Tag Archives: First Nations

Module 2 – Post #3 – Generational Journeys

As part of my research into digital storytelling as a means of expression for indigenous culture and knowledge, I have been seeking out digital stories that are shared online for public review and consideration.

Six such stories have been made available through the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence, and their project kiskino mâto tapanâsk: Intergenerational Effects on Professional First Nations Women Whose Mothers are Residential School Survivors . Each storyteller, in this project, has a unique perspective on the long term effects of the residential school system on her family and relationships. However, as Lisa Forbes states in the opening of her video story, there is a great value in viewing all of these pieces together, to understand the collective strength of their message. Each woman has the opportunity to introduce her digital story, providing insight into her choices and her motivation for the piece. While much of the material has a sombre tone, there is also a common thread of strength and resilience passed along from one generation to the next. The journeys of these storytellers provide snapshots of the ongoing legacy of the residential schools, but also reflect the plans and hopes of these women for the generations that follow them.

Module 2 – Post 5 – Local Language Radio in Tofino

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Combining two of the themes from my previous post (language and ecotourism in Tofino) is the Long Beach Radio Web Log, Tofino and Ucluelet’s Local Radio. I found it incredibly interesting that this radio station has a link on it’s website called “Local Language”. While this section is relatively new and doesn’t contain a ton of information, their note promises that the page will continue to grow as the program develops. They do have various links and sample audio so that you can become familiar with the Nuu Chah Nulth language.

http://www.longbeachradio.ca/p/local-language.html

In my proposal for my final paper, I explained that I am wanting to delve into ecotourism and it’s connection to the First Nations people of British Columbia. Because of this I have been looking into various First Nations tourist activities that advertise that they are “ecotourism”. The community of Tofino is a hotbed for ecotourism so it was no surprise when I came across “Walk theWild Side”, a 2 day hike just outside of Tofino on Flores Island.

“The trail, from the Ahousaht village to the wild coast of Flores Island, is a unique showcase of the First Nation’s history and culture. The trail has been continuously used by the Ahousaht people for thousands of years for spiritual purposes, to gather medicinal plants and seasonal food, as well as to collect wood and bark for cultural uses.”. Travellers are encouraged to learn some Ahousaht language phrases as well as some history about the sites they will be visiting, before they visit.

Module 2 – Post 3 – First Nations’ font downloads

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In the interview of Dr. Lorna Williams that we watched in module 6, she spoke at length about language. Both about the systematic attempt to wipe out First Nations languages through residential schools and the attempts to reteach those languages through programs within her community. At one point she is speaking about creating these programs from scratch and identifies the challenge of what happens to a language when it becomes coded and static… when it shifts from an oral tradition to a literate one. Certainly one of those challenges is the constraints that are put on by the roman alphabet of the keyboard. A few of our readings have made reference to programs that you can download but I had yet to see one until I came across this site that allows you download fonts for a large number of First Nations in North America, including this page for the Haisla People how live near Kitamaat (they are among the First Nations who are standing against the Enbridge pipeline).

Module #2 – Post #5: Witnesses

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Witnesses, a series of works by aboriginal artists across Canada, has been on exhibit at The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at UBC since September 6. Its focus is on the representation of the effects of the residential school system from an aboriginal perspective by those that experienced it directly, or those who have experienced the impact that it continues to have on the indigenous population in Canada.

The exhibition is an insightful, educational and sobering experience, as the works included serve to communicate the psychological, social and physical impact of the residential school system in a way that only works of art can convey. Lisa Jackson’s video Savage, for instance, explores a number of themes such as grief, cultural dislocation and assimilation in just over five minutes solely through the use of images and music. Nonetheless, what transpires illicits a great deal of empathy for the characters, their families, and the indigenous peoples of Canada for whom they represent.

The opening of the exhibit coincided with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada National Event held in Vancouver from September 18-21. In the spirit of that occasion, the focus for this exhibit has been about dialogue and understanding, with a number of events and symposiums with the artists and representatives from First Nations communities to share their experience, knowledge and views with the public. Check out the schedule of events here for more information.

