Category Archives: Module 3

Angela – Module 3, 1~5

Leave a reply

1

http://www.asianartnewspaper.com/article/art-borneo

This article briefs the effects that rainforest depletion has and will have on the value of tribal art coming from Borneo. While grave totem carving is the traditional contribution made by tribal males, the practice has become rare as advocates of modern religion see to the destruction of artefacts deemed ungodly. The sentence “Fortunately for collectors, the descendants of the region’s talented tribal carvers do not have the interest or the means to buy back their heritage” paints a bleak picture of historical pride among tribe members, as something to be dusted under the rug. This assumption is contrary to other sources that I have posted previously, which emphasized the continuation of tribal traditions. It also shows a colonial perspective of the value of art, which is increased by authenticity of atrocities committed to the culture and the environment, as does the ethnocentric analysis of the metaphysical significance of the tribal work. It does nothing to empower tribal artisans working to produce modern work using traditionally learned skills.

2 

http://allthingsborneo.blogspot.com/

This blog is put together by a Borneo-born Malay photographer, who provides some great information and images of some of the species of the forests of Borneo, as well as some information about the area itself. The author’s accounts seem experientially and locally compiled, and include translations to a variety of languages used on the island, including Malay and Chinese. The blog refers mostly to the non-human life indigenous to Borneo’s land, but serves as a great mediator between foreigners and the nature they flock to Borneo to visit, without the doomsday message that environmental media can often take.

 3

http://pisaukarat.wordpress.com/

This article is written in response to the Sarawak Dayak National Union’s reaction to this video http://www.globalwitness.org/insideshadowstate/ . The producers in the video pose as private investors to uncover how local officials are using foreign investment strategies to rob Malaysian people of their entitles share to land profits. Using phrases such as “one eyed man in the land of the blind” to describe villagers as naïve players in which they have no intellectual or financial resources to be any more than pawns. The SDNU’s demand for apology resonates from a fundamental attitude about ownership rights of the Dayak to the forests of Sarawak, Borneo. Pisaukarat uses Twitter to host his commentaries in Malay and English.

4 

http://www.sarawakreport.org/iba/news/

I include this link to this online news resource concerning the province of Sarawak in Borneo as it includes translation to Iban language, as well as Malay and Chinese. Making locally applicable news information available in the Iban tongue is an example of how language can be a catalyst for technology. Here is another example of Borneo indigenous language (Melanau) used to discuss culture http://melanaugirlonblog.blogspot.com/

5

http://www.rengah-sarawak.net/

This site provides information about how the indigenous of Sarawak can approach the government with land claim issues, including a free creative commons licensed e-handbook download, here http://www.rengah-sarawak.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/GUIDEBOOK-ON-RECLAIMING-SARAWAK-NCR-LANDS-IN-COURTS1.pdf

The step-by-step guides outlines what action communities need to take in order to battle with the legal system, and advises them on legal loopholes and tricks of the legal trade to be wary of. This is rebuttal to the attitudes reflected about the assumed ignorance of tribal villagers, as uncovered by the Global Witness video.

Face to Face Research – Mod 3 – post 5

Leave a reply

For the next three days I am at the COBL Summit. http://blogs.learnquebec.ca/wordpress-mu/cobl/The goal is to create a Canadian association for online and blended learning. We first met last year in Toronto – and have since met 3 times in New Orleans (at the iNACOL conference), Vancouver and in Edmonton. Through these meetings, we have met with a wide variety of educators with different perspectives. We have Christian private schools, First Nations schools, public school districts and more. A real blend of perspectives. Tonight I spent time with Howard Burston – Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre and Vince HIll with Credenda . We talked about Indigenous Knowledge as the foundation to future learning opportunities for all Canadians – First Nations and not. We briefly spoke about my project – comparing indigenous knowledge to emerging and cutting edge pedagogy and will discuss further as the week proceeds.

There was  A LOT of interest in creating content and online resources for Nunavut – I will need to check with Heather to see whom these great first nation online resources can contact.

