Tag Archives: Aboriginal People

Dana’s Contributions to Module 4

Aboriginal Nations Education Division (ANED) for School District 61

So many amazing resources from my school district’s Aboriginal Education team. You can find pretty much anything you want here, or use this website as a launch point to bring authentic, Indigenous knowledge into your classroom or workplace.

Having said this, I found this resource on this site, that was developed by the BC government in 2006. It targets Kindergarten through Grade 10, and for the most part, looks like a useful document. However, when searching for material for my ETEC 521 paper, I did uncover something that did not sit well with me on p.82. It suggests that in Mathematics 10, that educators and students research the statistics surrounding Aboriginal graduation rates.  Although graduation rates have been slowly improving over the years, they are still below the provincial average.  An exercise such as this will consequently perpetuate stereotypes amongst non-Indigenous students and potentially send Indigenous students harmful messaging.  This document was produced by the Ministry of Education, who used Indigenous community members and educators to assist with its creation, however, at the end of the day, the MOE was the entity in charge of the final product. Who was the person who added this terrible idea to a government resource? In general, it is difficult to find culturally responsive material for academic Math 10, so did somebody “pad” this section without being informed? I find it very difficult to believe that any Indigenous person would think that this was a good idea!!

Four Directions Teachings

Click on the image to go directly to this interactive website that shares Indigenous knowledge from five First Nations from across Canada.  Drumming, storytelling, sound effects and beautiful graphics are clearly shared and described in these teachings. Be sure to spend time with the Teacher Resource package that is linked on the first page, as well.  My only disappointment is that the Coast Salish was not included in this resource, as this would help my non-Indigenous students connect more to the land that they live on and to the people who were here before colonization.  Barring that, this seems to be a great site for not only learning about specific Nations, but to also dispel stereotypes that promote pan-Indigenous homogenization.

Victoria’s booming shoebox campaign part of “reconciliaction”

This article was recently posted in the Victoria News, a local, community newspaper.  A family of Metis heritage has started a campaign that creates shoeboxes filled with age appropriate gifts for Indigenous youth who presumably are living in poverty conditions, north of Smithers, BC.

Having grown up in a state of lower, lower middle class myself, I think that I would have loved to have received a shoebox full of trinkets as a child. Sometimes when I was young, I did not think that anybody cared about me, and that I was more of a hassle, than anything else. I would imagine that Indigenous youth, in isolated towns, who may not have a heck of a lot to do or to live on, would be prone to feeling this way, as well.  Suicide rates in some communities, definitely exemplify this sentiment, in the worst possible way.

So my hat goes off to these young girls who are not only filling shoeboxes and but rallying others to do the same.  We all need to feel like somebody cares about us, that is the TRUTH!

However, is it fair for the editors of the newspaper to make a play on words, turning “reconciliation”  to “reconciliaction”? Hmmm… that part is not sitting well with me. Is it not the government’s role to “reconciliact”? It seems to me that this family is NOT enacting reconciliation via their noble campaign.  True, they are addressing the oppressive, harmful effects that colonization has had on Nations and their people. But this is not reconciliation…

What does reconciliation mean to you?

So what does reconciliation truly mean? Here are six individuals perspectives from a 2016 CBC article.  Spoiler alert: none of them mentioned shoeboxes…

This.

My Kiwi Godfather posted this on his Facebook feed this week and I had to share.

“Colonization has forced stereotyping

To become a household name

Which resides under our beds

Becoming the monsters that we are now scared of.”

The raw talent of Kia Kaha is unreal and inspirational. When students are given the freedom to have their voices heard, powerful, life changing moments can and will transpire.

 

 

Module 4: Post # 1 ~ Alaska Natives: Our Fight to Survive

A Short AJ+ Documentary Titled Alaska Natives: Our Fight to Survive looks at the past, present and future of Indigenous Peoples in Alaska; including major obstacles, such as the division among the people caused by oil and gas exploration. As people struggled between a desire to protect the land, and the need to earn a living.

The documentary is informative and well done, but I found it interesting that none of the producers are Indigenous.

The documentary does raise many issues. One of which, is food insecurity faced by the Inuit due to high rates of unemployment, and low paying jobs, brought on by the rapid modernization of Canada’s north in the last fifty years. The Feeding Nunavut Program reports that 60% of Nunavut’s children live in households without a dependable quantity of nutritious food.

