Posts from — November 2009
Module 4 Weblog 5 – Going Home
Coming to the end of my journey it seemed fitting that I should show you my home and a little of the reality we face here. This website shows both the beauty and the poverty of our towns, the traditional skills of the Indigenous people and the lack of modern technological skills. Here you can see a sample of the Regional dances, food and handicrafts, although you may need to clean up the images.
Here in Oaxaca these are daily activities and so sometimes we become blasé about them. Please look at the architecture, check out the tin roofs (even in the city they are common) and the Colonial buildings of which there are still many.
Look at the children in Asunción, some of them are wearing their school physical education uniform. Government schools are not free (the Parents association charges a fee) and uniforms are obligatory and not cheap. Yet the children are happy and playing in the street. Our life here is more communal than in other cities and although Oaxaca has one million people it is still like a small town.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me and if you ever come to Oaxaca we can eat some dead grasshoppers (chapulines) and drink some mescal with worm salt together.
November 21, 2009 2 Comments
Module 4 Weblog 4 – Global Voices
I chose this website for its content in Spanish, but I am including the link to the English version. This website can be visited in many languages and I think that is what captured my attention. It is a place where the young seem to have found a space in which they can communicate across the globe. Maybe this is not specifically an Indigenous website, but I think it is a model of what would be achieved.
This global site has a place for up to date news and also for the past. I am including a link to the Mayan Blog as it is well worth a visit and it is an example of how universities can help to store information, although I think after all I have learned that it would be better if they could empower Indigenous groups to protect their own heritage.
This webpage has links to Twitter and Facebook, both of which are common tools for any young people with a connection to the web. A lot has been said about the negative effects of Globalization, but I think the young people here have found a way to cross barriers instead of bludgeoning them down. The writers and translators are not paid, but they are given credit.
Indigenous page
http://es.globalvoicesonline.org/category/topics/indigenous/
Mexican Page
http://es.globalvoicesonline.org/category/world/americas/mexico/
Mayan Blog
English Version
November 21, 2009 No Comments
Module 4 Weblog 3 – Homemade
This website is a government controlled site and it is worth checking out. In contrast to the United Nations website, there are some problems with the layout of the pages of the official home page in Spanish. There is so much information that it is very hard to navigate, even my children told me that it was just too confusing to be useful. The search option only checks out government pages and again I found it difficult to use. It is obvious that someone has tried to find lots of important health related, cultural and educational links, but for example some of the links are broken and others disappeared. I next tried the simplified homepage and I must admit it was a lot easier. There was less information, but I think that most people would find it more manageable. The Indigenous homepage also appeared to have les information than the official page, obviously I couldn’t check the content. The English and French homepages seem geared more to tourists, although if you click on the health news the information is in Spanish..
Official homepage: http://www.e-indigenas.gob.mx/wb2/eMex/Home
Simplified homepage: http://www.e-indigenas.gob.mx/wb2/eMex/eMex_Usuario_no_experto
Indigenous homepage: http://www.e-indigenas.gob.mx/wb2/eMex/Home
English homepage: http://www.e-mexico.gob.mx/wb2/eMex/Home
November 21, 2009 No Comments
Module 4 Weblog 2 – UIT
I had recently learned that there are Indigenous groups in Mexico that are creating their own discourse and while I was looking for more information I came across this website. At first I was enchanted as the images are incredible. However as I began looking for who controlled the site, I became aware that it was neither an Indigenous, nor a local site. I finally had to investigate what UIT stood for and I was very quickly disenchanted. This appears to be a United Nations project to make access to telecommunications more equitable. This explains why the website is in Spanish and English, but not in any of the indigenous languages.
It is worth visiting for the photos and a lot of really useful information, there is an e-learning section with ideas such as how to set up and use a free Moodle platform, although I could only find it in English. There is information on “plataformas” in Spanish, but it wasn’t as clear as the English site. I would recommend this site to anyone in education as I think they may find some useful tools here, but I don’t see this site as being very helpful for a lot of indigenous communities.