It is important to not only learn from online resources for my project, but also to meet and hear the stories of indigenous educators in online and blended education. What a great opportunity!

 

 

Leave a reply

Module 3 weblogs

Weblog #1 – http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu//viewarticle.php?id=970

This article discusses some of the ways to preserve traditions and cultures. This paper outlines the three phases necessary for a robust digital preservation, promotion and growth project: 1) Straightforward documentation of Indigenous traditions 2) Translation of Indigenous traditions into emerging technology and contemporary cultural modes of expression 3) Application of principles of Indigenous traditions to develop new technologies. This may be a good article for those who are pursuing a research project involving using media to preserve traditions and cultures.

Weblog #2 – http://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/introduction-media-and-aboriginal-culture-an-evolving-relationship

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/222-summer-1998-aboriginal-media-aboriginal-controlhttp://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/introduction-media-and-aboriginal-culture-an-evolving-relationship

The above links are al from Cultural Survival. Org which is a website that focuses on preserving cultures within indigenous groups.  The website consists of articles, publications, and information about the many indigenous groups in the world.  There is an interesting article (the link is below) that discusses residential schooling in Canada.  (http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/canada/oh-canada)

Weblog #3 – http://www.mushkeg.ca/

This is Mushkeg Media’s website that has a listing of all of their episodes for the TV show “Finding the Talk”.  Many of the episodes focus on the loss of language, and feature aboriginal groups from different parts of the world such as Australia and New Zealand.  You unfortunately have to pay for these types of episodes, but there is also a listing of documentaries on the website that may be available through itunes or Netflix.  This at least provides an idea of the type of media that is being produced.

Weblog #4 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz5FvG81rs0&list=UUZ0Z42xXJEIg1gQ6dYm05Cg

http://canadaworldyouth.org/apply/programs-for-aboriginal-youth/testimonials/

Above is a link to Canada world youth.org who ran a program for Aboriginal youth called “Canada World Youth’s Rising Spirits Program”.  The link for the You Tube video is above as well as the link to the Canada World Youth website.

Weblog #5 – http://www.isuma.tv/en/DID/tv/Iqaluit%20

This is a link to the new channel in Iqaluit’s cable system called Iqaluit Television.  The channel offers broadcasts in Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut to maintain, enhance, revitalize, strengthen and promote these disappearing languages in the community.

Module 3 – Post #5 – TEK in BC

Leave a reply

TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

This paper was written in 2000 by Nancy Turner. Examples of TEK are provided by the Secwepemc (Shuswap), Interior Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw and Nuu-Chah-Nulth peoples of the Northwest Coast. Many TEK topics are discussed, such as: knowledge of ecological principles, such as succession and interrelatedness of all components of the environment; use of ecological indicators; adaptive strategies for monitoring, enhancing, and sustainably harvesting resources; effective systems of knowledge acquisition and transfer; respectful and interactive attitudes and philosophies; close identification with ancestral lands; and beliefs that recognize the power and spirituality of nature.

Going though this valuable resource, there are many sections describing specific methods and knowledge that has allowed Aboriginal people live in a sustainable manner for years and years.

Here is an example of plant resource use: “Plant resource use was (and is) imbued with ecological knowledge and wisdom that take many forms. Contemporaneous life cycles of different species; seasonal signals such as position and size of snow patches on the mountains, or the arrival of the first snow in the fall; relative numbers of particular birds in a given location; flowering of certain plants; and productivity of certain berries: all of these provide indicators for people to know when to expect a salmon run, when the clams are ready to be dug, or when particular roots are ready for harvesting (Turner 1997b). Regeneration of individual plants also has been widely recognized. Pruning or burning of certain berry bushes, for example, was formerly a common practice, and resulted in long-term enhanced yields. Basketry materials, too, were and are managed and enhanced by focused cutting, pruning, and burning (Turner 1996)”

Module 3 – Post #4

Leave a reply

Linking Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge and Western Science in Natural Resource Management (paper)

“This two-day event, held in March 2001, brought together 110 people to talk about both the  practical and theoretical aspects of linking Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledge (IPK) and Western science in natural resource management. Participants were from both native and non-native communities, and represented Indigenous knowledge keepers, scientists, resource managers, elders, and academics. The conference consisted of observing cultural protocol, presentations from diverse perspectives, structured workshops, and informal discussions.”

