MET Course Weblog

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Glen Aikenhead’s Web Page

Glen Aikenhead is currently teaching at the University of Saskatchwan. I have used his articles and research in no less than three of my MET courses. There is a wealth of inforation linked to this web page including most of his articles. His research deals mostly with cross cultural science teaching.  For example Indigenous Knowledge and Science Revisited.

Other links include:

Book Chapters

Articles

Views on Science Technology Society This is an interesting link for those teaching science

Math needs to listen to other cultures

I think the title of this article says it all. Although this is not a ‘living’ webpage I really believe that this article is a must read for educators. Whether a math teacher or not, the idea of the social responsibility factor in education is appealing. “Ethnomathematics’: I love it. Another example of what traditional scientific knowledge has to offer the western view.

Indigenous Science Network 

I came across this site while working with my math team on the implementation of new curriculum. We were looking for links to include in a resources list  for indigenous math and science.

The site includes links to news, research articles, conferences and calendar of events. What drew us to the page was the indigenous science link.

http://www.nstraining.ca/

The Nunavut Sivuniksavut Training Program was designed to help ease the transition to living and learning in “the south” for Inuit students. This eight month college program recognizes that this culture shock can be highly disruptive to youth who may never have experienced city life and allows them to blend their own cultural activities with formal learning and big city life.

One of the highlights at the end of each school year is a major trip to places such as Guyana, Belize, Alaska, Peru, Mongolia and New Zealand. Blogs (linked from the main website) from these trips share the students’ experiences and the connections they were able to make with Indigenous people at their destinations.

http://assemblyoffirstnations.blogspot.com/

The Assembly of First Nations is a national aboriginal advocacy organization in Canada that works alongside government to work on behalf of first nations on major political issues.  Although the Assembly of First Nations’ website is very informative and would prove a valuable resource in research of First Nations political involvement, I feel it is also beneficial to discuss the Assembly’s blog.

The blog provides opinion and information on political issues as well as links to relevant journalism.  The reason I chose to highlight this blog is that I am curious to know why it has not been updated since the 2008 federal election.  In fact, upon browsing through the archives, it appears that only a small number of posts appear under each month, many of which are links to resources on the Assembly’s site and news stories.

I am left wondering about the effectiveness of blogging when trying to reach First Nations in Canada.  Is it that the general public does not know about the blog? Is it that blogging is not a popular tool for first nations? Or, did the blog administrators simply lose interest?  Blogging can be a powerful tool to convey information, especially since readers can subscribe and read fairly quickly and easily.  In addition, through my travels on the web, I have seen other similar blogs that are thriving.  Upon further thought, perhaps it is the audience—the other blogs may be more popular to a more techno-savvy generation?

This is just another example of an aboriginal advocacy group attempting to use technology to reach other aboriginals, in an attempt to work through the decolonization process—in this case by advocating involvement in politics.

http://nigetakiya.com/

This resource, subtitled the Native Student Newspaper, offers links, videos, postings, and notice of lectures related to culture, colonization, rights and change.  Based out of the University of Wisconsin, Nigetakiya serves also as a centre point of contact for the NACAA at the school.  The goal of Nigetakiya is to give an authentic voice to 21^st century native students, and provide and outlet for decolonization of all native students.

From the home page, one can navigate to explore videos, lectures, blog entries, press releases, environmental issues and a student voices section.  Below is a video that describes the clothing drive that is currently taking place through the NACAA—the students are collecting clothing for the Menominee people in north eastern Wisconsin.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbYHiCDgETE[/youtube]

In addition to providing information pertinent to the UW student body, Nigetakiya also links to the First Nations Network blog.

Research interests might include post-secondary native studies, decolonization in post-secondary education, and the use of digital technology to create a common ground, which, in this case, is made for native students in Wisconsin and world-wide.

http://www.survivalinternational.org/

A non-profit organization founded in the U.K. in 1969, Survival International claims to be the only international organization supporting tribal peoples worldwide.  Through education, advocacy, and campaigning, Survival International supports tribal groups by assisting them in finding and broadcasting their voice.  Different from other similar organizations, Survival International refuses to accept sponsorship from governmental bodies, and depends on the public for operation funding.  They are also the recipients of many awards worldwide for their work in protecting the rights of tribal peoples.

Through the website, one can obtain basic information on the most endangered tribes in the world, download and/or purchase resources for further information and research, donate to the organization, and subscribe to their newsletter.  Below is an approximately 6 minute video that Survival International has produced as part of its “Uncontacted Tribes” campaign (all campaign videos are available in full-length on the Survival International website).

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w4hm3lM2eE[/youtube]

This sit might be of interest in research of outside efforts to aid in the decolonization process.  Survival International was founded by members of a colonizing nation but are using media to advocate for indigenous rights—particularly those tribe at highest risk of obliteration.

http://firstnationsnetwork.com/

The First Nations Network provides an online space where writers can post stories, ideas and comments for all to see.  Set up like a blog, on this site, people from all over share their stories, videos and podcasts; others contribute by commenting on the stories, creating a dialogue around common experiences, and participating in the decolonization process by uniting thorough technology.  The Indigenous Vision section proclaims that:

This site is created to be a voice of the people. All of the relatives here on Turtle Island; a place to connect, and send your voice. We must use our relations as well as our sacred instructions to heal in the midst of the oppression we have lived under. The only way we will heal; is by hearing, and living the lifeway of our relations.

