Author: fetya

CEFIKS

URL: http://www.cfiks.org/

The Center for Indigenous Knowledge Systems (CEFIKS) is a non-profit, NGO based in Ghana.  CEFIKS’ stated three main goals are: 1) the inclusion of indigenous knowledge systems in Africa (more specifically Ghana) 2) the empowerment of disadvantaged groups in rural and urban areas in gaining access to and also in utilizing both indigenous and emerging information communications technologies 3) the utilization of indigenous knowledge systems and other forms of information for capacity building as a way of accelerating socio-economic development in rural and urban areas of Ghana and throughout the West African region.

The CEFIKS website shares the organization’s mission statement and strategy.  Of particular interest to a researcher, this website makes available publications and documents on issue ranging from Indigenous Health Knowledge, Access and utilization of safe motherhood services of expecting mothers in Ghana and Plant and biodiversity, herbal medicine, intellectual property rights and industrial developing countries.

Barrick Gold Corporation – Indigenous Cultures

URL: http://www.barrick.com/CorporateResponsibility/Community/IndigenousCultures/default.aspx

Barrick Gold is a gold mining company which is dedicated to “finding, acquiring, developing and producing quality reserves in a safe, profitable and socially responsible manner”.  Barrick Gold’s website has a section dedicated to its corporate responsibility.   In this section, amongst other topics, Barrick Gold’s shares the reality of its relationship with Indigenous communities.  The corporation focuses on the positive impact it has supposedly had on these communities, however, more usefully it offers links to outside related reports.  Examples include: Historic agreement reached with Western Shoshone tribes, cultural preservation and cross-cultural understanding, and ICMM’s resources on engagement with Indigenous Peoples.  On the following page, the corporation emphasizes its role in cultural preservation.  Additional information is provided through this link: Cowal Mine: A Study in Sustainable Development,  case study on the Donlin Creek project in Alaska and Overcoming substance abuse in Alaska.

Earth Keepers

URL: http://www.earthkeepers.net/

Earth Keepers One Tribe Trading Company is an organization that manufactures and distributes healing products.  Furthermore, this organization is committed to educating the public about the indigenous relationship with Mother Earth and each other.  This website provides readers and researchers with some valuable information and an introduction to indigenous ways.

Earth Keepers’ homepage links to five sites: 1) Eagle – our philosophy e-learnings, 2) Bear – Programs, Projects and Visions, 3) Horse- Products, Services, 4) Wolf – General info, News and Events, 5) Buffalo – you can help or participate.

Both the Eagle and Horse links lead readers to more links and valuable resources about indigenous life and beliefs. The Bear link shares valuable information on ongoing programs and upcoming projects.

Indigenous Environmental Network

URL: http://www.ienearth.org/

The Indigenous Environmental Network was created by grassroots indigenous people with common goal of addressing economic and environmental justice. The Networks goals are to: 1)Educate and empower Indigenous Peoples to address and develop strategies for the protection of the environment, health, and all life forms, 2)Re-affirm traditional knowledge and respect of natural laws, 3) Recognize, support, and promote environmentally sound lifestyles, economic livelihoods, and to build healthy sustaining Indigenous communities, 4) Commitment to influence policies that affect Indigenous Peoples on a local, tribal, state, regional, national and international level, 5)Include youth and elders in all levels of work 6)Protect human rights to practice cultural and spiritual beliefs.

This website provides readers and researchers alike with the latest related news and an option to sign up for a monthly newsletter.  Furthermore, on its website, the network provides further information on its programs and initiatives.  These include: 1)Native Energy and Climate Program, 2)Toxics and Environmental Health, 3)Mining, 4)Sustainable Communities, Green Jobs, Green Economies and Global Well-being, 5) Bioethics, Biological Diversity, Forests and Sacred Places, 6) Globalization, 7) Networking and Movement Building, 8 ) International Participation, 9) Youth, 10 ) Water, 11) Protecting Mother Earth Conferences, 12) Spirit Path Memorial.   Most of these project links lead to a page full of related resources such as articles or media or simply a brief description of the provided services.

Native American Cybernetics: Indigenous Knowledge Resources in Information Technology

URL: http://www.rpi.edu/~eglash/eglash.dir/nacyb.htm

This webpage is accessible through a professor’s homepage.  A professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Ron Eglash is currently researching many topics including Native American Cybernetics.

