Tag Archives: residential school

Module 4: Post # 3 ~ Boys with Braids

One of the first things many residential school survivors experienced was the cutting of their hair. Today, many Indigenous People are choosing to grow their hair long as a statement of cultural pride. However, hair has a greater spiritual meaning for many Aboriginal cultures.

Boys with Braids is an educational movement dedicated to sharing the teachings of why boys, men and elders wear braids. Started by Michael Linklaster when his son was bullied for having long hair. Linklaster hopes to stop bullying by raising awareness about the spiritual and cultural significance of long hair. He also hopes that Indigenous children and youth will take more pride in their long hair.

Cecil Sveinson, host of a March 2016 Winnipeg Boys with Braids Event hopes to raise awareness among non-Indigenous Adults as well. Hoping that with raised awareness adults will be more culturally sensitive.


 

Entry 1: Jackson 2Bears

Jackson 2Bears is a multimedia artist and cultural theorist who’s work “explores the aesthetics of contemporary Indigenous identity—its various manifestations, transformations, simulations and hybridizations—within the context of our hyper-mediated, technologically saturated culture     (http://jackson2bears.net/).”

My first exposure to his work was through his Vimeo posting of  ‘Ten Little Indians’: a remix embedded with visuals that creates a very strong artistic portrayal of children being stolen from their families by social workers.

                  10 Little Indians [Remix] – 2005 from Jackson 2bears on Vimeo.

Jackson 2bears is also a member of Beat Nation: a group who’s aim is to promote Indigenous hip hop culture. Their belief is that through this popular medium, they are not assimilating to colonialist culture; rather, they are challenging it by using mainstream technology to promote Indigenous culture.

“These artists are not turning away from the traditions as much as searching for new ways into them. Hip hop is giving youth new tools to rediscover First Nations culture. What is most striking about this work is how much of it embraces the traditional within its development. (http://www.beatnation.org). ”

For me, I am interested in Jackson 2bears work because it directly challenges the notion that Indigenous culture is a historical reference. Both sonically and visually he portrays our modern environment through a critical Indigenous lens.

Moving toward a future of reconciliation and respect

1. I found this website interesting from the perspective of an educator who would like to give students in the classroom an overview of the First Peoples of Canada. This virtual exhibition provides information about the different societies, languages and population percentages and distribution in Canada, before moving to “An Aboriginal Presence” which gives a short biography on many notable Canadian Indigenous peoples, including Alwyn Morris, a gold and bronze Olympic medalist, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, who co-wrote a song I loved when I was younger titled, “Up Where We Belong” among many others. Included in the virtual exhibition are traditional knowledges and artifacts, as well as origins and archaeology. While the exhibition provides more information than an educator might want to show students (it takes quite a while to read through all of the materials presented) I think it has the potential to be a valuable resource in the classroom. I personally enjoyed the sections “An Aboriginal Presence” (as it gave brief biographies of notable First Peoples) and “We Are the Land” (both knowledge and experience) the most.

First Peoples of Canada [virtual exhibition]. (n.d.). Canadian Museum of History. Retrieved 9 November, 2016, from: http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/fp/fpint01e.shtml

2. The next link is to the “Anishnawbe Health Toronto” website. I am including this website because during a previous weblog entry (Module 2 Weblog, link #3), I found an article by O’Sullivan (2013) titled, “Considering Culture in Aboriginal Care” (link: http://m.cmaj.ca/content/185/1/E27.full.pdf). O’Sullivan’s article highlighted the difficulties encountered by Indigenous patients in the Canadian health care system including a lack of feeling of safety, acceptance, empathy and respect. In contrast, Anishnawbe Heath Toronto appears to do the opposite by providing a community health centre based on traditional Indigenous knowledges and traditions; “AHT offers access to health care practitioners from many disciplines including Traditional Healers, Elders and Medicine People. Ancient ceremonies and traditions, intrinsic to our health care model are available.” The “Overview & History” page shares that Anishnawbe Health Resources was founded in 1984, based on the vision of Elder Joe Sylvester. What originally began as a diabetes project, expanded to encompass the needs of Aboriginal health care in Toronto using a model that is based on culture and traditions. Today the mission of Anishnawbe Health Toronto is “To improve the health and well-being of Aboriginal People in spirit, mind, emotion and body by providing Traditional Healing within a multi-disciplinary health care model.” I feel this is an important resource because it demonstrates for me how traditional Indigenous cultures, traditions, and knowledges can be integrated with the theories of western medicine to provide for the health and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. It emphasizes for me the fact that we need to integrate Indigenous knowledges into all aspects of Canadian society, not simply into our classrooms.

Anishnawbe Health Toronto. (2011). Retrieved 12 November, 2016, from: http://www.aht.ca/

*Citation for previous article as listed on Weblog entry for Module 2:
O’Sullivan, B. (2013). Considering culture in Aboriginal care. CMAJ, 185(1). Retrieved 10 October, 2016, from: http://m.cmaj.ca/content/185/1/E27.full.pdf

3. The following link is to a powerful, but often extremely painful selection of stories from survivors of residential schools in Canada. Each of the forty-seven stories on the site is told in the form of an interview. Each survivor has his or her own story, but there are common threads throughout many stories that include feelings of community and safety before they were taken away from their families to residential schools, fear and a lack of understanding when being taken to and arriving at residential schools, and of devastating trauma caused by the many different forms of abuse suffered while at residential schools. Each story demonstrates the profound impact of residential schools on Indigenous peoples and their families, and the continued impact on their lives today. Please note before you watch any of these videos that there is a warning on the “Stories” home page due to the painful and disturbing subject matter in many of the videos. A contact number is provided on the home page for the Health Canada 24-Hour National Survivors Crisis Line if needed.

