Traditional Knowledge & Intellectual Property

http://www.oup.com.au/titles/academic/law/ip_it__and__communications_law/9780199571659

This link is to a new book “Traditional Knowledge & Intellectual Property – Law and Practice”, author – Johanna Gibson, published July 19, 2011.

“This is the first comprehensive and practical legal text to examine the protection of, access to, and commercialisation of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and traditional cultural expressions. The topics covered include ownership, benefit-sharing, disclosure of origin, creation of intellectual property rights, coherence and consistency with international intellectual property regimes.”

Inuit Cultural Online Resource

http://icor.ottawainuitchildrens.com/

This website is designed to be a resource on Canadian Inuit Culture for Canadian school-aged children and their teachers. The site contains cultural information as text, videos, and weblinks, it also contains downloadable worksheets for classroom use. Created by the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Center, this site was funded by the Canadian Heritage Gateway Fund.

Final Connections

Since this is my last MET Course and I’m finishing 590 at the same time I am thoroughly involved in reflecting.   I thought I would revisit the blog, one last time.  This was only the second time, I’ve been involved with a blog and one of the key benefits seems to me, that there is room for exchange and discussion.  In this case that was limited.  It is, however, an excellent compilation of resources.   It certainly was a good idea to create a focus statement at the beginning to direct our internet exploration.  The sites built the foundation for my exploration into education and technology in my local district.  Even though my area is affluent and full of opportunity, connectivity limits many First Nations people from accessing many of these sites, especially those that are highly interactive.  I’ve bookmarked the sites, and those of colleagues, so that they’ll be at hand.  Since my school has good bandwidth and connectivity, it would be best to showcase the sites there and not expect students to be “digital explorers,”  at home.  Certainly the course, including the blog, discussions in Vista (which were insightful and spirited) and  the final project, has allowed me to look at First Nations issues through a different  and sharper lens.

DEB (M4-#5): AIPP

http://www.aippnet.org/home/index.php

Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Pact (AIPP) is an organization of Indigenous peoples’ movement in Asia. AIPP has its members in various regions in 14 different countries. Regions include Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Northeast India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. AIPP also has regular communications and contacts with about 80 other indigenous organizations and individuals.

DEB (M4-#4): Information Technology and Indigenous People (Book)

Title of the book: Information Technology and Indigenous People

Author(s)/Editor(s): Laurel Evelyn Dyson; Max Hendriks; Stephen Grant

Release Date: August, 2006

This book provides “theoretical and empirical information related to the planning and execution of IT projects aimed at serving indigenous people. It explores many cultural concerns with IT implementation, including language issues and questions of cultural appropriateness, and brings together cutting-edge research from both indigenous and non-indigenous scholars”. (excerpt from http://www.igi-global.com/bookstore/titledetails.aspx?titleid=581)

Many Indigenous people these days are paying attention to information technology because it’s a way to preserve their traditions and cultures for future generations and a way to provide their communities with “economic and social renewal”. However, the reality, such as financial, geographic, and educational issues, is resisting them to adopt IT. Most Indigenous communities can’t afford the cost of technological tools. Geographical isolation is also preventing them from having contact with technologies. Moreover, due to a lack of education, most of the communities don’t have an IT person who is computer literate. This book explores these problems and suggests possible solutions.

DEB (M4-#3): ITEC

http://itecusa.org/

  • “Develop, Produce and Distribute unique tools and training for frontier areas”.
  • “Train and Equip indigenous God-followers to care for the physical and spiritual needs of their people”.
  • “Build Bridges of understanding and partnership between Christian churches in developed nations and those in frontier areas”.

I-TEC supports the Great Commission by helping indigenous churches to overcome the technological and educational obstacles. As missionaries understand the significance of technology and education in Indigenous communities, they have supported many native churches with technological and educational needs and have tried to bridge the gap.

Projects, including a portable dental lab, solar-powered radio transmitters for the Amazon jungle, and training programs for the Aboriginal, have been done and are still ongoing.

DEB (M4-#2): Remembering the Children

http://www.rememberingthechildren.ca/

This website was also discovered while I was doing a research on my final project. This is an excerpt from the website: 

Remembering the Children was a March 2008 multi-city tour by Aboriginal and church leaders to promote the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools”.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was officially launched on June 1, 2008. The commission’s website is

http://www.trc-cvr.ca/

Both websites show how much effort the Aboriginal leaders are putting for reconciliation in regards to residential schooling in Canada. It’s a painful history to them, but still not recognized by many people. There is a chronological order of the history of residential schools from 1857 to 2007 until the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement was finalized and implemented. Throughout the exploration of these two websites, I hope people to learn about the sad legacy of residential schools in Canada and be aware that it’s an on-going issue to be resolved.

DEB (M4-#1): Where are the children?

www.wherearethechildren.ca

While doing a research on residential schooling in Canada, I came across this website. It’s an educational website on “healing the legacy of the residential schools”. It’s divided into the following 6 section:

  • Blackboard: You can experience an interactive history of residential schools in Canada
  • Map: You can travel through the map and timeline to visit schools and explore the history of residential schools in Canada
  • Bookcase: You can select textbooks, the dictionary and teacher’s guide. This section is beneficial to SS and history teachers.
  • School: You can explore Mohawk Institute Residential School in 3D. This will help you visualize what the RS was like back in time.
  • Projector: You can listen to the RS survivors and their lives before, during, and after residential schools.
  • Exhibit: This section is a photo gallery.

I discovered some information on residential schools in Canada from this website and used it for my final project.

Indigenous Geography

Indigenous Geography.net is a website dedicated to bring indigenous and non-indigenous geographers together who believe that geography should be done “for and by the people of an area”.  It notes that maps have been important tools for colonization, so this site attempts to use maps to decolonize indigenous communities.

When you read the mission statement, you might think that the goal is to redraw maps until our geography is completely unrecognizable, but as you read more about the associations that contribute to the site, you realize that they want to provide service to indigenous geographers and communities, create partnerships with indigenous communities and explore ethical issues pertaining to research and geography vis-à-vis indigenous communities.

As an ecological topic, I think it aligns well with module 4.

 

 

 

National Centre for First Nations Governance

Interestingly enough I only stumbled upon this website this module but perhaps it better fits with earlier modules.  The National Centre for First Nations Governance is focussed on engaging Aboriginals across Canada to become more involved and make a difference in their communities and increase self governance opportunities.  They offer various leadership training for all age groups and various publications dedicated to describing the most successful practiced in Aboriginal governing.  This site does describe the important role that the land plays in this vision.  Various publications and news stories are also available through this site.  You can further restrict the information to one of five Canadian regions.  This site is largely information based and offers little opportunity for external links or interactivity of its users.