Posts from — October 2011

Maintaining land ownership continues to challenge Indigenous peoples as governments of the dominant societies capture lands that have been the center of tribal life for many Indigenous peoples.  Recently the government of British Columbia sided with local industries to turn Fish Lake, a body of water that not only provided food and water for the Tsilhqot’in people, but served as the place where ceremonies were held for centuries, as a dumping ground for mining waste.

The Tsilhqot’in people had traditionally isolated themselves from the mainstream societies.  They successfully prevented roads from being built on their lands; they have resisted measures to bring electricity to their area, and they teach their children their traditional language.  The latest move to capture their lake forced the Tsilhqot’in to use technology to get their message across.  They chose film.

The film, Blue Gold:  The Tsilhqot’in fight for Teztan Biny (Fish Lake), features members from the tribe speaking about the lake and the impact that the government’s proposed policy would have not only on their lives, but on the area’s ecosystem.  The grizzly’s habitat would be threatened, for instance.

The Tsilhqot’in won their case, and it was the film that swayed the panel who reviewed the case, as well as the general public who offered their support towards the cause.

This site is useful to research in place-based learning because it shows that the Tsilhqot’in peoples used narrative to tell the story about the Lake.  Narratives play a major role in disseminating the knowledge of this and other Indigenous tribes through the generations.  Film was the ideal media for this tribe to tell their story to the outside world.  The film also shows the inter-connectedness of nature, culture and religion to Indigenous peoples.  In place-based learning, geographical places are taught from the perspective of the stories and traditions that are meaningful to Indigenous peoples.  In this type of learning, disciplines are not separated as specialities, but are tightly interwoven in the fabric of learning, changes in the land, the seasons, are understood from the perspective of their relationship to the divine.

Reference

Indigenous Peoples protect their lands and rights.  http://www.greengrants.org/our-grants/grantee-highlights/canada-indigenous-peoples-protect-their-land-and-rights/

American Indian Prophecies: A Brief History on the Future of America

“American Indian Prophecies is not about the end of the world but, rather, a change of worlds–the beginning of a new Earth cycle.” – Ira Kennedy

This website is an educational tool that describes the prophecies of Black Elk, Wovoka, Rolling Thunder, Lame Deer, Sun Bear, and the Hopi. In sharing these prophecies Ira Kennedy examines the differences between Western and Aboriginal epistemologies and how expectations for the future differ. In contrast to the Western belief in Dooms Day, North American Indigenous beliefs focus on the concept of rebirth or the beginning of new Earth cycle. This may have something to do with the belief in circular time rather than the Western linear time.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network

This is an in-depth website on a series of topics that focus on Alaskan Native Knowledge. There are many resources available for visitors including topical publications, culturally-based curriculum resources for educators, cultural resources and cultural atlases. To be more specific, the website articulates that the Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN) “is an AKRSI partner designed to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. It has been established to assist Native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in gaining access to the knowledge base that Alaska Natives have acquired through cumulative experience.”

The Dreaming

This is an Australian Government website that describes in detail The Dreaming or the Creation Story of Australian Aborigines, the relationship between land, animals and people in The Dreaming, special ceremonies, star and family relationships. The website also provides useful links to Indigenous Australia Spirituality, Dreamings and culture symbols, Aboriginal astronomy, and legends, amongst a few others.

First Nations Healing

“…promoting self-governance in health and healing through discovery and by honouring traditional ways” – June Kaminski

This site focuses exclusively on the topic of First Nations health and healing practices. It explores the context and determinants of aboriginal health based on social, financial, cultural and geographic indicators. The site also links to Taiaiake Alfred’s Characteristics of Strong Indigenous Communities which exemplifies a perfect description on a healthy Aboriginal community. The website also provides a number of resources, such as supportive organizations or relevant facts and research, for visitors who are interested in exploring the topics of health and self-governance into further detail.

Art of Indigenous Storytelling, Music, Theater, Dance

“I am not here to accuse; you are not here to apologize” – Shannon Thunderbird

This website is a compilation of topics on North American indigenous diversity, history, culture and spiritual practices. It is a part of a larger site that is the home of Teya Peya Productions, a Canadian Indigenous Company that focuses on hosting speeches and workshops and provides life coaching, art and social justice education. The author of the website, Shannon Thunderbird, maintains that her website “dispels myths, stereotypes and biases about First Nations people by offering an accurate world view from an “Indian” perspective.

While I was searching for resources related to placed based education (my research topic), I found the following article by Pattnaik. It focuses on different aspects of educational programs for Indigenous people. The article tries to  draw attention to the impact of colonization on aboriginal children, while discussing some successful efforts by international organizations and indigenous communities to counter these effects. Meanwhile, it highlights the uniqueness of various aboriginal cultures, and shares diverse educational approaches for Indigenous  people.

