Author Archives: kimberly cook

Being Informed About First Nations Social Issues

On November 3, I had the fortunate experience to take a group of students to We Day, where National Chief, Perry Bellegarde presented. The main issues that he wants to address as National Chief, includes the preservation of First Nations’ languages, education, treaty rights and economic prosperity. As an educational mentor to more than 70 leadership students at my school, I feel that it is important to learn with my students Aboriginal social issues, and come up with strategies in how we can help make changes to better the conditions. Before I lead my students to make change to help others with the healing process, however, I need to first educate myself. I’m starting off with a very basic question: What are the social issues that are endured by First Nations communities? The posts that I am entering for this blog that I am completing for this module will help lead me towards the road to discovery in finding the answers to my question.

The First Nations Profiles Interactive Map

To help myself answer this question, I first wanted to get a better understanding of how many different First Nations communities there are in Canada. On the Government Of Canada Website, is a First Nations Profiles Interactive Map which gives viewers a geographical visual of the various First Nations communities across Canada. The map also shows the tribal councils attached to the communities, and when zoomed in, the area of each of the reservations can be viewed. A link to the Inuit Community Profiles Interactive Map can also be accessed, as well, links to websites of the various First Nations communities are listed to determine services available within the communities. What is not listed on the map is what various languages are spoken within the communities, nor is the population of the communities. This information would be helpful for example, to develop a better understanding of the amount of supplies needed for the community members if they are in remote or isolated communities.

Educating Myself

Two websites I found to give me an overview of issues include:

The Centre of Social Justice cites general social issues endured by First Nations communities. Although the statistics are nearly 20 years outdated, the issues are well outlined and a good starting point for research. Of the issues mentioned include: poverty/inequality, lack of access to health care, unemployment barriers, lack of sensitivity and inclusiveness in the education system, and the restriction of civil and political rights.

2. Aboriginal Issues in Canada is a Western University project, created in 2015. It is a slideshare video posted on Canada News which acknowledges the various issues that Canadian First Nations communities are confronted with. This video would be a great resource to show students as an introduction to the Aboriginal issues. It is not long, and the statistics are current.

Canada News has many archived videos on Aboriginal issues.

A Deafening Silence on Aboriginal Issues

is an article written by Nancy Macdonald, and published in Macleans magazine September 30, 2015. The article reviews issues such as violent victimization, suicide, and missing women. Of particular interest to me was the discussion of Government involvement. This article was written in the brink of the National election and the article quotes the promises of Canada’s political parties to dedicate finances and resources to help Indigenous peoples. Bellegarde is directly quoted in the article, mentioning the $110 million that has been spent in court battles on First Peoples rights. Wouldn’t this money be better spent on solving the problems? Change, according to Murray Sinclair, will not happen overnight, but occur “in neighbourhood by neighbourhood, street by street, and family by family.”

First Peoples Potable Water Issue

Of particular interest to me is the issue of access to potable water within the various First Peoples communities. An article written in the Huff Post on March 9, 2016 by Jessica Chin, titled Canada First Nations Water Issue To Be Fixed: UN, discusses the issue, statistics and politics around access to potable water. Chin cites the United Nations calling upon Prime Minster Trudeau to address the issue because of Human Rights and cultural concerns. Not having all weather roads is a factor contributing to not have access to water. However, access to fresh drinking water is not a problem only to remote or isolated communities but also to those who live on reservations in the lower mainland. The Semiahmoo Nation for example, has become vocal in local media asking for help to solve their water concern. An article can be found here. A summative report written by David R. Boyd, Ph.D., J.D, titled, No Taps, No Toilets: First Nations and the Constitutional Right to Water in Canada contends that the rights of particular Nations from Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta “are being violated by the government’s failure to provide safe drinking water, an essential service which is vital to life, health, and human dignity.” Therefore, it will be interesting to see within the next few years how the government plans to take action in correcting his human rights concern.

Connecting Mathematics To BC Curriculum — Kimberly

For this weblog entry, I decided to share some of the research I have been collecting for my final project on connecting Aboriginal knowledge and the BC math curriculum. Of particular interest to me, is creating cultural and meaningful contexts when teaching Mathematics, with the intention that the learners will develop a personal connection and relevance to the learning.

