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Blog 3: CyberSPACE

Indigenous futurism and illustration means imagining a future with Indigenous worldviews, governance, landscapes, practices, etc. It would be recreating a world with Indigenous views, not Western ones – like what it was like prior to colonization and European domination. Today, Indigenous futurism is prominent in cyberspace through websites, chat rooms, social media, and much more, allowing Indigenous people to freely express their views and feelings to other Indigenous peoples and the public (Lewis and Fragnito 107). This can and often will get transferred into reality, such as movements, rallies, etc.

A great example of this is Skawennati’s Timetraveller episodes. As a first-time viewer, the graphics are very futuristic in the sense that it looks mystical and unique, but also reflects the realities of Indigenous topics. The most powerful thing about it is that the voices are Indigenous people voicing their own thoughts and stories and continuously challenging “typical stereotypes” through this medium that is engaging, fun, and educational. This is also an example of screen sovereignty because Indigenous voices are dominant and reflects the truth about what occurred.

Creators can customize and create character avatars any way they want through Second Life. The setting, time, and features are relatively accessible (I say relatively because Second Life makes my Mac heat up like a fireplace) allowing viewers to express their creativeness, thoughts, and stories through this medium; similar to Runscape and other platforms. The concept of time travel is unique because it is a new way of learning that is much more fun compared to traditional textbook learning. Time travel is something many wish were real, and through this medium, it is virtually possible. As quoted on the website “it’s simple, yet powerful…” Skawennati incorporates this futurism into her work through Indigenous characters that have proper representation, facts, and portrayals. For example, Hunter (episode one) searches “Indian massacre”, which has endless hits, mostly of Indians being massacred, but that is not surprising. If we look at the history of how media has portrayed Indigenous peoples, especially women, it is not tough to find movies, magazines, and other negative demoralizing portrays of Indigenous peoples as “second” compared to settlers.

The Ridiculous Six: it was ridiculous.

In relation to episode one, set in Fort Calgary, it shows Indians being massacred, villages destroyed, and all around chaos. Hunter even says “…and if I was one of these guys (white men), I’d be ready to kill the savages too.” This shows how the smallest portrayal of people can impact people’s views. Although there has been substantial change in the media world throughout the past few decades to shift perspectives, more needs to be done to unwind people’s minds to show people what exactly happened. Works like Timetraveller is special because people can access it anywhere in the world – you don’t need to attend a typical class to learn about Indigenous history as the web creates endless opportunities. Additionally, this features an interactive platform, which can provoke viewers to create their own episode or character. Secondly, the content is from an actual Indigenous person you get to learn about from a first-hand perspective, not a textbook written by authors you’ve likely never heard.  As Erica Lee has described, “In knowing the histories of our relations and of this land, we find the knowledge to recreate all that our worlds would’ve been if not for the interruption of colonization.”[1] This act of #decolonization can also form resurgence partnerships with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people worldwide too. My favourite thing about it is that it allows users to “go back into time” through their avatar and explore the setting. This makes it fun and user-friendly, whereas reading a textbook isn’t that fun and may be misrepresenting Indigenous peoples. For example, the illustration of characters is very realistic as they are created by real Indigenous individuals who bring historical pieces back to life, many of which are still seen today. For example, in episode 2, the men are wearing hunting clothing and carrying weapons that best represent the time and setting and culture they are in.

Screen shot from Episode 2

With that said, getting a perspective from the people themselves from a good reliable source is always crucial. As mentioned in the episode, “always get a second opinion on history.”

If I were to create my own episode, it would be about the #NoDAPL from the perspective of an Elder (in my own opinion). After watching the Oka Crisis episode, I noticed a lot of similarities that played out in movements, such as misrepresentations of Aboriginal people and how they are seen as violent, which is still a common belief many have today. This episode aims to show the Dakota Access Pipeline protest in action:

Main Setting: Sioux Indian Reservation, North Dakota, U.S.

Year: 2121

[Hunter is scrolling through Facebook posts when he notices an old article about DAPL]

Hunter: hmm, time for some entertainment. Timetraveller on. Search Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. I am curious about what it was like there. Let’s go there and see what’s happening. I wonder if it’s any different than the 1990 Oka incident. I wish I could be there to show the military a thing or two. Maybe even make the 6:00 news.

[Puts on goggles and goes to Standing Rock after ‘checking in’ on Facebook]

Upon arrival, sounds of weapons firing, people yelling, and chaos is heard. Hunter approaches an Elder and asks what is happening.

Hunter: Fucking hell. You’d think things would have changed by now after the 1990 Oka ‘Crisis’, but nope.

