Educator’s Guide to American Indian Perspectives in Natural Resources

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The ‘Educator’s Guide to American Indian Perspectives in Natural Resources‘ is a down loadable PDF book that purports to blend traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with western science and gives important background information regarding tribal use and management of natural resources. Reading it should empower educators to feel comfortable and confident in including the perspective of the native population in their high school science programs. The following are a sample of the questions addressed in the resource:

  1. What is the rationale for including Native perspectives in a natural resource program?
  2. What are some differences between scientific and Native American ways of knowing or understanding of the environment?
  3. Did low population densities affect the historical use and management of resources? How do current population stresses affect tribal use and management practices?
  4. What are the best and most appropriate ways to partner with local tribes? What ethical considerations may be necessary?

 

Task Force in Australian Aboriginal Communities

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Aboriginal Life in Australia – Tropic of Capricorn – BBC Travel

This Youtube video is taken from a longer BBC travel video titled “Aboriginal Life in Australia – Tropic of Capricorn”.

The video discusses an army task force that is going into the Australian Aboriginal communities, banning alcohol consumption and pornography and even forcing the people in these communities to spend their resources in certain ways.

My impression is that this is the Western community imposing western ideals and values on the Australian Aboriginal communities. Is this right? What are your thoughts? Is it OK so long as it is in the name of reducing poverty?

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

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Last year, I took a course on intercultural communications in the workplace and found it really interesting. We did a lot of self-reflection on out cultural values in the class. One tool we used was Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.

Summary here: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm

Hofstede outlines five dimensions of culture:

1.) Power / Distance

2.) Individualism

3.) Masculinity

4.) Uncertainty / Avoidance

5.) Long term orientation

I appreciate tools that help me reflect on my behaviour, and culture. Tools such as these are very helpful when it comes to self-discovery (and improving your communication your multicultural colleagues).

Traditional Knowledge Bulletin

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The Traditional Knowledge Bulletin is an information service being offered by the United Nations University Traditional Knowledge Institute in Australia. It aims to provide information on traditional knowledge (TK) related discussions at international forums by posting weekly reviews of TK issues in the global news and individual posts on issues relevant to TK at the global level. The blog is active and monthly archives are available back to March 2007.

Alaska Native Perspectives on Earth & Climate – Lesson Plans

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Found at the Teacher’s Domain, which is a free digital media service for education use, the ‘Alaska Natives Perspectives on Earth & Climate‘ webpage provides links to student activities, lesson plans, and videos.  The resources are organized under topics of traditional ways of knowing: spirit, air, fire, water, and earth; and Earth as a system: atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The lesson plans are recommended for grades 6-12, detailed, and are based on Alaskan Native ways of knowing. The site is free to use, although you have to register after 7 uses.

Tribal Journeys

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While interviewing a colleague for my essay, she reminded me of Tribal Journeys and how important it was for young people to have authentic experiences.  It is not enough to be digitally engaged or go on virtual canoe trips.  The Tribal Journeys site is full of stories of expeditions, past and present and how to sign up for expeditions in the future.  The focus is on having indigenous young people travel through the Salish Sea in much the same manner as their ancestors did.  Huge canoes have been fashioned and as they move along the coast over about 25 days, they are welcomed at villages.  The site also has a great deal of information of a more general nature, regarding First Nations communities along the Coast of British Columbia and Washington.  Much like the video we watched about the Fraser River journey, Tribal Jounreys gives young people a chance to bond with each other, with Elders and with the land, and in this case, the sea.  It has become apparent to me while writing my essay that the land in many ways dictates the nature of the First Nations communities.  Coastal communities are connected to the sea and the land as well as rivers.  Plains cultures would have different issues.  Knowing the environment is critical to knowing the culture and there won’t ever be a “one-size fits-all” answer to addressing the issues facing First Nations communities.

Module 4: Eco Farming and the Future

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9K0cZGQgHA Vandan Shiva

Vandana Shiva is India’s David Suzuki.  This woman is an amazing holder of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, scientific knowledge, political knowledge and economic knowledge.  Her farm in India serves as an ecological farm to feed the people that live there, a research base on ecological farming, and a seed bank.  Through her research, she has proven that industrialization of farming does not produce a higher yield than ecological farming as is promised by producers of herbicides and pesticides.  Her approach, to know the land and work with the land, has shown that that is the most effective way to increase the yield of the land.

Her seed bank is likely the most important contribution she is making in my opinion.  Genetic modification of seeds has led to the patenting of genes and thus the ownership of the seed, and thus life, of a few very wealthy people.  The sale of the GMOs (genetically modified organisms) as high yielding crops has resulted in the extinction or endangerment of many other species of plants and thus has destroyed the diversity of the various ecosystems.  Her seed bank seeks to save the seeds and thus the diversity, so that there is not a monopoly on seeds (life) and the knowledge in the non-GMO seeds is preserved.

This woman is amazing.

Module 4: Preserving TEK

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http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/16.2/tsuji.pdf

Here is an interesting article that has quantified and verified that Traditional Ecological Knowledge is being lost in First Nations communities.  The researcher tested Elders on their knowledge about an indigenous bird, and then tested young adults on their knowledge of the same bird.  Elders far outscored young adults with respect to knowledge that should be common to this cultural group.

These results spurred the Elders, with the help of the researcher, to create a Cree curriculum for the TEK that should be passed down to future generations.

This is one of the better articles about TEK that I have read for a few reasons.  It acts on results with the formation of a curriculum that is driven by the Elders, it links TEK with culture, it considers the historical events that have contributed to the degredation of TEK, and it points out the global significance to people beyond the culture that hold the TEK.

1969 film “The Exiles”

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I came across this film through the suggestion of a friend, although we are in the final days of ETEC521 it really fits with a number of discussions from weeks past.  Released in 1969, the same year as the Canadian Government released the White Paper, The Exiles is an American production chronicling the events of one Friday night for group of Native Americans in Los Angeles.  After befriending a group of Native Americans in downtown LA, writer Kent Mackenzie broached the subject of a film about their life experiences, asking the group to help write the script, with their own narration, and with them as partners in the film’s production. Mackenzie was attempting to deconstruct the exotic  portrayal of “The Other” common in films about Native Americans of the day.  While the film today might be considered a narrative fiction, in the context of it’s writing and release it was considered a documentary. A more thorough description of the film’s history and restoration can be read here – I found it to be a fascinating read.

View the trailer here: http://youtu.be/9VepP9Eyfp0

This film was re-released in 2008 by Sherman Alexie, writer of Smoke Signals, and Charles Burnett. The Exiles was on late night television last night although it’s also available for purchase.

Module 4: TEK and Restoration

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http://www.ser.org/iprn/restoration.asp

There is a plethora of research, articles and websites touting the way Traditional Ecological Knowledge can be used as scientific evidence of the climate change that is happening in extreme envirionments (such as the Arctic and Sahara), and lands that are relied upon for sustinance by indigenous people (such as Samoa and Tasmania).

What is lacking in the research, is evidence as to how TEK can reverse or slow the process of climate change and how the particular ecosystems should be managed and maintained.  This website, Indigenous Peoples’ Restoration Network, briefly outlines how altered practices from Western to Indigenous, has slowed, stopped or reversed the negative changes associated with climate change. 

I think sites like this one could prove to be more valuable than ones pointing out the doom and gloom of the climate change situation.  People know that the climate is changing in a detrimental way, but they don’t know what they can do about it.  This provides valuable information and hope to people that hopefully can be acted upon.