The second resource for my Module 1 research collection is an encyclopedia article on the residential schools in Canada. The truth about the Indigenous peoples’ experiences of colonization has long been revolved around biased or hidden information. The following encyclopedia article describes the history of how residential schools were created and facilitated to assimilate approximately 150,000 Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Read through the encyclopedia article below to gain deeper understanding and empathy on the traumatic impact of the cultural genocide towards Indigenous peoples.

Miller, J.R. (2021, June 1). Residential schools in Canada. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools

The first resource for my Module 1 research collection is a webpage on differentiating key terms across various Indigenous identities. When it comes to ethnical terminology, there may be risks of confusion or controversy around certain word choices and contexts. The following webpage describes the differences between common identity terms, including Aboriginal, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Peoples, Indian, Native, and Indigenous. Read through the webpage below to develop an accurate and respectful vocabulary foundation for future interactions with Indigenous peoples and topics.

UBC First Nations & Indigenous Studies Program. (2009). Terminology. http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/terminology

This talk by Dr. Anderson-DeCoteau walks us through the instutional racim and epistemic racism that often plagues our health care system. There has been an imperialist implementation of colonial policies that have stigmatized, othered and affected access to resources in our Indigenous communities. Our health care system has been based on western values and framework. For example, the gold standard for research has been through large randomized control trials, and oftentimes, the indigenous way of knowing is not often included in these trials/studies.

Dr. Anderson-DeCoteau walks us through these barriers and some ways to overcome these through Indigenous ways of knowing through values like love, humility and knowledge.

I found this article in this 2015 Spirit Magazine issue: “Maternal Child Health through a Traditional Lens”. It speaks of the journey of women from conception to early newborn years. See link: https://issuu.com/firstnationshealthauthority/docs/spirit-magazine-the-womens-issue

The author describes how ‘kitchen table’ stories used to be passed down from generation to generation and this is where women from the family learned from others’ experiences in their families. This article was particularly eye opening in that it walks through some traditional views of maternal/child health from an Indigenous point of view.

I remember hearing about Jordan’s Principle a few years back. Jordan River Anderson is a First Nations boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. He was born in 1999 with complex health issues and had to remain in a hospital for the first 2 years of his life. Once he was allowed to go home, the provincial and federal government could not decide who would cover his medical cost outside of the hospital. This  would not have been a debate had Jordan not been First Nations. Instead, Jordan remained in the hospital for another three years while the debate over financials continued. Jordan passed away at the age of 5 without ever leaving the hospital.

The Jordan Principal ensures First Nations children receive medical attention when they need it. While browsing through the website, one can read up on the history and effects of the principle. It was disappointing to read that when the principal was first implemented it did not serve its desired cause.

https://fncaringsociety.com/what-you-can-do/ways-make-difference/jordans-principle

‘Staggering disparity’: Study finds Indigenous people travel farther to give birth

Being in health care, I first-hand see the staff shortages, lack of resources and burnt out front line health care workers that is plaguing our current health care system. While I work in an urban facility, these challenges still occur. What I have started to realize, however, is the waning in resources that have affected our rural communities, including our Indigenous peoples. In this study, linked here (https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/25/E948), Indigenous people living in rural Canada are 16 times more likely to travel long distances than non-Indigenous women.

A comment from the author struck me in particular: “Smylie said that for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, giving birth close to home is a very important tradition because the land is considered a part of their family.”

When these women do have to travel the long distance to give birth, they are often having to give birth alone, perhaps at a place where they don’t speak the language, and where health care providers don’t often understand the culture.

This is definitely a gap that needs to be filled; whether it’s providing the primary care resources for these women at their communities (midwives, community workers, health care planners), or through education at all facilities (including urban facilities) about how to support culturally safe care.

Website 1

OAGGAO 

https://oaggao.ca/learn/educational-programs-and-resources/contemporary-indigenous-artists-in-the-classroom/

What is it?:

“This project aims to provide elementary and high school–level teachers with curriculum-linked lesson plans designed by contemporary Indigenous artists. The goal is to build students’ cultural competence and respect for diverse Indigenous peoples, while encouraging critical thinking about colonialism in Canada” 

Why I chose it: 

This is such a fantastic resource, I have a lot of feelings wrapped up around how to teach indigenous art because I think art education should inherently be something that you DO, not only something you think about, or look at. So how do we teach traditional art practices when there is not always a clear answer to whether or not non-indigenous people should be creating in that style? How do we address the ideas of appreciation versus appropriation? 

Website 2

Raising Issues with the “Family Totem Pole”

http://saraflorence.ca/blog/

What is it?:

A blog written by Sara Florence Davidson, an indigenous teacher educator at Simon Fraser University. In her post she is discussing the harm, both personal and cultural, that poorly conceived teaching resources can have on indigenous peoples. 

