Tag Archives: First Nations

Statement Connecting Weblog – Ecotourism in BC

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http://www.aboriginalbc.com

“This spectacular province is home to our people who have preserved our way of life.  We are proud of our culture and heritage and most importantly we want to share it with the world.  We want to celebrate the fact that we’re still here.”  (promotional video for Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia).

Ecotourism is a niche market that includes responsible travel to fragile, pristine and usually protected areas.  The goals of ecotourism are to

      • educate the traveler
  • provide funds for conservation
  • directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities
  • foster respect for different cultures and human rights. (encyclopedia of ecotourism)

While there is a strong tendency to focus on case studies in countries such as Costa Rica, Brazil and Ecuador, I am interested in the growing ecotourism industry here in British Columbia.  I teach a class focused on ecotourism at the highschool level (I’m currently teaching it for the second time) and I include a unit on First Nations ecotourism in BC.   Ecotourism affords First Nations communities a chance to educate visitors in their culture and history, which aids in the breaking down of stereotypes.  It also affords new economic ventures coming from sustainable use of land and natural resources.

However as with all tourism, there are both benefits and threats.  The ETEC 521 course shell points out that there is a need for Indigenous communities to protect vital resources from outside exploitation.   How do communities balance educating non-Indigenous people, while preserving their culture?  What are the other potential threats to culture that an increase in ecotourism would bring?

I would like to start by surveying the variety ecotourism opportunities available in British Columbia and then follow by assessing the potential threats/benefits to First Nations culture.  The Journal of Ecotourism will likely be a valuable resource as it includes articles such as:

Indigenous Ecotourism in Central British Columbia: The Potential for Building Capacity of Tl’azt’en Nations Territories

 Not “Ecotourism”?: Wilderness Tourism in Canada’s Yukon Territory

I have also obtained a copies of the following books:

Indigenous Ecotourism – Sustainable Development and Management

Ecotourism – Management and Assessment

Module 1 – Post 5 – Longhouse programs

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To continue on my theme of education posibilites that exist, I decided to look into some of the longhouse programs that are available in my area.

The closest to my school is the Shxwt’a:selhawtxw Longhouse Program.  Sto:lo has worked closely with the school district with every Grade 4 student in the district taking part in interactive cultural activities.  Other classes have the opportunity to design their own tour from a list of options including; bannock, carving, cedar, bark & wool weaving, fishing, slahal, speakers, story telling and land & resources information.

Grouse Mountain offers the híwus First Nations Cultural Program.  In their feasthouse students receive an authentic cultural experience including legends, songs, dances, crafts and food.

In Mission, the Xa:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre is currently closed, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to find out why.  I have been to programs at this particular site before and have found them to be very informative and well run.   This is believed to be the oldest dwelling in BC, dating back 9,000 years and Hatzic Rock is a “transformer site”, the Sto:lo story that 3 chiefs were turned to stone after challenging the Creator. Hopefully they’ll reopen soon!

 

Module 1 – Posting 4 – The Stand Film

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Those of you in the BC area are likely aware of the controversy surrounding the proposed Enbridge Pipeline; a 1,170km route stretching from Alberta’s tar sands to Kitimat on the BC coast.  From there the oil would be loaded onto super tankers and navigate some of the most dangerous waters in the world before heading to Asian markets.  The narrow inlets through which these tankers would pass are not only sensitive marine ecosystems teaming with biodiversity, but they also pass through the Great Bear Rainforest and traditional waters of the Haisla First Nations.

Norm Hann worked closely of with the people of Hartley Bay as a teacher and basketball coach and was adopted into the Hartley Bay Community in 2006.  Norm, an influential person in the Standup Paddleboard (SUP) community, decided to a paddle the proposed 400km route in order to bring awareness to traditional food harvesting areas of the First Nations people and document the wildlife in the area that could be damaged should there be an oil spill.  The resulting documentary was called Standup4Greatbear:

SU4GB video

Seeing the original SU4GB documentary, representatives of Roxy/Quicksilver decided to sponsor a second documentary Stand.  The follow up trip saw Norm paddle 350km, visiting each of the Haida Watchman sites along Haida Gwaii.  A portion of the video also follows First Nations students from Bella Bella Highschool as they build they own standup paddleboards in class.   The amazing cinematography and the strong message of conservation (both culturally and environmentally) make this film one worth watching (I myself have watched it a half dozen times now).  View the trailer here:

Stand Film trailer

Yesterday, Stand officially released its education package.  It includes the DVD and a 17 page teaching aide that fits with BC’s Prescribed Learning Outcomes for Social Studies, Geography, First Nation Studies, Science, Geology, Sustainable Resources and Physical Education.  This cross-curricular package seems to be an ideal and approachable way of incorporating First Nations topics into the classroom.