Elder: they are firing rubber bullets at people. There have already been over 300 people that have been injured and 26 are in the hospital, but we won’t give up.[2] These are our lands, you see – the Mother Earth is, the grandmother of everything, and the water is her blood, and to this blood, we live.[3]

Hunter: We must protect the land. Enough is enough. I’ve come to stand in solidarity with everyone to support everyone.

Elder: watch out! [rubber bullets fly by]

Hunter: [yells]. I’ve had enough of this. This is just the beginning. The violence this has caused is intolerable. How can the governor think that he can just treat Native American’s as lesser citizens? Not to mention the military, police, etc. who are treating people like garbage. This brings flashbacks of Oka.

Elder: you know the difference I see between this and Oka? There is much more support from white people. My daughter showed me a Facebook page called ‘Stand with Standing Rock’ and there are over a million check-in’s, virtual and in real life. Back then, the internet and this support didn’t even exist. There are even videos from our people that are explaining why this land is important, so it opens up more space for our people to speak.

Hunter: I guess you are right. Technology has played a huge role the stand-off. How do you see this playing out?

Elder: We will fight till the end. With global warming now, I think more citizens are seeing the devastation development can cause to Mother Earth. All we want is clean water, is that too much to ask? We have nothing left except this land. The rest has been taken away by the state. As water protectors, we will not leave until we are heard and justice is served. Temperatures are quickly dropping now, but people like Jane Fonda reminded me yesterday that there is so much hope because there is so much support, and that continues to grow globally. She said there are people from Equator, China, you name it. This is how crazy the internet can be in making people join the stand-off. People like her are allies who continue to bring attention to this issue.[4]

Hunter: wow, that is amazing. I think the power of technology is growing more than I can keep up. [time travels back to 2121]

I hope in 2121 things will have changed significantly. The way I see it, our youth continue to be role models and leaders for generations to come, so the world better watch out.

 The End.

I was curious if there were any settings about #NoDAPL on Second Life, so I virtually travelled to one called ‘Ethiopia supports #NoDAPL’. People gifted me signs so I could be a part of the movement. The setting mainly consists of the gathering circle (as shown) where anyone can join the circle. However, this was the only #NoDAPL setting I found.

Second Life screen shot 1

screen-shot-2016-11-26-at-5-55-47-pm

Screen shot 2

 

Footnotes/references:

[1] http://gutsmagazine.ca/visual-cultures/

[2] http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/army-corps-issues-eviction-notice-standing-rock-protest-camp-tribe-chairman-says/

Lewis, J., & Gragnito, S. T. (2005). Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace. Cultural Survival Quarterly, 29(2), 29.

[3] Mni Wiconi – Water is Life. https://www.facebook.com/Standing-Rock-Sioux-Tribe-402298239798452/

[4] http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/11/25/exclusive-jane-fonda-standing-rock-ive-rarely-seen-so-much-love-video-166581

Screen Sovereignty: Reserve REALity

Screen sovereignty to me means power, voice, and strength. In terms of Indigenous new media, I view this as challenging norms and showcasing Indigenous work from Indigenous peoples on and off screen to prove they are not assimilated and won’t stop standing up for their rights. What this looks like is inevitable and is up to the producers themselves, which is why screen sovereignty is so unique, fun, and unpredictable. For example, A Tribe Called Red’s ‘ALie’ video shown in class on Oct 24 was a moving and powerful piece that forces viewers to rethink city landscapes. Ever since the Oka “Crisis”, Indigenous media has changed forever (Dowell, 12), provoking a lot of change in the last 26 years.

According to Dowell, visual sovereignty is defined as the articulation of Aboriginal peoples’ distinctive cultural traditions, political status, and collective identities through aesthetic and cinematic means (2).” She is referring to this as an act of self-determination and pride in Indigenous identity that is driven by current and past political policies that continue to be assimilative and undermining. There has been an increasing # of on and off screen movements that continue to trump misrepresentations of Aboriginal peoples.This drive represents the “distinctive political status that derives from Aboriginal peoples’ ties to lands prior to colonization (1-2).” The power of media can infect viewers opinions about anything, particularly those of marginalized groups, so Aboriginal films are crucial in that there is a fully complete representation of individuals/communities.

James Lathlin

Tackling the “R” word exhibit by KC Adams challenges negative portrayals of Indigenous people. This was sparked after Tina Fontaine’s body was found in the Red River.