United Nations
http://www.itu.int/es/pages/default.aspx
Indigenous Portal
http://www.ictindigenousportal.org/index.php
November 21, 2009 No Comments
Module 4 Weblog 1 A Real Muse
I came across this website when I was looking for articles which were up to date and more academic than I had found on other sites. The title maybe a little pretentious, but I was certainly inspired. One of the problems I had was that it took a little practice to get used to refining my search word by word; as I am used to Google where I can almost write questions. The other problem was that there are so many interesting articles that I tended to get sidetracked and although I could argue that all of them were in some way related to my research, the truth is that I spent a lot of time reading fascinating articles but that cut into my writing time. I suggest that you visit this site in the vacations or when there is no imminent deadline on the horizon.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/latin_american_research_review/related/v042/42.1eisenstadt.html
November 21, 2009 No Comments
The narrative within a 2 cultures – east and west – mod4 post2
You have got to watch this video from TED about the cultural differences of myth between India and the West. It is a real eye opener.
http://www.ted.com/talks/devdutt_pattanaik.html
Does this sound familiar?
I think Devdutt Pattanai does a great job talking about the narrative in both cultures. Now that we are becoming a global society with more informal conversations between cultures, we can create a new narrative that could include the preservation the planet. Our Western culture is all about concur and take what you need NOW before your death. Other cultures, like India, belief in multiple lives therefore you have to preserve the earth for your next life. (I might be wrong here)… but it is exciting to learn about how other cultures view the world.
Aboriginal culture is all about being one with the mother earth, respecting her and preserving her. We have the cultures on this planet that can help the West change our ways. Technology can help facilitate the communication between cultures. Social media and social networking allows all voices to be heard. Educational Technology can connect students from differently countries to discuss and learn from each other.
Can we change the Western narrative if we listen to other narratives?
I hope so. It may be our digital generation that moves our cultures together to create a new narrative that protects the planet
November 21, 2009 No Comments
First Nations Education Steering Committee
The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), an independent organization focused on increasing the quality of education for all First Nations people, is led by First Nation representatives throughout British Columbia. Along with their commitment to improve education, the FNESC provides support services the First Nations Schools Association and the Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association.
Important links include:
First Nations Schools Association
Indian Studies Support Program
Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association
Post-Secondary Education and Training
Aboriginal Recruitment for 2010 Games
Atlantic FN SchoolNet Helpdesk
First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation
FNESC logo [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2009, from FNESC website. http://www.fnesc.ca/index.php
November 19, 2009 No Comments
Pathways to Technology
Pathways to Technology initiative is to connect First Nations communities to the world. Working to bring reliable high-speed Internet, they recognize connectivity as paramount to closing the socio-economic gap between First Nations and other British Colombians. The First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) and the First Nations Health Council have stated that broadband connectivity as a priority for First Nations. Through the dedicated work of the FNTC and its partners, $22.5 million was granted to begin to provide connectivity to all 203 First Nations. Pathways to Technology is the overall initiative’s name. The benefits of broadband the site lists are related to: health care, education and skills development, cultural preservation and revitalization, economic development, land and resource management, and critical infrastructure monitoring.
Links include:
All Nations Trust Company & All Nations Development Corporation
First Nations Technology Council
Pathways to Technology logo [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2009, from Pathways to Technology website. http://www.pathwaystotechnology.ca/
November 19, 2009 No Comments
Indigenous Peoples.Net (M-3 Post #5)
Indigenous Peoples.Net (M-4 Post #5)
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/sidemenu.html
This site contains information and resources for indigenous cultures on a global scale. There is a description of indigenous literature from all corners of the globe available on this site. One of the tools that it offers is the ability to translate text or web page into other languages.
