Tag Archives: aboriginal culture

Module 1 – Technology in Quebec Cree Communities

After doing the readings for Module 1 and learning about the importance of place, and based on the experience I have working and living in a Cree Community for a bit over three years, I am interested in the programs and opportunities that introduce, use and promote media and technology, not just in K-11 education, but in various aspects of community life.

I wanted to include N’we Jinan, because they have a big presence in the community I live in. They have visited my school and created music videos with our students. The writing, production and filming processes are truly amazing! However, others have already mentioned the program, so I will leave it out.

1. Minority Media

Minority Media is a company based in Montreal that creates virtual reality games. They have focused on introducing a new type of video game genre: empathy games. In 2014, they released Spirits of Spring, a game that centers on a young boy, Chiwatin, and his friends in Northern Canada who are trying to come to terms with bullying.

Minority Media also created a virtual reality game for the Cree School Board to help young students learn Cree Syllabics. With the help of a girl named Niipiish and her dog, students learn new words in a really exciting way. I’ve played this game and watched my students use it. It is a very interesting way for them to practice their language.

2. Mikw Chiyâm
Mikw Chiyâm is an arts program with the goal of increasing student retention and engagement. Professional Canadian Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists are in residency at an appointed CSB school for a 7 week program. There are four residency cycles per school year, which allows the students to be exposed to a variety of artistic forms. They collaborate with local artists and students to help them express their voices creatively. While this program is not explicitly about technology, certain of the artists-in-residence have this as their specialty and incorporate it into the program in various ways.

3. Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute

The Cree Cultural Institute is a museum with information and artefacts aimed at preserving and passing on Cree traditions, knowledge and values. Almost everything is accessible through the website. Visitors can virtually explore categories such as hide and fur preparation, moccasins and mittens, and snowshoes and toboggans. There are descriptions, images and even videos. There are also different zones, such as The Community’s Way of Life and The Land Has Memory. The museum even has an app!

4. The Nation: Cree News

The Nation is an independent Aboriginal news publication that covers and reports on stories about and impacting residents of the James Bay area in northern Quebec and Ontario. In addition to news and events, The Nation website also has an extensive list of Cree Legends, available in both English and Cree.

5. EIJBRG

Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government website provides a wide range of information about this region, such as a brief history, the territory and their services. The publish reports on important issues such as drinking water, as well as news. The website also live streams events, such as elections and council meetings.

Module 1: Seeking a direction

I have not yet decided on a direction for my research in this class, but am sharing what I have come across so far as I consider the readings we have done so far and am beginning to look forward to my own research project:

In this together; Fifteen stories of truth and reconciliation

This collection of essays from indigenous and non-indigenous writers in Canada explores ideas related to the recommendations for truth and reconciliation. It is an eye-opening look at assumptions about first nations and colonization.

Metcalf-Chenail, D. (2016). In this together; Fifteen stories of truth and reconciliation. Victoria: Brindle & Glass Publishing.

REDx

This website showcases Tedx-style conversations by members of first nations and settler allies, attempting to shed light on historical and present-day first nations. I particularly like this one because, in addition to sharing first nations perspectives, it also is shared online in a Tedx style that has become familiar to anyone who spends time online: a short, single-camera lecture by one person in front of an audience that then lives online to be shared. The short duration of each video makes them more palatable to online viewers.

Redx Talks https://vimeo.com/redxtalks/videos and facebook https://www.facebook.com/REDxTalks/

A Tribe Called Red

A Tribe Called Red is a Juno-award winning group of artists who mix traditional First Nations music with techno, hip-hop and electronica. They are active on social media platforms, interacting with audiences online and selling music via various online platforms. They are leveraging technology to share a modern iteration of First Nations culture

Open Minds

Open Minds is a collaboration between the Calgary public and catholic school boards and private enterprises. Teachers work collaboratively with facilitators to use community sites as a classroom for a week of place-based learning with the intent that the work will form a year-long project.

Open Minds: http://cbe.ab.ca/ccom/Pages/Home.aspx#ctl00_ctl33_SkipLink

Cree in an App

Many schools with high First Nations populations now offer Cree as a language of choice for students rather than French. This seems to be a logical step in engaging students who have a much closer connection to Cree than they do to French. It’s a way of valuing a culture and allowing students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum. These schools engage aboriginal elders who work in the schools. The Calgary Public Board of Education will be formally taking on initiatives to meet the calls for the recommendations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In planning for this, Learning Leaders acknowledge that this may lead to a bottleneck in terms of needing aboriginal elders and experts to work in classrooms where demand exceeds the supply. Some tools that may allow classrooms to make first forays into learning include online access to Cree dictionaries and language.

I am interested in the ways first nation cultures live today and how we can share that in our classrooms as we look towards meeting the recommendations of the truth and reconciliation commission.

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.

5 Links to Articles – Exploring Indigeneity the Arts and Technology

https://cjee.lakeheadu.ca/article/view/871/533

This article explores art education and place-based education as a means of developing ecological literacy. It explores the integration of the real-world, community-centred learning of place-based education with art. It provides information about a model art and environmental educators to create experiences for students regarding self and community.

http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/aboriginal-expression-arts-media

This article explores aboriginal expression in the arts and media. It explores tv, film, theater, radio and music networks and the internet. It explores opposing viewpoints including the erosional of cultural foundations and the empowerment in reappropriating various forms of artistic representation.

http://muskratmagazine.com/pass-the-feather-to-me-aboriginal-arts-collective/

This is the website of Muskrat magazine and the article “Pass the faether to Me” Aboriginal Arts Collective” promotes a classroom art exchange program between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth, teachers and artists. It promotes using visual culture to transcend logistic and financial barriers and is attempting to create co-operative and respectful interrelations for future generations. MUSKRAT is an on-line Indigenous arts, culture magazine that exhibits original works and critical commentary. It’s mandate is to use media arts, the Internet, and wireless technology to investigate and disseminate traditional knowledges in ways that inspire their reclamation.

http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/1769/1889

This article from the Canadian Journal of Communication Explores the idea of “Travelling Through Layers” and how Inuit artists are beginning to appropriate new technologies. It discusses how the Inuit are mapping traditional concepts, values, and metaphors to make sense of contemporary realities and technologies.

http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/woodlandsschool.html

This article discusses the Woodlands School of Art and the impact Norval Morrisseau had on the changing the conversation in the universe about what it means to be native. Norval’s belief that the process of learning is essential to culture and so is the process of teaching culture was expressed through art. It discusses Ojibwa Culture and Art and how art can be used to bridge gaps within and between cultures.

Path of The elders

The path of the elders is not a typical gaming experience. They are very aware of the growing problem of culture loss and are “very committed to documenting Elder knowledge that is slipping away in so many communities across Canada.” Elder and traditional knowledge is what was used to create the website and although it challenges the whole concept of “traditional” it does an excellent job presenting indigenous knowledge in a way that is appealing to youth. I’d highly recommend this site to anyone that is interested in exploring how technologies are being used to preserve native culture.

http://www.pathoftheelders.com/index.php

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Longhouse Media

This site is dedicated to showcasing all of Longhouse Media’s current and past projects. The company aims to “catalyze indigenous people and communities to use media as a tool for self-expression, cultural preservation, and social change.” In looking through the site you will see familiar work like “March Point” which was reviewed by the class earlier. It is a great site for showing how modern media may be used in a positive way to tell the stories that are important to native people, from their voice.

http://www.longhousemedia.org/

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