Category Archives: MODULE 3

M3: P4 Decolonization Is for Everyone | Nikki Sanchez

“whether you have ancestors that were colonizers or colonized, we are all colonized people and decolonization is work that we need to come together and do”

Nikki discusses what colonization looks like in a historical and contemporary perspective and how it can be addressed through decolonization.

Building off of this week’s readings and audio interview with Heather E. McGregor is communicating with parents and families to acknowledge and provide support for processing trauma. Nikki’s slide bystander trauma of settler parents and grandparents has interesting potential to build inclusivity and empathy amongst students.

M3: P3 students learn Indigenous language using virtual reality

This article was shared by Rob Theriault on the UBC MET Community Facebook Page.

What interested me most about how this VR tool was used to teach language was the setting of a “immersive Indigenous Language House” with a fire pit and basketball court outside for virtual socializing. To build a meaningful, comfortable and familiar space to explore language and culture.

While getting out in nature is so important, I wonder if there could be a next phase of development to create outdoor settings with language pop ups and whether the challenge of creating new words that Angeline King and Elder Ernestine Baldwin had in the house setting would be the same or different for an on the land setting.

Click for full article: https://anishinabeknews.ca/2021/06/25/georgian-students-learn-indigenous-language-using-virtual-reality/

M3-P4 Alo White of Naotkamegwanning First Nation creates the living website, firstnationselder.com

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:

Videos

Resources and Further Links:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/first-nations-elders-website-1.5993540

M3-P3 MIT’s Indigenous Digital Delegation, Elder Dr. Duke Redbird’s keynote “Dish with one spoon” and Jackson 2Bears’ Virtual Haudenosaunee Longhouse LAYERS OF PLACE: The Art of Augmenting Public Spaces and Places with Stories and Technologies

“Technology can put a man in space or a nano-computer in every creature on Earth. Yet technology cannot answer this question that should be asked of anything. And it is an Indigenous question: ‘Is it wise?” – Dr. Duke Redbird (Ojibway), 2020, MIT Indigenous Digital Delegation

This is a 2-part Blog.

MIT hosted their inaugural Indigenous Digital Delegation last fall that invited Indigenous artists, leaders, storytellers across Canada to work alongside MIT professors, researchers, and PHD students to synthesize Indigenous world views and technology. The purpose of this meeting of minds was to combine “Indigenous Knowledge, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Worlds [and] discuss diverse domains, from the decolonization of space, to re-imagining Indigenous architecture, to the role of community-based governance in the genetic modification of invasive species” (Indigenous knowledge and technology at MIT: “Is it wise?”). Various breakout sessions were hosted and can be accessed via the link below.

Keynote Address – Elder Duke Redbird’s “Dish with one Spoon”

I felt it important to share Duke Redbird’s Keynote speech “Dish with one Spoon”. His opening message so eloquently ties together all the major themes of this course: indigeneity, technology, and education. He speaks from a post-covid world about the importance of humanity, the generation of students, and the role technology can play in the future. Dr. Redbird noted that technology has made “a globe of villages, as opposed to a global village” [Redbird, 42;10] and highlights the adverse effects of technology, how it cannot teach wisdom and has ultimately made us programmed consumers in the market system. Yet, he also highlights the importance of technology moving forward. He speaks to those born after 1995, having the power “to explore an indigenous worldview and use technologies to change negative patterns and rethink the manner in which we engage the environment and of their own volition chooses to use the available technology to enhance their lives, recognizing that the future of all existence and humankind is dependent upon a robust and sacred relationship with the earth”. [Redbird, 59;04]

This keynote is so worth the watch, I really recommend it, even if you just read the transcripts.

After looking through the MIT Open Documentary Lab I came across Jackson 2Bears (Kanien’kehaka) discussion in the LAYERS OF PLACE: The Art of Augmenting Public Spaces and Places with Stories and Technologies Jackson. 2Bears is the associate professor of Indigenous art studio and media arts at the University of Lethbridge and a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts Research and Technology. His research asks, “one crucial question: what does reconciliation and decolonization look like in the digital age?”(Two Bears named Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts Research and Technology).