In 2001, this conference took place near the Shuswap. Many different people attended the conference, from environmentalists, policy makers, people working in resource management sectors, Indigenous experts, etc. The conference seeked to find out more about IPK and how it can be applied to resource management in BC. This document will help guide me in writing my final paper, especially with discussing how TEK/IPK is different from western science. For instance, Henry Michael speaks about the challenges to this conference in his opening introduction,

“I realize that there are risks involved in linking IPK to Western science. For example, there has not been a lot of trust built between Indigenous people and the natural resources sector. Researchers, policy developers, and government and industry personnel have historically been lumped together as being opposed to or exploiting Indigenous people and threatening their traditional land use rights. Risks are particularly great for Indigenous organizations that have sought to participate in integration activities and have to justify their work to their suspicious Elders”.

Another worthy quote from the introduction is this:

“Indigenous participants pointed out another risk during the conference discussion table sessions: the scientific community’s misunderstanding of how IPK fits in a Western scientific paradigm. People acknowledge the danger in seeing IPK as the same as Western science, and likewise, Western science is not IPK. This misunderstanding occurs when Indigenous intellectual property is treated as a commodity, another bit of knowledge that becomes part of a larger scientific database.”

Module 3 Post 2: Looking for Learning in all the Wrong Places, Tracy Friedel

Leave a reply

Friedel, T. (2011). Looking for learning in all the wrong places: Urban native youth’s cultured response to Western-oriented place-based learning. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. 24(5). 531-546.

In this article, Tracy Friedel analyses the response on native youth to an outbound place-based learning experience, which is ment to reconnect them with their ancestral territories. The analysis takes place within the greater context of the youth striving to be both “Aboriginal” and “modern” at the same time, stereotypes of the “Ecological Indian,” Western interpretations of place-based learning and the responsibilities of Indigenous youth to “protect and preserve their traditional lands, resources and sacred sites upon which indigenous cultural heritage and identity is based.”

Friedel finds the youths’ response to be neither apathetic nor rebellious toward hegemonic power, but a subtle and complex cultured response based in orality, kinship and community.  Somewhat ironically, she describes the groups’ recognition of the most significant places to not be within nature, but in the van used to transport the youths between sites.

Additional concepts of note described in the article include: Indigenous youths’ sense of urgency in preserving their culture, particularly with respect to traditional languages; the false perception of Western ecological/environmental experiences as synonymous with place-based learning and identity;  and the focus of educational research aimed at improving Aboriginal graduation rates juxtaposed with the youths motivations for significant learning

Module 3 Post 1: Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache, Keith Basso.

Leave a reply

Basso, K. (1996).  Stalking with stories. In Wisdom sits in places: Landscape and language among the Western Apache. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

In this chapter of Wisdom Sits in Places, Basso exemplifies the reciprocal relationship of the Western Apache to their land is as it informs their moral being and self-image which then defines their relationship to the physical world, including the land.  To do this, Basso elucidates the meaning of a variety of phrases from Western Apache elders that, when interpreted from a Western perspective seem nonsensical.  However; Basso demonstrates that when taken in context of the Western Apache world view, which he also asserts is not dissimilar from many other Indigenous world views, these sayings not only make sense, but are deeply rooted in social and cultural belief.  In his approach, Basso recollects his teachings under Western Apache elder, Nick Thompson, over a number of summers.  In these recollections he describes the significance and subtleties of Indigenous place names, then connects stories to them–noting how Western Apache stories are always rooted in places, and all places have stories.  Finally he describes the four main genre of Western Apache stories (distinguished by their temporal locations) and explains how historical tales, short and direct, are used to guide members of their society on “what it is that being an Apache should normally and properly entail.” (p. 52)

Module 3 – Post #3 Ethnobiology

Leave a reply

On my search to discover more about ethnobiology, I decided to start with Wikipedia. Here is the Wikipedia site on ethnobiology.

