Screen Sovereignty and Isolation

Hello everyone!

In today’s blog I (along with everyone else) will be addressing the concept of screen sovereignty. In aboriginal studies screen sovereignty can be described as the act of creating insiders and outsiders via media. As Kristin Dowell says in her book Aboriginal Media on the West Coast Screen sovereignty is ‘an act of cultural autonomy that reclaims the screen to tell Aboriginal stories from Aboriginal perspectives.’ In the past, outsiders as a way of explaining our ways have often created media covering indigenous peoples and because of this, like a game of telephone, the true story can often be misinterpreted. It can be said from this, that indigenous screen sovereignty can be viewed as an act of creation of indigenous stories with no outside influence and no one to interfering with how the story is supposed to be told. Because of this, we often get a feeling of alienation from outsiders, however this media is meant for indigenous peoples specifically, so perhaps this is a feeling that is meant to be felt. In today’s blog I’d like to take a look at the First Voices typing keyboard app, as well as Burtons God’s Lake Narrows and talk about why they’re examples of screen sovereignty.

 

http://i.cbc.ca/1.3586672.1463535428!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_1180/indigenous-language-keyboard-app.jpg

http://i.cbc.ca/1.3586672.1463535428!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_1180/indigenous-language-keyboard-app.jpg

To start of with, the concept of screen sovereignty doesn’t have to be taken literally as just film that you see on screen. In can be in any form of media, from videogames, to books and even cooking recipes. An interesting piece of screen sovereignty, which was released back in May of 2016 is the First Voices typing app which gives access to over 100 indigenous languages across Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. From an indigenous persons perspective I find this an act of screen sovereignty as it gives the power to indigenous peoples to write in their own languages, on their keyboards. My language Gitxsanimaax, the language of the Gitxaan people is actually in this keyboard and it has allowed by grandmother to text in our language on a keyboard that is built for her, instead using an English keyboard to try and say what she wants in our language. Since we come from a society that typically only uses English keyboards I think that this tool really is empowering as it gives indigenous peoples a chance to decolonize their own space on the Internet by starting with their keyboards. Indigenous keyboards naturally give a feeling of outsiders versus insiders. The chances of a colonial person using an indigenous keyboard are slim and if you did you would immediately get the feeling that this keyboard wasn’t built for you. Even for me, look at say the Cree language I get the feeling this language isn’t mine.

http://learngitxsan.com/wp-content/uploads/image/Simalgax%20alphabet.jpg

http://learngitxsan.com/wp-content/uploads/image/Simalgax%20alphabet.jpg

 

The feeling of screen sovereignty specifically belonging to certain people is definitely one of its main components and when we look at Burtons God’s Lake Narrows project we definitely get this feeling as this image is the first one he introduces us to:

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‘All these houses might seem the same to you’, he says. We immediately are recognized as outsiders from this reserve. He says that he feels God Lakes been misrepresentated in the media and he’d like the change that. Typically in the media God’s Lake Narrows is representated as a fishing and camping destination with no mention of the reserve:

 

Gods Lake, in Northern Manitoba is a fishing paradise that offers something special for all those who visit. With its pristine shores and deep water, Gods Lake is an incredible natural wonder that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated,’

 

Reads God’s Lakes website. If you go into their gallery you can see some pictures of white people smiling holding fish.

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However as we go through Burtons piece we see the actual people who call this place home.

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In this virtual tour we first see the homes, then the people, I feel like an intruder as I go through these pictures as I feel like I’ve stepped into someone’s home invited but not necessarily welcome. This feeling of isolation really does change the way we go into this tour, however it still does show us what Burton wanted us to see, which is the Reserve of God’s Lake, it’s even the top thing that pops up now on Google instead of the tourism website.

Overall I feel like isolation plays a key role in screen sovereignty, however I think it’s an after-product of the process of the creation of a piece by a different culture. With indigenous media, we sometimes do want to share with you what we’ve made—like Burton’s piece—however sometimes we don’t—like the First Voices app, however it’s clear that neither of these pieces were produced by colonial peoples and I think that’s important as it get’s the message across: this doesn’t belong to you.

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