Category — Connection to Research Topic

Weblog #2: Entry #2

In Victoria there is there is the Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC), which lists the following aims on Community and Culture Relations page:

1. To create better understanding between Frist Nations people and the general public, and to promote planning with government, health, welfare, church and other agencies to improve the quality of services and facilities for First Nations people in the community; and
2. To encourage the public to take an informed interest in the promotion of these objectives and in the general well-being of First Nations people.

Implicit in aim Number 1 is the fact that there is a need to improve the understanding(s) between FN people and the general public. While there is no great surprise there, I did find aim Number 2 interesting in that there is a desire to engage the public involved in achieving aim Number 1. To me, it seems that there is a welcoming and inclusive tone to this second aim which hints that the creation of community is not to be looked at in isolation. A FN community is linked to the surrounding community and vice versa. My future searches need to revolve around tangible examples of such an interconnected relationship.

Weblog #5

As part of my assignment I plan to look at patient education delivered by technology for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. To date I have found many websites but the vast majority are directed at health professionals and not the patients themselves. Also many initiatives do not use technology, but rather focus on visiting communities in buses, or creating festival days, Men’s sheds etc.

Beyondblue is a website that focuses on mental health disorders and provides information for patients and health professionals. It has an Indigenous section, but the use of technology for health is limited to the depression Yarns DVD – The Depression Yarns: Tackling Depression, Anxiety and Related Disorders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

The DVD was developed for use by Indigenous Mental Health Workers and service providers working with Aboriginal people. The DVD focuses on postnatal depression and depression in men. It includes two mini-dramas on the topics, as well as interviews with:

• Project Leader Mibbinbah Men’s Spaces, Jack Bulman
• Indigenous ex-Rugby League player Nathan Blacklock who has experienced depression
• Darwin (NT) based social worker, Josephine Battaglini.
• beyondblue Board Director and Clinical Advisor, Associate Professor Michael Baigent

Weblog #4

Waabiny Time is a television series on pay TV (and also on DVD) that is based on the learning approaches of Sesame Street and Play School.

Waabiny Time is the first indigenous language program made for an early childhood audience from ages 3 to 6 and focuses on Noongar language acquisition. The Noongar people’s land includes Perth, an area to the north, and the whole south west corner of Western Australia.

Waabiny Time also aims to encourage pride and participation in Noongar culture, merging traditional and contemporary Noongar culture. It also integrates other messages including health messages.

As described by Smith, Burke and Ward 200, the mix of contemporary and traditional demonstrates the dynamic and flexible nature of Aboriginal people and challenges the stereotype that Indigenous people “live in the past”. It also parallels Zimmerman, Zimmerman and Bruguier’s 2000 use of technology to restore language but within a different context.

Both presenters of the show are Noongar, but the script, directing and production has been undertaken by non-Indigenous people.

One unintended outcome of the production of Waabiny Time is that non Indigenous children at an early are also engaged by the program. They learn Noongar language and about Noongar culture from Noongar people.

Link to Waabinny Time website

Short clips from Waabinny Time

As an aside – an interesting review on Using television to improve learning opportunities for Indigenous children. Australian Council for Educational Research 2010

 References

Smith C, Burke H and Ward GK. Chapter 1 in Indigenous Cultures in an INterconnected World. “Globalisation and Indigenous Cultures: Threat or Empowerment.”

Zimmerman KJ,  Zimmerman KP and Bruguier LR Chapter 4 in Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World, “Cyberspace Smoke Signals: New Technologies and Native American Ethnicity.”

Weblog #2: Entry #1

A quick viewing of the T’Sou-ke Nation’s website hilights a strong relationship between it and the group SolarBC. It seems that the T’Sou-ke Nation, through its Smart Energy Group was “created with the purpose of educating the T’Sou-ke community about the importance of low impact sustainable energy, through the use of culture, traditional values and historical means of communication.” My take of the information presented is that the T’Sou-ke Nation is taking a clear leadership role in welcoming environmentally friendly, smart energy solutions by blending Western and traditional Coast Salish beliefs and sciences. Of continuing interest to me is the amount of publicity that the project is garnering, see the Solar Forum & Gathering page. It is clear that this unique venture is redefining the T’Sou-ke Nation and as a result the interdependent communities that surround it.

For my weblog this module I started looking at different aspects of Indigenous identity in relation to ecological issues.

The Six Faces of Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Challenges and Opportunities for Canadian Co-Management Arrangements

This website is about natural resource co-management. It discusses First Nation involvement in making decisisons and incorporating the values and worldviews of First Nation’s groups. Also discussed is the idea that there are 6 faces of TEK that need to be considered when negotiating co-management arrangements.

First Nations Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia

This is a very different sort of website than the others I came across. The website opens with “We were never conquered and we have never surrendered the right to govern or be stewards of our traditional territories.” The website also states “Disclaimer: strategies of dispossession of First Nations have included representing them in degrading ways. This website promotes a re-iconization of some of these illustrations by placing them in a new context to serve indigenous peoples.” The author of the website is a German woman, Dr. Karen Wonders and the site is very political in nature and continues on with the very clear standpoint taken on the first page. There are links to the websites of different First Nations groups as well as all kinds of lectures, symposiums, exhibitions, articles and media that relate to these topics.

