Tag Archives: Indigenous Peoples

Module 4 Weblog – Posting #5 – Community Storytelling

My final weblog post provides an example of an Indigenous community representing themselves through the use of digital storytelling.

The Georgina Island Storytelling Project is a project of the Chippewas of Georgina Island in Ontario. The site hosts a collection of existing stories and invites the contribution of new stories. The stories cover the history of the community beginning in the 1800s up to the present day. Viewers may search for stories based on a variety of topics such as commerce, island life, health, and governance and administration. The site itself also includes links to information regarding services in the community.

The combination of all of these stories provides a very vivid idea of each contributor’s personal story, and also of their sense of themselves in the larger community. As a living project, the site also provides guidance and options for those who wish to share their own stories and add to the expressions of the heritage and identity of their people.

Module #4-4: Indigenous Women

Leave a reply

There are always minorities within minority groups, and women often find themselves in that place. They may face double discrimination, not only do they experience discrimination from the surrounding society but also from within their own communities.

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Inc. (NIWRC) is a Native nonprofit organization in the United States specifically created to protect Native women from domestic violence. Their board of directors and staff consist of Native women from throughout the United States. They have extensive experience and commitment in providing technical assistance/training and resource information to safeguard Native women and their children.

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) is an international, non-governmental human rights organization staffed by specialists and advisers on indigenous affairs. IWGIA supports Indigenous peoples’ struggle for human rights, self-determination, right to territory, control of land and resources, cultural integrity, and the right to development. The IWGIA website presents their view regarding Gender and Indigenous Women as well. According to them, Indigenous women suffer from a range of problems related to the violation of their rights, such as lack of participation in decision-making processes and lack of land rights, lack of access to education, and domestic violence.

Module 4 – Post 3 – Technology as a tool

Leave a reply

Technology can be used for various purposes, but it is always inspiring to see it used for social good. The Surui people of Brazil have been waging a long struggle against logging interests that threaten to deprive them of their lands and habitat. However, despite being decimated by disease, they have not sat idly by. In cooperation with Google Earth Outreach, the Surui use this advanced tool to survey their territory electronically to see if any illegal logging operation is encroaching on their lands. Should this be the case, the authorities are called in to remove the problem. This video highlights how effective their use of the technology has been.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmlekZ–OWE

Module 4 – Post 2 – Bio-regional Education

Leave a reply

Ron Scollon’s Axe Handle Academy Paper brought to the forefront the importance of individuals learning about their environment and being aware of the details that comprise it. This interview with Larry Merculieff is a vivid example of how knowing your bio-region can bringing you closer to understanding yourself. This knowledge extends not only from geography, but the very plants and animals, their behaviors can bring upon an individual a profound sense of awareness. This interview is one of a series focusing on the thoughts of various community leaders and their view on knowledge and what it means in a First Nations context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUI6tUCtY28

Module 4 Weblog – Post #1 – Traditional Languages – New Media

Leave a reply

The Our World website shares the results of a series of film making workshops that have been carried out in numerous First Nations communities in BC and Yukon. The project was originally a National Film Board initiative, but more recently has been supported by an organization known as Bite Size Media.

The stories found on this site are all examples of First Nations collaborating with elders to learn more about their language and culture. Most of the videos are narrated in a traditional language, and in some cases, share traditional stories, songs and dances. However, many of the pieces also share very poignant perspectives on the loss of culture and the film makers’ struggles to define their own identities. The site is organized according to the places in which the film making workshops have taken place. As such it provides a sense of the unique nature of each people and its youth as well as how these media pieces were received by the communities in which they were created.

One of the most notable things that I found about this site was the range of approaches and techniques chosen by the young people who created these digital stories. The videos are visually very diverse and have clear and distinct voices. Nonetheless, I found, they all result in a very similar and significant impact on the viewer.

Module 4 – Post 1 – Canadian History a Distinct Viewpoint

Leave a reply

“Canadian History a Distinct Viewpoint” is the website of Dick Garneau. Dick is a researcher of both written and oral history of the Metis peoples, with emphasis on the genealogical roots of the Metis Garneau clan. Dick has been researching his family history and the history of the Metis peoples for the past 60 years. The bulk of this historical research appears on his website. While the material was originally intended as a book, Dick decided instead to make the information available on the internet for free with the goal of supporting the education of young people to a different view of history,

The website includes written histories of many of the peoples of Canada including the Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Asians. Histories are provided for many regions of Canada including New France, Central Canada, Alberta, and British Columbia. Information is also provided on the genealogies of many Metis families. While the provided information is quite text heavy, it is easy to read and navigate. This resource is recommended for anyone who wishes to explore the history of Canada from a Metis perspective.

The website can be found here: http://www.metis-history.info/index.shtml

Module 3:5 – Minority Rights International

Leave a reply

Minority Rights Group International is a human rights organization whose motto is “working to secure the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples”. Its annual flagship publication is the State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – the 2013 report was released in late September, and focuses on the health inequities faced by most minority and indigenous groups worldwide.

The organization also produces the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, which has summary descriptions of the minority and indigenous groups found in all regions of the world. Canada’s entries for First Nations and Inuit are quite lengthy and describe the historical context of colonization as well as current land title issues, etc.

Module 3 Weblog – Post #1 – Supporting Decolonization

Leave a reply

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 – Post 5 – âpihtawikosisân

Leave a reply

âpihtawikosisân is the website of Chelsea Vowel, “a Métis from the Plains Cree speaking community of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta. Chelsea currently lives in Montreal, Quebec. Her passions are: education, Aboriginal law, the Cree language, and roller derby. She holds a BEd, an LLB and teaches indigenous youth.”

The website features blog posts, links to interviews that Chelsea has conducted, and informational links to a wide range of Indigenous topics including: Indigenous Identity and Culture, Aboriginal Law and treaties, Historic and Continuing Injustice, Specific Myths and Misunderstandings, Indigenous Health and Safety, Organisations, and Attawapiskat. I was originally attracted to her website to view an article entitled, “You’re Metis? So which of your parents is an Indian?” which attempts to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings around Metis identity. Chelsea’s website is well written, easy to navigate, and includes a coverage of a wide variety of timely, topical information.

I would recommend this resources for anyone wanting to know more about how Indigenous peoples are (mis)represented in the media.

You can view the website here: http://apihtawikosisan.com/

Module 3 – Post 4 – A Gesture of Reconciliation

Leave a reply

People gathered from far and wide at Saskatoon City Hall on October 25th to witness the historic occasion of the raising of two new flags. Two new Flags representing Treaty Six and the Metis were raised as a gesture of openness and good faith, and to recognize and honour the First Nations Peoples. The ceremony included presentations from many different First Nations groups: singing, dancing, fiddle music and drumming. Speeches from local representatives, First Nations elders and Lieutenant-Governor Vaughn Solomon were included as well.

You can read the full article here

You can see pictures from the ceremony here