Category Archives: Module 3

Module 3- Post 1: Repatriating Stolen Artefacts: Paul Waterlander

I saw this article in the Canadian magazine Walrus. The topic is the struggle for Canadian First Nations trying to regain ownership of thousands and thousands of cultural artefacts that have been stolen away from the owners throughout the darkest days of colonial rule.

One example of a stolen artefact was a birchbark canoe recently found in storage in an English manor house. An ancestor had taken the Anishinaabe canoe sometime in the late 1700’s, and brought back home to his home in Cornwall, UK. Anishinaabe artist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson felt an instant connection to the old canoe.

“It became a metaphor for me as an Indigenous woman in Canada in 2017,” she says. “It feels like everything has been stolen and you have to get it back.” In fact, there are sacred objects belonging to Canada’s Indigenous peoples dotting the globe, including thousands inside our own borders. They are displayed in museums, or packed away in storage, hidden in garages, both forgotten and remembered, depending on who is doing the thinking. There is no legislation about where they should go and no funding for Indigenous groups to bring them home either, let alone create their own museums.

Is is heartening to see that more and more Canadian museums are beginning to work with First Nations to repatriate these cultural treasures. The CEO of the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC supports the return of these artefacts, but sees some challenges: “Museums in Canada have a “great will” to repatriate artefacts says Jack Lohman, RBCM’s CEO, but he adds that there are simply not enough resources. If the government wants to commit to reconciliation efforts, more funding is needed for wide scale repatriation.”

This is an easy to read article that can be used in the classrooms to promote discussion around the topic of repatriation.

Here is the link: https://thewalrus.ca/the-push-to-bring-home-indigenous-artefacts/

(This totem pole was stolen from Haisla First Nations by European explorers in the late 1800’s and sold to a museum in Sweden! The pole was repatriated to the original village after negotiations were made with the museum.)

Module 3 Weblog

Keywords: decolonization, research methodologies, colonization, law, traditional knowledge, Indigenous youth, curriculum, technology, language, culturally responsive education

1.Stand Film

http://standfilm.com/video/

This documentary film touches on important issues pertaining to the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii. Centered around paddleboarding as a vessel for action, we see how some Aboriginal youth in Bella Bella learn to make paddleboards in school as a way to connect to the land and to make something purposeful. Their engagement in evident in the way they speak about the boards and their connection to place. Their personalized boards, and they way they speak about them demonstrate how important their culture is to them. In connection with elders in the community, the youth are inspired to take action against the potential of oil spills on the Northwest Coast as a result of the Northern Gateway Pipeline by speaking at cultural gatherings and participating in a hunger strike. As the youth make their paddleboards and take action, it becomes evident that this is a project that is culturally responsive.

Pictures of the boards:
http://www.paddlesurf.ca/2011/06/bella-bella-board-builders-update-boards-finished/

2. Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom:

This is the BC Ministry of Education’s 2015 document on Aboriginal worldviews in the classroom. Pages 39-57 focus on “Attributes of Responsive Schooling”. As an educator, this section of the document is less theoretical and more practical. It consists of participant responses to each principle of responsive education, with advice and suggestions to support educators. What strikes me with regards to this document, is the difficulty in which I had to find it on the BC Ministry of Education Website. Although Aboriginal education is integrated throughout the revised BC Curriculum, this document provides educators with practical information which lends to the visualization of responsive schooling.