LASA 2003 Meeting Article

The focus in this article from the Latin American Studies Association is on Indigenous people in Columbia. The author looks at how “representations of indigenous peoples have changed from ‘the savage colonial subject’ to ‘the political-ecological agent.'” This is a point that I think is important with respect to our discussions this module and also when I am doing my research and writing my paper. Even positive steretypes must be examined. In addition, the political aspect of environmental issues and resource management is an important consideration. The main website of LASA provides links to a variety of articles, some of which involve Indigenous issues.

First Nations Environmental Network

Incorporating traditional values, this network of individuals and groups encourages and supports others who are trying to protect traiditonally important areas. There is an area where members can post news updates and links and a link to the forum Turning Point,which offers up a place for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals to egnage in discourse. Even though the site does not appear to have been active since 2009/2010, the way the site, and particularly the forum, is set up and the guiding principles are interesting and useful when considering how Indigenous communities could network and share their experiences.

Assembly of First Nations: Environmental Stewardship

This is a fantastic resource with respect to First Nations’ environmental conerns and current stewardship examples. The areas of Earth, Air, Water and Fire each have a variety of link to videos, factsheets, First Nations funding, articles and other resources to do with environmental stewardship within an Aboriginal context.

The overarching theme of my weblog additions, as well as my research proposal for the final paper is Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and how this type of knowledge can be used in today’s contemporary classrooms (specifically in science classes). This research focus would be on the methods of collecting research for use in science classrooms that has an indigenous perspective. In many science classrooms, teachers mainly stick to the traditional scientific method that they were taught in school. I would like to challenge other teachers to seek out resources that include the indigenous perspective specifically when it comes to the study of ecology in science classrooms.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge is part of an indigenous tribal decision making process. The use of educational technology and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is important for students in that the student can use this technology as a guide and to help them store data and information while they are learning. TEK and GIS can be used in resource management decisions.

In conclusion, the study of ecology is like a journey through some of the most interesting and amazing creations that are on this Earth. It is the study of how systems of biology are all connected and rely on one another. TEK is a way of adding an indigenous perspective in the science classroom by examining ecology through a different lens than what modern science has to offer.

Some texts and sources of information that would be of importance to this research include:

The Aboriginal Mapping unit  http://www.nativemaps.org/taxonomy/term/55

The Arctic Studies Centre http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/tek.html

Tukilil: A Window to the Great North http://www.tukilik.org/

Parlee, B. L., K. Geertsema, and A. Willier. 2012. Social-ecological thresholds in a changing boreal landscape: insights from                 Cree knowledge of the Lesser Slave Lake region of Alberta, Canada. Ecology and Society 17(2): 20.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-04410-170220

Weblog #1: Entry #5

Thus far, my thoughts and feelings around indigenity and technology have meandered liked a tributary heading toward a large body of water. At times ideas rush forward in class 3 rapids while most other times the body of thought is happy to move downstream in careful, ponderous reflection. Being interested in the factors that have lead to the community of which I am a part of, I decided to take a closer look at the Western Communities, made up of View Royal, Langford and Colwood, approximately 15 min North of Victoria, BC. More specifically, I plan to focus on how the Western dominant culture has at times worked with, clashed or merged with the three Nations in the immediate area. My sense is that the dominant culture, although it may have initially bullied its way into determining what our community has come to look and be defined as, has been tempered by the communities, beliefs and values of the T’Souke, Songhees and Esquimalt Nations to produce a uniquely hybrid sense of community. I am eager to discover how technology has played and continues to play a role in this hypothesized relationship.

Weblog #1: Entry #4

While viewing the Esquimalt Nation’s Community Building site I happened upon the statement:

“At the core of the plan are the Natural Laws, which guide the Cycle of Life. These, in turn, inform the Plan, which will consist of a series of goals, objectives and policies covering topics of importance to the community.”

I’m interested in the Natural Laws and the Cycle of Life as defined by the Esquimalt Nation. These two factors will clearly have a role in the emerging community and must therefore have an impact on the larger Western Communities. It’s just a hypothesis at this stage so I’ll look to refine my ideas as I progress.

http://www.esquimaltnation.ca/planningprocess.html

Weblog #1: Entry#3

The more surfing/research I do the more I realize that I have so little knowledge about the communities around me. Just looking at the Songhees Nation website you get the sense of just how organized and structured a Band can be. There are departments and systems in place to help foster a growing community.

http://www.songheesnation.com/html/band.htm

Another point of interest to me was the clear link and partnership with two post secondary institutions, UVic and Camosun College, which were linked directly on the Songhees’ Community Development Page:

http://www.songheesnation.com/html/community_development/educational_management.htm

Weblog #1: Entry #2

So I decided to start with the T’Sou-ke Nation as a jumping off point by which to frame my research into how indigenous and the Western dominant community have worked together to create a larger community. Check out the Solar-Power Project on the T’Sou-ke Nation Website – apparently the largest solar power project in BC. Here is a prime example of FN sustainability and environmental awareness blending with Western Science.

http://www.tsoukenation.com/