Module #2 Post #5

Today, it is common for young people to be mobile, moving for work opportunities, post-secondary education, and world travel. With the introduction of ICT the world has simply gotten smaller.

“Most post-secondary education and employment opportunities exist outside aboriginal communities, and as a result, younger generations have become increasingly mobile and more removed from the communities that are traditionally the nurturing places for Aboriginal culture.” (Nickerson, Marcia. 2005. pp. 3).

Building on my 4^th post, I wanted to look at an article that had an optimistic sentiment regarding the role of ICT within Aboriginal culture and the reality of moving into contemporary times. Aboriginal Culture in the Digital Age makes one thing very clear, as we move into the digital age, awareness is key to mitigating cultural threats posed by ICT. I have broken down and summarized the threats and opportunities that Nickerson outlines for preserving and transferring Aboriginal culture in the digital age:

Nickelson provides a successful model for cultural integration into ICT for learning (*I do have an issue with the word integration, for me it is synonymous with assimilation. I believe that we should look at this scenario as approaching learning and ICT’s from a different perspective where ICT is molded to fit into Aboriginal culture and needs, rather than the other way around). Anyway…. Sunchild eLearning Community (www.sccyber.net) focuses on specific learning needs of Aboriginal people and incorporates them into the program, which has attributed to high success rates for learners. Learning needs include First Nations’ sense of time, relationships, personal and family factors. In addition, the program is available to students within a more flexible context, to address ACT access issues which are common and prevention of relocation requirements.

I wanted to provide the example of Buffy St. Marie, who has become a very visible Aboriginal activist, artist, musician etc. She appeared on Sesame St in 1975, where confronted the continued survival and existence of “Indians.” Buffy did guest spots on Sesame Street over a five year period, taking such risks as breast-feeding her son on air, discussing the reality and lives of Aboriginal people (simply as equals and perspectives on belief). I recommend you go to YouTube and type in “Buffy St. Marie, Sesame Street” to view the videos.

Resources:

Nickerson, Marcia. 2005.Aboriginal Culture in the Digital Age. Public Policy Forum. Politics, Policy and Governance. Vol. 10. Accessed via:  http://www.ppforum.ca/sites/default/files/aboriginal_culture_in_digital_age.pd

Weblog #1

Combining the View of Both World in Inuktitut: Place Based Science Education in Qikiqtani (Brian Lewthwaite and Barbara McMillan, University of Manitoba)

The link below Canadian Council on Learning’s website and goes through the aboriginal projects they have funded.  The project I have above his project was based in three Inuit communities in the Qikiqtani (Baffin Island) Region of Nunavut. The project involved the translation into Inuktitut of the science teaching resources currently being developed by researchers in collaboration with Inuit teachers that combine the views of both contemporary science and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangi. Many of the other projects were done in regards to language revitalization and place based learning for those who are interested in these topics for their final project.

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/ccl/Research/FundedResearch/project-funding-AboriginalLearning.html

Weblog #2

http://www.uvm.edu/place/community/pbe.php

http://promiseofplace.org/

These two websites discuss place based learning and education.  I thought they fit in with the last week’s discussion about authenticity and “wannabees” as all through the week I have been thinking about whether adopting more indigenous principles like place based learning is a form of being a “wannabee”.  Both of these sites are not run by indigenous groups or aboriginals.  The first link discusses an author Richard Louv who has written several books one of which is titled “Last Child in the woods”.

Weblog #3

http://www.ecoliteracy.org/strategies/place-based-learning

This website also discusses place based learning and the importance of participating within their communities and their environment. Successful place based programs include the following:

• Learning takes students out of the classroom and into the community and natural environment.
• Projects have consequences; students’ contributions make a difference to environmental quality and to the well-being of communities.
• Students are encouraged to view their community as an ecosystem and to understand the relationships and processes necessary to support healthy living.
• By mapping their school and its surrounding community, students create visual representations of the systems nested within larger systems that constitute their local place in its wholeness

Weblog #4

http://straightupnorth.ca/Sikuliriji/GH-ProjInfo_files/GH-Project-Summary.pdf

This link is to an abstract of a research project entitled “Connecting Inuit Elders and Youth: Learning about caribou, community, and well-being”.  It was conducted between Carleton University, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, and the community of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut between May 2011 and March 2014.  The abstract discusses that “Inuit culture and language are thus inextricably tied to place, as stories of places and journeys were woven into the social and cultural fabric of Inuit life.”  The purpose of the project was to explore the value of elder-youth land camps as a means of fostering inter-generational knowledge transfer and conceptualizing Inuit research methodologies.

