MET Course Weblog

This site has a research branch which states that it has a comprehensive collection of historical indigenous documents, but it was impossible for me to check it out as it costs 200 dollars for students for a year or 10 dollars for one access, which on a Mexican salary is not feasible. I was next drawn to the photography section which has photos by Robert Harper of several countries, including Mexico as it was, over 50 years ago. The photos are very interesting and I spent some time looking at how Mexico used to be. There are some photos of Puerta Vallarta when it was a virgin beach and a small indigenous community. Now Puerta Vallarta is a huge artificial, concrete, tourist complex that bears no resemblance to its wild, natural beauty in the past. Finally I noticed the indigenous bookshop which is linked to Amazon and seemed to have a small, but interesting collection.   

http://cwis.org/

Whilst investigating what is being done around the world in the area of indigenous education I came across this site. I was interested to note that the conclusion to the main article almost echoes the words of Dr Lee Brown. “‘good practice’ for teaching is one that is based on recognising each student as an individual, valuing their life experiences and developing their knowledge and skills accordingly”. It made me wonder if on different continents people have come to the same conclusions then why has there not been a major change at an international level. I look at Mexico and wonder why we are not investigating the real needs of our indigenous communities. How can this shift in consciousness come about? It seems clear to me that instead of fighting for the right of every child to be educated we need instead to fight for every child to be educated in the right way.

http://www.oodgeroo.qut.edu.au/academic_resources/academicpape/indigenouscu.jsp

This is an American web site which has some very powerful images and interesting articles. I was looking for some information on mining and how governments place more importance on making enough money to carry out their policies than how their decisions affect indigenous groups when minerals are found on their land. One would imagine that in this century it would be possible to find a way to mine without taking away and often leaving untenable land which has belonged for centuries to indigenous communities. My only doubt about this site is that all of the information is in English. There are also some help groups and field projects but I didn’t find any links to read the information in an optional language.

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/?gclid=CJLZh_Kps50CFRpdswodiFv_ig

I was looking for more information about the theory of emotional intelligence when I came across the author’s blog. What really caught my eye was the mention of “ecological intelligence”. I must admit after watching Dr. Lee’s video several times it seems to me that we are going about this the wrong way round. If we have all these indigenous groups around us who have hundreds (or even thousands) of years of practise then why don’t we listen to these experts instead of our media proficient academics selling “how to do” books? It reminded me of a Douglas Adams’ quote “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” (1952-2001). Maybe it is time to stop reading every body else’s theories and rather we should take more time to reflect on what we have experienced in the classroom and learn from those who live these theories from day to day.

http://www.danielgoleman.info/blog/

http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1435.html

iPortal: Indigenous studies portal research tool

The Indigenous Studies Portal (iPortal) connects faculty, students, researchers and members of the community with electronic resources: books, articles, theses, documents, photographs, archival resources, maps, etc.

It is an initiative of the University of Saskatchewan Library.

Resources available:

• The iPortal has more than 17,000 records.
• This includes:
  • photos,
  • anthropological field notes,
  • diaries,
  • correspondence and
  • other textual documents

Links to other sites:

A great number of links to:

• arts
• business
• community
• first nations; tribes; reserves
• government
• health
• history
• indigenous knowledge
• land claims
• and more…

Usefulness for research on Indigenous knowledge, media, and community reality:

The indigenous Studies Portal provides one place to look to find resources for Indigenous studies.

In the section “Media and communication” alone (http://iportal.usask.ca/index.php?sid=992445708&t=sub_pages&cat=13), you can find film critiques (films about aboriginals or made by natives themselves). You will also find excellent articles on images and stereotypes; as well as radio, audio and television information. There are references to websites; book reviews; theses, etc.

This site seems to be very reliable.

Address:

http://iportal.usask.ca/index.php?sid=992445708&t=sub_pages&cat=565

Spirits for Sale

Theme: inspired by “Indian wannabes”

Synopsis:

When Annika got a sacred eagle feather from a Native American visiting Sweden she realized that it was a very sacred object which should probably not be in her  hands. What was she supposed to do with it? Should she return it and if so, to whom?