Module 1 – Post 5 – The Altai and the Land

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A  vivid examination of the importance of the local Indigenous connection with the land can be seen in the following video:

http://vimeo.com/7111821

The focus in the video is of the Altai people in central Russian and how they are seeking to rebuild their connection with their knowledge and customs that have suffered due systematic neglect and Russian colonization. This short documentary focuses on the environmental knowledge of the Altai, yet one of the most striking aspects of this piece is that it shows how differing types of knowledge is transmitted between members of the community as well as the profound connection that the speakers have to the place they live in. What is inspiring about this video is that it also represents a restoration of traditional knowledge and practice.

This film, sponsored by United Nations Diversity Project is a very effective reference tool in understanding the universal challenges confronting First Nations peoples globally and their struggle to  reclaim their ancient heritage and traditions.

Module 1 – Post 4 – Approaches to Healing

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On the journey to understanding the idea of Indigenous knowledge and how it pertains to interaction with technology, I repeatedly came across the term of ‘Traditional Knowledge’. In order to understand this term better, I found a fascinating paper from the International Indigenous Policy Journal that examined Traditional Knowledge, Spirituality, and Lands. It can be accessed here:

http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=iipj

What’s very interesting about the article is that it explores the means through which knowledge is transmitted throughout Indigenous communities with a strong emphasis on health care. Due to the severe disparities in health care outcomes between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples, the means through which to improve this lies in understanding the proper role and historical context of traditional healing in Indigenous society. This information could be useful as a foundation for the development of curriculum regarding Indigenous health care issues and their possible solutions.

 

Module 1 – Post #1 – Getting Started

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As I was getting started in this course, I struggled a bit in deciding where and how to begin my research. However, after reviewing Ginsburg’s article, with its examples of First Nations communities adopting film and broadcasting technologies, I became curious about how indigenous communities have adopted more recent types of technology to support and sustain their knowledge, culture and values. I began looking for resources specific to indigenous approaches to digital education and soon discovered First Nations Pedagogy Online.

As stated on the site, First Nations Pedagogy Online “…provides best practices and support for online learning initiatives that are intended for aboriginal students, elders, educators, curriculum developers, and educational leaders.” The site provides great context for anyone trying to better understand Aboriginal culture and education. It also offers links to excellent resources for learning about online pedagogy in general. The Community provides a forum for sharing best practice and ideas, while the “Circle Talk” blog provides current news and perspectives on a range of relevant issues.

I anticipate returning to this site many times throughout the course as I reflect on our discussions and work to define the focus of my research.

Module #1 – Post #4: Song

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Earlier this week, I created a post that focused on one example of contemporary Aboriginal dance that incorporate traditional elements with modern dance sensibilities. This got me thinking further about how the internet might serve as an effective tool for the preservation and continuation of Aboriginal arts. Media Smarts, a website devoted to digital and media literacy in Canada, provided a good jumping off point for me, with links to artists pages and informational websites organized by medium – all with an Aboriginal focus. The coverage here is, as I said, a good jumping off point, but it is limited in scope as it is not the sole focus of the website. Needless to say, there’s a lot more to explore.

This took me to the Library and Archives Canada website, which houses information and audio files specific to Inuit, First Nations and Metis music, its history and influences. Unfortunately, the sound clips are limited to 30 seconds each, so the full breadth of each song can’t be experienced. (As an interesting aside, many elders were resistant to the idea of having White anthropologists record Aboriginal music during the late 19th century and early 20th when recording technology first became available. As songs were often tied to sacred rites and rituals, they feared this music would be misappropriated and taken out of context, which incidentally is what happens here as no information is given regarding the origin and significance of each audio clip). What I did find useful was that each category of Aboriginal music is divided into traditional and contemporary sections, providing listeners with an opportunity to experience the diversity inherent in Aboriginal music. This also provides listeners with a way to experience traditional sounds married with contemporary influences, which are particular evident in the Inuit and Metis sections of the archive.

