Expressions of Aboriginal Youth

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While conducting research for my study I came across a website (http://wn.com/AMESGaliano) which features a two-part mini documentary entitled, Peer Perspectives: Expressions of Aboriginal Youth.  Focusing on three emerging First Nations artists, the documentary film explores the youth’s feelings of being Native in a western, industrialized world and focuses on their struggles and how it affects their art. The filmmakers also explore how video technology is assisting Native Youth in telling their stories, rediscovering their culture, and strengthening their voices in the community and the world. Most intriguing were the stories the youth were sharing about what it means to be “Native”. One of the young aspiring filmmakers shared her thoughts on how Native people are represented in the media. The young Aboriginal artist goes on to explain how the negative portrayal of Native people by the media affects Aboriginal people and how they internalize the negative stereotypes and begin to believe how they are perceived by the western culture. The Native youth also talks about the abuse and problems in her family growing up, her uncle, the legacy of the residential school system, and acceptance of who she is. The short documentary is a compelling story and features how Aboriginal youth are using technology to tell their stories.

http://wn.com/AMESGaliano

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuhfenCO45U&feature=related[/youtube]

Native American Indian Resources

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In our course reading ‘Cyberspace Smoke Signals’ (Zimmerman et al., 2000),  a website ‘Native American Indian Resources’ created by Paula Giese is described. The link given was no longer active but I was able to find the website using Google. The site contains over 300 web pages organized by the topics: maps, stories, art, astronomy, herbal knowledge, food recipes, books, schools, nations, games, Maya, Arvol Looking Horse, and Pocohontas. The site was last update on 6/11/97 as Paula Geise passed away during the summer of 1997, however it has been maintained but many of the external links appear to be broken now.

Reference:

Zimmerman, L. J. et al. (2000). Cyberspace smoke signals: new technologies and native American ethnicity, In Smith, C. and Ward, G. K. (eds)(2000). Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World. Vancouver: UBC Press, 69-86.

Sophie Thomas – Traditional Healer

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http://sophiethomas.org/

This website is about Sophie Thomas, a respected Dakelh elder (Carrier Nation in the northern interior of BC) and traditional healer who was dedicated to teaching others about the traditional ways of using plants to heal. She has spoken at elementary schools, high schools, post-secondary institutions, and international conferences sharing her knowledge of herbs and advocating for the preservation of environment. The site contains descriptions of her book ‘Plants and Medicines’ and video ‘ The Warmth of Love, the 4 Seasons’. Sophie was to receive an honorary degree from the University of British Columbia in May 2010 but passed away in her 80s in March 2010.

Native America Calling

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Native America Calling (NAC) is a radio talk-show connecting traditional and internet radio stations and listeners in dialogue about Indigenous issues.   Boasting an audience of approximately half a million listeners throughout Canada and the United States, each episode features experts and guests with callers with a stated goal of improving the lived reality of Native Americans.

The one-hour program airs live, five days a week, from 10-11 a.m. PST (or, 1-2 pm EST). You can listen to the program streaming online, or you can tune-in on your radio if you are in range. If you want to call in, the number is 1-800-99-NATIV. New topics are posted at the beginning of each week and you can also sign up to their mailing list to have topics delivered to you. You can also listen to the archive of past topics, ranging back over a decade, although the program hasn’t always been 5 days per week. The program is produced in Anchorage, Alaska, by the native owned/operated Koahnic Broadcast Corporation.

First Nations Peoples of BC

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In recognition of the fact that I know little about the First Nations peoples in my area of Quesnel, BC, I decided to do some research focused on the local area and found some resources that I think others might find useful:

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/map.htm – This site has a map of BC showing a current representation of First Nations territories in BC and a table containing the peoples’ names, names used in the past, and language families.

http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/lss/abor/ap_index.asp – BC Stats web page ‘Aboriginal Peoples of British Columbia’ which provides many links to pages and documents regarding labor characteristics and soci0-economic conditions of Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia.

First Nations School of Toronto & Native Learning Centre Alternative High School

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Recently, the Vancouver School Board announced that it is moving forward with its plans for an Aboriginal-Focused School of Choice. This school is scheduled to open, at least partially, as early as September, 2012.  Interestingly, the school will be one of choice and be open to all students, although Aboriginal students may be given priority (more about the school in a future post).  Given this development, I thought it would be interesting to examine a couple of existing First Nations schools

First Nations School of Toronto.  This school was initiated by a group of Aboriginal parents in the 1970’s who were concerned about the high numbers of FN children who were not completing elementary school.  The parents felt that the children lacked self respect and were significantly at risk.  They believed that education was key to teaching them about their Aboriginal heritage, and instilling pride for their identity. The initial school was called the “Wandering Spirit Survival School.”  After joining with the Toronto BOE, the school became the First Nations School. Today, it serves 70 students from JK- Grade – 8 and is located at Dundas and Broadview, sharing a site with public school.

