Tag Archives: culture

An article by Suzanne Stewart

https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/ien/Faculty/Dr._Suzanne_L._Stewart.html

“Education is urgent issue for our people right now because, again, education was once the tool of oppression. Now education is the tool for empowerment for our people, to help us learn how to adapt to the western world and for the western world to learn how to adapt to our traditional ways of teaching and learning.”

– OISE: Associate Professor Suzanne Stewart on Aboriginal Education (video) @ 50 sec.

 I followed the above link from a site that came up with a search for information related to my final assignment. I was impressed with the topics Stewart was writing about – the challenges faced by urban First Nations youth. Upon searching a little further, I discovered the following article, which details the outcomes of a project that involved aboriginal youth, health and media production. This article draws a very direct line between media production and aboriginal youth well being and, as such, supports my thesis.  It discusses a project that had aboriginal youth researching and creating media about healthy eating.

Stewart, S., Riecken, T., Scott, T., Tanaka, M., & Riecken, J. (2008). Expanding Health Literacy Indigenous Youth Creating Videos. Journal of Health Psychology, 13(2), 180-189. Retrieved from http://hpq.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/content/13/2/180.full.pdf+html

Post by Trevor Price

July 4, 2015

Module 2, Post 1 – Centre for conservation and study of Adivasi languages and culture

While studying for the research paper, I came across this great Academy for conservation and study of Adivasi culture and language based in the tribal village of Tejgadh, Gujarat in India.

http://www.adivasiacademy.org.in/intro.aspx

The Adivasi Academy does not follow a single track academic agenda, courses and research programs are created from batch to batch or project to project depending on the needs perceived for conserving tribal identity or promoting development in Adivasi areas. The projects include research on  community ethnographies, language tools, healthcare programmes to tackle sickle cell anaemia and tuberculosis (prevalent in those parts) and tribal education.

Module 2.4 “We Are Still Here”

This is a short documentary about three young Native Americans who tell their story living in Minnesota.  They each speak about what it was like growing up in Minnesota that was different from their cultural way of life.  One young man gave an example about the way they use to get their meat from the grocery store and that he had no idea he could buy beef.  He thought everybody hunted and fished or went into the woods to get their meat.   Another girl felt she was more assimilated and didn’t practice her traditions/culture, while another mentioned that going to sweats and being ceremonial was not a part of her lifestyle.  It wasn’t until much older when each of them began experiencing their culture more.  Everyone was affected by colonization differently, and reminiscing about the “boarding school era” where the children grew up not knowing anything about their culture reinforced that the dominant culture is what you see inside of everybody. The historical trauma is still affecting people today and now it’s about trying to figure out how to move on, but more importantly, letting everyone else know that they are still here and have a strong culture to preserve and share.

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

Module 2.2 Aboriginal Voice Cultural Working Group Paper

This paper focuses on ways Aboriginal people can use ICT effectively to protect indigenous knowledge and to avoid further misrepresentations and stereotypes about them.  It offers many ideas and perspectives that can spark further dialogue on various issues, and truly emphasizes the vital role ICT will play on Aboriginal nations throughout the entire discussion paper.  As Indigenous communities integrate further in the knowledge society, the affordances of technology substantially increases with respects to the promotion of language, culture and community connectedness.  It also highlights the control Indigenous people will have if they integrate ICT on their own terms and at their own pace.

http://www.kta.on.ca/pdf/AboriginalCultureinaDigitalAge.pdf

Module 2.3: Indigenous Health Research Group

The University of Ottawa hosts an interesting website & blog called the Indigenous Health Research Group, which brings together a group of researchers (the primary focus in this case being local dietary and physical activity practices/habits) and indigenous communities and remote First Nations in Canada’s north.

I was interested in their blog and other materials because the research focuses so heavily on collaboration with communities rather than strict ‘intervention’.  For example, these researchers (a very interdisciplinary team) work to help increase access to traditional/wild foods, and help to encourage traditional cultivation, or to encourage things like the Bison hunt in generations who may not have experienced these traditional activities.  This helps disparate/isolated communities to regain their self-reliance and to diminish their need for imported foods.

bring First Nations, Metis, and Inuit history, culture, perspective, and knowledge in the classroom.

The Aboriginal Perspectives: A Guide to the Teacher’s Toolkit is an online resource from the Ministry of Education, developed by educators in Ontario, which has been designed to help elementary and secondary teachers bring Aboriginal perspectives into their classroom.

The article is divided in sections that touches on six main themes:

– Aboriginal Peoples and Organizations

– Culture, Tradition, and Language

– Cross-Cultural Perspectives

– Celebration

– Aboriginal Contribution

– Current and Historical Issues

Within each of these themes, background information is given various topics along with teaching strategies on how to incorporate the content in learning activities. Although the background information in each section doesn’t go in depth, it does provide a good starting point for anyone looking to bring First Nation, Metis, and Inuit history, culture, perspective, and knowledge into their classroom.

Module 1 Post 4 – Culture and Identity

This article is a research project, this section was completed between Batchewana First Nation and researchers from Algoma University College and York University. It examined all aspects of culture both as identity and transmitting culture through generations.
http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/1627/1774

This is a study of early education for Ontario’s aboriginal students. It stress the importance of culture-based early learning. It is part of the Best Start Program.
http://www.beststart.org/resources/hlthy_chld_dev/pdf/FC_K13A.pdf

This is a book review of five books about aboriginal culture. The review links together some of the themes of the books, as well as providing the resources of the five books.
http://canlit.ca/reviews/first_nations_identity

Catherine

Inuit Broadcasting Corporation

This site (http://www.nac.nu.ca/index.php) was very interesting as a demonstration of how media and technology can be used to further the cultural interests of First Nations people. Instead of being buried by the technology, the Inuit have used it to represent and spread their culture. What a great opportunity to learn and help for everyone involved in the project. What a great resource for those receiving the IBC broadcasts. This is a “new media” model that makes the users the media providers.

Trevor Price.

Module 1 Post 3: Taking back Visual Identity

In searching for how First Nations people are reclaiming their identities, I fell on an interesting article called “ReMatriate wants to take back ‘visual identity’ of First Nations“.

In response to a Canadian designer’s announcement that its new fashion line was inspired by Indian tribes in Canada, women from various First Nations in the country are coming together and using social media to reclaim the control of their ‘visual identity’. Although short, the article addresses the issue of injustice regarding the Westerners’ ability to “borrow” elements of First Nations traditions and culture they deem pleasing while the Aboriginal peoples are required to fight in order to preserve them.

These women are using Facebook and Instagram as a means to share pictures and stories in an attempt to take back their identity and role in society as females. This article could definitely serve as an inspiration to researching women’s role and identity in society and how technology is being used to help them to share who they are and how they are represented.

Module 1.5 – Infusing Lessons with Aboriginal Knowledge

I actually went looking for examples of ways that indigenous/aboriginal/first nations knowledge has been transposed or infused into the traditional classroom in Canada or elsewhere, but didn’t get far.  I did find several examples of ways that indigenous teachings can be included in teacher training:

UBC’s NITEP
OISE at University of Toronto

Manitoba does have some resources for the actual integration of “aboriginal perspectives” into curricula, but I am not sure if that integration is mandated, suggested, or if this is simply provided information to be used at will.