As we have progressed through Module 1, my attention has been drawn numerous times to the idea of film and rich media as vehicles for the sharing of indigenous knowledge and storytelling.

www.ourelderstories.com is the home site for Voices in the Wind Productions, by Dr. Judy Iseke (Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge and Research). Dr. Iseke’s work “…includes challenging appropriation and misrepresentation of Indigenous knowledges in mainstream art and media as well as sharing Indigenous pedagogies in educating communities and aiding in sustaining Indigenous cultures.” The site offers downloadable files for Dr. Iseke’s five short films, a number of her journal articles, and Cree and Michif language links.

Each of Dr. Iseke’s films tells a story of its own. One of the films, “Understanding What Life is About”,offers concrete messages about the use of storytelling in Indigenous communities.

I hope to delve further into the strengths and weaknesses of sharing traditional culture through digital media. However, right now, for me, these works stand as examples of how effectively a message can be communicated when simple words,sounds and images are combined.