Category Archives: Archive

Indigenous Literacy & Language

As I continue on my journey exploring language and literacy development of Aboriginal children in Canadian schools, I have benefited greatly from our forum discussions and the following websites, videos and literature.

The following video is a wonderful place to start when thinking of literacy as communication and the blend of traditional literacy and digital literacy to empower human connectedness and literacy, in any culture.

https://youtu.be/0hlG6loSQFM

2. This document, Fostering Literacy Success for First Nations, Metis and inuit Students,reflects the importance of a bilingual approach to literacy, recognizing that many FNMI students communicate in non-standard forms of English/French “For these students, literacy success is cultivated by individualized programs that support their identity; experiences and relationships to the world”. The below link does not work here on this blog but paste into browser and it links fine!

http://chrome-extension://mloajfnmjckfjbeeofcdaecbelnblden/http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_Fostering_Literacy.pdf

3. First Nations 101 http://www.firstnations101.com/is a basic starting point for exploring the history of the First Nations People of Canada. It aims at supporting true reconciliation between First Nations and non-First Nations people. It was published in June, 2011 to celebrate National Aboriginal History month and in the Sunshine Coast School District was given to all teachers in 2013.

This website http://firstnationspedagogy.ca/FNliteracy.html

focus’ on the need for literacy development in digital media as well as traditional reading, writing and numeracy. “Although the number of literacy models that exist are extensive and sometimes confusing, researchers agree on a few key principles:

☉ Parental involvement in literacy initiatives is invaluable – the younger the child, the higher the value☉ First Nations children need instruction and literacy development in their own traditional language just as much as the mainstream language.☉ Orality is a traditional literacy skill that has endured since time immemorial in First Nations communities and continues to be an important one. Children should be encouraged to both listen to and tell stories and express themselves orally from a young age.☉ Connecting with Elders can help children and adults develop traditional literacies”

Do You Speak My Language – Mi’kmaw at First Nations School in Nova Scotia is a video focusing on why young aboriginal students are losing their traditional language. It is based on interviews with elders discussing the influence of television in their communities in 1954.

Let me find my talk so I can teach you about me.

Students interviewing elders in their community end up being interviewed themselves about the importance of their traditional languages and how to preserve them for future generations.

Indigenous Education in Southeast Asia

After completing the activities in Module 2, and taking into account the fact I am living in Southeast Asia, I am looking at focussing my attention on educational issues of the Indigenous peoples that live here. This area of the world attracts a lot of tourists and foreigners every year coming for sun-filled vacations and mountain getaways. The region has also seem a booming manufacturing sector continue to grow and has been pushing forward various education plans over the past couple of decades to bring their living standards up to Western standards. However, little is known or talked about when it comes to the Native people of the region. As is the case with countries like Canada, the education systems in these countries are also failing to meet the needs of their Native peoples.

#1
The first site is the official site for the “Second Malaysian Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education” that was recently held last month. Although there was government involvement, it was organized by a local Native group, the Dayak Bidayuh National Association, and it demonstrates an awareness of the needs of the Native peoples of Malaysian Borneo. The site gives the outside world some insight as to what kinds of issues are being discussed in terms of Native issues in Malaysian Borneo. Interesting to note that there were some Canadian connections on the speakers list.
http://mipcesecond.wixsite.com/mipce-2

#2
Working off of the above website, I decided to look into the Dayak Bidayuh National Association. Their official site listed below. On the site you can find information regarding the founding history of the organization, pictures, as well as news articles regarding the Dayak Bidayuh community. There are some very interesting articles that also detail an initiative that they have taken to start a Multilingual Educational Project. This project looks to incorporate the Native tongue of the Bidayuh people into the school curriculum of local schools (along the lines of the initiative Lorna Williams was part of).
https://dbnasarawak.wordpress.com/

#3
This article tells the heartbreaking story of the seven Temiar Native children that ran away from their boarding school in northern Malaysia. Only two of the children were found alive, and the others had perished due to dehydration and starvation. The story brings to light an education system that parallels that of the Canadian reservation school system. This is a bleak look at how the education policies of some governments are still looking to eradicate the culture of the Native people residing within their borders.

