Urban Rez Productions

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Urban Rez Productions is an independent digital media production company that features documentaries on indigenous communities.  Most are Canadian but some are based in New Zealand.

One of their main productions has been “Storytellers in Motion” which profiles indigenous filmmakers, television producers and media creators, all proudly using 21st century technology to tell their stories, which are either embedded in community life or in terms of their own individual experience. Not surprisingly, many of the featured media producers discuss their own struggles with confronting stereotypes.

The name of the site suggests a focus on urban issues, but it also includes traditional non-urban settings as well.

Red Works Studio

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Nadya Kwandibens is a photographer from the Ojibwe nation who is now based in Vancouver. Her website is Redworks Studio.  She uses technology (principally photography but video as well) to confront stereotypes of aboriginal people and to present images that challenge ideas of indigeneity.  Much of her work is rooted in urban settings and she has been working on a series entitled Concrete Indians that explores the identity issues that urban aboriginals encounter.

She’s a great photographer who is completely comfortable using technology to present her vision of indigenous identity, which respects tradition but is also dynamic and modern.

Kwandibens has been featured by a number of news and media outlets (her website has links to many of these) and she exhibits frequently across Canada.

Aboriginal Art Online

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Aboriginal Art Online

This website provides information on aboriginal art, artists and social issues in Australia.

My main research goal is to explore urban indigenous issues, particularly as they relate to land, identity and use of technology, so my principle interest in this page was the section on urban aboriginal art (http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/regions/urban.php) where there is an overview of the development of contemporary indigenous art, which has become a unique style blending traditional indigenous forms and non-indigenous influences.

It is interesting to read how many of these urban artists view themselves as part of the mainstream artistic community and resist being marginalized as “indigenous” artists.  They have also had to deal with stereotypes from both indigenous and non-indigenous communities as they have forged their own styles.

I think the content of this website aligns best with module 2 although I think it could also fit into the other modules as well.

First Nations Literacy

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Although this site is dedicated to literacy as opposed to media literacy I still felt this was a valuable site. First Nations Literacy is a publishing company and educational resource.  This site offers downloads for teachers, promotes reading skills and lesson plans.  One of the most interesting aspects of this site was the write-up on why, despite Aboriginal oral traditions, literacy is important to Aboriginals.  Also this site contains a vast list of links to other sites (both Aboriginal and literacy themed).

Indigenous Institution

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Instituto Indígena is a foundation that was created in 1962 by the Bishops of Araucania and the Bishop of Temuco, part of the Social Action of San José de Temuco and National Commission on Indigenous Pastoral South Zone. They intend to support the struggles of the Mapuche people so they can live in full dignity and culture, protect their natural resources, exercise their rights and move forward to achieve recognition as a people. Historically, the this foundation has provided a space for community protection, rights safeguard, and promote indigenous participation processes. This foundation offers courses and seminars, provide support and advice to Mapuche people in their relationship with the Government, and offer different media related to the current situation of Mapuche people.

ICHCAP

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This is the site for the Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and The Pacific driven by the Government of Korea in alliance with UNESCO. This centre intends to maintain the understanding and safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of humanity that has been transmitted over generations of history and promote international collaboration in this area. The site provides information about aboriginal cultures of Peru, Chile and Bolivia.

Objectives.

  • Promote the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and contribute to its implementation in the Asia-Pacific region
  • Increase the participation of communities, groups and individuals in safeguarding ICH, and raise awareness of and ensure respect for ICH in the Asia-Pacific region
  • Enhance the capacity for safeguarding ICH in the Asia-Pacific region through coordination and dissemination of information
  • Foster regional and international cooperation for the safeguarding of ICH.

FOLIL Foundation

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Mapuche Foundation FOLIL (Folil means “ roots”) was founded in the Netherlands on March 17th 2000. The founders of FOLIL are mainly Mapuches who left Chile in the Pinochet era. The main goal of this foundation is to share information about Mapuche culture. FOLIL organizes and supports exhibitions, lectures and organizations∫. The site provides a dictionary, documents related to the current situation of Mapuche in Chile and a list of videos that are published in Youtube. Access to radio Mapuche and publication of activities (seminars).

ECHO Foundation

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ECHO Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to encourage Rapa Nui people to forge their own destiny in a conscious and responsible way. Their goals are:

  • To inform, educate, and integrate the family as the heart of the Rapa Nui community.
  • To promote, develop, and support activities that preserve and stimulate Rapa Nui’s sense of community and culture, in a variety of fields including art, history, education, and agriculture.
  • To encourage self-appreciation and cultural interaction to promote the respect, value, and understanding of different cultures.
  • To create a community consciousness to care for and respect the environment
  • To promote the use of Rapa Nui language in daily life.

To encourage and foster opportunities for senior citizens to transmit their family lore, oral traditions, narratives, and life experiences.

Through these Eyes – MACOS revisted

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In Through these Eyes, ( National Film Board, 2004) Charles Laird revisits the development of Bruner’s Man a Course of Study, social studies curriculum. In the early seventies educators attempted to transform cultural teaching for primarily American, elementary school students in an effort to develop cultural awareness, critical thinking and a more developed sense of what it means to be human. They did this by exploring Netsilik Inuit culture as was presented in films and comparing them with American values. Many of these films and discusssions took place in my own school,(I remember the seal) in Ontario although I was unaware of the controversey. The film discusses the Christian backlash to the notion of man as animal and cultural relativeness, and the overwhelming desire of many to protect traditional American values. Bruner’s contructivist model and attempts to make “kids more humane” did not succeed when the MACOS program lost funding and was pulled from the schools. The film brings up questions and concerns. What are traditional American/Canadian values? Who decides that? Have we changed much? Our current government is engaged in nudging Canadians back to the right (what is right?). Although we espouse the notion of constructivism and critical thinking, our provincial assesssment has no components that measure that. There is a great deal to learn from further study of this experiment.

MACOS: Man, a course of study

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When Michael Marker described the MACOS curriculum in the discussion thread “Critical of the Media”, I couldn’t help but look it up. In fact, although I don’t know if the teachers were actually following this curriculum or not, this represents my Social Studies education from about 1969 to 1975, in Southern Ontario. We explored the cultures of others from a perspective of equal value and I don’t recall any teacher preaching about who might be superior or primitive. In fact, as we tried to construct our own totem poles, teepees, cook succotash or carry the canoes around the playground, no-one felt superior. Of course, I see now how much of it was presenting a pan-aboriginal perspective but at the same time it did not present a Western/European superior perspective. Discussion revolved around what was known, what do we know and what can we learn about our place on the earth with each other. Following the links from the site mentioned above, leads to a great many insightful lessons with great potential for today’s learners. I hope to be able to apply at least some of it to my plans for my grade 2/3 class this year.