To translate any text or web page: click here Other Languages
– African Lit
– Arabic Lit
– Americas
– Art
– Chiapas Menu
– Chinese Lit
– Columbus
– Daily Inspirations
– Gaelic Lit
– Great Native Leaders
– Hawaiian Lit
– Indigenous Greetings / Docs
– Indigenous Music & Videos
– Indigenous Nations
– Indigenous Poetry
– Indigenous Stories
– Japanese Lit
– Kalash Lit
– Korean Lit
– Mexican Lit
– Persian Lit
– Racism
– Tai Chi
– Tibetan Lit
– What’s New & Unique
– World Nations
– Yuanji
November 18, 2009 No Comments
UsMob
UsMob, Australia’s first Aborignal children’s interactive website, was created to allow users to interact with a virtual experience life in Hidden Valley camp outside of Alice Springs. This site was created with the vision of using new media to develop cross-cultural lines of communication, creating a non-fictional story of life in this area. The producer’s goal was to for children to learn about the community and consequence as opposed to assuming the Aboriginal children in Australia were obliged to catch up to the digital divide standards that have been determined by other communities.
Set in the central desert of Australia. Visitors interact with Aboriginal teenagers adventures and crisis. This site encourages an exchange of culture, creativity, and experience between non-indigenous and Indigenous youth. Its hope is to inspire young Indigenous people to use the Internet to develop skills. This online environment was developed with a sensitivity to authoring biases ensuring that it is relevant to Indigenous audiences.
The interactive website takes visitors on a seven part journey which includes:
Episode 1: Kwatye (Water)
Aboriginal kids don’t get lost in the desert without any water… do they?
Fact Sheet: Finding Water in Desert
Fact Sheet: Different Foods in Arrernte Country
Episode 2: Money Day
Teased about her hearing aid at school, Della has to decide whose voice she will listen to.
Fact Sheet: Indigenous Languages in Australia
Fact Sheet: Deafness in Indigenous Communities
Episode 3: Ure (Fire)
When Harry burns a tree on someone else’s land, is it just nature that he is messing with?
Fact Sheet: Traditional Healing
Fact Sheet: Lhere Mparntwe
Episode 4: Wrong Skin
In a battle for the same boy, sisters Jacquita and Della must decide whether to follow their hearts or their traditional law.
Fact Sheet: Skin Names
Episode 5: Pmere Amekemeke (Sacred Sites)
10, 9, 8, 7… As their childhood days disappear and the non-Aboriginal world seems to be closing in, will Charlie and Harry’s friendship survive?
Fact Sheet: Traditional Stories
Fact Sheet: Sacred Sites
Episode 6: Sniffer
Alienated by her family and friends, Della turns to petrol sniffing and leaves her sister with a difficult decision.
Fact Sheet: Petrol Sniffing
Fact Sheet: Arrernte Culture I
Episode 7: Iwerre Atherrame (Two Paths)
No longer a boy but still not a man. Can Harry keep pushing both black and white laws and avoid the consequences?
Fact Sheet: Arrernte Culture II
UsMob logo [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2009, from UsMob website. http://www.usmob.com.au/index.html
November 18, 2009 No Comments
Centre for Aboriginal Health Research
The Centre for Aboriginal Health Research (CAHR) coordinates research activities to help First Nations and Aboriginal communities to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles and improved health services. A joint initiative of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and the Foundations of Health, the CAHR works towards integrating scientific and traditional Aboriginal knowledge and approaches to work towards producing new knowledge about health and health care.
The symbol of the turtle logo represents a creation story which is appropriate for the Center’s goal to create new knowledge that encompasses Aboriginal cultural and social realities. The arrows represent the taking in and giving back of information, the medicine wheel, and the four directions represent the four races on earth, stages of life and the physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological realms of health.
Objectives of the CAHR are:
To support and conduct studies related to traditional healing, prevalent diseases, culture-based approaches to healing, factors that influence health service systems, and addresses gender and age related needs within the First Nations and Aboriginal communities.
To provide community education and training in health research, to facilitate the use of health information and policy development, to advice First Nations and Aboriginal governments on health policy issues.
