Tag Archives: Role of Elders

Aboriginal Family Issues

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!