Stories of Our Elders is a website dedicated to telling both the experiential and mythological/ traditional stories of the Cree and Ojibway people. The site takes a very innovative approach to archiving 22 stories in written, digital audio, and digital video formats all provided in both English and Cree or Ojibway. There’s also a small but interesting set of historical photographs related to the stories and storytellers and a map with detailed information about the tribes involved.

 In addition to providing a very interesting set of stories told by a variety of respected elders and community members, the site also offers users tips on moving forward with similar projects. They specifically address difficulties related to embedding syllabic fonts, which would be useful for anybody working on a multilingual web project, as well as tips for acquiring funding to pursue these types of projects.

http://www.abheritage.ca/eldersvoices/voices/index.html

After responding to week 8’s question about technology and the role of the elder, I went online to search for links in this area, and came across this website.  My thinking has certainly changed, as the first thought to cross my mind was “who authored this site”, then “what was their motive” and “what biases might they have carried if they were not representing themselves on this site”.  The site deals with projects that explore the tradition of storytelling and how technology might help preserve what has been eroded away.  It appears that this project team has been dismantled but there are still many audio and video links of elders sharing stories and experiences in many areas.

“As one explores these video and audio segments, one will see the faces, the gestures, and the expressions that will enrich the meanings of the words one hears.”  (quote from the website)

http://www.wncp.ca/english/subjectarea/fnmi.aspx

As I was researching protocol and elders’ involvement in education, I came across this site that shares a common curriculum document for Aboriginal language and culture programs.  On page 4, there is a letter from the elders who were consulted in the project to the Associate Deputy Ministers involved in the project.  They were very appreciative of being asked for their input and by their words, seem proud of the final document.  They suggest a time for celebration and invite all to share in the joy.  The overall document discusses the framework that has been developed and shows the learning outcomes at each grade for the Laws of Sacred Life, Laws of Nature and Laws of Mutual Support.  I enjoyed reading through the document as it offers ways to infuse cultural education and knowledge into each grade.

This site is by Canadian Heritage.  Its objective is “a visually stunning audio narrated resource for learning about Indigenous knowledge and philosophy five diverse First Nations in Canada”.

http://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/

http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/ao26878.html

I was very interested in the many links concerning Elders and their importance in spiritual teachings found on this web site.   The Four Directions Teachings has a wonderful video introduction and then breaks into smaller units to discuss the Directional Teachings of the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk and M’ikMaq.  I did not understand the differences in the teachings prior to this, and this site helps explain them briefly.

The Sacred Way of Life – Traditional Knowledge link near the bottom of the page has a brief comparison of Western vs. First Nations way of life and would be very helpful when attempting to understand how educational needs differ between Western and First Nations students.

Many other links on the page discuss storytelling, interviewing Elders  and other topics.