On this webpage, Eglash provides a brief description of Native American Cybernetics and follows through with a clarification of the term cybernetics.  According to Eglash, contemporary information technologies are use in Native American knowledge systems and “native communities have become increasingly adept in appropriating computing and communication devices for their own use.”

Examples of such software are linked to: The Virtual Bead Loom, SimShoBan and Yupik Star Navigator.

Furthermore, two publications are made available : SimShoBan wins AAA Education Award and Computation, Complexity and Coding in Native American Knowledge Systems.

Finally, this page provides readers with extra related websites as resources: Navajo code talkers, The American Indian Computer Art Project, NativeTech, Native Seeds/SEARCH and Biopiracy.

First Peoples Worldwide

URL:  http://www.firstpeoplesworldwide.org/

First People’s Worldwide’s mission is “promoting Indigenous economic determination and strengthening Indigenous communities through asset control and the dissemination of knowledge.”  This website, led by Indigenous peoples, reaches its mission by “equipping Indigenous Peoples with resources to challenge government, corporation and conservation policies”.  Although opportunities for involvement are made available (volunteering, donating, working), there is limited information available on the website. A Resources page leads one to many categories such as:  Resources by First Peoples, Resources about First Peoples, Regional Topics, Keepers of the Earth Topics, Corporate Engagement Topics and For Kids.  Each of these linked categories leads to a dozen of active links, be they news articles, scholarly articles, or photographs.  This website can a provide a good overview about a few topics and should be supplemented with other research.

URL: http://www.globalautonomy.ca/global1/

This website is an online Compedium which makes available hundreds of short articles, position papers and peer-reviewed articles about globalization and autonomy.  Presented as a glossary, and a bibliographical database, discussed topics are easily retrievable.  A simple search such as ‘Indigenous peoples’ or ‘Intellectual property rights’ yields dozens of results.   The information retrieved here is scholarly and covers topics such as Community and Identity, Culture, Democracy, Global Governance, Indigenous Peoples, Property Rights, Technology, Trade and Finance and World History.  Authors of the presented works are members of the SSHRCC Major Collaborative Research Initiative on Globalization and Autonomy.   This website offers indispensable information that may not be retrieved through other websites.

UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

URL: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/

The UN permanent forum on Indigenous issues’ goal is to “discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.”  The website is an excellent resource for researching and better understanding the community reality of the addressed Indigenous communities.  Events and speeches are shared on the website facilitating access to primary sources.  Also, the UNPFII releases a newsletter which although focuses on its work rather than the actual communities it is working with can be very informative.  Topics addressed by the UNPFII include but are not limited to: Children and Youth, Women, Climate Change.  These topics are briefly discussed, the organization’s implication in regards to these topics is discussed, and opportunities for the public to get involved are shared.  Each section contains more links to articles and other UN efforts.

Native Web

URL: http://www.nativeweb.org/

NativeWeb  is an educational organization that uses technology to disseminate information “from and about indigenous nations, peoples, and organizations around the world; to foster communication between native and non-native peoples; to conduct research involving indigenous peoples’ usage of technology and the Internet; and to provide resources, mentoring, and services to facilitate indigenous peoples’ use of this technology.”

NativeWeb offers an extensive resource section that links to information about topics as diverse as literature, food, arts, and events.   Most topic sub-categories link to at least a dozen websites.  This is an invaluable tool for research on indigenous knowledge.  Also, the website has a special section dedicated to books and music.  The books and music profiled all link directly to Amazon where they can be purchased.  These can be very useful primary sources for researchers.

A Line in the Sand

URL: http://www.hanksville.org/sand

Hanksville.org is a site that offers a few links to narratives and a few more links to Native American resources online.   Of particular interest is A Line in the Sand.  This website discusses Indigenous sovereignty issues, cultural property form the Indigenous perspective, legal resources and stereotypes.  Reading lists for each of these topics are recommended and linked to.  Furthermore a section of this site is dedicated to indigenous literature and art.  Finally, a section lists websites and resources for tribal and governmental contacts, colleges and media.

Despite the valuable commentaries and essays features in A Line in the Sand, what I have found unique is the section Responses from Native Peoples, profiling authors and poets as well as linking to virtual libraries and an article that provides tips on evaluating the authenticity of an “American Indian website”.  I believe this section makes A Line in the Sand stand out as a valuable resource for a researcher as it provides what seems to be a unique approach in portraying issues of Indigenous peoples.