There are subsections that can be found on the home page of The First Nations Network which include:

• Voices of the Youth
• Stories of Life
• Stories of Healing

These sections as well as sections for features, events, videos and podcasts are all accessible via the homepage.  In addition, the Resources page allows for individuals to submit information concerning local tribal issues and information to a public forum.

The First Nations Network is pertinent to research on the use of technology in facilitating the process of decolonization.  Created by First Nations for other First Nations, the site offers an outlet, a space for sharing and analyzing common experience, and support for healing.  In addition, particularly of interest to K-12 education research, the site also values the voice of youth, and many references and links to youth-led initiatives can be found; see for example, the Native Youth Movement Statement for Anti-Olympic Campaign for a pointed and political statement, accompanied by some biting comments.

http://www.ethnologue.com/web.asp

The Ethnologue is a reference resource that catalogues all of the world’s known living languages—all 6909 of them.  The Ethnologue is available to order in print or a version can be found free online.  It was created by scholars through SIL International (Summer Institute of Linguistics), an organization dedicated to working with speakers of lesser-known languages (many of which are indigenous languages or variants of indigenous languages) to record, study and assist in revitalizing the language.

Upon arrival at the home page, there are many ways to look up language information.  One can look at language families, geographical regions or endangered languages only, for example, in order to find what they are looking for.  Maps, diagrams and statistical summaries of language-related information are available throughout the site, and for each entry there is a breakdown of the language’s status: how many speakers of the language, with a distinction between L1 (native) and other speakers; where the language is spoken in the world; how many cultural members of the language group exist; the language family it belongs to; other names for the language; and where to find more information on the language—often links to academic articles.

Of particular interest to the study of indigenous community reality is the Endangered Languages section.  Here you will find not only information regarding specific languages, but also a link to SIL’s endangered languages policy, which explains more about why linguists want to work with these languages and stop them from dying out unrecorded.  It is also important to keep in mind, however, that much of the research is carried out by non-cultural members, and that despite the well-meaning efforts of SIL International, after centuries of colonization, some communities may not desire to have their language recorded or documented.  After all, at its outset, SIL was a Christian organization that began by translating biblical information for indigenous communities–colonization at its best.  Although SIL is still guided by Christian principles, the Ethnologue and other SIL publications are now non-denominational, research-based works.

iPortal

URL: http://iportal.usask.ca/

The Indigenous Studies Portal, maintained by the University of Saskatchewan Library,  is a research tool leading to books, articles, theses, documents, photographs, archival resources, maps and more.  This site has over 17,000 records.   The search tool is simple and an option for an advanced search is available.  Categories to browse through include but are not limited to: Arts, Community, Society, Land Claims, Language, Indigenous knowledge, History.  A search for the term Decolonization, for example, leads to many hits.  These include general articles as well as scholarly peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, e-books, images, media, theses and websites.  This website, although still under-development, seems to be an excellent and indispensable tool for researchers looking for valid sources on most topics pertaining to Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights

URL: http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/prb0338-e.htm

This is an article prepared by Tonina Simeone of the Political and Social Affairs Division in 2004.  Presented both in HTML format and PDF, this article’s table of content includes topics such as the difference between Indigenous traditional knowledge and Western science, the need to protect traditional science, how to protect traditional knowledge, limitations of the intellectual property rights regime in protecting traditional knowledge, international initiatives to protect traditional knowledge and shares references.  This article, along with the available resources provides researchers with reliable information on the topic of intellectual property rights.   Furthermore, the article endnotes supply the reader with a wealth of quality sources such as:  references to articles of the Declaration, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, and potentially most interesting, the Inventory of Existing Online Database Containing Traditional Knowledge Documentation Data.  Unfortunately however, some of these links are not active, making it inconvenient for the researcher.

Traditional Knowledge Information Portal

URL: http://www.cbd.int/tk/

The goal of Traditional Knowledge Information Portal is to “promote awareness and enhance access by indigenous and local communities and other interested parties to information on traditional knowledge, innovations and practices relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.”  This website does not document traditional knowledge rather disseminates information “ relevant to and about traditional knowledge.”  For this purpose, a resource center, local organizations’ postings and photo albums are made available.  The resource center is particularly useful as it contains links to websites of interest to any researcher.

The six websites features as related resources are:  Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International, Indigenous Portal, Inter-American Commission on human Rights, The International Ecotourism Society, World Intellectual Property Organization, WWF’s Statement of Principles on Indigenous Peoples and Conservation.

The information in this website is easily retrievable through a simple search.

http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-9327-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

This website pertains to the book entitled Beyond Intellectual Property: Toward Traditional Resource Rights for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities by Darrell A. Posey and Graham Dutfield.

If a stranger entered your community, and started asking questions about its people, its resources, and its history, what would you do?

The above question must be considered from the perspective of the world’s Indigenous peoples who are tired of being ignored while outsiders profit from their intellectual property and traditional resource rights. Dutfield and Posey provide sound and insightful advice on how Indigenous people can deal with this and many other issues.

Beyond Intellectual Property “provides an invaluable and eye-opening look into one of the most provocative and explosive issues of this century and likely the next: the patenting of life”.

This book can be read online, downloaded or ordered from the website. It is also available in French and Spanish. The excerpts I’ve read are fascinating – I look forward to having the time to delve deeper in the near future!

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.