Category — Module 3

ETEC 521: Article #15…..

Hello,

The following website……

http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/firstnat/unit2.pdf

….provides a unit lesson plan satisfying BC Secondary school curriculum. This unit plan could potentially be used within a social studies 8-11 class.

The unit plan focuses on First Nations History and provides great learning opportunities for students to meet the units learning goals. The units learning goals are as follows:

1. Demonstrate improved reading and writing skills in researching and presenting information orally and in writing.

2. Display improved communication skills in conducting interviews and making speeches and presentations.

3. Recognize the value of the First Nations perspective in the learning process.

4. Recognize the value of oral history as well as written history.

5. Present their opinions and assessment of historic and current First Nations-white relations in British Columbia society.

6. Explain the connections between individual experiences of social problems and the collective experience of living in Canadian society.

These learning goals are great for this unit but also provide specific learning goals that could be incorporated into a First Nations Library that make it unique when compared to a common public library. Learning goals such as ‘presenting information orally’ and ‘recognize the value of oral history’ can be better supported within a library that has been specifically designed to benefit First Nations students.

Thanks.

-Regen

Post #14…..

Hello,

The following website….

http://firstnationspedagogy.ca/elders.html

….provides an online First Nations Pedagogy. The site discusses ‘elders’ and how First Nations learning is socially situated.

The website also offers a few videos of ‘Elders in Action’, showcasing elders within the community offering their wisdom and advice to other members of the community.

Again, my focus on my final paper continues to evolve. I think I want to now discuss the best possible components of a First Nations Library. Since learning takes place in a social, oral context then I think a library needs to reflect this in order to best capture learning.

Thanks.

-Regen

OCT.21,2012, St. Peter’s Basillica, Vatican
In “Decolonizing Methodologies” author Linda Smith discusses how spaces of marginalization have become spaces of hope and resistance. One such space of hope from the past, from 300 years past, is the story of Kateri Tekawitha of the Kahnawake First Nation in Quebec. The imposition of the Catholic faith on the indigenous peoples of North America is a very difficult and painful subject for both First Nations peoples and the Catholic Church. This marginalization of the religious and spiritual beliefs of the First Nations peoples is perhaps one of the most contentious issues facing the Church today. 15th century Pope Alexander VI called for “barbarous nations” to be overthrown and reduced for the propagation of the Christian empire.
As a practicing Catholic, I am ashamed of some of the histories of my church; but we are a long way from those days, both in the measure of years, and in the tenets and beliefs held by today’s Catholic.
Whether or not one is Catholic, the story of a 4 year old surviving when the rest of her family died from a smallpox epidemic is intriguing. Several other miracles have been placed at her feet, and the canonization of Saint Kateri is very significant. It represents a very real connection to faith that may not have been present before for many First Nations peoples. It is ironic that the indigenous peoples of Canada did not ask for the Catholic religion, and yet we have a First Nations girl in the pantheon of Catholic Saints. It is a very real example of creating a space of hope and resistance out of a marginalized position. The petition for her canonization was filed in 1884; “The Lily of the Mohawks” was beatified by Pope John Paul in 1980, and canonized today by Pope Benedict.

• http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/21/14591532-kateri-tekakwitha-named-first-native-american-saint-in-vatican-ceremony?lite
• http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/kateri-tekawitha-beatification-in-the-context-of-spiritual-conquest
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kateri_Tekawitha

Article #13: What is an Elder?

The following link….

http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/CJNS/16.1/Stiegelbauer.pdf

….provides an article written by S.M. Stiegelbauer, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Edcation, at the University of Toronto.

The article describes what an‘Elder’ is according to First Nations Culture. This description has great importance to my final research paper that will hopefully shed more light on First Nations Libraries and their uses.

This article is a follow up to my questions regarding how a First Nations Library should look, and what its useful components would be. I am beginning to think that a First Nations Library would not be the same as a Public Library because of different oral traditions and the way First Nations history is usually portrayed and preserved. I am also guessing that a First Nations Library would have much more in terms of Cultural representations and more visual, and artistic symbols of past events.

From the article, since an Elder is responsible for ‘teaching’ younger students, a First Nations Library should have ample space to accomplish these teachings and provide support for Elder’s to attend and share their knowledge.

Thanks.

-Regen

Module #3, Entry #12…..

Hello,

The following website is a directory of every First Nations Library within Canada.

http://library.usask.ca/native/directory/english/index.html

The website lists Libraries and Cultural Institutions that collect material related to First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples within Canada. The website offers great tabs of information including location, collections, laguages, etc.

This website is quite interesting because it included information about ‘cultural institutions’ which I didn’t really think about prior to visiting this site. Some questions that have now arisen include:

Does a First Nations Library need to have the same components as a public library in order to be have the same educational benefits?

What are  the ideal components of a library for a First Nations users?

The answers to these questions will shape my research further into finding out how, or if at all, First Nations libraries differ from Public libraries.

Thanks.

-Regen

Entry #11…..

Hello,

http://www.olsn.ca/index.aspx?id=1434

The above link is a website that describes the funding and support it gives to sustaining First Nations Libraries within Northern Ontario. It’s nice to know that funding for First Nations libraries can come from a Provincial source and not totally dependent upon Lottery Gaming monies.

From the website…”The First Nations Library Service is a specially funded service of OLS-North. The main goal of the First Nations Library Service is to help First Nations, through special funding programs and consulting services, to establish and maintain public libraries. We provide special training and on-site consultation opportunities for First Nation Public Libraries in our service area.”

Thanks.

