perspective on the readings and my view of the world.