One of the solutions to the program was paying harvesters to hunt and distribute the food gathered throughout the communities participating. Interestingly the traditional food, called country food, could not be shared with the schools because of health regulations. The author of the report, Taye Newman, noted that this was discouraging as the rules are in direct contrast with the goal of feeding children, and encouraging traditional foods. Another success of the program was the involvement of youth in learning how to hunt, gather, and prepare traditional foods.

www.youtube.com/watch


Solutions for Aboriginal Education or Aboriginal Education AS the solution? (Mod 3, Post 1-5)

It seems that these past few weeks discussions, as well as my research, has been setting me towards similar paths in searching for solutions to help promote Indigenous learning in education.  While student choice over content and project delivery have always increased engagement, I’ve come to realize how projects that provide a real voice and personal narrative are particularly important to Indigenous students.  Moreover, although the content might not fit neatly within the confines of western learning outcomes, with vision, resources, and risk tasking (both on the part of teachers/facilitators and students) new programs can take flight like N’We Jinan and could contribute towards school credits and ultimately student/youth success.

But as I was researching for solutions to education barriers I was also frequently reminded of the successes many Indigenous youths have enjoyed. Too often the media is used to only highlight the issues and problems facing indigenous communities, but rarely highlights the remarkable and impactful ways these youths are empowering themselves and/or their communities.  From Ashley Callingball who was the first Canadian and first First Nations to win Miss Universe, to musical talents such as Tanya Tagag and Leonard Sumner, to activists like Tracie Leost.

The average Canadian impression of Indigenous communities in crisis is not limited to youth, but for most Canadians, expands outward to all of Canada’s Indigenous peoples.  This perspective needs to shift, and quickly, in order to accommodate the change that is coming with regards to “…Canada’s indigenous people’s involvement in the economic growth of this country; the initiatives they have under way for preparing the large numbers of indigenous youth poised to enter Canada’s labour force; or even the names of two or three aboriginal organizations achieving remarkable success with their enterprises.” (Calliou, 2012).

In addition, “By 2020, there is estimated to be a shortfall of one million workers in Canada, mostly in high skilled and knowledge-oriented occupations” and “In Canada, the Aboriginal population is the fastest growing demographic in Canada. It’s growing at roughly twice the annual rate of the general population. In the next 15 years, more than 400,000 Aboriginal young people will reach labour-market age” (Charleyboy, 2017).

Image result for 2020 aboriginal youth in workforce canadaImage result for stats can Community well-being scores, 1981–2011

Source: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada – 2017–18 Departmental Plan

So unbeknownst to many Canadians, improving the Community well-being of Inuit and First Nations and repairing the western education system to be more inclusive to Indigenous learners is not solely for their benefit alone, but also selfishly for Canadians as well if they wish to keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus’ trend of a successful and prosperous Canadian economy.

 

References

Calliou, B. (2012, October 15). Let’s hear more indigenous success stories. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/lets-hear-more-indigenous-success-stories/article4610389/?arc404=true

Charleyboy, L. (2017, October 11). The Problem with Aboriginal Education in Canada and what you can do about it. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.jobpostings.ca/career-guides/aboriginal/problem-aboriginal-education-canada-and-what-you-can-do-about-it

From music to helping others Indigenous youth take the lead. (2017, June 09). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/from-music-to-helping-others-indigenous-youth-take-the-lead-1.4152032

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada – 2017–18 Departmental Plan. (2017, March 09). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1483561566667/1483561606216

Morin, B. (2016, January 14). 16 Indigenous movers and shakers to watch in 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://aptnnews.ca/2016/01/14/16-indigenous-movers-and-shakers-to-watch-in-2016/

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.

A closer look at Indigenous communities in Canada

Resources on my journey of learning about Indigenous Communities across Canada and the world.

These sites provide a good foundation and starting point for my research around Indigenous communities.  As I read and research and gain a better understanding of the issues that Indigenous communities face, this will help me to drill down to a particular area that resonates with me.

#1 http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/

fnmi-resource-16-30-07

I live in the province of Alberta, so I think that it is important for me to start where I live and become aware of the resources that Alberta has for learning about its Indigenous communities. Walking Together is a First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) resource that guides educators, to understanding the FNMI perspectives and broadening worldviews around the issues the FNMI communities face. It lays out well the protocols around knowing how to build relationships with Indigenous communities.  It offers a holistic way of navigating the journey of understanding the worldview of FNMI peoples. There are videos from Elders about Indigenous worldviews, oral traditions, and understanding a deep connection to the land. There are insightful conversations that present a clear practical guide to understanding how to access, approach and be respectful in utilizing FNMI resources.

