I was looking through some listings of books and journal in the virtual UBC library trying to find some material that can help me narrow and build a solid discussion in my topic about the aboriginal progress or regress in the field of using technology. This might seem too wide. However, the material I found in the following huge journal can be of great use in tackling most of the themes and topics discussed in the first and second module. The journal can be found in the following link:
One of the articles that attracted my attention is about the the use of technology by the Aboriginal people in enhancing the cultural uniqueness of their tribal thinking. The article can be found in the following link:
The name of the journal is the Canadian Journal of Native Studies . There is a great variety of topics discussed in many articles. Most of them focus on the well-being of the Aboriginal society and how the society has witnessed a lot of changes whether these changes were imposed or just adopted. Accessing this journal is through the “online issues” section.
Today’s blog article in the Toronto Star caught my attention as it deals with debate between the politics of sports, namely NFL football, and racial discrimination: “Washington Ponders ‘Redskins,’ By Any Other Name.” (September 8, 2013).
I feel this ties in with the on-going (and perhaps intensifying) challenge of deconstructing stereotypes we are learning about in this module of the course. Here is a recent video interview (NBC News Sept 6, 2013) of Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter from Changethemastcot.org (a campaign to address stereotypes in print and other media).
Although I’m not an NFL fan, I’m a sports fan, and I understand both sides of the issue in using Indian monikers in sports. A dichotomy in the protection of cultural rights exists: one side argues of an 80 year heritage that brings pride out of a winning sports legacy, while the other argues a portrayal that is denigrating and dehumanizing to a large segment of the population.
Do major league sports teams like the Braves, Blackhawks, and Redskins fall under the motive of “wanabees” described by the Zimmerman et al (2000) reading? As he asserts, “Many Indian people see wannabes as a hodgepodge stereotype of their cultures, with practices taken out of context, usually in a disrespectful way.” (p. 72) One of the things that comes to my mind in sports media is the Atlanta Braves Tomahawk Chop Chant song. I can totally understand how this is viewed as offensive to native groups and why they will continue to fight for legislation change that prohibits media from portraying Indians as “a people of the past with little present-day material on it, a major stereotype rejected by many Indian people.” (p. 76).
I do believe that sports organizations and fans do not mean any offense to native groups, but I agree with the stance that “The point is that it’s about context… If you called them the (Washington) ‘Americans’ and had a contemporary native image, that’s inclusive. That’s much different than singling us out and calling us by that name and have the image of a stereotypical native American from the 19th century, as though we’re not still around.” – Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indian.
While searching to see what a bilingual K-12 indigenous education program may look like I stumbled across this article with video: ‘Saskatoon Bilingual School Welcomes Many New Faces‘ from Global News (Sept 11, 2013).
I found it interesting (and sort of ironic) that this school (Catholic) would have been shut down due to low student enrollment if it had not been for the initiation of this Bilingual Cree Program. Since its inauguration 7 years ago, the Cree class went from 12 students to now over 250 students; growing/expanding every year from K to 6 level with the goal to reach grade 8 in subsequent years. They have 10 Cree speaking teachers and support staff, and attribute community outreach to the growth of the program.
Digging deeper, I could not find any information on the curriculum or teaching methods used in this program at St Frances Catholic School. Drawing from Lorna Williams’ interview questions on bilingual aboriginal language programs, I wonder: In which language do they teach in? How much English to Cree do the teachers work on? What methods do they use to support the maintenance of the children’s language?
Lorna also spoke about Cree not being a popular subject and attributed this to the lack of financial support in the development of such programs. The Cree program at St Frances however, can be used a good example of how integrating aboriginal programs into school curriculum builds community while providing a venue for teaching and preserving aboriginal language and culture. The principal of the school exclaims, “We started to involve the community a lot more and share with our elders and get input from them… the program goes deeper than just academics.” Although there could have been better circumstances as to how this program came into fruition, it’s nice to see schools putting culturally responsive curriculum into practice.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dr. Lorna William’s podcast tonight. As I dug a bit deeper, I found that she, along with Dr. Nancy Turner, also works for UVic.
Dr. William’s specialty remains with linguistics and the revitalization of indigenous languages. The last 5 minutes of her podcast really captured how I feel about technology in a nutshell; if I feel it is useful for my students and myself, I will use it.
To quote from her podcast:
“So what about technology during that period? We always tried whatever technology was around. If it worked we kept it and used it. If it didn’t work, we didn’t. So the question always is, “What part of technology do you use?” Because you could spend a lot of time on technologies that just take your energy and your time away from what you are actually supposed to do. The question is, “What do you want to happen and how can technology support the work that you do?