Module 1 – Post 3 – A Sorry State

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I strongly recommend taking the time to watch this documentary by Canadian filmmaker Mitch Miyagawa.  With a Japanese-Canadian father, an Aboriginal step-mother and a Chinese-Canadian step-father and three official Canadian government apologies to his family, he asserts that he has the most apologized to family in the country.  His exploration of his family history and the meaning of an apology is at times funny and light and at others very moving and heart wrenching.

http://ww3.tvo.org/video/184814/sorry-state

A couple of the conclusions he comes to are:

There is a difference between an apology and acknowledgement.  Sometimes, the acknowledgement is more important than the apology. 

Apologies are more about the future than about the past.  It’s about much more than just saying something. 

Apologies, acknowledgement, stories and all the memorials and other ways we have of dealing with the mistakes of our past, they aren’t about endings, they’re about beginnings. 

Module 1 – Post 1: Residential Schools

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Reading the Hare article pinched a nerve for me. It reminded me of a made for TV Canadian movie called Where the Spirit Lives (click to view in new window) which came out in 1989.  I remember my impression of the movie as a young boy coming to know the dark yet true past of Canadian Heritage.  As a Canadian born Chinese, who’s great great grandfather helped build the railroad, I think it made me somewhat more sensitive to this “painful legacy” that Canadians share.

Having watched the movie again in adulthood and learning about Indigenous Knowledge in Education, I think the film does a remarkable job in depicting what these schools were like, for students and teachers.  I’m sure much worse things happened that could not be presented in the movie, but it fits in with what Hare describes as “the denigration of indigenous knowledge that was embedded within traditional cultural practices, values, ways of living, and languages…and the inter-generational trauma it (residential schools) left for individuals, families, and communities.” (p. 98 & 101)

With my Christian background, it also saddens me how deceptive and powerful religious lies can be, and the danger of misguided zeal in many ‘missionary’ work – past and present. Well, I don’t have an answer for how we can learn from past mistakes, but as Lee Brown and Hare point out, there needs to be some kind of “nurturing of emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual development” that promotes, rather than destroys community. And we are starting to really learn that the old industrial-age education model is outdated and needs serious reform.

 

Module #1, Post #1 – In Search of Status

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The blog, Black Face Blogging by Dr. Lynn Gehl, focuses largely on the treatment of First Nations women and children who are denied their status because of questions surrounding paternity. Dr. Gehl, herself an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe, has been denied First Nations status, as were her great grandmothers and grandmother, because of the absence of the father’s name/signature on their birth documents. The absence of a signature could be a result of one of a number of factors, however, Indian Affairs interprets this as evidence that the father is not of Aboriginal descent, therefore, disqualifies these children from claiming First Nations status. Because of sex discrimination in the Indian Act, children born without paternal documentation are not awarded the same rights and benefits as those First Nations children who do. This places First Nations children and their mothers at a distinct disadvantage, placing an already marginalized segment of a marginalized population at greater risk.

While obviously deeply passionate and often times inflammatory in her rhetoric, Dr. Gehl nonetheless provides a great number of resources such as government policy documents and First Nations produced web content that provides a rich dichotomy of perspectives. In addition, the site provides opportunities for readers to comment on the topics that Dr. Gehl touches on in her post, providing a forum for those who have experienced sex discrimination to share their personal stories. I was struck by the number of people, including Dr. Gehl, who placed a great deal of weight on the importance of the status card as a kind of validation or affirmation of their identity. But as Dr. Gehl notes, the denial of status due to sex discrimination is just another way for the government to further fracture First Nations communities and renege on their treaty responsibilities. In a sense then, the fight to gain status for many First Nations women and their children goes far beyond simply having one’s identity affirmed, and can be seen as a fight against the slow erosion of First Nations communities and cultures altogether.