Aboriginal Youth: Taking Action for the Health of Their Respective Communities

Taking Action! Art and Aboriginal Youth for HIV Prevention

Module 3: Blog #3

Website: http://www.takingaction4youth.org/

The Taking Action! Project: Art and Aboriginal Youth Leadership for HIV Prevention (TAP) is a national project working with Aboriginal youth and communities across Canada. This site links together digital stories, with youth art, communities and resources/ information on HIV to initiate a proactive approach to HIV prevention. The site creates awareness that HIV affects Indigenous youth and communities at higher rates across Canada. Furthermore, the site supports and offers workshops supported by Elders within communities and online that deconstruct and/ or unpacks the inequalities within Indigenous communities, HIV risk and culture. The proactive approach links Elders to active youths as a building block in HIV prevention.

Although this site is not directly linked to my project, it is another example of a proactive Indigenous voice that reconnects youth to their culture, by doing something for their communities. Also, this site connects the inequalities of created by colonialism, to a higher HIV rate in Indigenous commities to the videos of hope seen in this weeks readings. I would further agrue that Residental Schools play a role in the disconnection and higher HIV rates.

Additional Links: There is a vast amount of resources found within this site stretching to all corners of Canada.

The Canadian Aborginal Aids Network: http://www.caan.ca/

The Vancouver Native Health Society: http://www.vnhs.net/

Also the site uses oral history, for advocacy of Indigenous rights and taking action against the spread of HIV. I watched a few of the videos, but was most move by Renee’s story. How her childhood heritage was hidden from here as a Metis, to protect her from the stereotypes surrounding her heritage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yLWyCO7Yw-A#at=51

Indigenous and the UN

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Cultural Survival 40 Years

Module 3: Blog #2

Website: http://www.culturalsurvival.org/about

The Cultural Survival website (CSW), is basically a mechanism that promote advocacy of Indigenous voice on a global scale centered on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. The CSW promotes itself as an organization that is partnered with, and acts as a consultative organization to the United Nations. The various programs found within the site, include links to a quarterly magazine, advocacy links and help with abuse of Native rights, and environmental destruction of Native lands. The Cultural Survival Foundation is a charitable organization that is run through donations and is center in in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and satellite offices are located in Guatemala and Colorado.

The main reason I examined this site is it represents how the internet can be used to empower Indigenous people to protect their cultural heritage from the negative impact of colonialism as represent in the modern Nation State. Furthermore, I wanted to examine Indigenous rights on a global scale by expanded my resources outside of Canada. This site use more of a proactive global approach, with ties to international organization, such as the UN, which contrast the site I base my research project on, the Nisga’a Government site. The Nisga’a site, is more about anchor the community to a cultural heritage and bringing together a community and reconnecting them to the past so they can move forward in the future.

One major problem I found with the site is that not all the links worked, even though the site was updated in 2013.

Here are two links to UN sites dealing with Indigenous rights on a global scale.

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/IPeoplesFund/Pages/IPeoplesFundIndex.aspx

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/EMRIP/Pages/EMRIPIndex.aspx

Residential Schools: Resource Rich Website

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Legacy of Hope Foundation

Module 3: Blog #1

Website: http://www.legacyofhope.ca/home

The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) website is a chartiable organization that works with First Nations, Inuit and Metis to address the negative impact of Residential School. The LHF provides resources and links to sites as represented by thierr mission statement of working with survivors of aboriginal communities. Also, the LHF has other reseource for educators that can be used in the classroom to aid in teaching effectively on the impact that residential school had on Aborginal Peoples in Canada.

The search for these resources started after I read and listen to the interview by Heather McGregor. As a Social Studies teacher, I am always trying to improve and expand my teaching base. Residential schools is part of my teaching approach in Social Studies 10 and 11. This also, links to my project idea of living history and the need for Aboriginal Peoples being proactive in taking the lead in education. I went to one of the links and order an education kit for my classroom while touring the various resources for teachers. I believe this is a valuable resource for educators in aiding in developing lessons plans to remove the lens of colonial interpretation on history and teach a revisionist Indigenous history.

