Category Archives: Module 3

A photograph for the masses or An individual’s story

Module 3, Post 5

As more and more aboriginal photographers become recognized for their work, a thought struck me that I’m not entirely sure I can answer. How are we, as visual recipients, supposed to react and engage with their work? Once a photograph is out in the public realm, the way the dominant society engages with it is mainly determined by the rules (spoke and unspoken, written and unwritten) of how to view any kind of media. This poses a problem because the interpretation of a work is an inherent part of those unspoken rules of the dominant society.

I think that “refocusing” the lens of the camera for an indigenous presence needs to go hand-in-hand with teaching the dominant society to be sensitive to the work of others (this includes minorities and aboriginals), and to allow those who produce the work to explain it themselves. This is something the dominant society has lost, even for those who are a part of it. It’s a sense of responsibility and respect and humility for humanity that the dominant society appears to have lost in the realm of art, while this can be partly blamed on post-modernism, I think it can actually be traced much further back.

Here is an example of a media production company that has shared photographs online but has not really given much context to the images posted (this can lead to many interpretations):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanrez/

Here is something that I think goes the distance to help out journalists/media producers give context to their work:

http://www.riic.ca/the-guide/in-the-field/aboriginal-customs-and-protocols/

This is what happens when an aboriginal is allowed to describe aboriginal work in the context of the dominant society:

http://www.ccp.org.au/flash/2009/11/glenn-pilkington/

I need to start wrapping up my research to make heads and tails of all of this.

Module 3 Post 5: Opening Doors to the Future: Applying Local Knowledge in Curriculum Development, Veronica Ingas

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Ignas, V. (2004) Opening doors to the future: Applying local knowledge in curriculum development. Canadian Journal of Native Education. (28)1/2. 49-60.

Ingas begins her article with statistics comparing Indigenous and non-Indigenous graduation rates and, like many others, identifies the significantly lower Indigenous graduation rates as evidence of an education system that is failing Indigenous students. The result, she postulates, of the contemporary system’s lack of valuing Indigenous cultural contexts and local level knowledge, and therefore failing to be meaningful to Indigenous students. More typically, the contemporary system has “distanced and denied First Nations [sic] knowledge” (p.49) and left students feeling that “their ways of knowing are inferior or inadequate.” (p.55)

Ingas goes on to describe how successful curricular models must value Indigenous ways of knowing, world view and traditional ecological knowledge, and describes the Forests for the Future science curriculum that she co-developed for the BC high schools through the partnership with community members, parents, Elders and educational professionals. Ingas’ preferred method of instruction is an inquiry based model that requires students to “assume the primary responsibility for planning, conducting and evaluating their investigations” (Moore, Moore, Cunningham & Cunningham, 1998, p. 280) through content that “should address issues, controversies or provocative questions inspired by experiences in the [students’ lives].” Kanevsky, 1999, p. 58)

Kanevsky, L. (1999). The toolkit for for curriculum differentiation. Lanny Kanevsy. October Edition.

Moore, D., Moore S., Cunningham, P., & Cunninghamj., (1998) Developing readers and writers in the content areas (3rd ed.) Don Mills, ON: Longman.

Residential School Syndrome – Weblog 3 – 5

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Residential School Experience

http://pimatisiwin.com/uploads/291994116.pdf

The document is a doctoral thesis outlining the idea of a specific post-traumatic stress disorder called the “residential school syndrome.” The question posed is the damage done from residential schools or colonization as a whole. The author was a psychologist at a residential school in 1991 and 1992. He found many youth suffered emotional problems following the closure of the school .

The document discusses the history of residential schools, following the Riel rebellion. This I found very interesting, as I had previously never thought there was a link between the two, but it makes a lot of sense. It also discusses the way students were ‘herded’ and separated at the school, often from family members. It also discusses the way students were given numbers as a way of further stripping culture. No names, just numbers.

It discusses a 1991 study based in Williams Lake in which 89 of 187 adults admitted to sexual abuse, the interesting thing to note is that 60 also refused to answer the question.

It also discusses the way in which the school not only tried to change the culture of students, but change the way they viewed culture as well. It discusses the number of disorders many survivors have individually, but also the damage done to the communities as a whole. The article documents, through interviews, some problems facing some survivors, including poverty, violence, and substance abuse.