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/aboriginal-education/awp_moving_forward.pdf

3. In Practising Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education by Cynthia Nicol, Jo-ann Archibald, and Jeff Baker, the following concepts are introduced for culturally responsive mathematics education: grounded in place, storywork, focused on relationships, inquiry based, requiring social consciousness and agency. Simon Fraser University’s Math Catcher Outreach Program uses the concepts of place, storywork, and inquiry to engage students in mathematics. They also offer classroom visits, workshops, and summer camps for Aboriginal children. The digital resources include youtube videos in English and one or more Indigenous languages and are all based on real life situations. They could also act as a math catalyst between school and home. I wonder how these resources are being implemented in the classroom and if they are being used with the other concepts of culturally responsive mathematics ed.

http://www.sfu.ca/mathcatcher.html

4. In the following TEDx talk entitled Aboriginal math education: Collaborative learning, Stavros Stavrou explains how he takes an “anti-oppressive math education” approach. He co-teachers with an Aboriginal teacher and attempts to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and principles of knowing with mathematics. Watching his lecture, his approach seems to echo the concepts of culturally responsive math education as outlined by Cynthia Nicol, Jo-ann Archibald, and Jeff Baker in Practising Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education. As an educator, this sounds like an amazing situation, where a non-native teacher specialist is able to collaborate and co-teach with an Aboriginal teacher. Stavrou provides an example of how he connected with a student on a cultural, mathematical, personal level. He illustrates for us what we hear echoed in the messages of Inuit youth in Alluriarniq – Stepping Forward, students are motivated and engaged when teachers connect with them personally.

4. Designing Games with First Nations Youth

https://www.rit.edu/gccis/gameeducationjournal/skins-designing-games-first-nations-youth

This is a project, entitled Skins, conducted by Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC) (Concordia University), where Aboriginal youth, in partnership with game experts learn to create digital games based on stories from their communities. Upon reading the paper, it becomes evident that much thought has been put into this project through consultation and connection with the Aboriginal community. Protocol is important as noted in the article and in the references which demonstrate depth of research around appropriate methodologies. There is evidence of the principles of culturally responsive education: “ 1) flexible curriculum, 2) a dedicated instructor connected to the community, 3) defined roles, and 4) creative freedom”. In addition, upon completion of the project researchers were able to conclude that, “Stories from the community came alive for the students in both the telling and discussions about them, and, ultimately, in the game itself. They were then able to synthesize their own original story, and furthermore, transform that narrative into a gamespace and gameplay.”

MODULE 3 WEBLOG

The following are resources (articles, videos, websites) on ideas and initiatives focused on Indigenous knowledge, learners and education:

Conestoga College. (2017, March 20). Indigenizing Post-Secondary Education [Video file].

This video explores the experiences of a few post-secondary Indigenous students, within their courses and on-campus supports. The students provide suggestions on going beyond a Euro-centric style of teaching and infusing Indigenous content and teaching methods into the education system, as well as ways to help build stronger relationships among Canadians.

Project of Heart. (n.d.). Project of Heart.

This is an “inquiry based, hands-on, collaborative, inter-generational activity” that helps students learn about the history of Aboriginal people in Canada, including the legacy of the residential school system. It is tailored to different grade levels, including post-secondary, but is not only tied to educational institutions: it can be used by anyone.

Province of BC. (2013, October 25). Changing Results for Young Readers: Laura Tait, First Peoples Principles of Learning [Video file].

This is a presentation by Laura Tait, an educator and administrator. She covers ideas such as Indigenous identity, pedagogy, reflective practice, relationships and understanding. Tait invites viewers to look at the world through an Indigenous lens. She shares some activities that teachers can use with their students and resources for their professional development.

Simon, J., Burton, K., Lockhart, E. (2014). Post-secondary distance education in a contemporary colonial context: Experiences of students in a rural First Nation in Canada. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 15(1).

This article shares some of the challenges of and opportunities through post-secondary online/distance education in rural and remote First Nation (Indigenous) communities in Canada. The Elsipogtog First Nation community in Nova Scotia is profiled. Student experiences using videoconferencing technology are shared.

University of British Columbia. (2017, February 17). Learning from Story [Video file].

This video is part of a non-credit massive open online course (MOOC), “Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education,” which focuses on strategies, teaching examples and resources supporting teaching and learning of Indigenous ways of knowing. The video focuses on the use of Indigenous storytelling and the benefits of utilizing it as a teaching strategy.

