” What we do and our Services Provided:
The member communities of the IEC determine the types of services that will be delivered, based on availability of funds and identified needs. These services may include the following:

• Special Education Support
• Institutional Relations
• Information Sharing
• Professional Development
• Special Projects “

Members of IEC include 12 First Nations Communities in Ontario (mostly SW Ontario). Descriptions of projects are available online as well as links to teaching resource websites. 

http://www.ieceducation.com/mission.htm

Based at the Univeristy of Missouri’s Center for Studies in Oral Tradition the Oral Tradition Journal has been in print since 1986. Recently they stopped publishing the print version and are focused primarily on the digital space, which is interesting in itself. The international focus of the journal and interdisciplinary approach makes this a treasure trove for research on oral traditions. There is a large amount of information dedicated to Judaism, Christianity and Islam but articles include studies on a wide variety of oral traditions, including those of North American First Nations. The site is extremely easy to search and some of the most relevant information I’ve found for this course come from this source.

I noticed that Terri has posted a YouTube clip related to this report earlier in the semester but since I have been taking such a close look at it for my own work, I thought I would post the entire report here. There is plenty of very useful up-to-date data in the report and the findings are very relevant to the work we’ve done in the class to date. It is worth noting that as I’ve brought this up within the community I am working in, there has been plenty of skepticism about the motives for the report and the findings within. I suggest you make those judgments for yourself, as at the very least it is an interesting read filled with compelling data related to the importance of preserving First Nations languages and the specific challanges and opportunities with British Columbia.

www.fphlcc.ca/…/2010–report-on-the-status-of-bc–first–nations–languages.pdf

Shawn A-in-chut Atleo National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Hereditary Chief from the Ahousaht First Nation. In July 2009, A-in-chut was elected to a three-year mandate as National Chief to the Assembly of First Nations. A-in-chut served two terms as Regional Chief of the BC AFN. In this time, he committed to the principles of working together through inclusion and respect. In March 2005, a historic Leadership Accord was signed, overcoming decades of discord among First Nations leadership in BC. A-in-chut graduated in 2003 with a Masters of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia (in partnership with University of British Columbia, University of the Western Cape South Africa, and University of Linkoping Sweden). In 2008, A-in-chut’s commitment to education was recognized in his appointment as Chancellor of Vancouver Island University, becoming BC’s first indigenous Chancellor. A-in-chut is supported by and gains strength from his partner of 24 years Nancy and their two adult children, Tyson and Tara. Traditional teachings have guided A-in-chut to serve First Nations as a leader, facilitator, mediator, planner and teacher.

National Chief Atleo uses Youtube to keep in touch with communities across the country. He has a monthly address on line.

Cpl. Francis Pegahmagabow of the Parry Island Band in Ontario was decorated three times for the marksmanship and scouting skills he displayed in Belgium and France. Known as ‘Peggy’ to other members of his battalion, he survived the war and later became chief of his band. This portrait of him by artist Irma Coucill was commissioned for the Indian Hall of Fame collection, housed in the museum of the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario. (Woodland Cultural Centre) The most highly decorated Canadian Native in the First World War was Francis Pegahmagabow

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/other/native/peaceful

http://www.cier.ca

Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER)

They are a national, First Nation-directed environmental non-profit organisation with charitable status. They were established in 1994 by a group of First Nation Chiefs from across Canada. Through their programs, we take action on climate change, build sustainable communities, protect lands and waters, and conserve biodiversity.

They  envision “Sustainable First Nation Communities and a Healthy Environment”. Their mission is to “assist First Nations with building the capacity to address the environmental issues they face”.

They are guided by the values of: Respect, Integrity, Innovation and Excellence, Balance and Teamwork.

http://fnbc.info

Indigenous Views – A Blog covering issues affecting First Nations people and communities.. Very interactive blog with good discussions and resources available.Good example of First Nations communities working together and using technology to share important information.

Partnering with Indigenous Peoples to Defend their Lands, Languages and Cultures is the theme of this website.  Their work under the guidance of our Indigenous-led Program Council, Cultural Survival partners with Indigenous communities to defend their rights and sustain their cultures. They have helped develop the knowledge, advocacy tools, and strategic partnerships they need to protect their rights. Every Cultural Survival program is designed to become self-sustaining and run entirely by the Indigenous community.

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/?gclid=CK-p7_CuraUCFQITbAodUDzqYA

Savage Minds

http://savageminds.org/2010/04/06/two-books-on-indigenous-methods/

The website supports two books dealing with the methodologies of Indigenous research, “Decolonizing Methodologies”, (Linda Smith) and” Researching is Ceremony” (Shawn Wilson)

The link to the Smith book is weak, but the link to the Wilson book is quite good.  It offers a general overview of the book, as well as a brief intro by Wilson, an Opaskawayak Cree from N. Manitoba.  There is also a 6-page pdf file of excerpts from the book to read through

The power of this website is not that it mentions one of the readings in Module 3, but that it really doesn’t stop at the two mentioned above.  There is brief mention of a few other books on the same subject, but keep going.  Scroll down to the comments at the bottom of the page and find 9 posts from various professionals, again listing numerous other sources.