The article offers suggestions for future study, but does determine that residential school syndrome does exist and affects people to this day.

I will use this article more for its bibliography than anything. I am in the process of trying to track down the research from 1991 in William’s Lake that is documented. My hopes are to see the results first hand, so I may extrapolate the data myself.

St. Joseph’s Memorial – Weblog 3 – 4

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Events for St. Joseph’s Reunion

http://www.splatsin.ca/wp-content/uploads/SJM-COMMEMORATION-COMMUNIQUE-December-21-2012.pdf

This site shows the planning of the committee which culiminated in a memorial in May of 2013. It’s purpose was to help facilitate the healing process as St. Joseph’s residential school was one of the more horrific schools. The interesting point was it was organized by the Esketemc First Nations. It also shows that St. Joseph’s drew from 15 First Nation communities and operated, officially, for 90 years.

The first event was put on by SD27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) and I knew a few people that attended and said it was extremely informative.

The original funding for the memorial came from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. However, additional funding was raised through events. It also shows that SD27 used their Professional development day as a focus on residential schools. I am not sure if that is accurate as the date sited is in April, so it may have been a non-instructional day.

It discusses the unveiling of the monuments and what can be done in the future as it pertains to education around the residential school issue in William’s Lake. It also discusses the book (although the title was changed) They Called me Number One by Bev Sellars a recount of her time at St. Joseph’s.

This document will not be used in my project as a source, however, it was valuable as it clearly demonstrated the work that went into the day. It is also important to note that the day, although initially funded by TRC, was also completely organized by the School district and the Esketemc First Nations.

An additional thing that came from this event was the idea for a day in September to become an annual remembering residential schools day. This year it will be on Sept. 30 (I think) and orange t-shirts will be worn and teachers are being asked to discuss residential schools in classes on that day. I have been in contact with both my Aboriginal teacher liaison and Principal for an event to occur in my library on that day. Every little bit helps.

Harper’s Apology – Weblog 3 – 3

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Harper’s Apology

http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100015644/1100100015649

This site, from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, contains a transcript of the apology Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave for residential schools on June 11, 2008.

The apology was issued, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to all people impacted by residential schools, particular those whose had survived the horrific treatment at the aforementioned schools. The apology admits over 150,000 children were separated from their families during this tumultuous time. He states the schools were started, partly, to meet the educational needs of Aboriginal children in the 1800s. The need to assimilate children was based on the belief Aboriginal culture was inferior to European culture. 132 schools were funded nationwide with every province containing them, with the exception of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The government recognizes these schools were a tragedy and should have never occurred.

The government also recognizes the fallout to residential schools and the impact it has had on people and communities. Although, Harper states, some enjoyed their time at school, these positives are overshadowed by the tragic stories of survivors. He also recognized the absence of an apology has slowed down the healing process. The onus should fall on the government and country for not issuing an apology earlier and they must shoulder the burden. He apologizes to all survivors and families impacted by residential schools. He also recognized the steps that need to be taken moving forward, including the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

This apology will be used in my project because it is the first time the government truly recognized what an atrocity occurred on Canadian soil. It also began the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which will a small focus of the project. I also remember watching the apology on television and wondering the sincerity of it. Given what occurred, I can’t help but wonder if healing will ever happen.

The Residential School System

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The Residential School System

http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the-residential-school-system.html

This website, through the University of British Columbia (shout out!), is an excellent look at the residential system in BC and Canada. It discusses the purpose of the residential school which was to assimilate and destroy culture. As the site points out it was to, “kill the Indian in the child.” It stated in the 1880s, with the church assuming the role of educator and forcing theological beliefs on children who were uprooted from their homes. The site discusses the torment these children faced on a daily basis: abuse, which was physical, psychological, and sexual . It also outlines the inferior education the children received, often only to grade 5 and preparing the children for a life in agriculture or wood working. It was not until the 1990s that churches began to recognize their part in this destructive ploy.