Exploring the Significance of Body Within Indigenous Hip-hop: Michael Cebuliak

Upon working through the rough copy of the final assignment in ETEC 521, it became apparent that there were many holes within my research. Many of the articles in which I read, for example D. Dehyle’s “From Break Dancing to Heavy Metal”, B. Bonar’s “Can hold us back! Hip-hop and the racial motility of aboriginal bodies in urban spaces” and A. Woloshyn’s “Hearing Urban Indigeneity in Canada: Self-Determination, Community Formation and Kinaesthetic Listening with A Tribe Called Red”, have explicitly, and rather thoroughly, stated the significance of Indigenous bodies in self-representation and self-determination. Michel Foucault is widely acknowledged as creating highly influential work that explores the relationship between body and power structures. Even though his name is not explicitly mentioned in any of the three previous articles, I felt further understanding of the issue, and his work, would be especially insightful when exploring indigenous bodies in hip-hop and the relation to the structures of power; consequently, some of the sources that I recently selected explore the application of Foucault’s work to relationships of power between government/state and Indigenous bodies.

I was also interested in further exploring different genres of Indigenous hip-hop. A Tribe Called Red courts an entirely different audience than much Indigenous gangster rap. Dehyle’s article concludes that some Indigenous youth from Dakota have essentially given up on the fight against traditional power structures and embraced the rebellious, fatalistic and highly marginalized world of heavy metal music. I wondered if the Indigenous youth attracted to gangster rap feel similar to their heavy metal counterparts.

Evan J. Habkirk and Janice Fosyth

Truth Reconciliation, and the Politics of the Body in Indian Residential School History

http://activehistory.ca/papers/truth-reconciliation-and-the-politics-of-the-body-in-indian-residential-school-history/

This is an interesting article as it examines the role of the body as a means to assimilation within residential schools. The authors perceive the body as a cultural text and highlight the difference between traditional Indigenous bodies and those that were sculpted by means of sports at residential schools. I wonder if similar things occur within hip-hip. Popular depictions of the male body in hip-hop celebrate muscle, bulk, strength and power. Although there are many exceptions to this in both Indigenous and African American hip-hop, it does create an expectation for the body that seemingly challenges traditional structures of power. One wonders if assimilation via hip-hop for the Indigenous body is through association with African American norms, and via support of those norms, while defiantly challenging, and confronting, the body of traditional Anglo power.

Joanna Ziarko

Marketing Indigenous Bodies in the Fiction of Leslie Marmon Silko, Louis Erdich and Sherman Alexie

https://muse-jhu-edu.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/chapter/982967

This is another interesting article as it illustrates how many non-indigenous peoples romanticize First Nation culture and inadvertently create a romantic notion of the past that paradoxically many First Nation peoples are incapable of escaping: there is a hegemonic interpretation of how First Nation people should live. I remember within Sherman Alexies’ The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian the comedic encounters the Indigenous people of this novel faced with such romantics. However this is far from a laughing matter as healthy acceptance by those on the fringes of hegemonic cultures can help strengthen identity and purpose. Consequently, it is imperative that non-indigenous peoples embrace First Nation hip-hop so that power structures change not through Indigenous peoples fighting the status-quo but rather through non-indigenous persons challenging the status-quo by being respectful, supportive and understanding of contemporary indigenous issues, as illustrated through the art of these people.

Robyn Bourgeois

Colonial Explotation: The Canadian State and the Trafficking of Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=dc349d83-d1f8-4918-adb5-67004d892ef2%40sessionmgr120

I was interested in this article primarily because it offers an historical perspective to the treatment of indigenous bodies in a colonial context. The author argues that colonialism long sought to eradicate Indigenous bodies as they were an impediment to settlement. Bourgeois sees the trafficking of Indigenous women as a continuation of this practice and posits that colonialism is alive and well today because of it. I was also interested in this article because I am worried about the depiction of Indigenous women in hip-hop produced by those very members that belong to the culture. It has long been argued that much African American hip-hop has very misogynistic depictions of women and knowing that many Indigenous cultures are maternal, I was curious if this reverence would be illustrated in their hip-hop art, or whether they would merely perpetuate the misogyny of their African American counterparts and thereby reinforce traditional colonial practices by commodifying female indigenous bodies.

