Tag Archives: Indigenous Elders

Aboriginal Family Issues

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This is also one of my favourite finds so far! In my searches for my final paper on the evolution of the role of indigenous elders with the rise of digital technologies, I came across this site. This site is a publication of Australian Institute of Family Studies. As I have extended my search to Indigenous world-wide, I was intrigued by what this site had to offer. It coordinates very well with my topic and it will be useful for future research. The program addresses Aboriginal family issues such as racism, child removal, stereotypical media portrayal of Aboriginal families, role of elders and colonization to name a few. There’s a range of issues within each of these categories that is worth exploring. What I really appreciate is the emotional side that is addressed in the issues and how this organization is available to help Indigenous families with the variety of issues they face. What I found especially interesting are the programs mentioned on this site such as the Cree Nation’s ‘Will of the Youth’ program in Quebec. This program is very much like the Fraser River Journey program only in this program the youth stay with the elders for three months and are taught traditional ways of survival including hunting and fishing. They are away from civilization but return with so many lived experiences to pass on! Excellent site with lots of Indigenous information to offer!

Australia – Indigenous Affairs Master Class

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Since we’ve had lengthy discussions lately about the World bank and it’s destructive efforts (behind the scenes), I thought I would include some positive examples that I found! The National Australian Bank is making efforts to acknowledge Aboriginal rights! Check out the two videos – two very different focuses – but both seem to be very uniquely positive!

NAB’s Indigenous Affairs Master Class – Terri Janke
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmRoEi7Mqos[/youtube]

Terri Janke deals with artwork Copyright. Where are you taking my art – beyond its cultural settings? Lots depends on whether or not they will allow their Indigenous Knowledge to become public knowledge, make it available and then it exists that breach of copyright happens and Indigenous art and Knowledge needs to be protected from the commercialization of culture – so this poses challenges. She speaks of copyright to protect Indigenous artists and talks about communal artwork and cultural expression – what is the artwork representing and who does it belong to?! However, Copyright tends to be more focused on individual rights vs communal, tribal, historical cultural expression and rights –Indigenous artists connect their works to their cultural stories and these connections are essential for Indigenous artists / peoples.

NAB’s Indigenous Affairs Master Class – Dr Chris Sarra
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxEQSxwQnXE&NR=1[/youtube]
Dr. Chris Sarra talks about the role of the NAB institute in Australia, their work and how they are making strides in the education system to improve education for Aboriginal children. He talks about perceptions of the public and teachers of Aboriginal children and talks about the struggles Aboriginal students face regarding the typical stereotypes they are related to and they sometimes end up becoming unless teachers prevent this so that schooling can be a positive experience for Aboriginal and Indigenous children.

Another awesome video (Ted Talks) about Chris Sarra’s efforts: TEDxBrisbane Chris Sarra – All you need is…. TO DREAM
This is a very inspiring and uplifting video! From the two videos, I’ve come to believe that Chris Sarra is an excellent mentor and example of what can be accomplished by an Aboriginal if they believe in themselves and go for their dreams – sending a huge message of hope for Aboriginal children! He talks about the crucial role of the teacher furnishing or stifling dreams!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPOFPgIpGdY&feature=related[/youtube]

These videos and others like them that I’ve uncovered will make excellent additions to the research I’ve collected about my topic on Elders & Technology & the many dimensions that encompasses including how Elders relate to the youth today.