And also, “What are the limitations of the technologies?” So for example, if you look at the writing systems of people around BC, if you look at people’s orthographies, they are combinations of the international phonetics alphabet and the Roman alphabet…modified, but a lot of that came because we were developing these during the times of the IBM Selectric typewriter. We found somebody in Hawaii who could modify the Selectric IBM ball and put characters on that ball that we needed. So, that’s why, that’s how what was available technology-wise resulted in what we have.
In retrospect, she makes the observation that through the use of technology, limitations are placed on culture, specifically language, in the conversion of an oral means of communication to a literate means of communication. Technology helps “create the context of the orthography of the language.”
I like how she also recognizes that a lot of time, energy, and money is spent trying to learn new technologies, when we could be actually doing the work we set out to accomplish. In our district, BCESIS is a prime example of software that many teachers were forced to use. This technology (a “gradebook” application) was very difficult for most to learn and couldn’t effectively accomplish that which it was designed to do, but because the decision was made “top down” to roll out its implementation, it cost taxpayers of BC approximately $100 million, only to be dropped 6 years after its adoption. This was, in my view, a colossal waste of time and money.
After reading that Nancy Turner was alumni from UVic, I dug a bit deeper and discovered that not only is she the ‘Hakai Chair in Ethnoecology’ she is recognized world-wide as doing renowned research with First Nations peoples of Canada, who have graciously placed their trust, their ways, their traditions with her – they have shared what is most sacred to them with this gentle and knowledgeable individual. She even won the Order of British Columbia for her work with indigenous cultures and ethnobiology.
In 2011, Nancy was awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Quadra Island based Tula Foundation, which “is a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental sustainability, public service, research and teaching.” She and UVic will use these monies to further projects with the indigenous peoples of the Hakai region, providing land-centred learning opportunities for students and staff of UVic, as well as increased understanding of how indigenous peoples are culturally connected to the land, the animals, and the plants of their environment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBxy7yOFsGE
I was impressed by how Nancy describes her love for nature, and how she relates to the traditional ways of First Nations people.
The element to the traditional knowledge system is a cyclical tide frame; it comes with the seasons, tides, and generations. You revisit things as you get to know them better. And when you revisit, you can drill into it more and go deeper. Yes, it’s traditional; it is based on a past-knowledge, but that doesn’t mean it is trapped in the past or not applicable to today’s knowledge systems.
The technology we have now to record digitally, or learn from a distance, can be embraced. They are important learning tools to help perpetuate the rest of that knowledge. Digital media is another tool that can be used. You can’t just rely on the digital tools. You can’t just live in a virtual world. Digital characters can get their interest, but they will need to “get out there” and meet the teachers and the people with the knowledge; go to those places and find some way to connect directly with all of those things.
Digital storytelling can help lure out our youth to the forests and the land to make those connections.
I first encountered Sonny Assu’s work a few years ago as part of the Beat Nation exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. What struck me about his work was the fusion of traditional coastal motifs with pop sensibilities, which had the unique effect of presenting imagery that incorporated what is considered to be traditional First Nations iconography with familiar objects derived from a Western, consumer culture. Assu appropriates aspects of consumer culture as a means of exploring the impact of Western culture and colonialism on the culture, history and identity of First Nations in Canada, something that is well-represented in works such as “Ellipsis” and “Breakfast Series.”
With “Ellipsis,” Assu forged 136 vinyl records out of copper that served to represent the audio recordings taken during the early-twentieth century of coastal First Nations songs (and also represent the 136 years of the Indian Act at the time of the instillation), which at the time of their recording were prohibited from being sung in any context, apart from requests by anthropologists who wished to document the last remnants of First Nations cultures before their perceived (at the time) demise. What is reflected in the work, therefore, is the apprehension by many indigenous cultures to make available through mass produced technologies certain cultural traditions that might be appropriated or misused for purposes that are disrespectful. In addition, the work speaks out against the racist policies that the Canadian government has inflicted upon First Nations peoples for centuries, a theme that Assu explores in a number of works including “The Happiest Future” and “Product (RES).”
I was also intrigued by the works presented in the series iDrum and iPotlach, both of which explore the contentious relationship between digital technologies and First Nations oral traditions, which the tagline: “5000 Ancestors in Your Pocket” delivers in a perhaps less than subtle fashion.
To see more, and to read some of Assu’s intriguing artist statements, make your way to http://sonnyassu.com.
