Aboriginal Culture in the Digital World

http://www.kta.on.ca/pdf/AboriginalCultureinaDigitalAge.pdf

The Crossing Boundaries Aboriginal Voice is a project with a goal to
construct understanding about Aboriginal eGovernment and to provide
recommendations for policy-decision making for forthcoming
advancements of Native eGovernment. One of the issues discussed in
forums across the country is how information and communications
technologies (ICT) could be used in Aboriginal communities and their
governments. Many community members have expressed opportunities for
using ICT as a tool for language revitalization and in reinforcing
Aboriginal identity. However, community members have also expressed
concern regarding ICT and the protection of Aboriginal knowledge, how
it will be used and who will have access to it. Some of the questions
outlined in the Aboriginal Culture in the Digital Age paper include:

  1. Is ICT the potent enabler for the promotion, renewal and enrichment of
    Aboriginal cultures as many claim? (i.e. Does ICT offer new
    possibilities for the preservation and teaching of Aboriginal
    languages?

  2. Within the context of increasing numbers of Aboriginal peoples living away
    from traditional communities in large urban melting pots, can
    technology help safeguard the right of Aboriginal children and young
    people to learn their culture and speak their Indigenous languages?

  3. What types of cultural risks does the new technology present for
    Aboriginal peoples?

  4. Is appropriation and distortion of traditional Aboriginal knowledge one
    of them, and if so, what can be done to mitigate the risks of
    inappropriate access and use of this knowledge?

In addition, Aboriginal people today are facing a myriad of challenges
concerning culture and identity. This paper also focuses on those
cultural challenges and examines how ICT applications that can assist
in revitalizing culture and community renewal and the impacts it may
have on the community. In addition, the paper discusses how the
younger generation may be able to assist their elders in using ICT
and encourage generational interaction.

The document can be found here:
http://www.kta.on.ca/pdf/AboriginalCultureinaDigitalAge.pdf

Another article written by Nickerson and Kaufman which shares many of the
same themes can be found here:
http://www.ppforum.ca/sites/default/files/aboriginal_culture_in_digital_age.pdf

 

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