Author Archives: sforst

Module 4 – Post 5 – University of Calgary Multimedia History Tutorials

The University of Calgary has a series of websites put together by The Applied History Research Group. This group is comprised of faculty members from the University of Calgary and other institutions. The research, narrative, and web design of the tutorials is done by honours level undergraduate and graduate students in the faculty of History. The website has a copyright date of 2001, so while the page is relatively old, the information is still quite valuable.

Most of the tutorials are a general history of Canada, but there is a section on “Canada’s First Nations”. This includes a history of the First Nations People from Antiquity up to approximately the 1870s when the numbered Prairie treaties were signed.

Module 4 – Post 4 – Metis Culture and Heritage Resource Centre

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The Metis Culture and Heritage Resource Centre is an organization based in Winnipeg that has a mandate to “honour the richness of Metis culture and history through preservation, restoration, education and sharing.” They provide a newsletter, a Metis genealogy service, workshops, community outreach programs and various other community and advocacy programs.

The MCHRC website has information about all of these, as well as an online version of the newsletter, Historical Maps of the Metis culture, lessons on the Michif language, and information on many important Metis landmarks.

Module 4 – Post 3 – Nunavut Tourism

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I came to the Nunavut Tourism website while researching Inuit music. The Library and Archives Canada webpage on traditional Inuit music references the Nunavut Tourism site as the source for much of their information.

The website appears to be a typical tourism type website with headings like “Things to See and Do”, “Where to Stay”, and “Planning Your Trip”, but a more in-depth look at the individual pages reveals that there is a wealth of information about Nunavut and Inuit Life.

Module 4 – Post 2 – RPM

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RPM.fm is a website that promotes itself as “a new music platform to discover the most talented Indigenous musicians from across Turtle Island and beyond.” The site provides music news, a curated selection of downloadable music, videos, interviews and artist profiles, all of Indigenous musicians. While it seems like a great site with very relevant information on current Indigenous music, there have not been any news posts since January 2013, and their Tumblr blog says they are about to “relaunch” so hopefully it will be active soon.

Module 4 – Post 1 – KAYA

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In researching urban music programs for aboriginal youth, I came across the Songweavers Studio in Vancouver, run by a group called the Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Asociation (KAYA). Their mandate is to provide advocacy for for the participation, representation, and voice of aboriginal youth. They encourage youth to communicate and make decisions with assertiveness and informed consent. They provide a mentorship program, career and educational workshops, and community events. The Songweavers Studio is a recording studio that provides free access to aboriginal youth aged 13-29, and seeks to provide them with an opportunity to empower their voices, preserve their culture and pass on traditions by using technology.

Module 3 – Post 5 – Manitoba Music’s Aboriginal Music Program

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The Aboriginal Music Program (AMP) was developed to help Aboriginal people create careers in Manitoba’s music industry. It provides workshops about the music industry, career consultations, music showcases, as well as maintaining the aboriginal music.ca website. This site has news about the Manitoba and Canadian Aboriginal music industry, artist and industry directories, and resources for Aboriginal people interested in a career in music.

Module 3 – Post 4 – First Nations Music in Canada

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First Nations Music in Canada is a publication put out in 1998 by the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. It is designed for children aged 8-11 and includes basic information about Aboriginal music in Canada. It discusses instruments used, singing styles, and how music is used traditionally by First Nations people. Contemporary artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie are also mentioned in relation to the impact of First Nations music on Canadian Culture. It also includes a quiz and a game as activities for children to do.

Module 3 – Post 3 – Aboriginal Multi-Media Society

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The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA) is a communications society that facilitates the exchange of information among Aboriginal People. They produce publications in a Newspaper style to most provinces as well as a national publication titled Windspeaker. This is Canada’s most widely circulated Aboriginal news source. Windpseaker has been published since 1983 and includes news articles, current events, community event listings, job postings as well as a searchable archives section.

Module 3 – Post 2 – National Aboriginal Music Countdown

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The National Aboriginal Music Countdown is a radio show on the Native Communications Incorporated Radio station broadcast from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Originally a top-ten program of Canadian Aboriginal music on NCI, it is now a top 40 program hosted by “Miss Melissa” Spence and includes Aboriginal music from throughout North America and a limited selection from New Zealand and Australia. The program is broadcast on all of the Western Association of Aboriginal Broadcasters stations. The program has won multiple Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards ranging from 2001 until this past summer’s Award show.

Module 3 – Post 1 – CBC Music

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This is a page on the CBC Music website devoted to Aboriginal Music. CBC Music is a streaming service that provides music from the CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3 programs. The site is broken down into various genres, one of which is Aboriginal music. This page has articles about Aboriginal musicians and includes a web radio station that plays current Aboriginal music.