#2. http://files.unicef.org/policyanalysis/rights/files/HRBAP_UN_Rights_Indig_Peoples.pdf

Another Alberta connection: Renowned First Nation activist Dr. Cindy Blackstock, a member of the Gitksan First Nation and Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta prepared this document in collaboration with UNICEF.  The primary focus of the document is Indigenous adolescents; it speaks comprehensively to the rights of Indigenous peoples in 90 countries across the world. It advocates for their protection by governments all over the world.  It offers adolescents in global Indigenous communities, a solid foundation for knowing and understanding their rights. The word bank and the quiz in this document are useful tools. It is interesting to see that the theme for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9 was : Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Education.
#3 https://fncaringsociety.com/i-am-witness

first-nations-child-family-caring-society-of-canada

Dr. Cindy Blackstock is regarded as being the single mom of hundreds of First Nations children and this website features the tireless work that she does on behalf of Canada’s First Nations children.  It details the work being done to reconcile the differences in the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous children versus non-indigenous children in the welfare system. Most importantly, however, the site gives practical actions that can be taken by every Canadian to bring about positive changes and make a difference in the lives of Canada’s Indigenous children. Find information about creating hope for Canada’s First Nation children and seven (7) ways to take action to restore dignity to Indigenous children. These include joining the movement, Jordan’s Principle.  Learn more about Dr. Blackstock in her interview on the National with Peter  Mansbridge. She speaks about the work that needs to be done by Canadians to become fully cognizant of Canada’s invisible and ‘normalized racism’ in its treatment of its Indigenous families. She speaks about the racism of government’s fiscal policy, by the way in which money is allocated to Indigenous vs non-Indigenous children in the welfare system.

 

#4 http://secretpath.ca/

secret-path-graphic-novel-by-gord-downie

Secret Path is a multimedia project by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire. It is a song and a graphic novel about a young First Nations boy who died a half-century ago after running away from one of the residential schools. The money from the new album and book will be used to help the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation identify some of the children who died at the schools and were buried in unmarked graves. It will also be used to commemorate their lives and, in some cases, return them to their home communities.

#5  http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=813

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) web site documents  Canada’s movement towards healing. It helps the nation to come to a deeper awareness of the effects of residential schools on Canada’s First Nation Population. It contains the TRC report of historical documentation of abuse that Indigenous children faced in residential schools. The true stories of residential school survivors bring life to the Commission. The site documents the call to action and changes that are being made to bring reconciliation and healing. One example of the changes that have come about as a result of the TRC is  -schools in Toronto are now starting each day with a First Nations lesson. This is an excellent way for all students in Canada’s public school to show respect to the teachings of Canada’s First Nations People, and it is movement in the right direction in the restoration of their culture.

 

 

First Nations Governance

Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 9.02.23 AM

The Centre for First Nations Governance is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting First Nations groups in Canada as they return to self-governance. The website  provides news, workshop toolkits, research and educational information.

The are some PDF’s which can be used in the classroom to educate students about the First Nations history. In particular, the interactive historical timeline of First Nations Governance is something that could engage students.

 

Native Languages of the Americas

1

http://www.native-languages.org/

This site is a catalog of various Aboriginal languages. The site provides linguistic and cultural links for those interested in researching the subjects. Their mission is “dedicat[ion] to the survival of Native American languages, particularly through the use of Internet technology.”

This site is very basic in design but contains an enormous amount of content. Those researching protection of Aboriginal culture through technology and specifically protection of languages will benefit from its use.

Module 2 – Post 4
Ryan Silverthorne

Aboriginal Perspectives

Module 2 – Post 3

This site is intended for high school and upper elementary teachers and students that features National Film Board of Canada documentaries by and about Canada’s Aboriginals peoples.

Some of the things that students and educators can do on this site are:

“• Watch key NFB documentaries on Aboriginal themes from the 1940s to 2004.
• Learn about past and current issues relating to the lives of Aboriginal peoples through excerpts or complete films.
• Read critical commentary on the issues.
• Develop critical thinking and media literacy skills.
• Use the Excerpt Library tool to develop a personal collection of film excerpts.”

http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?language=english

Native Health and Digital Storytelling

nativehealth_wl1

Native Health and Digital Storytelling

I’ve included this site because I know from my own experience working with native people   (along side native interpreters at Fort William Historical Park) that stories play a key part in the cultural narrative of native peoples (Ojibwa in my case).  This site takes people’s personal stories of healing and transfers them into a digital medium which allows them to share their experiences with a much wider audience.  This is a powerful tool because their unique perspective can be shared with others and perhaps help them with situations in their own life.

Digital Drum – Bringing the Language of Aboriginal Music to the World

 

digital_drum_wl1

http://digitaldrum.ca/

Another site that I found very engaging was http://digitaldrum.ca/.  This site opens the world of aboriginal music to the world and allows people to experience native music and share in its importance.  Music is one of the keystones of human culture and this site does a great job in presenting the unique and creative way that modern native artists are bringing their story to the world.  Music is a powerful force but it needs to be heard.  This amazing site ensures that native music has a strong presence on the web and hopefully exposes both natives and non-natives alike to the powerful messages that music carries.