To highlight a bit, we have “Ethnobiology is the scientific study of the way plants and animals are treated or used by different human cultures. It studies the dynamic relationships between peoples, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present.”

and:

“Traditional ecological knowledge: In order to live effectively in a given place, a people needs to understand the particulars of their environment, and many traditional societies have complex and subtle understandings of the places in which they live. Ethnobiologists seek to share in these understandings, subject to ethical concerns regarding intellectual property and cultural appropriation.”

Currently, there is more interest in ethonobiology. It “is a rapidly growing field of research, gaining professional, student, and public interest .. internationally.” Wikipedia just scrapes the surface for a description here so I will need to research more on ethnobiology.

Module 3 – Post #2

Leave a reply

Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre

http://www.srrmcentre.com/index.html

Through maintaining ties to the ties to local universities and consulting firms, this group of professionals works toward offering a range of professional and technical services. Some of these include: archives, educational tours, genealogy, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), lands Management, and so on.

Here are their principles of operation as derived from traditional Stó:lō  teachings:

  • Know your history
  • Xaxastexw te mekw’stam – ‘ Respect all things’
  • Tómiyeqw – ‘7 generations past and future’
  • Xólhmet et mekw’ stam s’i:wes te selsila:lh chet – ‘Take care of everything our great grandparents taught [showed] us
  • Haqles chexw xwelmi:ay staxwelh – ‘Remember the future generations’
  • Letsemot – ‘one mind’
  • Do what is right, according to Xexa:ls
  • Ma’mt lam te mekw wat – ‘Share with everyone’

The purpose of this group, among many things, is to preserve Stó:lō heritage. The website mentions upcoming Cultural Place Names Tours that are run by Sonny McHalsie. This tour is offered to select teachers throughout the school year and I missed out on this profession development tour this year due to a prior conflict. This website will be providing a lot of connections and directions to important people around the Fraser Valley area in which I will be basing my final paper on.

Language Revitalization and New Technologies

Leave a reply

This is an interesting article on how electronic mediation can help save endangered languages.  One example given was to use digital technology (which is inexpensive) to record the last remaining, competent speakers of a language, who otherwise would have failed when it comes to intergenerational transmission of competence in the language.

Some questions in the article that arise are:

  • How can electronic mediation help in the revitalization of endangered languages?
  • Are there limitations on specific technologies used?
  • Why do some communities face resistance when recording their languages (onto CD Roms for example)?
  • Are English language influences able to be avoided (for example in Radio Broadcasts)?
  • Will there be conflicts between the language “purists” and those who speak different dialects when it comes to creating official recordings?
  • How can one be sure that all stereotypes of a community are avoided as well as being careful not to represent the people as “unmodern” or “backwards” (when compared to western societies) during the process of documenting the language?
  • How can ethnic identity and cultural differences be portrayed truthfully without being adapted to the way that the producers “think” they should be portrayed?

It was interesting to notice that (Ginsburg, 2002) was referred to in this article.  I believe that the only way for indigenous people to have full control over their own language and identity when it comes to using technology, is for them to become their own producers and to control the technology 100%.  For example, the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN) in Canada is controlled by indigenous people which has played a “revitalizing role for Inuit and First Nations people, as a self-conscious means of cultural perseveration” (Ginsburg, 2002).  In order to avoid any western bias  or stereotypical views, 100% control of all First Nation recordings, films or other, I believe is the only way to go.

References

Eisenlohr, P. (2004).  Language Revitalization and New Technologies. Cultures of Electronic

          Mediation and the Refiguring of Communities.  Annual Reviews Anthropology.

          doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.33.070203.143900

Ginsburg, F. (2002).  Screen Memories.  Resignifying the Traditional in Indigenous Media.

In Media Worlds: Anthropology on a New Terrain.  University of California Press