The site is a great source because it also outlines the ‘need’ for residential schools. The government of the time believed in order to settle Canada, the Aboriginal population needed to be reformed and the best way to do that was indoctrination at an early age. They went as far as to make it illegal for First Nations to attend schools which were not residential. The conditions at the residential school also highlighted the capabilities the government thought Aboriginal children possessed. Work was geared toward practical ability: sewing, carpentry and farming. Ironically, for a school, it was so unfocused on education that many students only reached grade 5 by 18 years of age. Many children died to the unsanitary conditions faced at residential schools, yet the value placed on Aboriginal life was so low the schools continued for a century.

In the late 1950s the government finally began to treat these institutions more like a school and began to hire qualified staff, and the 80 years of mistreatment was swept under the rug. The worthlessness created by these schools is still in communities today. As an aside, when St. Joseph’s finally shut down many non-Native peoples had no idea what when on because that implied worthlessness still lingered in 1981.

This site will be very valuable to my project because it outlines why the government felt the need to create residential schools and always demonstrates how the schools created a sense of despair and worthlessness in many Aboriginal communities. Many Aboriginal people are still reluctant to attend schools and are distrustful of schools due to the horrifying repercussions these schools caused. I hope to glean from this site some of the overt means of making students ashamed of their culture and some of the not-so-overt means of destroying self worth.

Indian Residential School Resources – Weblog 3 – 1

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Indian Residential School Resources

http://irsr.ca/lesson-plan-2/

This is not a website I intend to use for my project. It is one I intend to use in school. Even though, over the last few years, residential schools have come up in the media, most people are completely unaware of the truth behind residential schools or the impact residential schools had on community, families, and individuals.

One of the nice things about the website is its disclaimer, which recognizes the sensitive nature of the subject matter. It also provides a list of guidelines to follow when teaching about residential schools, which include: don’t overgeneralize or simplify, respect the differences people in the class will have, encourage empathy, among many others.

The website also has links to 8 individual lesson plans. The first four deal with learning about sensitive issues and how to investigate and research a paper/project on residential schools. These four lessons are great in the fact that they can be tailored to suit almost any grade level and interest group.

The second four deal with reconciliation and recovery. There is a superb , albeit brief, summary of Aboriginal education going forward for the teacher. The first lesson: Roots deals with the idea of institutionalized racism. The second: Removal or Relocation deals with the horror of removing children from their homes. The third: Reconcilliation deals with the idea of what Canada needs to do to reconcile with survivors of residential schools. It also introduces learners on ways of using newspapers as research tools. The fourth plan: Rights and responsibilities deals with the Charter and the UN Human Rights. This lesson forces students to reflect on times they felt violated and also makes students look to the future for things they can do to make this world a better place.

The lesson plan page on Indian Residential School Resources may not be used for my project, but will be ideally suited for social studies teachers and this is a link I plan to share with colleagues.

Module 3 Post 4: Curriculum Change in Nunavut: Towards Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Heather McGregor.

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McGregor, H. (2012). Curriculum change in Nunavut: Towards Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. McGill Journal of Education. (47)3. 285-302

Though part of the required reading for this course, I am including this article in my weblog as it pertains directly to my research paper envisioning respectful and responsible place-based education within the contemporary model. In the article, Heather McGregor briefly outlines the political climate in Nunavut, and history of curriculum change that has brought about the current iterations of educational policy and practise that privilege Inuit language(s) and culture.

Through extensive collaboration with parents, elders, education professionals and policy makers; and coming at an extensive cost in effort and financial resources, the curriculum development initiatives in Nunavut exemplify “the kind of place-based culturally-responsive and Indigenous-knowledge based educational change called for by Indigenous education advocates.” (p.289) Furthermore, the process and product may be seen as successful examples upon which other jurisdictions may look.

McGregor cautiously identifies the significant Inuit population majority as reducing the constraints (p.290) to swift progress that may not be possible in the context of my research for educational change in more multi-cultural settings. However this does not devalue the examples set forth in the article, it simply re-identifies an obvious obstacle to my purpose. Nonetheless, I cam hopeful for a culturally blended and balanced learning experience that is inclusive of traditional environmental knowledge, experiential learning opportunities, Elders as teachers and caring between teacher and learner–all key aspects identified by McGregor (p.209-291)–without the requirement of Indigenous students to “give up or leave behind their rights, language, identities, histories and world views in order to participate” (p.288) and do not let “the formal system or [non-Indigenous] structures change those ways so much that they lose their meaning, and still prepare children to attain a standard level of education.” (p.295)

Of significant note, McGregor identifies that specific values and beliefs must be made explicit when reconceptualizing education, particularly when the majority of teachers are not Indigenous themselves.

