Module 3 Weblog – Post #4 – Aboriginal Multimedia

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The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA) was founded in 1983 and states, as part of its mission that it is “…dedicated to providing objective, mature and balanced coverage of news, information and entertainment relevant to Aboriginal issues and peoples while maintaining profound respect for the values, principles and traditions of Aboriginal people. “(History and Mission page, retrieved 03/11/13).

By 1993 society’s work has resulted in the creation of Windspeaker magazine, Canada’s sole national aboriginal news publication.  The site offers links to information regarding AMMSA’s regional publications for at least four provinces and one territory – BC/Yukon, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. In addition to the news publications, the site also provides links to CFWE, an Alberta based fm radio broadcaster.

Finally, the site includes a Daily blog and Community Access Links along with numerous “in depth” resources on current issues of particular relevance such as IdleNoMore, Missing and Murdered Women, and Pipelines and Tankers. These areas of the site are rich sources of information and perspectives on the lives of Aboriginal people in Canada, their contributions to their communities and the challenges that they continue to face with respect to self-governance, their cultures, their lands and their resources. While these materials are not stories in the traditional sense of narrative, they nonetheless help to fill in important gaps in the story of our country that many Canadians have been told over the years.

Module 3 Weblog – Post #3 – Digital Expressions of Identity

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In one our earliest readings for the course, we learned from Faye Ginsburg of the events leading to the founding of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).  One of the web sites affiliated with APTN, is Digital Drum. This site calls itself “…..an online gathering place for the young Aboriginal person” (About page, retrieved 03/11/13).

On the site, contributors can post and share digital media as a means of inspiration and expressing identity.  The categories on which contributors can post are numerous and include everything from #IdleNoMore to the arts, food and travel, culture, politics and science and technology. What is interesting about the posts on the site is the mix of links that relate directly to traditional aboriginal culture and those that address a wide range of contemporary issues. Some, but not all posts on the site include commentary. Selfishly, I wish that more of the posts did include commentary in order to provide some insight into what it was about each piece of media that resonated most with the contributor and how the media relates to their personal identity.

Module 3 Weblog – Post #2 – Native Daughters

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The role of women in preserving traditional Native American language and customs is outlined in the multimedia article Native Storytellers Connect the Past and Future. This article is found on the website Native Daughters, a project of the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

The site includes contributions by a group of Native American women and young girls described as:

  • Artists
  • Environmentalists
  • Healers
  • Lawgivers
  • Leaders
  • Storytellers, and
  • Warriors

Through video clips and text content, some very interesting perspectives are shared. While similar topics/themes are covered in these pieces to some of the film and video material from Module 3 of this course, there are certainly areas where the perspectives differ, e.g. the idea/definition of warrior. For me, this is an important reminder of how critical context/place/community is to Indigenous knowledge and culture.

Module 3 Weblog – Post #1 – Supporting Decolonization

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While researching for Module 3 and continuing my work on my final research project, I found a relatively new online journal which may support many of the themes and questions emerging from our studies in this course.

Launched in 2012, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society  is an inter-disciplinary publication which describes itself as a “….. peer-reviewed, online Open Access journal committed to decolonization work within education, as part of a larger project of decolonization in society” (Home page, retrieved 03/11/13). While the Editorial Board of this journal all appear to be associated with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, the Editorial Review Board includes individuals from across the globe, each of whom are in some way connected with Indigenous Studies. Many of the names/voices on this board have already been introduced to us thanks to ETEC521.

The journal has also launched a blog as an active means of creating dialogue with the larger community.

Together the journal and the blog serve not only as a valuable source of perspectives on decolonization; their existence also serves as an active means of challenging and addressing the ongoing effects of colonialism across the world.

Note: Apologies for any duplication — just prior to preparing this post, I noticed that our classmate had just added a post describing the very same site — not surprising given what this journal has to offer!