An education in captivity

#4
This article from the Indigenous Voices of Asia website details another shocking loss of life, this time in Thailand. The students, again, were indigenous youths and this article outlines how the government’s education policies in Thailand have worked to oppress the culture and rights of the indigenous people living there. The theme of using education as a tool to separate the indigenous people from their land and their culture comes up once again.
http://iva.aippnet.org/thailand-the-death-of-17-indigenous-students-reflects-the-poor-government-policies-on-education/

#5
This is a link to a video produced by the Inter Mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand (IMPECT) Association. The video outlines a lot of the issues we have been discussing, specifically the loss of language and culture of the indigenous peoples there. It does offer an inspiring community school project that the indigenous Mowakhi people in Thailand worked hard to set up that incorporated a ‘bicultural’ curriculum. However, the mistrust of the government by the community is still apparent and the lack of support given by the government mirrors the situation indigenous people in other countries are facing.

http://www.forestpeoples.org/topics/environmental-governance/video/2012/08/new-video-impect-mowakhi

How might the concepts of resurgence/resilience frame digital resources, websites, and other content curated by Indigenous peoples?

***This post was initially entered in the discussion thread on Oct. 2nd, 2016. I’ve reposted it here to ensure that I have properly archived it. It is my “statement connecting my weblog to my research interest”.

How might the concepts of resurgence/resilience frame digital resources, websites, and other content curated by Indigenous peoples?

I’ve been thinking about this topic over the last several weeks as we have worked our way through the first Module. The tensions outlined by Marker, Hare, and others have made for a rich considertation as to the implications of digital technologies for Indigenous peoples–young and old. With this in mind, I would like my research paper to do the following:

To begin, I would define how the concepts of resilience and resurgence are currently be used by some Indigenous scholars. From there, I would apply these understandings to the exisitng class weblog to consider how these concepts may inform the various resources either directly or indirectly. So, my methods for this research paper would be to a) work with a part of the digital archive created by the class’ weblog, and b) to apply a discourse analysis to how these notions of resilience and resrugence are being taken up.

In writing my intention with this research paper, I recognize that this topic/ question may need to be further revised in order to make it more manegeable. Some possible avenues to do so could include focusing on either resilience or resurgence as well as outlinining a specific time frame for which I would go through the archives. For example, I could look at this weblog between 2013-2015.

I’m looking forward to this project, and very open to any suggestions 🙂

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

Statement of Research Interest-Indigenous Art

Statement of Research Interest

At this point my research interest lies in indigenous art and how technology is changing how this is perceived. I am wondering about the varied positive and possibly detrimental effects of using technology to share indigenous art forms. Within this research I would like to investigate and include “place based learning” as an aspect of this. This research will involve Indigeneity, education and technology.

This research is of interest to me as a collector of art. Being based in Thunder Bay, Ontario I have been immersed in various aboriginal art through family (my father was an artist and involved in the local art community), through personal interest and through exposure to artists in my community in a variety of ways including visits to local art galleries, attending various art exhibitions and of course in an online environment.

I believe this research will be relevant in my educational practice as it will give me a deeper understanding of place based learning, which can be applied to ways of educating. I hope to refine my teaching practice through a deeper understanding of how art reflects, and perhaps helps to create culture and how this may be affected through the sharing of art with technology.

I look forward to connecting with others who may have a similar interest or those who would like to add to this post.

Research 5 links Exploring Arts, Culture, Indigeneity and Technology

The more I research into art, technology and indigeneity, the more intrigued I am with the topic. There are many layers to the topic and it is constantly evolving as culture is not static and there is not one set definition of what culture is. In addition, technology continues to evolve so more layers become added including commodification and differing world views on this.

http://rac.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/content/35/4/107

In the journal article, “Aboriginal theater: does ’sold out’ mean ’selling out’? “ The author discusses the disparity between Western Civilizations’ view of theater and the aboriginal point of view which encompasses a reflecting of spiritual truth as they see it. He highlights the complexities of ancient, traditional Aboriginal art forms and finds that the performing arts have been portrayed as primitive ritual lacking in the sophistication and complexity of contemporary western civilization. He speaks to the ethnocentric and naïve view that western thought purports and proposes that these art forms may be difficult to interpret using western mode of thought.

http://ariel.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/ariel/index.php/ariel/article/viewFile/3888/3825

In the journal article “From Colonialism to Multiculturalism? Totem Poles, Tourism and National identity in Vancouver’s Stanley Park”, the author reflects about the symbol of the totem pole and questions whose culture is represented, displayed and consumed. She questions whether or not they adequately capture the complicated and diverse histories and experiences of first nations people in the province of BC. She also discusses the use of totem poles as a statement of Canadian heritage and questions the Canadian Government’s use of them for their economic and cultural value. She writes further that the displays run the risk of minimizing the histories and legacies of aboriginal people within our nation.

http://mcu.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/content/9/2/141.full.pdf+html