Although, the LHF represents a charitable organization, it is hard to determine if this was a Federal Government developed site or a First Nations initiative.

The various links found within this site provide access to a wealth of areas for resources and information about the impact of residential school.

Excellent resource for teachers as an interactive site: http://www.wherearethechildren.ca/

Provides a link to order resources for the classroom: http://www.legacyofhope.ca/projects/100-years-of-loss-edu-kit-and-teacher-bundle After viewing the resources on this site I ordered it for my teaching practice.

Module 3: Book about Intergenerational aspects of trauma

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I was intrigued when listening to Dr. Marker mention the phrase ‘multigenerational loss of parenting skills’ in the interview he hosted with Heather McGregor in Washington DC. On a superficial level, I realize that the history of residential schooling has impacted family dynamics, but if I’m honest, this was the first time I really thought about the skill of parenting being lost due to the active intervention outside forces, and that that this skill would then be altered generationally. This caused me to look more deeply into the topic, and I found this book which I have not read, but am very interested to do so.

International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma

As an overview: Chapter 20 looks at the ‘Intergenerational aspects of trauma for Australian Aboriginal people’; other foci on the Holocaust and Nazi persecution, psychological impacts on prisoners of war, persecution, and internment camps. Chapter 13 focuses on ‘children’; Chapter 21 looks at ‘Healing the American Indian Soul Wound’, and Chapter 22 examines ‘The role of dependency and colonialism in generating trauma in First Nations citizens: The James Bay Cree.’ I have not had a chance to read the whole book but I put this forward as a resource for those looking to read more about how trauma can impact future generations.

Module 3: Museum at Campbell River – video

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Upon reflection of my contributions to our weblog, many of my posts have been quite text based, so I would like to diversify that. I found this You Tube site from the Campbell River Museum that is quite interesting related to online story telling, history, and cultural studies. The museum uploads fairly short clips related to local, ‘place based’ experience. I thought this was also linked quite intimately to discussions we’ve been having recently about ‘place’, and the importance of a location in helping us to define our knowledge. Interestingly, the museum is called ‘The Museum at Campbell River’, and not ‘The Museum of Campbell River’ – a distinction in language I found quite interesting.

Not all video are relevant to our course of study, but there video clips ranging in topic from:

Dance of the Kwakuitl
The Big Rock Story (animation that could be held up to scrutiny)
The Great Tyee Part 1-2

Again, not all clips are directly relevant to our study in ETEC 521, but they are related to place based knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CRMuseum

Mandatory Indigenous “Content” or “Pedagogy” – Search is on – Mod 3, Post 3

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Based on Heather McGregor’s article and audiocast this week – I have been researching which provinces in Canada have some kind of mandatory first nations curriculum – but more importantly – how is the content taught? Like the article about the curriculum changes suggests in Nunavut, is the content and curriculum taught based on traditional indigenous pedagogical values?

The values are focused on listening to elders,

The document offers a source of Inuit Elder knowledge and an application of that knowledge to the context of schooling, including: a vision for the purpose of education based on an Inuit story; explanation of the Inuit beliefs that provide a foundation for Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, including referring directly to the laws of relationships, cycle of seasons, cycle of life, and circle of belonging already described in Inuuqatigiit; the philosophy of a learning continuum and stages within the continuum, described in traditional Inuit terms of individual life-long learning and development; cross-curricular competencies based on principles of IQ ; and Inuit educational philosophies regarding inclusive education, language instruction, assessment and pedagogies

The strands in Nunavut curriculum policy are based on:

•Nunavusiutit

: heritage, culture, history, geography, environmental science,

civics, economics, current events, world news.

•Iqqaqqaukkaringniq

: math, innovation, problem-solving, technology, practical arts.

•Aulajaaqtut

: wellness, safety, society, survival, volunteerism.

•Uqausiliriniq

communication, creative and artistic expression, critical thinking.

(McGregor, 2012, p.13)

I have started with BC (no mandatory credit course) . This is the link to an article about the attempt to promote a mandatory course on First Nations http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Education+group+asks+mandatory+aboriginal+studies+course+schools/7819205/story.html

I also found this information about the legislation of a First Nations Education Act http://www.fnesc.ca/national-legislation

Alberta has no mandatory course.