Catharinah Faux’s Research on Aboriginal

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ60983.pdf

This site displays a Masters of Arts Thesis entitled The ‘Noble Savage’ in Western Thought: Reconstitute Colonial Stereotype in Sentencing Aboriginal Sex offender. This research was carried out by Catharinah Faux on September 22, 2000 as partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts from Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. In this study the aboriginal culture underlying many contemporary juridical discourses were explored which exposed ideological beliefs and stereotypes first formulated and articulated in Canada’s early colonial history. Although the emphasis of the research was Aboriginal judicial system, it reflects important information of module.

Media Portrayals of Aboriginal People: Introduction

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/aboriginal_people/index.cfm

This site gives an overview of the major stereotypes that aboriginal people face in film, television and the news. There are links on the site that direct viewers to major media stereotypes, these include:
• Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
• Aboriginal People in the News
• Native Names and Imagery in Sports
• The Impact of Stereotyping on Young People
• The Development of Aboriginal Broadcasting in Canada
• Aboriginal Voices in the Arts and Media
• The Importance of Media Education

‘Will the Real Aborigine Please Stand Up’: Strategies for breaking the stereotypes and changing the conversation

http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/documents/AIATSISDiscussionPaper28.pdf

This site illustrates a paper written by Scott Gorringe, Joe Ross and Cressida Fforde on the issues discussed at a workshop held by AIATSIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies) in January 2011. In this paper, the authors discussed the perceptions of identity by people outside and within Aboriginal communities of Australia. They highlighted the social impact of the discussed perceptions and the need for Aboriginals to create safe avenues for discussions, challenging mindsets and habits.

The Mental Health of Indigenous Peoples

http://www.mcgill.ca/files/tcpsych/Report10.pdf

This site displays a report presented at a conference on “The Mental Health of Indigenous Peoples” held on May 29-31, 2000. The paper clearly illustrated and discussed social imbalance based on research studies about indigenous peoples in Canada, the US and Australia. The report consists of five chapters:

• Introduction: The Mental Health of Aboriginal Peoples
• Social Origins of Distress “The Deep Sleep of Forgetfulness”: Reflecting on Disremembering
• Individual And Collective Responses To Suffering: An Overview of Suicide in Indigenous Australia
• Transformations of Identity & Community Healing the Aboriginal Offender: Identity Construction
• Models For Collaborative Research & Mental Health Services Working in Partnership: Innovative Collaborative Research Between Aboriginal Communities and an Academic Unit.

When Indigenous and Modern Education Collide

http://www.elementalethics.com/files/Arenas.pdf

This site displays a paper written by Alberto Arenas, Iliana Reyes and Leisy Wyman of University of Arizona entitled When Indigenous and Modern Education Collide. The article comments on the pressures that are affecting divergent epistemologies of indigenous and Western education. It further highlights the factors that could assist indigenous education to be successful although affected by the stereotypes of Western world.

The Gaia Foundation emerged in the early 1980’s to demonstrate how human development and well being are derived from the health and understanding of the living planet (Gaia), and indeed the Universe itself, of which we are an inextricable part. Its early focus was to support Indigenous communities in the Amazon in their struggle to secure the rights to their territory, and Gaia was successful in raising international awareness and support in Europe. A Micro-projects program for rainforest community initiatives enabled funds and technical support to be channeled to indigenous groups in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela (also in Thailand and Malaysia), for legal training, productive projects, territorial demarcation and cultural recuperation.

In Gaia Foundation, one of the main areas of work  is Indigenous knowledge. It is believed that Indigenous societies hold knowledge and wisdom to be of greatest value in life. Meanwhile, Indigenous knowledge is embedded in cultural practices  which are both highly adapted to their landscape  and very responsive to changes within it. These knowledge systems are founded in respect, reciprocity and working with Natures’ laws, which ensures that humans live in mutually enhancing ways with their ecosystem.

http://www.gaiafoundation.org/

Aboriginal Education Research Center (AERC) is a growing research center that seeks to explore and develop success strategies for learning and education of the largest growing population in Saskatchewan. Through partnerships with scholars, faculty, students, community-based organizations, schools, federal and provincial governments, AERC is working to build stronger inclusive relationships among those involved with Aboriginal education. AERC researches and studies the needs of Aboriginal student populations, successful pedagogy and practices, and experimental methods to shape future policy and directions of provincial and band schools. It aims to improve the educational capacity of schools to retain and meet the needs of Aboriginal students, while improving the knowledge and sensitivity of other students and school staff to Aboriginal peoples. In addition, it tries to develop supportive partnerships with Aboriginal communities, elders, institutions and organizations while mobilizing knowledge and practices among educational institutions through dialogues, conferences, publications, and websites on Aboriginal education. AERC also aims to facilitate dialogues with Aboriginal communities, organizations and elders to develop collaborative protocols and practices for ethical research in various indigenous fields.

http://aerc.usask.ca/index.html