Her quest to find the right owner took her deep into Indian communities, where she learned about the anger and sadness of traditional Natives.

”First they killed our people. Then they took our land. Now they steal our faith.”

But the indians are fighting back. This time the fight is not mainly about protecting life and land.

Instead they´re fighting to protect their culture.

But would the feather find an owner?

Resources available:

• Information about various films festivals

• Protection of ceremonies:
  • The information in Europe about Native Americans and Native Canadians is most often full of fantasies and lies. People in general know very little about American Indians and their general view is based on stereotypes, mascots and film clichés. In some cases the belief is that “Indians do not exist.” Europe has also seen a growing interest in so called Native American spirituality. Ceremonies and rituals together with sacred objects are being sold on websites and in papers. Cults and organisations offer people to become “an Indian shaman” or a medicine man during a weekend course. Seldom or never do Native voices get heard and because of the lack of information, con-men make a considerable amount of money while they violate the spirituality of mostly Plains Indians.

Links to other sites:

1. •www.world-foundation.nu

2. •www.indianz.com

3. •www.filmepidemin.se

Usefulness for research on Indigenous knowledge, media, and community reality:

This film will address the issue of spiritual exploiters and the harm they do towards Native cultures but also to followers who, in many cases, “don´t have a clue”.

Address: (trailer for film)

http://www.spiritsforsale.com/Film.html

http://www.wiky.net/

This is the website for a First Nations community located at the eastern end of Manitoulin Island in northeastern Ontario. “Wiky”, as it is affectionately known, is not too far from Sudbury and I have several good friends with strong connections to the community. I was interested to see the “primitivism” described by Prins (2002) evident on the homepage: visuals include a dancing youth fully-dressed for a powwow, braided sweet-grass and a logo consisting of the traditional medicine wheel with human, deer, bear and bird footprints, and four dangling feathers.

As a “community portal”, this site (dated 2005) provides links to:

• Wikwemikong Development Commission (updated within the past week)
• Wikwemikong Family Centre (updated in January 2009)
• Rainbow Ridge Golf Course (kept up-to-date)
• Wikwemikong Heritage Organization (takes you to a poster for an upcoming 2010 event, with further “primitivism” evident; site updated May 2009)
• Wikwemikong Public Library (broken link)

The links to the Development Commission and the Family Centre are in direct service to Wiky members. The Rainbow Ridge Golf Course appears to be an income generator for the community by attracting golfers from the wider region. The Heritage Organization’s main purpose appears to be promotion of heritage events such as the upcoming 50th annual Cultural Festival, both serving the Wiky membership and encouraging education and participatory cultural activities for natives and non-natives alike.

David

http://www.wetsuweten.com/departments/article/human-and-social-services

I think this website is a prime example of an Indigenous group using technology in positive way. I like how the site contains various links, even to Wet’suwet’en on Facebook and a “Word of the Day” section.

There seems to be a high level of determination among the Wet’suwet’en people to preserve their culture, to encourage healthy lifestyles, and to work toward a successful future for their Nation.

I would encourage viewing of the embedded YouTube video clip that focuses on the important role of tradition – very inspiring!

Judgement at Stoney Creek (Google Books preview)

Stoney Creek Woman: The Story of Mary John (Google Books preview)

Relevance & Description

I moved to my hometown of Vanderhoof in the summer of 1977 just as the criminal case that this first book, Judgement at Stoney Creek,  was shedding a national spotlight on the town and exposing the brutal racism that was a reality there. As an 8 year old I was unaware of all of the criminal proceedings and ‘news’ and only discovered this issue when I read the book in University, in the early 1990’s,  far from my hometown. Of course I recognized the stereotypes and racism that were at the heart of this chronicling as I had observed and lived with them in the intervening years.

The second book, Stoney Creek Woman: The Story of Mary John, tells the story of a powerful community advocate who was integral in preserving her communities language, traditions, and serving as a role model for many. I remember Mary working in my elementary school and sharing her culture with all of us following the tragedy recalled in the first book mentioned here.