The general focus on learning about indigenous cultural content – and not on pedagogy. More work to be done!

Verena 🙂

References:

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

Module 3, Post 1

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I’ve been reading the book “Our People, Our Land, Our Images” and something that Hulleah J. Tsinhhnahjinnie said is where I think I’ll be developing my thesis…”The very same medium that exacerbated colonial tensions is now used as a tool for Indigenous empowerment and sovereignty by exerting an authority over how, when, and why Indigenous peoples choose to be imaged.” This little statement can be further examined in terms of technological intent of the camera, which is something that philosopher Willem Flusser discusses…because it’s a Western technology, does that necessarily change the empowerment and the sovereignty Indigenous people have recovered? What I mean by this is the self-representation afforded to them adulterated in some way so that it’s almost a facade, a shadow of the true representation? I suppose this could be said of all photographs. In the long run Aboriginal self-representation, will, I believe move into the realm of art, which is something that Ursula Johnson alludes to in her TED talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HHvaZKFgRA

My fear is once in the realm of art it becomes again an object to be placed inside a museum or a gallery. This is where a fine line between living out cultural obligations/aspirations becomes important to self-representation. The photograph itself is merely a representation, and that must never be forgotten or supersede what goes on in the real world.

Tsinhnahjinnie, H., & Passalacqua, V. (2006). Our people, our land, our images: international indigenous photographers. Davis, Calif.: C.N. Gorman Museum, University of California, Davis

Weblog 3 Post 5 Moving Forward TREMBLAY

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The real danger in moving into a post modern and neoliberal ized economy is that as a community, the general public is facing a repeat of taxation without representation problem faced by the founding fathers in our larger neighbor to the south during the independence war of 1775.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War

However, instead of facing a political situation where taxes are funding foreign powers to the detriment of American colonial interests, ours are instead funding neoliberal aspirations to the detriment of local constituents. This situation isn’t localized to Canada, but our accepting and apathetic nature with regards to political involvement combined with the problems inherent within our political system has made us an especially juicy target for neo-liberal economic interests. The marketing behind the success of the tar sands, now rebranded the “oil sands” are an excellent example of this exploitive attitude where industry and jobs take precedent over long term goals and community development.

Greenpeace report on Tar Sands (Admittedly biased but still useful)

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/report/2012/07/GP-ShellReport-WEB.pdf

With the way that first nations communities have faced adversity, owned their problems and attempted to move forward within the limited framework they have been subjected to, the real inspiration that we should be looking to are their adaptations and just how they have managed to adapt to the exploitative system. The entire colonial system, and the vestiges of left over policy, was designed from the ground up to create a discrepancy of power to the disadvantage of first nations communities. This is where the real danger and power of effective marketing needs to be addressed because the public complacency with regards to the development is at least partly due to piles of money that corporate and neo-liberal interests have poured into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1mZMOP-wbY

The real strength and potential existing in first nations communities across Canada comes from the cohesiveness of the people living in them and the horrid conditions that the colonial conversion process subjected upon them. Despite all the horrid conditions that still need to addressed within Canadian first nations communities, the parallels between the colonial and neoliberal situations dictate that the successes (however few and far between) should be examined and applied directly to both first nations reserves facing difficulty and conflicts concerned with neo-liberal privitization.

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a939c80c-71bd-422d-830c-fed42dc5db7f%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=127

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Although social change and class upheaval typically only personifies in the face of great suffering, the Canadian working public’s vigilance becomes more necessary every day. In the face of declining liberty, it would be preferable that the public becomes socially involved before they become victims of the process or lack of therein.

Weblog 3 Post 4 Austerity and Disparity TREMBLAY

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Weblog 3 post 4

The anticipation for things to get better can really be disheartening for the most bold and forward thinking among us. Forget the cynics, the narcissists and the egotists, they don’t matter, especially with regards to this issue. The real people looking to the world and seeing the chaos, the disparity and suffering are waiting for that miracle where people will start caring again. Right now the lack of interest in the fellow citizen is the weakest link in our societal functions and has allowed unfettered exploitation by neoliberal interests.