Residential School Survivor Stories. (n.d.). Legacy of Hope Foundation. Retrieved 10 November, 2016, from: http://wherearethechildren.ca/en/stories/

4. The following link is to a CBC News, “As It Happens”, written article and audio episode reporting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission summary report. The written summary provides information about the report and appeals for “a nation-wide commitment to reconciliation” as it exposes the abuse, deaths and continuing trauma suffered by those who were taken from their homes and forced to attend residential schools. The article includes a summary of key recommendations from the 381-page report. The audio is accessible by clicking on ‘Reconciliation is not an aboriginal problem, it is a Canadian problem. It involves all of us’ on the left side of the screen. In doing this, you will be able to listen to the entire “Truth and Reconciliation Commission summary report coverage” portion of the June 2, 2015 episode of “As It Happens” which is 15 minutes and 51 seconds in length. The episode includes much of the information given in the written article, as well as providing some of the testimonies from Residential School Survivors during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Off, C. and Douglas, J. (2015, June 2). Truth and Reconciliation Commission summary report coverage. As It Happens. Retrieved 9 November, 2016, from: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.3096950/reconciliation-is-not-an-aboriginal-problem-it-is-a-canadian-problem-it-involves-all-of-us-1.3097253

5. My final link is to a TEDx video titled “Changing the way we see Native Americans” that I found created hope. I was immediately drawn to this TEDx TeachersCollege talk by the opening video of a young Indigenous child watching video images of Indigenous peoples as they are portrayed by Hollywood and other major media sources. When Matika Wilbur began to talk, I was drawn to her message as well as the good and beauty that seemed to emanate from her. Her TEDx talk centered on the modern and mainstream view of Native Americans, based on stereotypical images that are created through major media sources. Her goal is to change the way that Native Americans are perceived. With this in mind, she created a project in 2013 called Project 562 which “seeks to photograph every Federally recognized tribe in the United States and reveal in a brilliant spectrum of art, media, and curricula, the rich and complex twenty-first century image and reality of contemporary Native Americans.” During her talk, Matika Wilbur questions, “How can we expect mainstream support for sovereignty, self-determination, nation-building, tribally-controlled education, health care and jobs, when 90% of Americans only view people, my people, as one dimensional stereotypes situated in the historic past, or even worse situated in their imaginations. I argue that we can’t.” (time stamp: 11:38). Matika seeks to create positive change by identifying contemporary Indigenous role models, and to connect us together so that we can learn to respect and honour one another.

Wilbur, M. (2014). Changing the way we see Native Americans [online video]. TEDx TeachersCollege. Retrieved 10 November, 2016, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIzYzz3rEZU

Allison’s Cyber Travelling Reflections Part 3

First Nations Education Steering Committee

http://www.fnesc.ca

I chose to feature this site because it is based on British Columbia and has sections containing authentic First Peoples resources for kindergarten to grade nine students. Of particular relevance to me and my research is a section dedicated to Indian Residential Schools complete with history, photographs, and information. It also contains specific links and information to use when teaching the new social studies curriculum in the primary classroom.

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Ktunaxa Nation

http://www.ktunaxa.org

The Ktunaxa Nation surrounds the area in which I live. The Residential School, St. Eugene Mission, is one of the places I will be focusing my project on and how we can teach elementary students appropriately about residential schools. This website incorporates many local resources for language, social and emotional development and support opportunities. I hope that this resource will provide me with some contacts to assist my project and planning.

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First Peoples’ Cultural Council

http://www.fpcc.ca

I came across this website as I was revisiting the First Voices website that I wrote about it my first post. The First Peoples’ Cultural Council is a First Nations-run Crown Cooperation with a focus on the revitalization of Aboriginal language, arts, and culture in British Columbia. This site appears to be regularly updated and maintained to include relevant local news on issues around British Columbia. It also includes links to support Aboriginal languages, heritage toolkits for First Nations cultural workers, grants to facilitate Aboriginal artists connecting to Aboriginal youth and communities, as well as information on internships and language and culture camps.

weytk

Orange Shirt Day

http://www.orangeshirtday.org

I was directed to this site through Mary Sikkes’ post during our class discussion #8. Orange Shirt Day is held at the end of September in BC as a reminder that “every child matters”. This day is in recognition of the abuse incurred at Residential Schools, inspired by Phyllis’ story, a 6-year old girl who had her clothes taken away from her on her first day of school at the St. Joseph Mission residential school. The resources page on this site lists background information, sample agendas and video showing community ceremonies, and discussion guides. This will be an especially helpful resource for me to include in my final project on teaching elementary students about Residential schools.

orangeday

Dr. Martin Brokenleg

http://martinbrokenleg.com

I had the privilege a few years ago of attending a talk given by Dr. Martin Brokenleg. He spoke of the circle of courage, of youth at risk, and of what we need to be doing for our students in our classrooms today. I am including this resource in my list because I admire Dr. Brokenleg’s teachings and want to remember this space and links to refer back to when necessary.

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