Tag Archives: maps

Module 4

http://secretpath.ca/

The Secret Path began as poems written by Gord Downie, after he heard Chanie Wenjack’s story, who died at the age of 12 in 1966 while trying to escape residential school. The poems became songs, and the songs inspired a graphic novel of Chanie’s story. Gord Downie brought Chanie’s story into the conscience of Canadians. Some people may argue that Gord Downie is telling a story that isn’t his, but he was embraced by Chanie’s family and Aboriginal communities around Canada for his work in shining light on a dark corner of Canadian history.

 

http://www.firstvoiceskids.com/

This interactive website teachings children traditional languages through easy to click icons. There are no instructions, which makes it very kid friendly. They can click through and find an activity, like colouring, or click on icons that are linked to sound files to hear the names of everyday items or phrases. This would be a great way for students to learn new words at their own pace.

 

http://www.indigenousyouthwellness.ca/cuystwi

This is linked with the Ask Auntie site I posted about previously. While Ask Auntie is focused on girls, this a platform is set up in quests for youth to explore their identity and culture and become a young warrior. This is response to the suicide epidemic that was sweeping through some FNMI communities.

 

http://www.reelyouth.ca/GoldTrail.html

This is a link to Reel Youth, a company I hired while working as a digital media teacher. I was working in Ashcroft BC and teaching students in Lillooet, Clinton and Lytton via video conferencing. Reel Youth came to show students how to create stop motion animation. They weren’t just making any film, they had to think of an issue that really affected them and impacted their lives. I was amazed at how seriously my students took this assignment. Their films are political (without realizing it in most cases). They tackle issues like joblessness, poverty, healthcare, LGBTQ rights and the environment, all in 30 second claymation videos. One video in particular caught a lot of negative attention from a few community members and a YouTube comment war began. A parent sent it to Rick Mercer and he responded with a video. It was amazing to see my students in a tiny town be recognized by a public figure for their hard work. These videos are great examples of self representation and shows the issues the students (Indigenous and non-indigenous) feel are important and close to home.

 

https://native-land.ca/

This site is an interesting project run by a non-Indigenous person who is upfront about the questions of representing land on maps, which he sees are inherently colonial. You can enter an address and find out what traditional territory it is. Most of the results also link you to websites of those nations or language sites. It would be interesting to use this in a classroom ( there is a teacher guide as well). Students can zoom in or out to see the land covered by territories. It would offer a great way to start discussions about boundaries, nations and the uses of maps over centuries.

Module 1 Weblog Entry – Anne Coustalin

BCTF Aboriginal Education Teaching Resources

http://www.bctf.ca/AboriginalEducation.aspx?id=13404

This site is an excellent resource for British Columbia educators wanting to integrate Aboriginal Ways of Knowing into their practice. It provides a comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list of links connecting teachers to relevant resources that provide essential background and perspective on: the treaty process; the historical timeline of European contact and colonization (pre-contact to 2015); Indian Residential Schools and their legacy; and creating an inclusive, racism free classroom community. Of particular note is the BCTF-created document Beyond Words: Creating Racism-Free Schools for Aboriginal Learners. This resource offers practical information that speaks directly to issues teachers may confront in the classroom, with a focus on racism, understanding the rules of culture and how they may present in the classroom, and creating an inclusive community.

 

Two-Eyed Seeing

Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk in Mi’kmaw) is a concept introduced by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall in 2004. It is described as the guiding principles of how one should live on this Earth and is discussed by Elder Albert Marshall and Cheryl Bartlett. The concept was developed in response to the lack of representation of Indigenous students in the sciences and mathematics, particularly at the university level. It recognizes that there are different ways of looking at the world. The two ways that are particularly relevant in Canada are through the lens of Western science and through an Indigenous lens.  Two-eyed seeing refers to finding the strengths in both paradigms and mindfully bringing them together – drawing upon the deep understandings that each represents. When we employ two-eyed seeing, we very quickly realize that science alone is not going to save the natural world. Instead, a change of mindset must occur and the Indigenous way of seeing must simultaneously be employed so that people have a path to move forward on the planet together. The video describes the concept and provides the context of its introduction.

 

Two-Eyed Seeing – A Different Vision for Teaching Aboriginal Learners Science and Mathematics

This lecture, delivered by Dr. Michelle Hogue as part of the 2015 PUBlic Professor Series at the University of Lethbridge Alberta, further expands on the concept of two-eyed seeing and describes specific ways that it has been successfully applied to teach math and science to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners at the secondary and post-secondary level. Dr. Hogue describes her own teaching and research as being “focused on the space between Aboriginal ways of knowing and learning and the white western education system . . . the space I call the liminal space” (3:52). She describes this space as a space of possibility rather than a gap. The concept of learning through performing is discussed at length, as are a variety of other multi-layered education opportunities that move through different performance, experiential and theoretical stages.

 

First Peoples’ Cultural Council

http://www.fpcc.ca/Default.aspx

This site provides a wealth of resources to assist in the revitalizations of First Peoples’ heritage, language and culture. For each of those areas, the website lists a number of valuable resources including maps, toolkits, events, programs. Of particular note is the FirstVoices Indigenous language archiving and teaching resource “that allows Indigenous communities to document their language for future generations”. Part of this program is the FirstVoices language tutor (an online interactive First voices language learning program). There are also links to specific language tutor mobile apps in a number of Indigenous languages as well as Aboriginal fonts that may be downloaded to your computer.  While much of the content is geared towards Indigenous communities, there are also resources and information useful to classroom teachers.

 

Authentic First Peoples Resources (FNESC, FNSA. 2016)

http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/PUBLICATION-61502-updated-FNESC-Authentic-Resources-Guide-October-2016.pdf

This document provides background into the way resources dealing with Aboriginal content have, in the past, contained false information and inaccurate representations of the unique experiences and world views of Aboriginal peoples. It provides teachers with the rationale for using only authentic Aboriginal resources, as well as guidelines for recognizing for how to recognize those resources. As outlined on the site, authentic First Peoples texts are historical or contemporary texts that

  • Present authentic First Peoples voices (i.e., are created by First Peoples or through the substantial contributions of First Peoples)
  • Depict themes and issues that are important within First Peoples cultures (e.g., loss of identity and affirmation of identity, tradition, healing, role of family, importance of Elders, connection to the land, the nature and place of spirituality as an aspect of wisdom, the relationships between individual and community, the importance of oral tradition, the experience of colonization and decolonization)
  • Incorporate First Peoples story-telling techniques and features as applicable (e.g., circular structure, repetition, weaving in of spirituality, humour).

4.5: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada – Map Room

Website: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1290453474688/1290453673970#h4

This website section is part of a much larger Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada website. This post is about the “Map Room” section specifically. This site includes a plethora of maps on Canadian First Nation communities and topics. Map topics range from census information, information about K-12 schools on reservations, and the distribution of residential school survivor settlements by province. Two interactive maps that I found particularly interesting were:

First Nation Profiles Interactive Map: Lists First Nations in Canada. By clicking on First Nation icon on the map, you can view demographic information about the First Nation. Furthermore, many also include links to community run websites.

Interactive Map on Specific Claim Settlements: Successful land claims are represented as orange dots on the map. Clicking on the dots reveals the name of the claim, the settlement date,  the dollar amount of the settlement, and the province. This is useful for seeing where claims have been made and for what reasons.

These maps are excellent for use in a Canadian History or a Global Issues classroom.