 Of interest to me was a link to Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn, an archaeologist from Simon Fraser University.  Dr. Yellowhorn’s research in Native Studies has focused on examining the experience of aboriginal people in the modern world and their struggle to promote cultural diversity in a homogeneous society.  This lends some confirmation that an Indigenous person with a mainstream education can represent traditional indigenous communities.

The Urban Native Youth Association Webpage

http://unya.yikesite.com/home

This webpage is very well laid out and easy to navigate.  There are numerous links from this Metro Vancouver based youth center.  The center offers over 21 programs to urban native youth, along with a wide array of special programs and activities. 

I believe this site is a great example of what might be called “contemporary aboriginal youth” 

There is a Face book link beside a link to success stories.  The center sells t-shirts to raise money for programs whose artwork by members meshes traditional symbols and pattern with center advertising. A resource page offers basic health info along with an extensive cookbook on how to eat healthy meals on a small budget, all in pdf format.  A guide explaining the ins and outs of college and university is also presented, again in pdf format.

The news link takes you to accounts of the youth center’s successes, press releases, and newspaper article from across Western Canada addressing issues pertaining to aboriginal youth from sexual abuse to comments on Steven Harpers apology regarding residential schools.  There are places where you can help, volunteer, or get help finding work.  The youth center itself is beautiful, and the website shows it off proudly.  Click on the links button and gain access to over 40 additional websites about other youth and aboriginal organizations.

The National Indian Youth Leadership Project

http://www.niylp.org/index.htm

This website is the flagship for the NIYLP, who for the past 25 years has set as their mission to nurture the potential of Native youth to be contributors to a more positive world through adventure-based learning and service to family, community, and nature.

Project Venture (PV) was designed to reconnect Native youth with nature through sequenced initiatives and outdoor activities.  From its modest beginnings promoting alternative activities to high risk native youth, NIYLP has grown to include the 1200 acre Sacred Learning Center in New Mexico, along with Walking in Beauty and Tacheeh projects aimed at transitioning adolescent girls and boys into adulthood.  Project Venture has grown to national and international status.  Check out the photo gallery about building Tortoise Amphitheatre and check out the smiles on the kid’s faces.  Watch the YouTube video as the youth describe the Project in their own words.  The website also offers opportunities for training in the Project Venture model, both initial and advanced.  This bodes well for the wellness of this project, now and in the future.

Red Hat, Where Are You Going?

http://www.westafricareview.com/vol3.2/konate.html

Red Hat, Where Are You Going? Is a documentary video produced by Emile and Maarten Adriaan Van Rouveroy Van Nieuwaal and Burkinabe historian Some Magloire.

Red Hat Where Are you Going? is about the traditional chiefs, of former Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso, in West Africa) the naabas, who wear red hat as a symbol of their authority?

Of particular interest in this review of the movie is a lengthy exploration of the role of traditional chiefs throughout the colonization period of Burkina Faso.  Some of the chiefs aligned themselves with the colonial power, becoming educated in Western economics and leadership and now see themselves as far more capable leaders than their traditional counterparts.  They have adopted many western views especially exclusion of traditional “values” since they are a threat to their power.  The tradition chiefs see themselves as defenders of culture and are looking for inclusion in all areas of post-colonization life.  Much debate continues among them as to “how far back” their culture should be maintained, pre-colonial or post-colonial.  While still in flux, even the most traditional chiefs understand that they must adapt to the changing political climate in Burkina Faso, and indeed all of Africa, if they are too have any say in the future.

When posed with the question “Can a traditional person become educated and still remain traditional?” this article would suggest no.  When the indigenous leaders of Burkina Faso became educated in Western ways, they tended to see themselves as superior, and look down on their traditional cousins.  While this is clearly not a binary phenomenon, the balance between “traditions” and “modernity” has been extremely difficult to maintain, and conflict, rather than cooperation, is the norm rather than the exception.  True this is only one situation, but the power associated with western colonization is a force difficult to relinquish.

Aboriginal Place Names

The names we give to things are an important and revealing component of who we are, both as individuals and as a culture. One aspect of colonization is to change names, perhaps as a way to assert control over the indigenous territory, but more often than not names are changed because the new inhabitants cannot pronounce the original word(s).  In Canada, especially in Western Canada, we still use many of the aboriginal names given by the indigenous people in the area.  I present with minimal apology several websites that list current names or cities, rivers, lakes and provinces.  I believe we are extremely lucky to have and use the names associated with our collective indigenous past.  Enjoy.

http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/685669

http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/is/info106-eng.asp

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