Author Archives: LiamBurdett

Entry 5:

https://youtu.be/H6AqEppqUDA

This is a cool example of what it looks like to digitize and record Indigenous culture for posterity. I’ve considered this idea in both of my Canvas discussions, but this video was the first time I’d actually seen an already-vanished culture’s language. I don’t believe that the language in the video was recorded with the community’s consent, but it makes me wonder about the tangible benefits that these projects bring. If an Indigenous culture has their language recorded and then stored away, does this digital recording bring any significance to that community? Or are these projects done out of guilt and for the feeling of white Canadians?

This question led me to finding this Ted Talk:

https://youtu.be/g2HiPW_qSrs

http://www.rubiconpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/proud_to_be_metis.mp3

This oral collection of poems is an excellent resource for teaching any combination of Métis history or poetry. The importance of oral tradition is emphasized through this audio-only medium, as students have no other option but to listen to every syllable spoken and hear the emotions exuded through words.

The difference of engagement would be fascinating to contrast with this: http://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/how-the-comic-book-and-gaming-community-is-reclaiming-indigenous-perspectiv

Games are more fun for students, but do they have the same value as a more “traditional” or “realistic” depiction of Indigenous culture?

Entry 3:

The question in my previous post, “how do visible minorities and Indigenous peoples coincide in Canada?” led me to this article: https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A1429/datastream/OBJ/download/The_Relationships_Between_Racialized_Immigrants_And_Indigenous_Peoples_In_Canada__A_Literature_Review.pdf

This literature review found that immigrants and Indigenous communities do not necessarily share an instinctive bond through shared marginalization within Canada. This may be due to a combination of a lack of exposure between the two groups, and/or also because many countries do not have the same historical context behind the significance of Indigenous peoples. The divide between the two is interesting, and it makes me wonder whether or not that gap should be closed, and whose responsibility that would be.

Entry 2:

Working in the Surrey School District, I was curious about what Indigenous resources were available on the district website. https://www.surreyschools.ca/ProgramsAndServices/ABRG/Pages/default.aspx

The teacher resource page was easy to find: https://aboriginalresourcesforteachers.weebly.com/

Before any student presentation, the presenting student does a land acknowledgement. The website contains a very helpful explanation as to the significance of doing so, understanding that “too many people are reading the script without really understanding what it means.  Know why you are doing it wand what it means” https://aboriginalresourcesforteachers.weebly.com/introduction.html

Going through this website created by helping teachers, one can gain a good insight as to the district’s central goals regarding Indigenous education. There appears to be a strong emphasis on avoiding Indigenous education and understandings from becoming a “study of them” and instead a more natural integration of Indigenous culture with that of colonial settlers. Surrey has a unique perspective on this however, as it has a significant immigrant population, which could be an interesting field to study. How do visible minorities and Indigenous peoples coincide in Canada?

Entry 1:

Some of my initial thoughts when reading about Indigenous knowledge and education are about how and why this has become an issue worth discussion for the federal and provincial governments. Any attempt towards reconciliation, let alone the “legitimizing” of Indigenous knowledge is a relatively new concept. My most prominent memory of Indigenous influence in my own education was when Orange Shirt Day started in my Grade 12 year.

https://youtu.be/E3vUqr01kAk

I have never been a fan of tokenism, but I think that the orange shirt itself is less important than the sheer significance of removing the taboo behind talking about residential schools. Canada had committed acts of genocide and it was widely unknown or just not talked about, and schools now had a reason to teach students about them every year. I do think that the orange shirt gets overly marketed and emphasized, which risks undermining the central message of the day itself, but the implementation of this day was a good fundamental step towards any semblance of reconciliation.