Some of the supports provided to students:

  • Half Time Librarian
  • Full Time Ojibway Teacher (in lieu of French), serving students from K-8
  • Half Time Traditions and Culture Instructor, serving students from Gr 1-8

An Honour Feather Society was created to help build self-esteem. Individual students are recognized for their various successes, and awarded a feather in a traditional ceremony to honour their clan.

Some interesting programs:

  • Diabetes Education Program (including parent component) with Toronto Public Health
  • Dodem Kanonhsa’ Aboriginal Cultural Facility: partnership to access Traditional Elders to support Literacy
  • Antibullying/Anti Gang Workshop

Native Learning Centre Alternative High School (grades 9 – 12)

In October 1998, the Native Learning Centre (NLC) was piloted as a high school program for at-risk First Nations students.  The NLC began with 15 to 20 students in a one-classroom setting, located at 456 Yonge Street.  The school includes an art program, recreational outdoor activities, traditional canoe trips, and cultural excursions led by elders.  The NLC has now expanded its programs and now is able to provide all compulsory credits necessary for students to achieve an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. In November 2005, the NLC received a City of Toronto Access Award (Equity).  The school is now housed within Church Street junior public school. Approximately 40 Native high school students currently attend.

Native Studies courses available to NLC students:

  • “Aboriginal Beliefs, Values and Aspirations in Contemporary Society”
  • Aboriginal Governance: Emerging Directions
  • Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
  • Current Aboriginal Issues in Canada
  • English: Contemporary Aboriginal Voices
  • Issues of Indigenous Peoples in a Global Context

This list of courses goes well beyond the First Nations 12 that is available to BC students and is indicative of a strong commitment towards Aboriginal education by the TSB.

Module 3- Mi’kmaq Portraits Collection

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http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mikmaq/

This resources contains over 700 images and illustrations from the Mi’kmaq community.  I was first torn to include it in my weblog as a resource because the initiative was not created and controlled by the Aboriginal community.  I do however find a lot of the images to be powerful and interesting therefore I decided to include them within the module.  The archival information I believe, presents a visual element in a culture that is rooted greatly in oral tradition.  The visual component and resources, could be used within the classroom as an activity to have students (both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) create narrative to encompass each of the diagrams.  I it useful that the dates were included therefore students would be able to create the narrative based on the approximate historical background.  Furthermore, some of the illustrations could be used to initiate classroom discussion on colonization and the roots of Western stereotypical attitudes.

First Nations Control of First Nations Education (2010 doc)

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First Nations Control of First Nations Education was released last summer by the Assembly of First Nations and chiefs from across Canada. Much like the documents released in 1972 and 2005, this document is intended to be used by Aboriginal leaders, bands, local school boards, and the Provincial and Federal governments as a comprehensive plan to address the critical education needs of Aboriginal students Canada wide – yet unmet since the publication of the last two documents.
It, like the other documents, outlines key areas to be addressed:
1. Access for all life-long learners to be taught and to learn in their first language,in curriculum which is grounded in Aboriginal beliefs, values and traditions.
2. Access to diverse educational programs over the continuum.
3. First Nations control of their education with the support of local, federal governments.

First Nations Education Action Plan (document)

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First Nations Education Action Plan – for Canada (2005) by the Assembly of First Nations. This is a follow up document to the ICIE. In its own words: “The vision of this plan is the development and implementation of sustainable education systems under the full control and jurisdiction of First Nations based on the recognition of inherent Aboriginal and treaty rights, and under international law.”

An excellent supporting document is a recent thesis document (2010) published by Martha E. Spence, at the Unversity of Toronto, which examines the impediments that colonialism has on the successful implementation of the First Nations Action Plan. Here is a link to the thesis:

Aboriginal Education: Fulfilling the Promise (ebook)

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This eBook – Aboriginal Education: Fulfilling the Promise – provides an excellent collection of articles discussing the state of Aboriginal education in Canada. There is a highly informative article on the history of Aboriginal education policy: “Towards a shared understanding in the policy discussion of Aboriginal education” by Frances Abele et al (p.3-24) which provides a fundamental place to begin when considering the transition from assimilation to self-governance.