Weblog 3: Entry #1

What a website! In my initial perusals this site takes on the issue of Aboriginal Title and Rights. With specific reference to the ‘Indian-Land’ Page and the ‘Disinherited’ Link, a magnifying glass is set upon the colonial actions of Queen Victoria and her Government in the role it played in promoting British settlement while subjugating FN culture and society in Victoria BC. The discussions and commentary, with specific examples of murals, buildings, statues and pictures etc. illustrates some of the foundations for present day frustrations and struggles for equality, on the part of FN tribes on the West Coast.

Site: http://www.firstnations.de/indian_land/disinherited.htm

Hello,

Article #17….

This article titled “Strength-based Programming for First Nations Youth in Schools: Building Engagement Through Healthy Relationships and Leadership Skills” talks of the typical negative activities that plague First Nations youth and how giving these same youth opportunities for roles in leadership can break this negative re-occurring cycle. This discussed leadership role could potentially be created within a positive library environment. Youth could take on role model positions working within a First Nations library and promoting its use to their peers, elders, and those younger than them. With the right staff, a library could create a relaxed atmosphere for social interaction and establish a sort of ‘rec room’ or ‘rec centre’ feel where youth do not feel threatened or nervous to attend.

The article was also found on the UBC Library, ‘ebscohost’ page. The authors of this article are Claire Crooks, et al in April 2010.

Thanks.

-Regen

Hello,

Article #16, ……

I found the following article on Ebscohost titled ‘Ready, Willing, and Able: Prospects for Distance Learning in Canada’s First Nations Community” by author Cora Voyageur.

This article describes how First Nations people have currently been embracing technology and therefore equipped to participate within online courses. This notion has made me re-think the focus of my final paper. I am now leaning towards making a paper that describes what a contemporary First Nations library would resemble. The article further discusses both individual and community readiness for technology appreciation and again, the potential of online course participation. Once online courses are established, a First Nations library could help keep focus amongst students and provide a place for coursework to be completed.

The article can be found on the UBC Library ‘ebscohost’ search engine, and the link address is:

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=21&sid=41f6596b-c670-436b-9945-02ab0f240313%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ635399

Thanks.

-Regen

I have posted a number of times about the aboriginal choice school in Prince George. The newspaper today featured an extended article about the renaming of the school – a long arduous process taking into account myriad stakeholders and language conventions. This changes from “The aboriginal choice school” or “Carney Hill Elementary” to Nusdeh Yoh (“house of the future”) in the langauge of the Lheidli T’enneh, on whose traditional lands the school is situated. The article talks about the curriculum covered in the school, and is a crystal clear example of reclaiming and advancing traditional values, an an environment that is not resonant of the Henry Ford assembly line model of education that the rest of us cleave unto.

From the article:
“Our students come from all over the place — we have Carrier, Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Gitxsan, Kispiox, Tl’azt’en, we’ve had some Objibwe students, and some from areas I can’t pronounce,” laughed Gillis.

“These kids know more about language than I ever had the opportunity to learn when I was younger, and it was my mom’s first language,” said Gillis, part of the Saik’uz First Nation south of Vanderhoof… My mom never taught it to me back when I was younger because they didn’t see the value of retaining it. It’s exciting to see the kids learning it now.”
http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/article/20121025/PRINCEGEORGE0101/310259990/-1/princegeorge/found-in-translation

This is quite the site.  There is a great deal of current information on this site and it is an example of social media spreading the word.  The site can be accessed at  http://www.facebook.com/DKUBC.

I took a few minutes to look through the site and was impressed by the amount of information on it, as well as ongoing discussions and links to upcoming conferences, speakers, activities and current topics.  The site was started in November 2010 and its description states:

Decolonizing Knowledge is a student-led initiative that facilitates strategies to reconcile the cultural misrepresentation and appropriation that occurs on the UBC Point Grey Campus. By building inter-cultural relationships with organizations and individuals on campus, and spreading accessible information outside of the classroom, Decolonizing Knowledge seeks to equip staff, students, and faculty members with the tools necessary to create a campus that is welcoming to all. (Quote from FB page found at http://www.facebook.com/DKUBC/info)

Definitely well worth a visit.

A Transformative Framework for Decolonizing Canada:  A Non-Indigenous Approach is a speech written by a doctoral student at the University of Victoria.  I found it truly illuminating.  The author, Paulette Regan, uses a story to describe the differences in communication between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people.  Her argument is that while non-Indigenous people ask for open dialogue and communication with Indigenous people, we are really asking for it on our terms.  We want them to communicate to us our way but are not willing to listen and respect their way of communicating.  Regan (2005) states that:

It is the gap between what we (as non-indigenous people) think we are doing- which is engaging with good intentions in an intercultural dialogue, and how Indigenous peoples experience that same event as a manifestation of deeply ingrained institutional colonialism and attitudes.
In these situations what we are really doing, whether unconsciously or not, is asking Indigenous peoples to fit within our cultural paradigm- to have the intercultural dialogue on our terms, not theirs. (p. 2)

Regan continues on to argue that non-Indigenous people need to stop looking at decolonization as something that “they” (the “other”) needs to do to reclaim what they have lost, but rather something that non-Indigenous people need to participate in so that we can understand the Indigenous perspective and realize how pervasive colonialism is.

To get ‘unstuck’ the non-indigenous … must focus not, as we have done so often with disastrous results, on the problem of the “other” (that is, Indigenous peoples) but turn our gaze, mirror-like, back upon ourselves, to what Roger Epp calls the “settler problem.” In essence, we must begin to take a more proactive responsibility for decolonizing ourselves. (Regan, 2005; p. 6)

Regan then goes on to share her vision of a transformative framework that uses the past to help us learn and move forward.

Reference:

Regan, P. (2005).  A Transformative Framework for Decolonizing Canada: A Non-Indigenous Approach.  (Doctoral Student Symposium Speech)  Retrieved online at:  http://web.uvic.ca/igov/research/pdfs/A%20Transformative%20Framework%20for%20Decolonizing%20Canada.pdf

The full name of the paper is Decolonizing Methodologies and Indigenous Knowledge: The Role of Culture, Place and Personal Experience in Professional Development.  The pdf can be found here.  The paper discusses the attitudes of teachers to including Indigenous knowledge in their curriculum before and after a presentation on indigenous Hawai’ian science topics.

The paper was very hopeful, indicating that it is possible to change teachers’ attitudes towards including Indigenous knowledge.  What was even more interesting, was that the researcher cited Linda Smith’s (1999) book on Decolonizing Methodologies.  The author states that, “Linda Smith (1999), a Maori researcher, describes 25 decolonizing research projects to recover marginalized cultural knowledge, practices, and identity.” (Chinn, 2007; p. 1252).  Chinn (2007) then identifies five of these decolonizing methods that she used in the research.  A very interesting article and study on a variety of levels, and one that ties in math, science and Module 3’s theme of decolonization.

Reference:

Chinn, P. W. U. (2007).  Decolonizing methodologies and indigenous knowledge: The role of culture, place and personal experience in professional development.  Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Volume 44, No. 9, p. 1247 – 1268.  Retrieved online at:  http://www.d.umn.edu/~bmunson/Courses/Educ5560/readings/Chin07-CultEnv.pdf

Smith, L. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. NewYork: Zed Books Ltd.

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