While searching for information related to technology uniting indigenous communities I stumbled across The First Nations Technology Council, who’s primary goals are to:
1. To support the number of First Nations communities accessing high or higher speed connectivity.
2. To increase the digital literacy of First Nations individuals and communities to ensure they benefit fully from technology.
3. To work with First Nations communities to determine their unique information management needs and to partner with qualified companies or agencies to develop appropriate programs and software to meet these needs.
4. To provide First Nations communities with technology support as close to them as possible and in a format that meets them at their technical literacy level. (source link: http://fnbc.info/about-first-nations-technology-council-0)
The site provides links to many sponsors and partners that support their agenda, which includes: First Nations Health Authority, First Nations Summit, UBC Learning Circle, Indigena Solutions.
FNTC is a non-profit organization that was incorporated in 2009. One of the things they do is facilitate annual technology summits for FN communities.
They have what’s called Project Raven which “provides technical skills development and employment opportunities to Aboriginal people living in various areas of BC. If you are an under-employed (less than 20 hrs per week) or un-employed Aboriginal, Metis or Inuit adult living on or off reserve in BC, you are eligible for training through this program.
One of the most reliable sources of information in our present is the researches and studies sponsored the Canadian government. This is true not because we live in Canada but because the government is trying to correct any unfair decisions that were taken in the past. The researches objectively focus on the history and traditions of the aboriginal people. Besides, politics is always tackled in such researches because it is behind a lot of decisions. Here is one interesting government site that I will use in my research in this course:
The topic discussed here is Canada’s relationship with the Inuits. I recommend this great source as an indispensable comprehensive account of history of the Inuit society.
The Virtual Museum of Canada has a great website entitled “Back to Batoche”. The website is a virtual museum of sorts, and includes both historical and contemporary information on Metis culture. The website is organized into two sections with many subsections each:
1885 Batoche
Involvement from Other Places
Duck Lake
Fish Creek
Red River
Western Canada
Central Canada
Areas of Interest
Tipi
Farm Life
General Store
House Visit
School/Post Office
Church
Cemetary
Battlefield
Middleton’s Zareba
Red River Cart
Northcote
Key People
Gabriel Dumont
Louis Riel
Present day Batoche
Areas of Interest
Festival House
Race Course
Voyageur Games
Grandstand
Fire Pit
Souvenir Stand
Visit Town of Batoche
Visitor Reception
Church
Zareba
East Village
Rifle Pits and River Lots
The website includes video clips, sound recordings, photographs, and drawings that depict the various sections. The website also includes interviews, recipes, games, language lessons, and more. It would be a great resource for anyone wishing to explore aspects of Metis history related to the 1885 Resistance and/or contemporary Metis culture.
While researching Nanook of the North and looking for other film based cultural media, I came across the Daughters of the Country film series that was produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The series dramatize general themes and time periods in Metis history, from 1770 to present day. Film descriptions provided by NFB Canada. All films are available on the National Film Board of Canada’s website for online viewing, and/or purchase.
The films are:
1) Ikwe – This film features a young Ojibwa girl from 1770 who marries a Scottish fur trader and leaves home for the shores of Georgian Bay. Although the union is beneficial for her tribe, it results in hardship and isolation for Ikwe. Values and customs clash until, finally, the events of a dream Ikwe once had unfold with tragic clarity.
2) Mistress Madeleine – This film, set in the 1850s, unfolds against the backdrop of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly of the fur trade. In protest, some Métis engage in trade with the Americans. Madeleine, the Métis common-law wife of a Hudson’s Bay Company clerk, is torn between loyalty to her husband and loyalty to her brother, a freetrader. Even more shattering, a change in company policy destroys Madeleine’s happy and secure life, forcing her to re-evaluate her identity.
3) Places Not Of Our Own – This film, set in 1929, depicts how Canada’s West, home to generations of Métis, was taken over by the railroads and new settlers. As a result, the Métis became a forgotten people, forced to eke out a living as best they could. At the forefront is Rose, a woman determined to provide her children with a normal life and an education despite the odds. But due to their harsh circumstances, a devastating and traumatic event transpires instead.
4) The Wake – This film , set in contemporary Alberta, is the story of the love affair that blossoms between a well-meaning Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and a young Metis woman. The Metis have a strong sense of community but there is also a feeling of separateness defined by racial origins and economics. In this atmosphere, the romance offers a new sense of hope. Then, during a dark winter’s night on a frozen lake, something happens to change the lovers’ lives forever.