Links include:
http://www.manitobachiefs.com/
Wilde, D. (designer) AHR Logo, (online image) Retrieved November 17, 2009 from CAHR website. http://www.umanitoba.ca/centres/cahr/about/background.html
November 18, 2009 No Comments
United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples
The UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples‘ (UNPFII) mandate is to provide advice and recommendations on Indigenous issues to the Council, to produce and disseminate information related to Indigenous issues. The Permanent Forum was created in response to feelings that the structure of the United Nations was not organized to response to issues related to Indigenous peoples and that Indigenous peoples’ representation was limited. The Permanent Forum was established with the framework of the UN International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (1995 – 2004).
Members serve a three year term and include sixteen independent experts, eight nominated by governments and eight directly by Indigenous organizations in their regions. Regions include: Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean, the Artic, Central and Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, North America, and the Pacific.
Links include:
Indigenous Women and the UN System
Indigenous women and the UNPFII
Inter-Agency Task Force on Indigenous Women
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW
Second Meeting of UN Agencies and Indigenous Women representatives of Central America and Mexico
Declaration from the Indigenuos Children and Adolescents of Latin America to the 2005 Ibero-American Summit Meeting and press release
UNPFII logo image, Retrieved Nov. 17 from UNPFII website. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/
November 17, 2009 No Comments
Network Environments for Aboriginal Research BC
The Network Environments for Aboriginal Research BC’s (NEARBC) mission is to provide an environment to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Peoples. Their mission is to provide a setting where researchers and community members can work together to develop research initiatives that are relevant to Aboriginal peoples. They strive to develop research projects that are competitive nationally and internationally.
The Aboriginal Health Abstract data base page stores research articles related to various Aborignial health issues. Categories include: mental health, diabetes, child and maternal health, injury or suicide, cardiovascular disease, chronic disease, fetal alcohol syndrome, tobacco, and infectious disease.
Featured Resources include:
Aboriginal Health Research Ethics Protocols
CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People
Protocols & Principles for Conducting Research in a Nuu-Chah-Nulth Context
Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans
NEARBC logo image, Retrieved Nov. 17 from NEARBC website. http://www.nearbc.ca/index.php
November 17, 2009 No Comments
The body and technology – mod 4 post 1
You have got to watch this, it is amazing!!!
A TED video about a technology that allows the user to use/find digital information while in her/his physical environment. The learner in the physical world interacts with digital data using physical gestures. No longer will we need desktop computers or laptops. No longer will we have to sit for hours in front of a machine interacting with a machine (computer). We can get information while interacting with our physical world.
Pranav Mistry, an MIT graduate student has created a device called the SixthSense that uses our physical gestures and interactions with real-world objects and integrates/combines them with data (digital information) for ‘just in time” knowledge building.
He hopes that this will solve the digital divide. All equipment needed is extremely cheap and the software is open source. You only need a wireless connection to the internet.
Near the end of the video he shows how his device makes working with digital data the same as working with information in a physical form (on paper)
I love it. I can hardly wait until it becomes the norm.
I think this fits in well with aboriginal pedagogy. The learner can be in the natural environment and interact with digital information at the same time.
November 17, 2009 No Comments
Inuit Tapirlit Kanatami
Inuit Tapirlit Kanatami (ITK), represents four Inuit regions, Nunatsiavut(Labrador), Nunavik (northern Quebec), Nunavut, and Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories), and is the national Inuit organization in Canada.
In 1971, the organization was founded to represent Inuit interests. Working with the Canadian government, ITK negotiated land claim settlements and represented Inuit during consitutional talks in the 1980s.
Although, the organization has enjoyed accomplishments in land claim settlements, creation of Nunavut, enormous challenges remain for the Inuit. Equal opportunity and prosperity in Canada, the recognition from the federal government that the Inuit have different challenges, concerns, and needs than other Aboriginal peoples in Canada, still challenge the community.