And More Hip Hop Style Pow Wow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzPOEgDe2d8

I cam across this video clip when I was in search of other expressions of Indigenous hip-hop culture. It occurred to me that I was focusing primarily on music and ignoring graffiti, break dancing and dj’s. I found this clip rather interesting as it was similar to the typical representations of females in African American rap music. The truth be told, this video made me feel somewhat uneasy. I’m not sure if it’s because I tend to romanticize much First Nation culture and this seemed to me as appropriation, and perhaps even assimilation, into the oft characterized misogynistic world of African American rap and this is not how I wanted to perceive the current state of Indigenous hip-hop culture. However, I do remember watching another documentary explaining how the Anglo American’s disdain for the overt sexuality characteristic of other cultures is a means of controlling these bodies. As many First Nation cultures tend to be maternal in nature I wondered if this depiction of women defied traditional values or is it just a continuation of the Madonna-whore complex, where women are seen as binary in their makeup but men are permitted to embrace their entire sexuality.

Six emerging Aboriginal artists that are inspiring change

http://nationalpost.com/entertainment/six-emerging-aboriginal-artists-in-canada-who-are-inspiring-change/wcm/e1a52bfa-2ceb-4f9d-9557-3c6b07ddcad7

Again, this article captured my interest as I came to the realization that I hadn’t explored elements of Indigenous hip-hop other than music. I attempted to search for examples of break dancing, or hip-hop dance, and graffiti. Unfortunately, there weren’t very many articles devoted to these topics so I did find this interesting introduction to the graffiti of Jesse Gouchey, a Cree artist from Alberta. I was particularly interested in how, or even if, Gouchey would incorporate traditional elements of First Nation art into his graffiti. I was also interested if Gouchey would place his work in public places and make it conspicuous, as the original African American graffiti artists did to promote their culture in a very visible manner. Again, this ties into the theme of Indigenous bodies that I was exploring this week, as graffiti is an art primarily of cultures that are geographically segregated from the prominent cultures within urban centres.

Warriors Off The Res: Aboriginal Gangs in Winnipeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlUcsKSbpNI

Lastly, this video explores the similarities between the American gangster rap aesthetic and that found within Indigenous gangs of Winnipeg. Exploring Dehyle’s previously mentioned work, it is suggested that many Indigenous youth abandon the positive messages expressed within the origins of hip-hop for the more fatalistic and defiant world of heavy metal and gangster rap. This may be problematic to liberating First Nation youth from the “two worlds” metaphor that perpetuates colonialism by not permitting the evolution of Indigenous cultures.

What can be learnt

This week I wish to present a series of articles on topics of great interest and what can be learnt from traditional Aboriginal teachings to better the system.

Canadian law can learn from Indigenous law

In Quebec, students are now being taught Aboriginal law alongside Quebec law. Of particular interest from this article is the focus that Aboriginal law is based on relationships and how they can be strengthened. Mr. Borrows, the educator mentioned in the article and interview, has worked with Aboriginal groups rom across Canada and the world. In incorporating more Aboriginal law into everyday practice, Burrows argues, it will help strengthen Canada’s system as a whole with a continued focus on mending relationships and rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Forget Smokey the Bear: How First Nation fire wisdom is key to megafire prevention

The firekeepers of the Okanagan valley were responsible for purifying the land. In this article, published by the CBC, the discussion of the Aboriginal practice of slash and burn is shared as a means of how it helped prevent the types of fires seen in Britih Columbia and Alberta over the past few years. Shared in the article is the story of Annie Kruger, a former firekeeper, and how her teachings may be used to prevent larger fires in the future and how it’s important to use these teachings moving forward.