A strong example is God’s Lake Narrows by Kevin Lee Burton, an interactive multilayered website that allows viewers to get a first-hand look at what life on a reserve is like. The site is what Dowell would refer to as “reclaiming the screen to tell Aboriginal stories from Aboriginal perspectives (2).” This is shown in Burton’s work through stories from people’s homes on a reserve located in God’s Lake Narrows, a very remote and small community that is 2,037 km’s from Vancouver. He challenges stereotypes of reserves by letting viewers into his community and allowing people to listen to conversations that occur, which shifts from haunting to warming/humourous as one progress through the site. Dowell states that this “writes Aboriginal presence on the land (14)”, which represents Aboriginal voices (realistically) through collaboration, teamwork, and community involvement by an Aboriginal filmmaker. Talk about reserves is often heard on social media and the news – mostly negative and depressing, particularly up north – which may be true to an extent, but it’s typically written through the lens of someone who is not from the community; therefore, their perspective(s) may be misleading and adding to racist  .

If it weren’t for this website, I believe most people would have think of the area as just as non-existent or just a hot fishing destination that is like “heaven”, as presented on www.godslake.com or other overtly racist preconceptions and judgements. This piece tackles that by presenting the cold blunt truth, which is what is needed in order for audiences to be educated. Someone needs to address these issues if the government won’t… When it comes to reserves, there is a lack of coverage. Many First Nations and/or reserves are unheard about nationwide unless something ‘big’ (usually negative) happens (i.e.: Attawapiskat suicide crisis), otherwise, no one seems to know about their existence, which is exactly what the government intended/s to do. Although it has worked to a certain extent, it’s also being constantly challenged by Aboriginal peoples through the power of technology to prove they’re not invisible or dead communities. It’s a continuous and ongoing journey… #decolonization

I will focus on a few distinctions that stood out for me and explain why I believe this piece is impactful as a non-Indigenous viewer: 1) Community collaboration, 2) Audio, 3) Visuals.

  • Community: As mentioned in Dowell, Aboriginal families have and are continuing to connect and bandage up some of the problems caused by colonization through media production (3). This is an example of screen sovereignty because it allows new relationships to be made, old ones to be strengthened/repaired, and can spark movements or even new ideas within and out of the community. It sometimes creates a domino effect that inspires others to take action and challenge mainstream media, such as #IdleNoMore, which has continuously received a massive amount of support or the Dakota Pipeline Protest that has gained widespread media coverage and is supported by many non-Indigenous people such as Chris Hemsworth. As someone from the outside who has been on a reserve, I think it’s important to look at this with an open mind and recognize the presence of Aboriginal peoples around the territory you are situated on. In the end, it can be a life changing journey for some to heal and move forward because it is decolonial and positive. The drive that forms sovereignty represents the “distinctive political status that derives from Aboriginal peoples’ ties to lands prior to colonization (Dowell, 1-2).”

Idle No More movement

  • Audio: voice is one of the most powerful aspects in technology. It can often be more impactful than images. In an industry that has been mainly white-dominated, this piece paints over that and we get to listen to real voices of community members. This is screen sovereignty because their stories are being expressed through their stories and lens – what goes in the final production is made by them, so this gives a true voice to God’s Lake. This relates to Dowell’s statement about Aboriginal filmmakers reversing power dynamics to the right for self-representation (5) and showing audiences alternative perspectives of land/city scapes. It not only features quiet, almost depressing sounds in the beginning, but also brings out the good in a small community. I can personally relate to this as I who grew up in a small town – there is always a unique/special tie to our territories.
  • Visuals: this site geotags where you are and tells you how far away the closest reserve is. This can be a reminder of whose territory you sit on (Dowell, 6) no matter where you are. This is screen sovereignty because can unsettle and challenge a viewer’s perspective in the sense that it forces people to think about their location/home and get a sense of what life is like on the reserve. Although it doesn’t feature everything people see on reserves. With the power of media, a place that is extremely inaccessible is made accessible through cyberspace, but still intimate and personal. For example, an exhibit by Urban Shaman featured images from Burton, called RESERVE(d). It shows that even in bad conditions, people can make good out of a dreadful place.[1] Aboriginal media has resulted in what Dowell calls “a web of people that gives you strength (13)” as screen sovereignty is constantly moving forward on and off screen. This is also a a new way to educate people through non-traditional means.

[1] http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/news/nickel-belt/winnipeg-art-exhibit-features-photos-from-gods-lake-narrows-1.1366163

Blog 1: McLuhan

First off, this is my first blog ever, so bear with me as I learn how to ‘blog.’ I’ve never had an interest in blogging, so I hope I’m doing it correctly.

What do I think of when I hear “the medium is the message (or mass|age)?” …Wtf does that even mean? It almost sounds like something that came out of Donald Trump’s mouth and everyone is just thinking “…WHAT?!” The medium is the message reminds me of the cyber galaxy world and everything that is intertwined within it, whereas ‘the medium is the message’ simply just confuses me.

