- One of the sources I looked at was a document put out by the United Nations and discusses the ecological effects of climate change on Indigenous Peoples around the world. While this doesn’t directly relate to my paper topic, I found it an interesting read to see how drastically these cultures are affected. In seeing how affected these cultures are, you can also see their connection and dependence on the land, something that is often “overlooked” in the modern world http://www.un.org/en/events/indigenousday/pdf/Backgrounder_ClimateChange_FINAL.pdf
- The second source I looked at was directly related to my final research topic. https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/pathfinder.html It is called “A New Understanding of Culture and Communication: The Impact of Technology on Indigenous Peoples” by AJ Johnson. I found this to be a helpful source as it ask some of the key questions surrounding the preservation of Indigenous culture through technology and provides links to sites that attempt to provide an answer.
- This was another source that directly relates to the preservation of culture through technology. Its called DiPLO and discusses some of the initiatives being undertaken to use technology constructively and positively in Indigenous Cultures around the world. “Although current trends show that modern technology can put certain cultures at risk, the same technology can be used to solve the problem. In fact, strategic use of the tools at our disposal will not only help to preserve less-represented cultures, but also help promote them to the entire world.”
- Another source I looked at tied the theme for this module together with my paper topic. It is called Muiniskw Spirit. It tells the story of “THE LEGACY OF MUIN’ISKW – TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE.” It is written from the perspective of an Indigenous individual and discusses how “many have found that indigenous philosophies offer some of the most profound insights for cultivating the kind of sustainable relationship we need with the Earth, and the spiritually integrated perception of Nature needed to address what has now become a global crisis of the ecology.” I question the authenticity of this source as it doesn’t explicitly state the credentials of the authors. In reading through this site it made me think of the article we read in Discussion #6 about Blue Snake, an individual masquerading as an Indigenous individual. That being said though, this has the potential to be a great example of how Indigenous cultures can use technology to preserve and share their traditional knowledge.
- The last source I looked at was called AMN (Aboriginal Mapping Network). This source shows how technology can be used to map traditional knowledge. “Digital cartography offers exciting opportunities for recording indigenous knowledge, particularly in contexts where a people’s relationship to the land has high cultural significance.”