Cultural Survival

URL: http://www.culturalsurvival.org/

Cultural Survival is a US based organization that works with and defends the rights of indigenous communities in Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Australia.  Of interest to any researcher, Cultural Survival’s website makes available over thirty-five years of articles on indigenous issues worldwide.  A simple article search can lead one to comprehensive information about a plethora of topics such as indigenous distance education in Canada or indigenous discrimination in Britain.  Another way to access these articles is to browse the publications’ archives.

I believe this website could be of great interest to researchers as it covers many topics regarding many indigenous communities around the world.  The website does not provide additional resources or links to other sites.  Furthermore, it does not seem the source or author of any of the articles are divulged.  For that reason I feel this site is most useful for preliminary research and mere exposure to the issues that are dealt with by indigenous communities.

Media Portrayals of Aboriginal People

URL: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/aboriginal_people/index.cfm

The Media Awareness Network provides resources and support pertaining to media and information literacy for youth.  Sharing tips for parents and classroom activities and lesson plans for teachers, this website has an array of information about media and specific scenarios and communities.  A simple website search can lead one to a variety of articles pertaining specifically to Aboriginal experiences in regards to media.  Issues discussed include common portrayals of Aboriginal people, the effects of stereotyping on youth and the history of Aboriginal development in Canada.  Additionally to providing clear examples and explanations of these issues, each article is accompanied by web resources and recommended readings.  The shared links lead to interesting pages such as the NFB,  Aboriginal news sites and independently written articles.

I find the articles available on the website as well as the one’s recommended by the website to be excellent tools for anyone wishing to educate youth about the reality of media and the misrepresentations that are often taught as common knowledge.  Moreover the information can be of interest to any individual wishing to be exposed to this issue and begin more extensive research.

Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and Promoting American Indian Languages

URL:  http://www.native-languages.org/

This website is run by a non-profit organization that makes use of the Internet to promote the preservation and survival of the Native American languages.   The resources on this page help to acknowledge the existence of over 800 indigenous languages.  Furthermore, links leading to statistics, solutions and institutions ensure that many aspects of a language are covered.

American Indians of the Pacific Northwest

URL:   http://content-dev.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/index.html

This website offers a digital collection that has over 23,00 photos and 7700 pages of text  depicting and explaining life, work, clothing, education of American Indians specifically form the regions of Northwest Coast and Plateau in the Pacific Northwest.  The source of these resources are the University of Washington Libraries, the Cheney Cowles Museum/Eastern Washington State Historical Society in Spokane, and the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle.

The website is easy to search and indeed offers valuable information through primary sources about a variety of topics.   After visiting this site and browsing through its resources, it is not hard to understand why it is an award winning website.

A New Understanding of Culture and Communication : The Impact of Technology on Indigenous Peoples

URL:  http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/

This website provides a pathfinder that is part of a virtual library of educational resources at the Northwest Indian College in Washington.  It was designed by AJ Johnson to facilitate the locating of information about how indigenous groups are utilizing modern technologies.  Sources cited are supposedly mainly free to access.  Covered categories of websites are general overview of technology’s effect, the most beneficial uses of technology, access to technology, the use of technology to preserve, promote and teach indigenous culture and history, and the changes in communication due to technology.    Although the layout is nice and clear, most links are unfortunately inactive.  The sources were current at the time the pathfinder was published (2001) but are now clearly of out date and inaccessible.  The author does provide tips for searching this specific topic on the World Wide Web, yet this is not enough to make this website of interest to a serious researcher.

Education World

URL:  http://www.education-world.com/a_special/native_americans.shtml

Education World is an online resource for educators around the world.  The specific page I have linked to focuses on Native Americans, providing educators with ideas for cultural activities, lesson plans, readings and Internet resources.  The web page has been updated this month and all links are active.  This website seems to be a great place for educators to start exposing some elements of indigenous knowledge and reality to younger and older students alike.

The Journal of American Indian Education

URL:  http://jaie.asu.edu/index.html

Published through the Center for Indian Education , the Journal of American Indian Education provides a wealth of information about indigenous education. Published three times per year, the articles of the JAIE can be very useful for research about indigenous topics of all kinds.  The website gives access to abstracts and full articles published since the Journal was founded, in 1961. The editor and review panel are clearly disclosed.  Subscription information is clearly detailed.

The article search link seems to be broken and that makes finding articles of specific topics time-consuming for researchers as the articles are never listed by topic, rather by date.  Despite this set-back, which is potentially temporary, I believe the Journal of American Indian Education reaches its’ goal of improving  “Native Education through knowledge generation and transmission to classrooms and other educational settings”.