Teaching Mathematics in a First Peoples Context is a resource written and published by the First Nations Education Steering Committee. It is a resource targeted for educators teaching the grade 8 and 9 curriculum. The targeted lesson plans reflect the First Peoples Principles of Learning while promoting engagement and inclusiveness of aboriginal culture in the area of Mathematics.

Of particular interest to me, is the explanation and description of the pedagogy and principles of the Math First Peoples which is an extension to the First Peoples Principles of Learning. The First Peoples Principles of Mathematical Teaching specifies how teachers should implement the First Peoples Principles of Learning in the area of Mathematics.

The Aboriginal Mathematics K-12 Network is a web gathering space where teachers, students, parents and academics share and investigate ideas on how to improve mathematics learning for Aboriginal students.

Within this webspace is a connection to the Aboriginal Math Symposiums which is a gathering held annually where students, educators and community members join together to discuss how Mathematics can be connected to Aboriginal students in more meaningful ways.

Various Universities have created websites for sharing Aboriginal Education content. The UBC library website has a link to lesson plans and other portals organized by subject area, including Aboriginal Education. A link from the University of Toronto website, connects viewers to resources and lesson plans from the webpage titled, Deepening Knowledge: Resources for and about Aboriginal Education. Here, students and teachers are able to access resources, tools and lesson plans that fuse Aboriginal Education with various subject areas. A sample lesson plan from this site includes: Haida Legends: Culturally Responsive Mathematics.

Various districts across Canada have also created their own collection of resources for teachers and students to use around Math content. The Port Alberni School District (SD70) for example, have created a resource called Integrating Aboriginal Culture With Mathematics K-12. Although this resource was developed with curriculum that is now outdated, the concepts and ideas of using various Aboriginal artifacts and contexts are highly valuable. The project that initiated this document centred around the creation of a button blanket, and various mathematical concepts from various grade levels reflected each step of the process of its creation.

The Alaskan Native Knowledge Network is a great site which includes various resources which contextualize Aboriginal Education and Mathematics. This site includes a database searchable by content, cultural standards, cultural region, and grade level. A example of a resource found on the site, which demonstrates the use of Aboriginal context when teaching Mathematics is called, Math In A Cultural Context. University of Alaska Fairbanks collaborated with Yup’ik elders, teachers, and Alaskan school districts to develop culturally based curricular materials. The resource consists of modules/teaching guides for grades 2-7 of various contexts such as berry picking, kayak building, and salmon fishing, which are accompanied with CDs, and DVDs, that demonstrate elder’s knowledge.

Indigenous Knowledge and Community

While completing the readings and viewing the videos for this module, I developed a curiosity for Indigenous knowledge and community. I wondered how media is used within indigenous communities to share and teach their knowledge within their communities and with others around the world.

The first link is to a YouTube video titled “Do You Speak My Language?” created by youth at We’koqma’q Mi’kmaq School in Nova Scotia. The video is directed and produced by Mi’kmaq youth who interview members of all ages within the community. The focus questions revolve around learning the Mi’kmaq language, Mi’kmaw.

The second resource is a link to an article titled, ‘As If Indigenous Knowledge and Communities Mattered: Transformative Education in First Nations Communities in Canada,’ written by Jessica Ball. Media is not so much as considered an important factor in this study, but the findings is of relevance to any indigenous community, is shared via the internet. The article describes a ‘generative curriculum model’ that was used in a case study completed in collaboration with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council and the University of Victoria. In the case study, community members were invited to collaboratively teach post-secondary curriculum to help build relevance and connection of European written curricula to the Cree and Dene Aboriginal communities.

The third resource is a link to a media research company called Kwusen Research and Media, which specializes in conducting ‘community-based research on traditional knowledge ad land use,’ used for environmental impact assessments. They use what they call a ‘participatory approach’ which ’emphasizes community capacity building to engage Indigenous communities in researching their own traditions and land use practices.’ They provide expertise in documenting video, websites, and web-based mapping techniques. The Community Knowledge Keeper used by Kwusen, is a customized online mapping and data management system which archives support consultation, environmental research, and traditional land use studies for Indigenous communities to share, when faced with land and resource management issues.