Canada seeks traditional aboriginal knowledge on climate change

Climate change affects us all and in this Star article the importance of using oral histories and knowledge is shared. By speaking with elders, scientists are discovering how the climate is changing over time and working on ways to slow or improve the process. Scientific data, it is argued, helps, but it is also important to speak with those who are seeing the changes and are affected by it. Not only is Canada investigating changes using elder accounts, the United States is getting in on it as well.

How science and First Nations oral tradition are converging

A saying I often hear goes that there is truth rooted in every story. For long, Aboriginal traditional histories have been ignored because there are few written accounts. Recently, however, there has been a convergence of science and oral histories in helping shape views. An example is an oral history of an earthquake that hit in about 1700. Using the oral histories, scientists were able to determine what they found of an ancient tsunami coincides with the story. Part of science is proving theories correct or incorrect and we are finding that many theories, or stories, shared from Aboriginal traditions are helping shape science and give a better view of the past.

First Nations Mental Wellness: Mobilizing Change through Partnership and Collaboration

Mental health is important for those living in the 21st century. We are bombarded every day with materials and pieces of information that can cause a strain in our mental abilities. A new mental health strategy for Canada is using traditional knowledge as a means of supporting positive mental health. Shared in the strategy is a balance of purpose, hope, meaning and belonging, all key points in traditional teachings as much as in modern society. In order to keep these together, one needs community. An excellent read with a wonderful continuum shared on pages 99 and 100 that an be used in every setting.

Module 3 – Yuandi Du

Indigenous doctor incorporates traditional practices in modern medicine

Links to the site: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/when-indigenous-healing-practices-meet-modern-medicine-1.3530072/indigenous-doctor-incorporates-traditional-practices-in-modern-medicine-1.3537445

Media: CBC Radio

This radio interviews Dr. Marcia Anderson DeCoteau about how she incorporates traditional medical practices in modern medicine. While combining the two practices, she experiences that many indigenous patients are afraid of racism towards them in the healthcare system, but would like to treat in the traditional ways. This is a case to show how important it would be to put indigenous knowledge into real practice.

Forget Smokey the Bear: How First Nation fire wisdom is key to megafire prevention

Links to the site: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/fire-fighting-first-nations-firekeepers-annie-kruger-penticton-bc-wildfire-mega-fire-1.4205506

Media: CBC News

This article describes how an indigenous firekeeper can be the key to B.C.’s recent out-of-control wildfire. A firekeeper, is a traditional career in aboriginal communities, who light up fires on purpose to keep trees and forests in a healthy shape. In the article, the author goes on stating that North America cracked down the firekeeper practice in the early 20th century as the governments did not believe in such practice and concerned that it will cause more fires instead. However, the author stated that the stop of this practice might be the reason why today’s wildfires are more and more uncontrollable. This article provides a great edge that can be used to prove the usefulness of traditional knowledge.

Junk Science Week: Treating aboriginal ‘traditional knowledge’ equal to science in environmental reviews can make things far worse

Links to the site: http://business.financialpost.com/opinion/junk-science-week-treating-aboriginal-traditional-knowledge-equal-to-science-in-environmental-reviews-can-make-things-far-worse/wcm/bff40f1d-7b8d-456c-a60e-a5091b70a339

Media: Financial Post

In this post, author Frances Widdowson strongly opposes the Canadian government’s equal recognition of ‘indigenous knowledge’ and ‘western science’ by argueing that the traditional is not evidence-based science. The author questions that the traditional is rather protoscientific and can not be verified and justified. While I cannot agree with the author on many of his statements, I do think that he is correct that the government should not just simply recognized the two are equally important.