Weblog #5

https://indspire.ca/programs/gathering-place/

This last weblog is to a website and a program called gathering place.  The website states that Gathering Place is a clearinghouse of practices evaluated by seven principles created by consultation with national Indigenous scholars. The principles honour indigenous ways of knowing and values.  There is a blog area, and you can also sign up for an account to have access to webinars.

Module #2 – Post #4

I have titled my blog Integration vs. Oppression for the mere reason that this week we talked about preservation of culture, right or wrong. And in this resource below, I question how integration is better than oppression. “Integrating” into your community seems to be ubiquitous with being part of community. I disagree. Here, in this article I have linked to, is a great example of how integration/assimilation = continued oppression.

Resource:

Perkel, Colin. June 18, 2013. Half of First Nations Kids Living in Poverty. Toronto Star. Access via: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/06/18/half_of_first_nations_kids_living_in_poverty_new_study_finds.html

I have been keeping my eye on the media lately, particularly in regards to articles related to Aboriginal issues (land claims, social justice, socio-economic development, leadership etc.)  in an attempt to be more critical about some of the themes from ETEC 521. Themes including perspectives and interpretations of culture, stereotypes, technology and artifacts as they are used for cultural preservation (or not) etc.

Today, in the Toronto Star, an article titled Half of First Nations Kids Living in Poverty; statistics originate from a national census pointing to Aboriginal, Metis, Inuit, non-status Indian and children from visible minorities and immigrant families as having such grim fates as well.

What I would like to ask all students in this course to do, is go to your favorite News Paper Website (or print copy if you wish) and review an article that has something to do with humanity, war, violence or poverty; how is it that these stories from around the globe pull on our heart strings and make us say things like “how could this be happening, how do people let this happen?” When in fact, we are letting it happen in our own backyard.

I try to think about the many ways that technology can be used for the benefit of people experiencing such oppression and cyclical struggles, but it is such a complex problem that is systemic and aggressive. The remote nature of many Aboriginal communities makes me wonder whether web-based employment opportunities are a great idea, or even online education – but I keep coming back to the outcome that it really takes away from the livelihood that so many Aboriginal people come from, living on the land, making their food, homes, clothing, tools and experiential learning there which must be passed down to children for preservation and identity.

Module 2, Post 1

Call me crazy, but I’m going to switch gears.

After watching videos, browsing journals, and wondering what langauge/group I wanted to focus on, I decided to head back to what’s close to my heart: photography. I’m going to research photography (and photographs) in relation to aboriginal identity.

One theorist/critic whose work will help guide my research and my work is Theresa Harlan. She has this to say about photography:

“Creating a visual history – and its representation – from Native memories or from Western myths: this is the question before Native image-makers and photographers today. The contest remains over who will image – and own – this history. Before too many assumptions are made, we must define history, define whose history it is, and define its purpose, as well as the tools used for the telling of it. The intent of history is to help us keep our bearings. That is, to know what is significant and, most importantly, to teach us how to recognize the significant. What happens when history is skewed, or when we no longer have the same skills of recognition? We as human beings become disabled by the inability to distinguish what is real from what is not…” (1995).

Self-representation is, of course, at the heart of my work. The camera (and photographs) can be an empowering tool, but the camera (and photographs) can also be used to misrepresent. Add to this the current digital environment and the problems of misrepresenting others, of stealing cultural property and of cheapening and devaluing a cultural identity become much larger and more global in nature (no one can really control or police the internet). This is where I believe creative commons may play a role, but that’s something I’ll have to do a little more research on.

You can count this as my weblog #2, post 1 or maybe even my statement…though in all fairness I have gone in a whole other direction than what I was originally considering. So weblog 2, post 1 it is!

Languages are fun, but photography is something I hold in just as high esteem. The visual representation of a culture, to my way of thinking, is as important as its language. A photograph is like a small statement made by a person about something they saw and lived; or it can be as fictitious as the story of Jack killing the giant.

The Stó:lō Nation website establish a community presence to provide services within the Stó:lō community. The various resources found within the site focus on education needs, human resources, health and elderly care, social development, and youth and early childhood services.  The Stó:lō Nation website blends together the concept of moving forward in the 21st century to taking control of their own future with a need to understand and reconnect to their cultural heritage. The Stó:lō Nation website also provides an insight into the current issues surrounding ongoing land claims within their territories.

The link to the First Nations Education Steering Committee allows access to a provincial wide resource designed to steer education in the direction in the context that benefits First Nations across BC. I found the Aboriginal Tourism / link a mechanism to promote the individuality of First Nations a marketable community that provides and promotes First Nations culture on a global scale.

The reason I examine this site is to compare it to the Nisga’a government site, to see if any similarities and differences could be found. It also provides a glimpse into how each First Nations community is establishing a online presences that is unique to them

Website; The Stó:lō Nation http://www.stolonation.bc.ca/