Slovenian protests against Neo-liberal Austerity

http://www.globalresearch.ca/social-uprising-in-slovenia-against-neoliberal-austerity-measures/5324218

How collaboration can battle apathy in a classroom

http://tzmeducation.org/content/collaboration-and-altruism-vs-competition-and-apathy

The problem with finding community in cyberspace:
http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=av59b6DhKtkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA385&dq=internet+apathy+and+the+death+of+the+middle+class&ots=V3DhJA_Qic&sig=H0tAkSDuh1HaK9LsQEUQ2VyRkBI#v=onepage&q&f=false

Resistance in Italy to Neo-Liberal dismantling of social support structure. (Unfortunately not peer edited)

http://www.anthropology.utoronto.ca/people/faculty-1/faculty-profiles/muehlebach/Muehlebach%20-%20Complexio%20Oppositorum.pdf

The feedback loop created by the combination of apathy and individualism has been more destructive to the forward progression of the middle class than any movement, politician or natural disaster could hope to be. However there is hope and it lies in one of the most logical, but still unexpected places. In the same way that the neoliberals have borrowed and adapted exploitation techniques from the colonial forefathers, we too must look at the people’s most affected by it and their successes and failures with regards to the hopeful recovery. Of course I speak of indigenous populations and more specific to Canada, First nations peoples.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/top-first-nations-success-to-be-studied-102047333.html

Weblog of Websites for Module # 3

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I decided to focus my paper on the Ojibway, otherwise spelt Ojibwe or Ojibwa, First Nations communities. This weblog concentrates on their relations with the environment, which is the topic of my essay. It begins with technology-based media that represents Ojibway culture, including information on their traditions related to the land. It then provides links related to Ojibway treaty rights and land claims, which have significance for their connections to the environment and territory-based rights.

Website # 1: http://www.ojibweculture.ca

The website for the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation provides information on the people of the Robinson Huron Treaty area in Ontario. This organization aims to preserve and protect Ojibwe culture. It provides information on cultural events and workshops, and ways to learn about the Ojibwe peoples. It also has learning resources for children, particularly an animation of Nanabush, who is a figure in Ojibwe legends. These resources teach oral traditions and the native language and can be found through the following link: http://nanabush.ca. This website presents information relevant to the environment, such as hunting practices and seasonal changes.

Website # 2: http://www.ojibwe.org

This link provides six video clips from a television series that depicts the history and traditions of the Anishinaabe-Ojibwe tribe located in the Great Lakes region, which includes 19 bands. The majority of these videos relate to Objibwe cultural connections with the environment, such as the one entitled “We are All Related”, which describes pre- and post-colonial environmental interactions.

Website # 3: http://www.tribalyouthmedia.org

The Tribal Youth Media website enables First Nations children to showcase videos they created about the natural environment. In particular, the website focuses on the Ojibwe peoples of the Great Lakes region and includes information on their treaty rights and hunting practices. I found the following video about how climate change affects the Ojibwe culture particularly informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9y7er2ebQTE#at=25.

Website # 4: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100028667/1100100028669

This website, provided by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, has a link to the Treaty No. 3 document, which is the treaty that pertains to the Ojibway peoples. This treaty explains their land claim rights, which are of importance for Ojibway relations to the environment and their cultural rights pertaining to their homeland. In addition to the treaty document, this website provides an interpretation of the treaty, including a historical background of its development, an explanation of its negotiations and a description of its implementation. This interpretation also contains information on dealings with land ownership between the government and Ojibway peoples.

Website # 5: http://www.gct3.net

The link for the Grand Chief’s Office of Treaty No. 3 provides the Ojibwe perspective to the treaty, contrasting to the government standpoint provided in the above weblog entry. This website provides contact information for the bands applicable to the treaty and links to their community websites. It also explains the history of Treaty No. 3 and contains a document with Chief Powasson’s logs from the initial signing of the agreement. Furthermore, the website has information on laws that pertain to the treaty, including those related to land rights.