Understanding Indigenous Canadian Traditional Health and Healing

Links to the site: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2049&context=etd

Media: Library and Archives Canada

This research study provides an in-depth understanding of traditional health and healing practice in Canada. The researcher explores the topic by conducting interviews with 16 indigenous people who uses ceremonies, medicines, teachings and elders from their cultures in their healing work. It is useful for us to learn about their traditional practices and generalize to other fields.

Understanding Indigenous Canadian Traditional Health and Healing

Links to the site: http://www.muiniskw.org/pgIssues01_Firekeeper.htm

Media: Mikmaw Spirit

This article provides a systematic overview of the job duties of firekeeper, as well as how a firekeeper mentor and teach future students of the field. Using this as an example, I can apply the similar practice into other professional training fields.

Resources on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Culturally Responsive Education

Infusing Aboriginal Perspectives into Your Teaching Practice

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/Teacher_Resources/Infusing_Aboriginal_Content_and_Perspectives_into_Your_Teaching/Infusing_Aboriginal_Perspectives.html

This source comes from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), and is a collection of various topics relevant to indigenous education, ranging from incorporating indigenous ways of knowing into mainstream curricula to video interviews with Elders sharing their perspectives on education. Formats include books, videos, resource guides, and websites. This curated selection is noteworthy for its range of perspectives.

The Challenge of Indigenous Education: Practice and Perspectives

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001347/134773e.pdf

This document from UNESCO is divided into 3 parts: challenges to indigenous education, criteria for good practice, and lastly, case studies surrounding quality education of indigenous peoples. It is especially interesting to view the case studies, as they are focused in various parts of the world, and the way in which challenges were presented and dealt with in the given cultural setting. Not all case studies pertain to preK-12 education, but also highlights training, and community learning settings.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Towards Equity and Inclusivity in Ontario Schools

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_ResponsivePedagogy.pdf

This document from the Government of Ontario provides short points that are easy to read, and hence offers an efficient reminder of characteristics of a culturally responsive classroom, and ways to achieve it. It is a well-organized document for reading purposes, and provides guiding questions along the way to help facilitate one’s own practice. It also includes a plethora of relevant references at the end, on related topics. This source is developed in collaboration with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

First Peoples Principles of Learning

https://firstpeoplesprinciplesoflearning.wordpress.com

As stated on the website’s homepage, the resource was developed “to help educators in British Columbia understand how they might incorporate the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) into their classrooms and schools.” It is set up as a blog that includes background information on the FPPL, and insight into what “authentic” resources are. There is also an activity section created to coincide with each of the principles, and to promote conversation about indigenous learning in the community.

Strong Nations

http://www.strongnations.com

This website is a resource full of books related to the First Nations in Canada, as well as in the United States. It is a great resource for educators looking for supplementary material about indigenous cultures, by providing books and lesson plans for sale. The site is definitely a “store,” and thus will work for anyone looking to buy materials for their classroom, but not useful for gaining any free knowledge.

First Nations Eduction Steering Committee

As an added source, I thought I would shed light on this one again, though I have previously posted relevant information from it, but only regarding specific content on the site. It offers many resources, links, information about programs and events, and more on indigenous education. As our discussion has grown to incorporate a large variety of topics and challenges, it seems fit to include the wider site as relevant, since it also provides information on language, local education agreements, special education, and relevant publications. The Committee behind the website was founded in Vancouver by a group of participants at a First Nations education conference.

Module 3 Weblog: Sarah Fedko

For this weblog, I focused on looking for resources about library services and support for indigenous patrons.

1.Aboriginal collections and library services in Canadian research libraries (2014, August). Retrieved July 12, 2017, from

http://www.carl-abrc.ca/doc/Aboriginal_research_collections_and_libary_services_AGM_2014-final.pdf

This is a working paper, which highlights aboriginal collections and services provided at research libraries across Canada. It includes a discussion of how librarians endeavoring to develop resources or set up services for indigenous users need to do so with an understanding of indigenous knowledge.

