For my last post, I wanted to explore a digital tool being developed and used by Inuit communities. The Arctic Elder Society has produced a social network application with the guiding principles of:
Respect
Self-determination
Intellectual Property
Integrity
It combines Inuktuk information and tools for knowledge sharing, mapping, and preserving languages. They also focus on privacy and data sovereignty. One of the most interesting features is the SIKU Ice Profiles page, there are photos, descriptions, and terms in various Inuktut dialects.
The First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) is an Indigenous-led organization in British Columbia aiming to provide equitable access to equipment, training, and support to Indigenous communities to further nationhood goals and self-determination. The skills training they provide links directly with the vision, goals, and needs of Indigenous nations.
Their Indigenous Digital Equity Strategy is particularly interesting. Here is an excerpt, but I would recommend reading the entire project plan.
“We know digital equity is more than just access to computers and the internet, it is about influence over the trajectory of technology and its impacts on society. Digital equity is a prerequisite for innovation, self-governance, entrepreneurship, education, economic and cultural wellbeing, and nearly all aspects of rights implementation in the digital age.” – FNTC
From the organization’s YouTube channel, they highlight that Indigenous peoples have always been technical, and that progression into digital or tech innovation is more of an extension of who they already are. I think this perspective should be explored more when we talk about educational technologies.
A fun personal note is that my partner took the FNTC’s Drone Stewardship Program a few years ago and has been an incredible contributor to his Nation’s community projects. Here is drone footage he and his colleagues produced for the Musqueam Canoe Races.
Indigenous Friends Association (IFA) is an Indigenous-Led tech not-for-profit organization that aligns closely with the discussions of Module 1. IFA responds to the Calls to Action #7 and #66, and aims to provide Indigenous Peoples and allies with the tools to build partnerships and promote digital projects that are rooted around Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Understandings.
Two programs which IFA has are the Indigital program aimed at promoting wellness and technology education through Indigenous Worldviews. As well as the IndigiMobile Program. This program incorporates imagining, creating and deploying digital applications that integrate traditional knowledge and values.
Here is an interview with one of the allies that discuss how they created a Social Media App Indigenous Friends that connected Indigenous people.