The publication page on the site includes the following articles:
Negotiating Research Relationships with Inuit Communities, a Guide for Researchers
Canadian Inuit Perspectives on Climate Change (Unikkaaqatigiit)
Negotiating Research Relationships: A Guide for Communities
Circumpolar Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic
ITK logo image, Retrieved Nov. 15 from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami website. http://www.itk.ca/
November 15, 2009 No Comments
Module 3 – Weblog Entry #1 – Bruce Spencer
Introduction
Weblog entries one, two and three follow the three discussion headings for the module. Weblog entry four focuses on indigenous research methodologies while weblog five takes a look at indigenous researchers and their research on colonization.
For my first entry, I decided to include two categories centering on identity and capability. For the first section, I selected one article dealing with the question of identity and a second article on human development. For the second section, I selected two websites, on indigenous development. While broad in context, they do help to contribute to the overall discussion on issues important indigenous people.
Indigenous Identity and Contrasting Societal Values
• Jeff J. Corntassel, Who is Indigenous? ‘Peoplehood’ and Ethnonationalist Approaches to Rearticulating Indigenous Identity, 2003 (pdf file)
• Björn-Sören Gigler, Indigenous Peoples, Human Development and the Capability Approach, 2005 (pdf file)
Indigenous Peoples, Human Development and the Capability Approach
• Human Development and Capability Association: Development as Freedom (website)
• Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Pact (website)
November 14, 2009 No Comments
Module 3 – Weblog Entry #2 – Bruce Spencer
Traditional Culture, Technology and Youth
The disconnect between indigenous youth and their traditional culture is an important issue amongst indigenous peoples. They are always looking for ways to combat this problem. Here are a few worth exploring.
• Jasmine Bruce, Indigenous Youth, (pdf file)
• Cara Heaven & Matthew Tubridy, Highly Affected, Rarely Considered: Global Youth, Culture and Youth Identity, (pdf file)
• Unknown, Natives on the Electronic Frontier (posting)
November 14, 2009 No Comments
Module 3 – Weblog Entry #3 – Bruce Spencer
Contemporary Indigenous Identities
Indigenous people continue to seek ways to communicate their identity to their people and to others. Whether it’s through a website or a community event or through the fine arts, attempts are being made by indigenous peoples to reconnect but on their own terms. The following sites are worth a visit because they show how indigenous peoples are attempting to reach out and connect with others in the global community.
• Canada’s World Canada (website)
• Indian Country Today American (website)
• Contemporary Indigenous Theatre in Australia, Australian (weblog)
November 14, 2009 No Comments
Module 3 – Weblog Entry #4 – Bruce Spencer
Indigenous Research Methodologies – Canadian Perspective
Canada has a large indigenous population. Like indigenous people elsewhere in the world, the research based on their people has also been tainted by European colonization thinking. These earlier methodologies are also in a state of change. Review some of the following information for a Canadian perspective on appropriate aboriginal research methodologies.
• Simon Brascoupé and Howard Mann’s A Community Guide to Protecting Indigenous Knowledge, Ottawa, 2001(pdf file)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Aboriginal Research Pilot Program, Government of Canada (website)
• Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins’s Research Models, Community Engagement, and Linguistic Fieldwork: Reflections on Working within Canadian Indigenous Communities, Victoria, 2009 (pdf file)
November 14, 2009 No Comments
Module 3 – Weblog Entry #5 – Bruce Spencer
Indigenous Researchers and Research on Colonization
The push by researchers to decolonize research methodologies is truly a global phenomenon. On such researcher leading the charge is Linda Tuhiwai Smith. An Associate Professor in Education and Director of the International Research Institute for Maori and Indigenous Education at the University of Auckland, her 1999 book, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, explains how previous research on indigenous peoples was biased towards European colonialism. Smith then offers some suggestions as to how this research should be conducted.
Other suggested readings include:
• John Dougherty’s review on Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples (Review)
• Kü Kahakalau’s Indigenous Heuristic Action Research: Bridging Western and Indigenous Research Methodologies, Hawaii, 2004 (pdf file)
• Elizabeth Tchacos’s Research in Aboriginal Communities: Cultural Sensitivity as a Prerequisite Australia, 2004 (pdf file)
November 14, 2009 No Comments