2. COPPUL Libraries Indigenous Initiatives: U of Saskatchewan. (2014, September). Retrieved July 14, 2017, from http://www.coppul.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/LeeSept18.pdf

This presentation at COPPUL (Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries) highlights resources, community collaborations, and events that University of Saskatchewan Libraries has supported in order to research out to their local indigenous communities.

3. Hare, J., & Abbott, W. (2015). Library support for Indigenous university students: Moving from the periphery to the mainstream. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 10(4), 80-94. From: https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/25413/19285

This article describes a study to assess whether indigenous services provided at academic libraries in Australia are indeed in line with students’ needs. The study was conducted by surveying librarians and indigenous students. The study concluded that the vast majority of libraries provide indigenous services, and that Australian libraries demonstrate a dedication to serving their indigenous students.

4. Library Assistance for Indigenous Students. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2017, from http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/indigenous/support-services/library-assistance.html

University of Winnipeg libraries includes a page on their website specifically highlighting assistance for indigenous students including library guides, general resources, and contact information for the indigenous and urban services librarian. I think it’s great that the library is trying to reach out to their indigenous students, not only through various resources on the web but my making a specific librarian available to them.

5. Roy, Loriene, and Antonia Frydman. Library Services to Indigenous Populations: Case Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://www.ifla.org/publications/library-services-to-indigenous-populations-case-studies

This book produced by IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) is meant to serve as a reference book for librarians interested in services for indigenous populations. The book includes case studies from around the world.

Module 3 Weblog- Andrew Shedden

Weblog Post for Module 3:

Andrew Shedden

The general thread I wanted to follow for the research weblog is Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights.

Cultural Survival: https://www.culturalsurvival.org/

This site is dedicated to “advancing Indigenous People’s Rights and Cultures Worldwide”. This site offers opportunities to donate to support Indigenous People’s right to participate and have a voice to speak in their own language. You can donate either “resources” or “time”, giving multiple opportunities to participate. I think that one of the best ways to empower Indigenous groups is to bring them together. This organization seems like a good way to connect cultures and communities in a way that is mutually advantageous.

Who owns Indigenous cultural and intellectual property- Article by Andrea Bear Nicholas

http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/june-2017/who-owns-indigenous-cultural-and-intellectual-property/

This recent article is a fascinating look at the current Canadian laws surrounding Indigenous Culture and Intellectual property in Canada. Nicholas outlines specific issues with this policy, in which she asserts: “Canada’s laws, on the other hand, have worked not only to ignore and/or specifically deny the rights of Indigenous peoples to practice and maintain their cultural and intellectual property but also to legalize the theft of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property through the Copyright Act”. Nicholas asserts that the government of Canada must implement changes to the law to protect these rights.

IP back to the future: Special Report: Intellectual Property- Article by Jennifer Brown

http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/6047/IP-back-to-the-future.html

This article also deals with legal specifics about Indigenous traditional cultural knowledge, and how this is protected by copyright laws. The author suggests that the current laws aren’t totally suitable to protect Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights. I think a legal perspective is very important on this matter, particularly to how this pertains to Canadian law. Emerging digital technologies are disrupting previously held legislations regarding copyright, and it’s interesting to see how this applies to Indigenous culture and custom.

Inside Views: No Need of IPRs For Protecting Traditional Knowledge- Article by R.S. Praveen Raj

https://www.ip-watch.org/2015/09/03/no-need-of-ipr-route-for-protecting-traditional-knowledge/

This article presents an interesting perspective on Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights. The author here is suggesting that we need to be very careful in assigning Intellectual Property Rights to Traditional Knowledge because this produces “private spaces” in what is traditionally public knowledge. According to the author, Traditional Knowledge Docketing Systems is a way to preserve the location of traditional knowledge, information about the community that possesses traditional knowledge and specific information about community protocol. This author is dealing with primarily Traditional Knowledge from India, but it’s interesting to see this perspective, and to consider how this could be used to inform the future of Canada’s copyright laws in regards to Indigenous Intellectual Property.

