Category: Module 1

Module 1: Entry 5

BC Treaty Commission

http://www.bctreaty.net/index.php

British Columbia has a large number of aboriginal nations and bands that have yet to agree to a treaty settlement. The BC Treaty Commission is a neutral, independent body that is funded in part by the government of Canada (60%) and the province of BC (40%). The commission is responsible for facilitating treaty negotiations with BC’s aboriginal nations and bands. The website provides a good overview of the commission’s mandate, the negotiation process, issues inherent in negotiation, past & present negotiations, educational resources, and archives. This website is a great source of information to stay informed and current on BC’s treaty negotiations.

Module 1: Entry 4

Assembly of First Nations

http://www.afn.ca/

The Assembly of First Nations came to fruition through a long road of aboriginal self-determination in Canada. With a mandate of serving Canadian aboriginals rightful place in society the assembly’s importance and relevance is without question. This site serves as a portal for the assembly and includes many important facets within.

There are several main sections within the site and these are: About AFN, AFN Assemblies, Resolutions, Policy Areas, AFN Event Calendar, Links, and Contacts. About AFN provides a historical account of the development of the assembly, its structure, and information about the members. AFN Assemblies includes a media centre, upcoming events, current issues, publications, employment opportunities, and programs and subjects. Resolutions is a database collection from 1999-2007 accessible with a search engine. Policy Areas includes current activities in AFN Women’s Council, education, youth, housing & finance, languages, residential schools, etc. The updated events calendar, links and contacts enable a user to stay updated, informed, and linked to resources and people within AFN.

Module 1: Entry 2

LanguageGeek Fonts

Author: Christopher Harvey

http://www.languagegeek.com/font/fontdownload.html

For those who may want traditional language fonts available on their computer, Languagegeek.com provides free downloads of fonts from common aboriginal languages in North America. The fonts include Algonquian, Inuktitut, Cherokee, Dakelh, Blackfoot syllabics, and Dene syllabics. The fonts are Unicode friendly which is the universal standard.

From Languagegeek.com’s home page you can also access Languagegeek keyboards, Canadian provincial language maps (except BC and the territories), and information on typography and syllabics. Christopher Harvey includes links to other sites, a bibliography, and information about himself.

Module 1: Entry 3

Connecting Traditions: Explore Secwepemc Pre-contact Life

http://secwepemc.sd73.bc.ca/

For those interested in learning about pre-contact life of the Secwepemc people, this is a great site to begin your search. The site is divided into five modules: introduction, language, origin story, village life, and archaeology.

The introduction provides information on where the nation is located, who the people are, and a tour of the various communities (bands) of the Secwepemc nation. The language module includes history, audio pronunciation of words, and writing & alphabet tutorials. The origin story module includes information about the Secwepemc creation belief system, the legendary coyote (with audio recording of a Secwepemc person), and a game you can play (The Great Traveller Game). The village life module includes an interactive traditional winter and summer scene. You can click on various parts of the seasonal maps to learn about cultural practices and activities. The archaeology module is comprehensive and provides a plethora of information about the Secwepemc nation.

Module 1: Entry 1

Secwepemc Cultural Education Society

http://www.secwepemc.org/

I would like to introduce you all to the website for the Secwepemc Cultural Education Society. The Secwepemc (Shuswap) nation or language family is made up of several bands that extend a vast territory of 180,000 square km in BC’s southern central interior.

The Secwepemc Cultural Education Society was created to sustain and reclaim their history culture and language. The website they have created has links and information about their Secwepemc newspaper, the elder society, job postings, news, aboriginal apprenticeship & industry training, adult education, language, museum & heritage park, contact information and links to external sources.

If you are interested at all in learning more about the Secwepemc people and their culture, this is a great place to start.