During the symposium (linked below, skip to 12;20) 2Bears introduces his “large-scale immersive multimedia installation, Ne:Kahwistará:ken Kanónhsa’kówa í:se Onkwehonwe, [which is] being created in the spirit and image of Haudenosaunee longhouses”. 2Bears tells his audience that Haudenosaunee means “people of the long house” and he discusses the symbolism associated with theses spaces and how spiritualism connects Indigenous people to space. 2Bears has chosen a longhouse over a couple hundred years old located in Brantford, Ontario. He wants to create a “reciprocal relationship with the longhouse” (2Bears, 17:28). Instead of taking from the land and putting something in a gallery, he wants to created a layered space. The longhouse would be A VR space, with projection technology and video mapping. 2Bears and his community want to create a virtual environment on top of the actual location. There is a pause on this project due to Covid as Jackson wants a “collective experience on site and recognise the space” [2bears, 18;42].He defends that land is alive, as stories exist in the space and animating landscape through digital technology can translate the story. [2Bears, 21:25].

If you watch the video below, 2Bears offers images and video of his project at 12:20 onward.

M3 Entry 5: The ATA Library

The Alberta Teacher’s Association Library has some great resources for Indigenous Education. There are collections of student guides, teacher guides, and PD resources on multiple topics (i.g. Orange Shirt Day, Residential Schools, etc.) and some resources specifically for Indigenous Peoples of Alberta. I was paying closer attention to the Foundation Knowledge section where resources are categorized into different subject fields. I am going to be exploring Math and Science pages more to help with the lesson planning part of my final project.

Through the library, I also came across a Google Earth activity called, “Celebrating Indigenous Languages” which I thought was a fantastic way of incorporating technology. It’s very engaging and fun to look around the globe to visualize the places and the diversity of Indigenous languages. It’s also fascinating to hear these languages being spoken by an Indigenous person, which I haven’t had a chance to experience a lot before.

M3 Entry 5: Indigenous Storywork

I found the following website to be of interest:

https://indigenousstorywork.com/

This Indigenous Storyworks website has been developed to help educators learn about Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing, through Indigenous traditional and life-experience stories. According to Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, stories guide the development of our heart, mind, and spirit. Each page contained valuable information. I was most excited about the resources page.

On the home page, the video by Dr. Archibald reflects on the role of Indigenous stories, Indigenous pedagogies, the role of storytelling in Indigenous education, ways to help children and other learners make story-meaning, and educators’ considerations for using Indigenous stories today.

M3 Entry 4: Community-based Indigenous Digital Storytelling

Iseke, J., & Moore, S. (2011). Community-based Indigenous digital storytelling with elders and youth. American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 35(4), 19-38.

According to Iseke & Moore (2011), Indigenous digital storytelling has the potential to integrate indigenous artifacts, sacred places, and stories in innovative ways. It also creates spaces for indigenous youth to affirm their identity and become agents of social change. These digital videos can ensure that future generations of indigenous people use technology to sustain their indigenous worldviews. This article looks at four particular community-based digital storytelling projects. Through these projects, the authors consider the importance of Indigenous storytelling and explore some of the strategies for creating and designing Indigenous digital stories. It’s challenging to tell the story that the community or Elders intend to share based on the collaborative dialogue between the digital storyteller and community members regarding the intention of the video project. It’s easy to alter the story that is being told and to replace it with another story that the researcher writer, or editor wants to tell. It can help if the filmmaker is involved in a real way with the community and has a sense of the story.

M3 Entry 3: How The Turtle Got Its Shell

I find great value in inviting an Elder into my classroom, but we don’t always have the opportunity. I feel that a story such as the one I’ve linked above can be valuable in its own way. I like the way that Elder Hazel Dixon is telling this classic story of what happened when Turtle met Nanabush the Trickster. I can sense her enthusiasm as she orally tells the story. This is presented with the support of SaskCulture and their partners in education at Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.