-Regen

This site, Crystal Atlantique, outlines a research project on ethnomathematics.  The three main goals of the research are stated as:

1. What mathematics is already present in the disenfranchised cultures (both traditional and modern)?
2. What conflicts exist between the everyday mathematics in these cultures and Western school mathematics?
3. How can this mathematical knowledge be incorporated into the learning and teaching of mathematics in school setttings?

The research progress states that the first year was dedicated to conversations with a mathematics teacher and five elders from Mi’kmaq community.  The tone of the site is respectful and includes other disenfranchised cultures (such as franophone communities).  There are also valuable links within this site to work done by David Wagner, an associate professor at the University of New Brunswick, on ethnomathematics.

As I search deeper into what information is available on the internet connecting mathematics and Indigenous people, I am made increasingly aware of the positive results found by applying ethnomathematics principles to mathematics instruction.  Helping students become aware of the depth of mathematical ability and the authentic prevalence of mathematics within their cultures is very powerful.  This site is one example of this type of research.

Site # 1

http://www.law.ualberta.ca/research/aboriginalculturalheritage/

The website for the “Protection and Repatriation of First Nation Cultural Heritage” research project has valuable information concerning how First Nations use the Web to disseminate information about their culture, as well as advance a political agenda. It has four main objectives:

1)     To disseminate information concerning the legal regime

2)     To serve as a platform for respecting and understanding First Nations concept of law and property

3)     To help First Nations partners to collect and develop archival educational materials

4)     Analyze provincial and federal legislation and provide First Nations with reform recommendations

Although the actual research was completed in 2006, the site offers an overview of the research with links to the two volumes. This site is important as it raises awareness about law reform, but also provides a voice for First Nations.  This web site also offers many other important resources, such as news and events and other carefully selected links to North American Native and/or Aboriginal sites. I found some of the links had been modified, but using the titles I easily found the sites through Google.

Seeing how much information was available on this website, I will come back to explore other links, but I decided to first explore Aboriginal sources.

Site # 2

http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/

The Aboriginal Canadian Portal is a site run by the Canadian Federal Government in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Métis National Council, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, and the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers. The topics covered are quite varied, but because of the nature of my research I was particularly interested in the language, culture and heritage segment, which proved to have a wealth of information on various Aboriginal organizations, as well as various articles that harbor collective memories.

Site # 3

https://www.itk.ca/publication/5000-years-inuit-history-and-heritage

This essay provides an overview of the last 5000 years of Inuit history.  The essay covers the culture and language, the early history of the Inuit ancestors from first contact with the Europeans to modern day Inuit.  The essay also incorporates the history and culture of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat. I was not able to determine who exactly wrote this document, but found that the information herein was well written and is suitable for a general readership. The document often refers to “We . . .”, thus was written from an Aboriginal perspective for an Aboriginal audience, proudly outlining their history and accomplishments over the years. This type of essay contains information that could be used in schools during history classes to diffuse information about Inuit.

Site # 4

https://www.itk.ca/

This Website represents the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which is the national Inuit organization in Canada. It represents the four Inuit regions,  Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Nunavik (northern Quebec), Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories. On the site historical events from 903 until the present are documented.  The president’s blog appears to be a new addition to the site and is run by Inuit leader Terry Audla. This blog offers viewers a platform to voice their opinion. This website also offers podcasts on various issues and events concerning Aboriginal life. This web site is rich with text-based information, but particularly audio feeds.  I was particularly interested in the audio from a 2011 conference called “From Eskimo to Inuit in 40 Years”, which marks the work Inuit Tapirisat of Canada has done over the last 40 years. The site offers audio files of the seven panel discussion sessions held during the conference. The site also offers links to publications on Inuit issues.

Site # 5

http://www.inuitknowledge.ca/

This website offers the newly established Inuit Qaujisarvingat (kow-yee-sar-ving-at). I found it most interesting to discover that the goal of the Inuit Knowledge Centre, is to bridge the gap between Inuit knowledge and western science. I find their vision of building capacity among Inuit to respond to global interests in Arctic issues daring and avant-garde. This website offers Inuit a platform to impact and advance sustainable Arctic science and policy making within a Canadian and global context. I was impressed with the way the information was diffused, with a good balance of text-based, visual and audio. It even offers a game called Niquiit (under construction) destined for Inuit youth to teach them about the dangers of contaminants in the Arctic. The Website is well laid-out and menus simplified to help users navigate and get the information they seek. Overall it appeared to be a great community resource run by Inuit for Inuit.

Statement Connecting Research Interests and Weblog:

Indigenous People’s Collective Memories in Cyberspace

I had not thought about ‘Westerners’ owning history and power because they are the ones in control of media productions, whether it be documentary, film, photography etc. I am interested in exploring Media on Indigenous People’s terms, where the hierarchy of values attached to Western culture is replaced by indigenous expression to diffuse collective memories. I will explore how Cyberspace is used to diffuse these memories. Investigate and outline the pitfalls. Examine the role media plays, whether unconsciously or not, as a means of cultural preservation.

I am particularly interested in discovering if and how this form of media representation provides a bridge for young people and encourages them to get back in touch with their culture. Because Indigenous people incorporate vast populations all over the world, I have decided to concentrate my research on Indigenous people in North America (Canada), comparing how various Native groups use media to recuperate and diffuse collective memories.

At this early stage of my research, I will explore web sites and documentation that provide information about Indigenous peoples diffusing their collective memories in Cyberspace.  Then I will analyze and compare how media provides a space for collective memories, outlining benefits and challenges. I hope this research will help me arrive at some form of understanding and appreciation concerning the diffusion of Indigenous Peoples’ collective memories in Cyberspace.