In the article, “Authentic Inuit Art: Creation and Exclusion in the Canadian North”, the author discusses how Modern Inuit commercial arts grew out of the desires of multiple non-Inuit agencies and persons. He also discusses how these outside influences worked to create new art forms which were means of carrying out the will of these competing persons in a complex competition to control social and cultural relationships. These were appropriated by the Inuit and this new art gave them new strength to establish new economic, social and political institutions. In all, the article examines the historical support and shaping of Canadian Inuit art in the 20th century, and the consequences of outside influences.

http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/full/10.1108/20441261111171684

In In the article, “Indigenous culture: both malleable and valuable”, the author speaks to Ideological tensions that arise with the effort to balance the preservation of cultural integrity with the selling of marketable wares. She proposes further interdisciplinary research to develop an understanding that supports the long‐term sustainability of indigenous communities. She finds that existing discourse is currently dominated by non‐indigenous voices and Western tourism motivations, which need amelioration to better support the community‐based approach.

http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/full/10.1080/09528820412331318578?scroll=top&needAccess=true

In the article, “The Artifice of Culture, Contemporary Indigenous Art and the Work of Peter Robinson”, the author discusses the huge effect computing, Internet, and televisual technologies have had on the conditions of the production, reproduction, circulation, and consumption of cultural imagery. These technologies are fueling an economy and the commodification of art as culture. Indigenous and non‐Indigenous perspectives on commodification are likely to provide different views. The article examines the representation of contemporary, ‘non‐traditional’ Indigenous art and the definition of cultural property and identity.

My Research Findings – 2

One of my concerns for my research assignment is emotion. Coming from a scientific background and being in the industry of metrology, measuring is important to understanding. For example, how does a person know how far they will have to travel if there was no measurement of distance? This same thought process is occurring when I am attempting to associate emotion among First Nation people. One website noted some valuable information to help me better understand the direction I am wanting to take my research assignment to.

http://www.tier360.com/creativecms/pages/can-emosions-measured

There is huge economical value in the measurement of emotion in the business industry. It made me consider how indigenous people would recognize and become emotionally concerned with symbols. Example is the Thunderbird and the Whale. From one tribe to another, they could mean different things.

Another note relating to Module 2 is the aspect of how media can affect the self-recognition. I noted in the social media that the actor Adam Sandler had some dispute with fellow Native actors. It appears that Adam did not intend to upset his fellow Native actors by the script. My question is, why did it affect those actors enough for them to walk off the stage during mid-production?

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/04/23/native-actors-walk-set-adam-sandler-movie-after-insults-women-elders-160110

Our class module did note that emotion could be considered to be deeply embedded into Aboriginal culture, so how can we associate that emotional aftermath from the actor and the script that was meant to be humorous. There a few releases from Adam noting that “the movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason: because it is ridiculous. It is a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized, featuring a diverse cast that is not only part of — but in on — the joke.” So is it ok since he makes fun of other cultures and beliefs? How does this satire affect the view of each culture represented?

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Netflix-Defends-Adam-Sandler-Native-Americans-Walk-Off-His-Movie-71059.html

Another notice during my research is the suicide rates among first nation people. Could this be related to emotion or lack of understanding on emotion. The Globe and Mail had an article indicating that suicide is a deep concern. There is a sense of hopelessness, which struck me after watching the video for our module. So, after reading that article my question is how can we view hope then? I agree that hope is not an action plan, but what does it provide for people and more specifically, for First Nation people. Is the term hope part of the culture of First Nations in British Columbia? Now going from different sources, I am noticing a variation of statistics. My concern at that point is how do we determine which information is correct? If we are putting the community on a state of emergency, what is the guidelines to initate? Is it when 1 in 10 people are attempting suicide? If the preventative methods are not effective, according to who?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/cowichan-chief-says-sense-of-hopelessness-leads-to-suicides/article4178628/

Angela Wilson is forcing readers to question the authenticity and the source of our writings. I like this resource since it is ensuring that as I write my research assignment, that I want to consider the source of information that I will be obtaining it from. All of our discussion posts are asking critical questions that cause the audience to bring about their own interpretation of the information read. What drives our interpretation? As Dr. Brown noted, that any of our thoughts are started by an emotion, we feel something before we think something. Emotion takes precedent to our thoughts and actions.

http://pages.ucsd.edu/~rfrank/class_web/ES-114A/Week%203/WilsonHistoryAIQ20-1.pdf

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the source of this information but I remember awhile back someone noted to me this:

Our being can be identified as this:

Our Input determines our actions. The repeated action will define our behaviour. A collection of behaviours will develop our character, and our character is what will bring about our legacy.

Input is affected by the surroundings, environment, educators, and community.

Input–> Action –> Behaviour –> Character –> Legacy

I try to keep this in mind whenever I am analyzing myself/life and circumstance.