Module 3.5 Online media by and for indigenous people

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I came across an interesting article ” A powerful year of online media by and for Indigenous People”. The article focuses on the importance of online media in voicing out indigenous issues and rights. Moreover, the article encompasses a list of recommended Indigenous films produced in 2011, made by indigenous people from the USA, Australia, Brazil, Panama, Columbia, Northern Kenya, The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Source: http://intercontinentalcry.org/a-year-of-online-media-by-and-for-indigenous-peoples/

Module 3.4. Legacy of Hope Foundation

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The Legacy of Hope Foundation is an Aboriginal Canadian Foundation that addresses the long-term psychological implications of residential schools Aboriginal generations, both old and new.  The foundation’s main focus is to promote a process of reconciliation and healing in Canada, through a deep understanding of residential schooling issues, and their intergenerational impacts on both indigenous and non-indigenous Canadian people.

The Foundation established a virtual exhibition: http://www.wherearethechildren.ca/. The exhibition offers a Blackboard interactive forum, a map and timeline of the Residential School Era, a “bookshelf” that contains textbooks, a dictionary and a teacher’s guide, a 3D tour of Mohawk Institute Residential School, a “projector” of residential schools’ survivor stories and a museum-like exhibition.

 

Module 3.3 Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society: An online journal

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Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society is a peer- reviewed, open-access online journal, a publishing space for scholars, organizers and teachers engaged in decolonizing activity.

The journal allows online participation, discussions and debates, connecting academics, communities and students around the world. The blog site of the journal aims at building an online community where both guest writers and academics can share and exchange thoughts on indigeneity and decolonization.

The journal is funded by the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE); It encompasses articles, art, poetry and videos. It can be found on http://decolonization.org

Entry 13 : the Healthy Aboriginal Network

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I came across this site, the Healthy Aboriginal Network,  and immediately ‘symbaloo’ed it for my own classroom use. The site offers comic books that have been created to cover many of the issues- social, personal, family, etc, that aboriginal youth face today.  The titles, listed below, can be ordered, but if you click on the comic book, it opens into a pdf that you can preview.  I believe that comic books are a great source of media to reach the students, in hopes of discussing these important issues.

Topics include:

Financial Literacy – The Game Plan

Dog bites – The Gift

Residential School – Lost Innocence   I am using this possibly in my final project.

Maternal Child Health – It Takes a Village

Sexual health – Kiss Me Deadly

Droppin’ the Flag  deals with gangs

Youth in care – Lighting up the Darkness  -recalling painful childhood lost memories

Living with FASD – Drawing Hope

Smoking prevention – River Run

Sports/Gang awareness – In Path of the Warrior

Just a Story – deals with Mental Health situations

Diabetes awareness – An Invited Threat

Level Up  – deals with dropping out/staying in school

On the Turn – deals with youth gambling

 

 

Module 3, Posting 3

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The colonization of a nation that ruled a lot of lands in this world is a period that belonged to the past with all its inconsistencies. It happened; it built and destroyed a lot of things. Nobody can deny that. Now things are different. There a counter reaction to what happened to the aboriginal people in many countries and especially in North America. The reforming factors that encourage the new change in the aboriginal issue are highlighted by an aware educational body of educators and educational designers. This will pave the way to an integral educational system that can serve the learners whoever they are. Here is another source that doesn’t only focus on the decolonizing process in Canada but also in many countries as well. I thought it would be of use to all of us here in this course as it will give us a chance to make a comparison between North America and all the countries that have  the same issue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_decolonization

Module 3 posting 2

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I am enjoying the postings this week about preparing a decolonized system of education for the aboriginal people. The educational system consists of   aboriginal and non-aboriginal educators who are fully aware of the challenges in the learning process facing students and teachers alike. One of the sources that I can recommend to read not only to explore the topic this week but also to have a deep understanding of the core of the aboriginal educational issue. The source is a kind of study done by Linda Archibald. Its title is Decolonization and Healing. You can get it here:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahf.ca%2Fdownloads%2Fibpengweb.pdf&ei=vrp0Uu-tEMal2wW7nYDQBQ&usg=AFQjCNHIhR4KYj-J4XzVQrVVSvnSptFDKg&sig2=UMk0b9jfd1Xf3AEoZPyPxw