When I think ‘message’, images of a galaxy of media cosmology [insert alien and space ship emoticon] come to mind. I think of human beings having a cyber robot inside them – someone that may different from who they are in real life. This can be seen as media as an extension of ourselves where we can express opinions (good or bad), feelings, etc. online and we can even do it anonymously depending what web environment you are in. The medium as a process of our time, as McLuhan says, is constantly changing, which means our lives are impacted daily by new inventions, practices, technology, etc. Some of it may be good, some of it may be bad, and that reminds me of massage because you either get a good or bad massage…or none at all. For example, if a new piece of technology comes out and it impacts you negatively, that’d be a bad massage.

The Medium Is The Message

This book changes the way I think about media in a unique way. I already admitted that this book was confusing to read and I did not fully absorb it [insert confused emoticon] compared to others, but it has allowed me view media as a necessity in our lives and without it, we are almost not up-to-date with current events, news, what our friends and family are up to, or even what is on sale at Safeway. If I gave up media, I would be completely lost because I rely on it for everything – work, staying in contact with people, entertainment, the news, and even writing this blog. As the term goes on, I’m certain this book will make much more sense.

All these mediums have a crazy way of almost controlling me in the sense that I need it in order to survive. For myself, Facebook is a medium that I rely on heavily and is a part of my daily life. Not only do I use it for personal, but also work to always update people on upcoming events, awards, and news. Facebook is the most popular social media tool and it affects us more than we know. How many of have Facebook open while reading this? Could you go one day or even one week without it? I have a friend who permanently deleted her Facebook in the past year, and my first response was “whoa, really? [insert shocked emoticon] Why? How will you stay updated to events around UBC?” Now I realize I am so absorbed into Facebook events, I cannot live without it. How will I know about the next beer event if I delete it!? #craftbeer. It is interesting to see how all my interests are tracked by Facebook and events related to that all appear in one medium: my Facebook news feed. Half a year later now, and my friend still doesn’t have Facebook and I can tell I am the one always telling her about events going on whereas she doesn’t even know they exist – what does that say about media cosmology? Fragmentation and division. This reminds me of McLuhan’s quote: “all media work us over completely (35).” Although some people are not on Facebook (or other social media), they still have some connection to the medium – either through texting, television, Skype, or simply getting information from someone else who is ‘online.’ This proves we all have our own media environment and fit as we all react differently to mediums. #alwayspresent…

 

…Now that I got my Facebook break, I’ll continue writing this Something I’m curious about is the time which this book was written #thisbookisold. I think of history during that time, and even today, how technology, past and present has shaped the perspectives of everyone and everything, whether it’s a review on those blue teddy bear hair vitamins every celebrity has been endorsing or a minority group. This made me think “how (if at all) did this book have an effect on reader’s opinions of Indigenous peoples?” It is important to be critical of this text (any many others) in order to bring out new conversations and ‘debug’ some of his ideas.

Back to McLuhan and Loft…McLuhan being the colonialist thinker and white male that he is raises some concerns for me. What bothered me most was his views were one-sided and he ignored the other side of modernization and capitalism. For example, when he talks about the railway as creating a new wave of social development, it was aimed at white people and I sense the tone that he thinks the past is the past; therefore, what is important is only the future (i.e.: page 72-73 of old carriage). Loft really helped me understand this book better. I doubt I would have even seen the problems without his article. I had never thought about this book through a Western lens, which reminds me of our individual ‘research lens’ and biases, and how different or similar our opinions on everyday issues are based on our influences. McLuhan is sorta like that typical white male who thinks he knows, but isn’t quite there yet. I’m sure we all know a few of those…

2 parts of Loft really stood out to me: 1) when he talks about the wampum belt as a symbol of “living” promises, treaties, etc. I find it interesting when he explains it as a living entity that continues to be prominent today, but I often think about it as something that is seen a lot in academia. Not to say it’s not important, but I don’t think the idea of a wampum belt would be the same in today’s age. How would those promises be performed today? What if there was a web-based wampum belt where parties wrote down and signed an agreement on the web on a virtual belt?

2) Cyberspace as a networked territory instantly reminds me of ownership of land. The Crown ‘owns’ First Nation’s land like Google owns Youtube. Well, Google seems to own everything these days. This is similar to McLuhan’s quote: “the interplay between the old and the new environments creates many problems and confusions (68).” We claim territories in different ways now; through our personalized websites, Instagram, etc., but in reality, that company still ‘owns’ what you’ve posted.