Amnesty International

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Module #3, Post #5

http://www.amnesty.ca/our-work/issues/indigenous-peoples/indigenous-peoples-in-canada

For my last post this module, I came across the amnesty international website, which has a section specifically about Indigenous People in Canada. The write-up on this site briefly summarized much of what has been done to the indigenous peoples in Canada and how they have been wronged.

It also lead to a couple of other internal links about

Idle No More Movement that has brought many people out to demand respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples.
No More Stolen Sisters that outlines what has happened to the missing and murdered Indigenous women of Canada, which also leads to other links as well!
Get Involved! that suggests you write a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

I think that this site has the ability to get outsiders and aboriginal peoples involved to contribute to further research on Indigenous knowledge, media, and community reality. I believe that in order for these contributions to happen, you have to get people involved!

Module 3 Post 3: Orality of the Northern Cree Indigenous Worlds, C. Weber-Pillwax.

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Weber-Pillwax, C. (2001) Orality of northern Cree indigenous worlds. Canadian journal of native education (25)2. 149-165

I turned to this article to explore the concept of orality and orality consciousness that I struggled with in the Friedel (2011) referenced in post one for this module. E-mail discussion with Heather McGregor and Dr. Marker helped clarify, and post to was a recommendation by Dr. Marker, but I wanted to deepen my understanding further; this article was selected for that purpose.

Weber-Pillwax’s article connects well to the early modules of ETEC 540 where orality is explored, particularly through Ong’s (1982) work on orality as a (very) complex state of being, or consciousness, including thought patterns, ceremonies, story-telling, dancing and singing. Weber-Pillwax builds on this definition and concurrently critiques Havelock’s (1986) analysis of the transition from primary orality to literacy to build an understanding of the northern Cree world-view and sense of identity rooted in orality, especially the understanding of and participation in traditional society and spiritual events–even if the language is not understood!

A significant portion of this article is dedicated to the English translation of “wihkotowin” and “macisimowin,” which are different ceremonies but both typically translated as “tea dance.” The discussion of the translations is centred around “tea dance” for wihkotowin as an oral translation, because those requiring a translation could not fully understand the meaning held within the word and participation in the ceremony as outsiders, and “tea dance” for macisimowin as a literate translation, because it adequately describes what happens at the ceremony celebrating a special event such a as a birthday. A (better?) literate translation of wihkotowin would be “dance of the ancestors.” This ceremony includes the opening of a bundle to signify the bringing into consciousness and the community, the spirits of those who have gone before, grandmothers, grandfather and ancestral spirits.

Off topic of my immediate reason for reviewing this article, but more directly aligned with my research paper, is the notable absence of a place-based identity, as so eloquently described in Basso’s work (see Module 3 Post 2). Presumably, this is for two reasons. The first is that the intention of the article was to elucidate orality, though I am not satisfied with this as my understanding is that place-based identity is so central to most Indigenous world views that it could not casually be omitted from any sense of identity. The second reason, and one that I am more likely to believe, is hidden in the brief history of the northern Cree with which Weber-Pillwax prefaces the article. In this history, she describes the elders’ fascination with a small turtle that she brought back from the city. Though not native to the area, the turtle is an important part of the collective memory. How did it get there? The northern Cree people are part of a group of Cree that originated in Ontario and Quebec (turtles’ natural habitat) and moved west to Alberta, possibly with the fur trade, to displace the Blackfoot and Dene who inhabited the area first. Because the northern Cree have not inhabited their current region for the 5000+ years that other Indigenous groups have lived in their traditional territories, their oral histories do not reference the land around them in the ways that others do.

Havelock, E. (1986) The muse learns to write: Reflections on orality and literacy from antiquity to the present. New York: Yale University Press

Ong, W. (1982) Orality and literacy. London: Routledge