Our mission is to connect our people to ancestral traditions and teachings. Our programs, events, and workshops share Anishinaabe cultural knowledge and wisdom. Elders share traditional stories and songs in our digital resource library. Pride in our culture encourages our people to take ownership of the Anishinaabe ceremonies and sacred items to create a foundation for healing. – https://firstnationelders.com/
CBC Interview: Online project aims to preserve voices, knowledge of First Nations elders
Alo White of Naotkamegwanning First Nation has created a website focused on the goal to preserve and document language, story and culture. The website is an extenstion of The Ki’eshgitabaaning Cultural and Healing Lodge which “strives to keep Anishinaabe culture and cultural traditions alive today, tomorrow, and into the future. By sharing our culture through workshops, podcasts, songs, and stories, we hope to inspire pride in our heritage and a desire to preserve our traditions for future generations” (https://firstnationelders.com/).
With the onset of Covid-19, White noticed the disconnect that was occurring in his community as youth were increasingly more attached to their technology, specifically cell phones. When being interview on CBC Up North, White notes that “youth are tech savvy” and he, along with 25 Elders in the community, believe technology is a great way to connect to this generation. White lost his son to suicide and knows he had a craving for knowledge, culture, and history. He also wishes he had the opportunity to have recorded stories from his own Grandfather, thinking “if I could just turn on the website and have him share his song and knowledge, that would be really great for me” (Up North).
Currently the website site share links to song, workshops, and podcasts. White will be filming Elders but won’t be doing so until everyone has received two-shots of a vaccine. A total of 25 Elders will be contributing to the site and will be welcomed to the Lodge to do so.
White believes that if knowledge is not recorded through the online platform that it will be lost. He concludes the interview by stating, “technology gives the opportunity to capture story on video and podcast for the future”. (Up North). He is worried if knowledge isn’t recorded through online platform it will be lost. Technology gives the opportunity” to capture them on video and podcasts for the future”
Howe (1998) speaks of cyberspace as being unable to provide a lived and experienced sense of traibalim. Website’s designed with a community of Elders that are aiming to reignite and attach culture to those who have been absorbed into technology seems to circumnavigate some of the problem. Since this site is designed with the interest of the Naotkamegwanning, the land and story seems to be translate. I could connect any of these podcast to First Nations key skills in SS9.
Alo White discusses pictographs below from the website:
Resources and Further Links:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/first-nations-elders-website-1.5993540
Great blog Mandy! It highlights how elders are beginning to learn and integrate the new forms of communicating through technology in order to preserve stories, language and culture and how this is actually merging the generational gaps between the youth and elders.
Thank you for sharing this story.