An example of work completed by Kwusen is called The Buffalo Hunters with the Mikiswe Cree First Nation.

The fourth resource is an article written by CBC News titled, ‘5 Independent Indigenous Media Sourced To Check Out Online.’ This article discusses how various Indigenous communities across Canada are using media to voice their issues and stories. Newspapers, websites, radio programs, television stations and magazines have become mainstream within the communities, and with the use of the internet, have become accessible to everyone.

The fifth and final resource is an article titled, ‘Social Media in Remote First Nations Communities.’ The study took place in the Sioux Lookout region of Northwestern Ontario, and explored the link between social networking sites and community resilience. The evidence of the study suggests of those who lived in the community and were frequent users of social networking sites, created a network of interconnection of information, resources and social activity among each other within the community, as well as in the outlying communities.

Research Proposal

I am highly interested in continuing my research and resource development for the First Peoples’ Art and Artefacts For Learning website. The website suggests ideas for teachers to use art and artefacts to teach to make cross-curricular connections with Aboriginal culture. The framework for each lesson plan on the website is centered around visual literacy. Teaching children to be visually literate is becoming increasingly important because of the number of visual images children are exposed to everyday through technology, and it is important to teach children to be critical thinkers when visual images are presented to them. Each lesson plan is based on a three-step process of evaluating and becoming critical thinkers of visual information. The lesson plans follow Ann Watts Pailliotet’s ideas of ‘deep viewing’ which is a process that occurs in three phases:
1. Literal observation
2. Interpretation
3. Evaluation/application

This framework was chosen as it is an easy model for teachers to use to help learners move from explicit to implicit learning, which is reflective of their personal and critical connections to visual information. An article explaining Pailliotet’s model can be found here. An area that I would like to focus on this term is including lesson plans that connect Aboriginal artefacts with Mathematics. The website that I hope to continue to cultivate can be found here. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Research Proposal

Learning Resources For Teaching First Nations Art

We are currently participating in a school-wide inquiry at my school to increase First Nations cultural awareness through First Nations art, music and performing arts. I am providing you with some website links that have helped us along the enriching process.

First People’s Art For Learning

The following website was a group project created in ETEC 511. Our goal was to create a cross curricular resource for teachers that linked Canadian First Nations art and artefacts to the curriculum via a visual literacy framework. Our goal is to continuously add to this resource, with the intention to add oral stories and personal accounts from elders. Please share, make comments or ask questions about this resource.

Authentic Indigenous

This website was created by the Aboriginal Tourism BC (AtBC) foundation who have established the Authentic Indigenous Arts Resurgence Campaign (The “ARC”).

Its initiative is: “aimed at promoting and supporting authentic Indigenous artworks in the retail and wholesale marketplace.”

Its goal is: to “undertake various activities designed to protect Indigenous control over Indigenous artwork and to ensure that its sale benefits Indigenous artists and communities economically.”

This website provides a comprehensive list of First Nations Artists in Canada where they are listed by first name in alphabetical order. Each artist has their own page where viewers can read a short bio, view examples of their work, and search any links that may take them to projects or personal websites. It also posts events, campaigns, and articles, and members can connect with each other through the blog, and social media.

CCCA Canadian Art Database

This informational website provides a database of Canadian artists, including First Nations, located across Canada. Anyone can search for artists by name, location, subject/category, and advanced search options which include curriculum. It is a place where Artists have the showcase their work, mention projects they are working on, and list events that are happening across Canada to promote their Art.

Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre was founded to showcase the art, history and culture of the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh (people of the Squamish villages) and the L̓il̓wat7úl (the people of the land) nations. Visitors on the website can learn about the Nations’ past and present history, shop online for authentic artisan merchandise, as well as book tours. During the visits, visitors are taken through a guided tour of the centre, and they also have the opportunity to sign up for interactive workshops which could involve an interpretive forest walk, holistic tour and indigenous tea ceremony, or participation in various indigenous crafting workshops.

Aboriginal Tourism BC

The page dedicated to Arts and Culture, on the Aboriginal Tourism BC website, takes the visitor on an exploration of the many art galleries, studios, museums, cultural sites and cultural centres that are located throughout BC. Visitors to the website are also able to book special visits and tours.