Why I chose it: 

In her post Sara says “there are no worksheets or resource packs or instructional videos that will magically “Indigenize” your classroom for you. It requires deep reflection, deep commitment to learning, and, sometimes, moments of deep discomfort.” It is a good reminder to us all that this is a difficult process, but it is one that is worth doing right. Keeping in mind the power we hold as educators (especially as white educators) and striving above all to listen to the voices of indigenous people is vital. 

Website 3

Indigenous Arts Protocols

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6VuHJi6O0Q&t=557s

What is it?:

“This video was created by the Ontario Arts Council as a tool to highlight the significance of Indigenous cultural protocols in the arts.” This video shows many indigenous artists and scholars speaking about how to avoid appropriate and misappropriation of indigenous art through Indigenous Arts Protocols.  

Why I chose it: 

This is a great video that I think I could show my middle school students in the art room before beginning any kind of teaching about indigenous art practices, whether traditional or contemporary. I particularly liked the comment about proportional reciprocity. You may give something back to the artists or the elder, but is it equal to what they gave you?

Website 4

How Is Indigenous Storytelling Transforming Immersive Technology?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7eT-KIZxjU

What is it?:

A presentation put on by the Vancouver Public Library for the Emily Carr Vancouver Mural Festival. Cease Wyss from the Squamish First Nation is the host, and speaks with a panel of indigenous artists about virtual reality, immersive technology, art and indigeneity. They discuss indigenous futurism; imagining what indigenous cultures and the world will look like in the future. “Imagining our culture in the future and trying to place that in a tangible way so it will eventually become real, and to never lose sight of our core values and beliefs. Being understanding and respectful of other cultures, so that we can all grow together and so that all of our cultures and languages will still be here in the future.” 

Why I chose it: 

I think it’s so important to move away from teaching only traditional indigenous art and artists. This idea of indigenous people being of the past, or no longer existing is very damaging. There are so many contemporary indigenous artists who are making incredible, thought provoking art and who have much to add to the discussion about how indigenous peoples will choose to utilize modern technologies. Art is one of the lenses through which we make sense of our world. I love seeing modern indigenous artists putting their ideas and culture into the broader consciousness. 

Website 5

Visual and Performing Arts: Protocols for Cultural Belongings and Intellectual Properties

https://aboriginalresourcesforteachers.weebly.com/uploads/3/0/3/5/30354089/visual_and_performing_arts_protocols.pdf

AND

Indigenous Protocols for the Visual Arts

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61e830a9a1fa890cec5c1521/t/62b0ab66799341026eda23d1/1655745382945/Indigenous+Protocols+for+the+Visual+Arts.pdf

 What is it?:

These are two websites that go hand in hand. I chose to include both because they’re very similar, but with slightly different audiences in mind. 

The first is from 2017-18 and was made for the Surrey School District to guide teachers in how to teach about Indigenous culture without breaking protocols. It includes some background information on popular “indigenous crafts” that are often misappropriated in school settings. 

The second is from  Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC). Its purpose is to provide practical guidelines for respectful engagement with Indigenous Peoples and recognizes and endorses the rights of Indigenous Peoples to own and control their cultural heritage. 

Why I chose it: 

Both resources give meaningful advice for teachers who want to teach indigenous art, but feel like they need guidance. I think they could also be used as a great jumping off point for general discussions about intellectual property and appropriation for children in older grades.

Project Heart is the name of a school event that took place within the Comox Valley school district, which is the area I recently moved to. What I found the video inspiring as it showcases what I believe to be a great example of educators connecting with the local Indigenous community. Something all educators are capable of doing. I came across this video randomly searching through material related to the school district.

In the Video, Verna shares her experiences with the residential school she attended for 10 years. This school is located on Alert Bay which is a small island off the coast of northern Vancouver Island. The school is still standing today with a strong Indigenous community present in the area. The video shows her telling her story to young students, while also showing activities the students are participating in that provoke deep reflection.

My research interest is to examine whether or not Indigenous people can reimagine western technology to:

1. Give back more to the earth than we take and, 
2. Strengthen their community and land ties

With this in mind, I chose the following websites and articles because they focused on creating an Indigenous digital space and/or bridging the divide between Indigenous people and Western technology/learning.

Indigenizing the digital world – TVO March 2019, Haley Lewis

https://www.tvo.org/article/indigenizing-the-digital-world

This article is written by Haley Lewis, a Kanyen’keha:ka-Scottish writer. The article details three Indigenous creators who are working on reinventing the online world to be more inclusive.

One of the three creators is Monique Manatach, a member of Indigenous Culture and Media Innovations, a collective working to give access to Indigenous people in multimedia arts. Second, we have Megan Byrne, who has worked on creating a unique and totally Indigenous digital space. Lastly, Brad Pine has created an Indigenous dating app, an app for homestay experience and Waboos, which is a search engine that connects the searcher with Indigenous results. 

This article caught my attention because I think it will be useful for researching my final assignment as it links to several Indigenous tech initiatives that Lewis describes.