I include these here because, although there are still many issues facing the people of Sail’uz First Nation (formerly Stoney Creek), there has been much positive change in the past 30 years. Technology is one way that they like others First Nations groups are engaging in cultural preservation. As well, these stories expose a different stereotyped image of First Nations than the ‘primitivist perplex’ Prins speaks of that is present in media worlds. I think technology and media can help to move past these damaging stereotypes.

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/003244.html

I really like how this website contains numerous hyperlinks, making it easy to learn about several projects that use technology to empower the cultural survival of Indigenous people.

It is inspiring to see that technology is being used to fulfill the needs of individual Indigenous people and/or groups, rather than pushing for assimilation to a “mainstream” model of technology.

This article increased my awareness of initiatives that are being undertaken to ensure that Indigenous people benefit from the use of various technologies and media.

http://www.seventhgenerationclub.com/

The Seventh Generation Club, sponsored by the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA), First Nations Health Council, and the Vancouver Canucks, is a club for First Nations youth in B.C.  They offer educational incentives and support for students in making healthy choices, staying in school and staying active in their community.  Through incentives such as prizes, contests, free daytimers, and free sports and science days, the Seventh Generation Club aims to support First Nations youth in creating a vision of their own future.

I found this website while I was searching for youth and culture information, and then I received in my mailbox at school, Seventh Generation Club agendas (daytimers) for my First Nations students.  Most of my students (grade 7 at a 6-8 middle school) are proud to be a part of the club—they use their SGC agenda rather than the school agenda, and they take the newsletters home.  I have a group of students who are proud to be First Nations, and are proud of their culture, and it is really great to see—I wonder how much influence the club has had on them, or whether the efforts made by both the communities and school district are coming to fruition. Either way, the site is intriguing, and certainly offers some great opportunities for B.C. First Nations youth.

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/subscribeabnet.htm

This website describes an initiative by the BC Ministry of Education to create a forum which encourages open discussion for those involved in Aboriginal education in British Columbia.

The Abnet forum works similar to Vista in that discussion topics can be started by any listserve member, and similar ground rules apply to ensure respect for all contributors.

In addition to facilitating communication on issues surrounding Aboriginal education, Abnet is also used to publish notifications of events and provides access to relevant resources.

As an educator, this looks to be an exciting project with the potential to positively impact Aboriginal education.

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/

This website is dedicated to the preservation of Indigenous cultures around the globe.  On their homepage, a powerful short video encourages help from those that visit the site.  Below that window, there is an area where news and updates are posted.  There are five tabs directing the browser to their ‘Homepage, “Programs”, “Publications”, “What you can do” and “Donate Now”.  By far the most useful resource the website has for research is the publication section.  There is even a search field at the top of all pages of the website.  Over 35 years of articles on indigenous issues worldwide can be accessed on the site.  When I searched for articles on Nepal, there were nearly 100 articles for me to choose from!  There is an advanced search option that will allow a much more specific search.  I was expecting that I would be prompted to sign up for a membership to be grated access to these articles, but then I realized that it is a .org site.  Donations are optional.

http://cwis.org/

The first three lines on the website read:

• Access to indigenous peoples knowledge and ideas
• Conflict resolution based on mutual consent
• Protecting the rights of indigenous peoples

The site was established in 1994 and is the non-profit research and education organization’s online presence.  The organization offers education programs as well as internships and fellowships through their Fourth World Institute. Their web site offers access to multiple sources of information about indigenous issues such as online Fourth World Journal, the Fourth World Eye blog (eZine), a Forum for Global Exchange, the Chief George Manuel virtual library, a media center with video and audio media, photo galleries, etc.  The site has a much more modest collection of external links.  As this is an .org web site, donations are solicited.