Module #2 – Post #4: An Argument for Arts-Based Education

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At the core of the DAREarts philosophy is the desire to empower students, to build their self-esteem and leadership potential, and to encourage students to become agents of change in their own lives and communities.

With its arts-based, community and holistic approach to education, its no surprise that the DAREarts program has been attractive to many First Nations (mainly in Ontario where the foundation originates) that have struggled with a steady decline in high school completion for decades. This has and continues to lead to issues such as unemployment, poverty and suicide in First Nations communities where a lack of education has resulted in a lack of opportunities for young people especially.

What leaders in communities such as Webequie FN have observed, however, is that the DAREarts program has infused the youth in their communities with a sense of purpose and belonging that the regular curriculum and school system has failed to do. Chief Cornelius Wabasse of the Webequie FN cites the fact that since the curriculum is arts-based, there is greater room for adaptability and a general feeling of accomplishment. I’d go a bit further by placing a value on indigenous knowledge, skills and culture, in addition to the holistic philosophy of the program, provides students with a greater sense of emotional fulfillment that translates into greater confidence.

Click here to read more about the impact of the DAREarts program on First Nations communities in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Module #2 – Post #3: Creativity, Connectivity and Culture in the Digital Realm

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The Gulf Islands Film and Television School (GIFTS) has garnered a reputation for delivering excellent film production education, especially for youth, since its inception in 1995. Through intensive courses that often run weeks at a time, students are taught the necessary skills for developing and producing film projects surrounded by the natural beauty of the Gulf Islands in British Columbia.

In researching for this blog, I came across an article in the Georgia Straight from 2009 highlighting a new program aimed directly at aspiring First Nations filmmakers from across BC. Through a special grant, the school was able to invite students from nine First Nations across the province, and equip them with cameras and computers that they were able to take with them upon returning to their communities. The program also placed an emphasis on training students on how to use the internet and social media to promote their work and connect with other First Nations artists across the country.

What I found unique and refreshing about the program was that it placed an emphasis on creating content by First Nations for First Nations. The instructors were primarily of aboriginal descent, and the school hoped that in years to come that current students would return to serve as mentors to new students going through the program. The students also came together to create a kind of artist collective called REZolutions Media, which served to advance their online presence and build a community of aboriginal media artists from a variety of backgrounds.

The article is a few years old, however, upon checking the GIFTS website, it appears as if the program is still being offered. Unfortunately, it’s not entirely clear of REZolutions Media continues to function, or whether it has any connection with Rezolution Pictures, a mostly First Nations-run production company, whose films, documentaries and TV series focus on contemporary First Nations issues (the trailer for Mohawk Girls is certainly worth a look).

Module 2: Post 3 – Deconstructing Stereotypes in the Media

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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 19^th century, as though we’re not still around.” – Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indian.

Module #2 – Post #2: The Work of Sonny Assu

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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.

Research Interest: Identity, the Arts, and New Media Technologies

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Through the use of this blog, I would like to gain a greater understanding of contemporary Aboriginal cultural identity, specifically in a Canadian context. I feel that the arts provide a valuable lens from which to explore this topic, as art forms such as music, dance, carving, and textiles have long played a pivotal role in First Nations culture. The arts provided artists and communities with ways of preserving traditions, history and affirming a shared sense of tribal identity, something that was adversely affected by the federal laws that restricted or prohibited traditional practices, and of course the residential school system that separated children from their families over several generations.

As First Nations communities attempt to heal the scars of these traumatic experiences, I’m curious to know what role the arts are playing in revitalizing Aboriginal cultural traditions and strengthening a sense of purpose and identity in the twenty-first century. In addition to revitalizing traditional art forms, new technologies such as video, audio recording and digital art software provide First Nations artists with an opportunity to create new works of art that merge tradition with modernity. The integration of new technologies, re-interpretations of traditional art forms and the influence of media produced by non-aboriginal artists, however, presents new challenges and questions about the meaning, purpose and sanctity of Aboriginal art that I feel is worth exploring.