World Intellectual Property Organization and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property- Arts Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f66m77mp2m0&t=53s

This video outlines the role of the World Intellectual Policy Organization (WIPO), and how it relates to the protection Indigenous Cultural Expression. This video outlines work done by WIPO to address the needs to protect Indigenous Cultural Expression in terms of international copyright law. It’s interesting to see how this organization is a subset of the United Nations. Most countries have their own specific copyright laws. I would like to know how much real power WIPO has in enforcing copyright considerations for Indigenous people

Module 3: Martha Attridge Bufton

Culturally responsive education
Our readings on culturally responsive education (CRE) this week prompted me to take a step back and ask, “What is culturally responsive education?” After all, assessments are only one component of a broader teaching and learning program and must be compatible with the philosophies and approaches of the curricula in which they are embedded. So I did an online search for sites and materials that discuss and (hopefully) define culturally responsive education. Initially my search was broad (culturally responsive education) and then I added keywords such as Canada, Council of Ontario Universities and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). I also searched Google UK and Google Australia—to see the results differed significantly. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the top results continued to be from the United States, leading me to wonder about differences in vocabulary.

When I tried “multicultur* education” in Google UK, the results seemed to be more relevant. I have included four Canadian and one American resource in this blog and may include those from the UK and Australia in my fourth blog posting.

Canada
Assembly of First Nations: Literature review (2012).
This recent literature review of culturally responsive education provides an overview of scholarly publications from the 1970s to the late 2000s. The literature appears to be primarily Canadian and American in content and covers a broad spectrum including both peer reviewed and grey literature. I am particularly interested in case studies related to CRE in Canada and several of the articles are relevant, such as those by Agbo (2001 and 2004) on Akwasasne, a First Nations and American Indian community located near Ottawa.

Council of Ontario Universities. (2017). Aboriginal learners.
As stated on the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) website, members consist of the 20 publicly funded universities in Ontario along with the Royal Military College of Canada. The council mandate is to promote undergraduate and graduate education and research and members work together collaborate on and promote a range of university issues with government and other stakeholders. This page from the COU website is dedicated to information related to First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners and contains a number of documents and resources that could be relevant for my project—at least in terms of defining and identifying CRE including Deepening our relationship: An overview of Indigenization-related activities on our campuses, published in February 2017.

Manitoba Education and Youth. (2003). Integrating Aboriginal perspectives into curricula. A resource for curriculum developers, teachers and administrators.
This document surfaced in my search, although I have yet to determine if it is still current, i.e., if other policy documents have superseded the information in this resource guide. However, the content may be relevant to my project in that not only is there a clear definition of culturally relevant education in the context of Aboriginal peoples in Manitoba, the document also contains a set of learning outcomes, which are interesting to consider as a framework for assessment.

McGill University. (2017). Teaching for learning blog@McGill University
Taking audiences’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds into consideration when communicating at McGill.
This recent post on the McGill University teaching and learning blog site addresses educators’ concerns when making formal presentations—concerns that could apply to a range of university staff working with and delivering content to students. The main reference is a recent article published in the journal Medical Teacher (which I have ordered through interlibrary library loans here at Carleton). While the focus of the blog post is language, the original article might be relevant in terms of developing CRE in a variety of educational contexts.

United States
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). (2017).
According to the ASCD website, the organization is “ASCD is a global community of educators dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and leading. Our innovative solutions empower educators to promote the success of each child.” Based in Alexandria, Virginia, the ASCD website contains a number of resources including several hundred related to CRE. Although American in focus, there may be some resources, including the full text of some scholarly articles, such as A framework for culturally responsive teaching (1995) which again may provide some useful background for the section of my project on CRE.