Below are a few other YouTube clips of stories told by Hazel Dixon:

Joining the Circle

Module 3 – Entry 5

Tyler Ohashi

Joining the Circle

As I continue my journey looking for how to incorporate Indigenous education into my practice I have come across this “Guide for Educators” produced by COPA.

COPA is a Francophone not-for-profit organization, offering services in both French and English. Founded in 1995, we are a recognized center of excellence in the field of violence and bullying prevention by advocating for equity and inclusion.

What landed me at this document was a search for barriers that Indigenous people face with respect to education. What I found was an entire section titled “Facing Barriers” that looks at:

Culture and Identity
Language
Spirituality
Contribution to Canada
Land, Treaties and Relocation
The Indian Act
Residential Schools
Intergenerational Trauma
Bullying and Racism
Bullying and Suicide
Lateral Violence
Internalized Racism
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Marginalization
Indigenous Children and Youth in Care
Study Away from Home
Working in Reserve Communities
Parents in Prison

Obviously, there is a lot to unpack here. The good news is that this document highlights each of the above briefly. I like this because there were many barriers here that I had not thought about till coming across this document.

Furthermore, the next sections of this document look at “Caring and Sharing” and “Moving Forward”. Finally, there is an entire section dedicated to a “Film Guide” that can be used to facilitate discussions using short animated films with provided discussion questions and strategies for teaching.

Short animated films can be found here –> Films

Overall, a very useful document.

Reference

COPA. (n.d.). Joining the Circle – A Guide for Educators. https://www.metisnation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/educatorsguide_en.pdf.

M3 Entry 4: Implementing Indigenous STEM

When implementing Ingenous STEM, pedagogical methods should encourage students to discuss topics with family and friends to foster community interest (Stevens et al., 2016) and help students understand western concepts as well as Indigenous concepts and values by exploring similarities and differences (Snively & Williams, 2016).

It’s important to consider limiting factors, like that modern science and scientific views can be completely foreign with Indigenous spirituality and/or a holistic understanding of the world and that there is a lack of culturally appropriate science textbooks and resources (Snively & Williams, 2016). Therefore, including examples that help students see a deeper cultural understanding is a key element in incorporating Indigenous STEM into classrooms. For example, when teaching about solar energy, “students can be asked about how the sun and heat of the southwest desert impact their ways of living, how their ancestors adapted to the intense heat of the desert, how water levels have changed over time, and how the sun has been used as an energy source (Gomez et al., 2015).

Here are some other research papers that outline theoretical frameworks and practical examples of Indigenous epistemologies and implementation strategies.

References

Garcia-Olp, M., Nelson, C., Hinzo, A., & Young, D. A. (2020). Indigenous epistemologies: Implementing Indigenous practices and perceptions to the area of STEM. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 22(1/2), 197-337.

Gomez, R., Knox, C., Stevens, S., & Andrade, R. (2015). iSTEM: An innovative hybrid program for diversifying and building capacity in the STEM/ICT workforce. Teacher resource manual. University of Arizona, Tucson

Makonye, J. & Dlamini, R. (2020). STEM education for the twenty-first century. In J. Anderson & Y. Li (Eds.), Integrated Approaches to STEM Education: An International Perspective (pp.21.39). Springer. https://doi/org/10.1007/978-3-030-52229-2_3

Snively, G. & Williams, W. L. (2016). Knowing home: Braiding Indigenous science with Western science. University of Victoria Press.

Stevens, S., Andrade, R., & Page, M. (2016). Motivating Young Native American Students to Pursue STEM Learning Through a Culturally Relevant Science Program. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 25(6), 947-960. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9629-1

Tytler, R. (2020). STEM education for the twenty-first century. In J. Anderson & Y. Li (Eds.), Integrated Approaches to STEM Education: An International Perspective (pp.21.39). Springer. https://doi/org/10.1007/978-3-030-52229-2_3