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain

The extended title of this web site is “Refworld: The leader in Refugee Decision Support”.  Its primary focus is on refugee rights and consequently overlaps with indigenous issues.  The site is backed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

This site is a gold mine of information about anything you could imagine dealing with refugee/indigenous issues.  You can search by country, region, ethnic group, topic, publisher, document type, etc. and also has an advanced search option as well as search tips.  When I searched for Nepal, I found a short article titled, “State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009 – Nepal”.  It was very concise yet informative.  As if this isn’t enough information to last a year or two, the site also boasts an extensive collection of external links (2323 to be exact).  It’s possible to browse the links by type, topic, region and country.  If there are still too many results, it’s possible to search for a key word in the findings.

With so much information offered here, it does take time to sort out what is relevant to your research area; however, there are tools available to help in your search including a personalization feature that requires you to subscribe to the site.

http://www.nefin.org.np/

Formed in 1991, NEFIN is a member of the United Nation’s Working group on Indigenous Populations.  Their mission “is to acquire social equality and justice for Indigenous Nationalities by preserving their distinct social, political, cultural and linguistic identities and by promoting their representation in very aspect of national life.”  Aesthetically speaking, this is a beautiful and well designed web site.  There is a slide show with fantastic photographs of various different Indigenous people from Nepal rotating on the homepage.  Half of the text on the site is in English and half is in Nepali, although all of the control text (buttons, menus, etc) is in English. The site has a lot of demographic and statistical information available about Nepalese people that could be used to argue a certain educational need or solution.  There are many articles and papers about development projects and initiatives currently happening around the country.

http://www.mediaglobal.org/article/2009-05-29/indigenous-tribe-uses-technology-to-re-create-traditional-community-support-system

This recent media article examines an initiative that uses the power of technology to assist in problem resolution. Many Indigenous groups are looking for ways  to restore the “community mentality” that has been damaged through assimilation.

As such, this website explains how the Blood Tribe Health Department has created the Indigenous Peoples Wellness Management System (IPWMS) with the goal of  creating a digitally linked web of communication between agencies to ensure support for troubled youth.

The hope is that the IPWMS will make it easier for service providers to work together, thus improving people’s quality of life. This iniative is a clear example of how technology can help Indigenous people improve their community reality.

http://www.nfdin.gov.np/

This web site is the online presence for a Nepalese governmental organization. “The main objective of the NFDIN, is to ensure the overall welfare of the 59 enlisted indigenous nationalities who live across the country.”

The information available on the site is limited and of course specific to indigenous Nepalese nationalities.  There are several interesting articles about the current state of affairs in Nepal and some of the social injustices and human rights violations that are happening.  It is interesting to learn how the Nepalese government is doing and plans to do to help her indigenous populations.  Unfortunately some of the articles are in Nepali, and I have yet to learn that language.  It is possible to subscribe to their newsletter by sending them an email.  Hopefully (for me) it is in English.

State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009

Written by Minority Rights Group International (Unicef):

The report reviews the challenges that minorities and indigenous peoples face in education and strategies to overcome them. The recommendations are first and foremost built on the existing international legal framework of the right to education, minority rights and the rights to non-discrimination and to equality.

Resources available:

Recent and detailes reports:

• Overcoming exclusion in education
• Fulfilling the right to education for minority and indigenous children: were are we in international legal standards?
• The gender dimension of minority and indigenous education
• Status of ratification of major international and regional instruments relevant to minoriy and indigenous rights

Links to other sites:

•  Contributors are listed at the end
• References are provided after each report Usefulness for research on Indigenous knowledge, media, and community reality:

Very detailed reports about various countries in the world. Quantitative and qualitative analysis are provided. You will find tables, diagrams and many images depicting the state of minorities and indigenous people on our planet.

Address:

http://www.unicef.org/lac/worlds_minorities_and_indigenous_peoples_2009.pdf

http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/pathfinder.html

This website offers an overview, and links for  further research, into how technology is being utilized by Indigenous groups around the world. I found this to be a great starting point for our Module 1 focus on the global and local in Indigenous knowledge.

There are resources posted in response to six key questions, covering topics such as:

• a general overview of how technology affects Indigenous people
• beneficial uses of new technology
• problems created by the “digital divide”
• using new technology to promote history and culture
• how technology has changed communication
• encouraging utilization of technology in Indigenous communities