NOTE: Issues range from 1996–2006. Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated. For current information, please contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, 907-474-1902.
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A Student's View on Subsistence and Leadership by Atchak Desiree Ulroan:On Subsistence We Native Alaskans should keep the right to take animals and plants for food off our own land. This is the land my ancestors used for survival. The government does not have the right to stop subsistence. What would happen if people in other states were told they were not allowed to farm anymore? Farmers live off the crops that they grow and livestock they raise. It's the same with subsistence hunting. There are no boundaries and no fences around the land of my ancestors and the care that is provided for crops and animals comes in a different form. The food from the land helps families stay healthy. I don't know much about farming because my family does not farm. People who don't depend on subsistence don't know much about it either, except they want us to get rid of it. My lack of knowledge about farming doesn't make me want the farmers throughout the United States to stop farming. I am not saying that I am more intelligent than those people who want to end subsistence, but they should really take the time to look at the issue from our Alaskan Native perspective. There are a lot of families in my community and throughout rural Alaska that depend entirely on the land for food. My family is one of those families. How can the government expect so many people, especially Elders, to change their diets and lifestyles? Much of our cultural heritage is woven in with subsistence hunting and fishing. . . . Knowing the land is crucial for survival in this region of the world. Much of our cultural heritage is woven in with subsistence hunting and fishing. If it is taken away there will be no more fish camps along the river and no more families working together to harvest for the winter. Every summer my family goes out fishing to harvest fish for the winter. During fish camp my mother tells us stories of our ancestors and she teaches my sister and me how to cut fish and gather foods. My father teaches my brothers how to set and mend nets. Some of the important lessons that my brothers learn are the location of our ancestral sites and where to hunt and gather wood. Knowing the land is crucial for survival in this region of the world. In the villages there are not as many jobs as the cities. Not very many people have high-paying jobs so they can't afford to lose their subsistence rights. The social and economic impact of subsistence rights is tremendous. I hope that the government will look more into the subsistence rights for Native Alaskans. On Leadership I am a strong leader because I am a hard worker. I volunteered to work for the community cleanup in the summer of 1999. In October of 1999 I also volunteered to help out with the community Halloween contest. Helping in my community is important to me. During my junior year of high school I applied to the Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) in Fairbanks, Alaska. I was accepted to this program which allowed me to take college courses and earn college credit. After six weeks of hard thinking and working, I graduated with a certificate of completion! I am not afraid to face challenges. I am the secretary/treasurer of Chevak's class of 2001. To this job, I bring all of my qualifications and my accomplishments. I do the typical secretary/treasurer duties: take notes, keep track of decisions, count the money we earn, the money we spend and our profit. I keep our class informed of our budget and help guide decisionmaking with budget limitations. But my real strength as a class officer is that I have great determination. I want to succeed and I have the ability to inspire my classmates to set their own goals and realize their own dreams. | |
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Academy of Elders/Native Teachers Cultural Camp by Eleanor Laughlin:The following elders have been selected as the instructors for the Academy of Elders: David Salmon of Chalkyitsik, Catherine Attla of Huslia, Poldine Carlo of Fairbanks, Neil and Geraldine Charlie of Minto and Johnson and Bertha Moses of Allakaket. AINE is in the process of recruiting Native teachers. The goal is to recruit active Native teachers from the various regional and city schools within the Interior of Alaska, including Fairbanks. The Academy of Elders/Native Teachers will be held on July 27 through August 7. Immediately following the academy, AINE will hold its third annual conference in Fairbanks on August 8 and 9. | |
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Active Reality Research, Part I by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:For the Yupiaq people, culture, knowing and living are intricately interrelated. Living in a harsh environment requires a vast array of precise empirical knowledge to survive the many risks due to conditions such as unpredictable weather and marginal food availability. To avoid starvation they must employ a variety of survival strategies, including appropriate storage of foodstuffs that they can fall back on during the time of need. Their food gathering and storage must be efficient as well as effective. If this were not so, how could they possibly hope to survive? To help them achieve this balance, they have developed an outlook of nature as metaphysic. The Alaska Native world views and technologies are conducive to living in harmony with the universe. Their lives, subsistence methods and technology were devised to edify their world view. After all, the Alaska Native creator is the raven. So, how could the human being be superior to the creatures of Mother Earth? How could their hunting and trapping implements be made of offensive materials to animals that they have to kill in order to live? Thus, their tools were fashioned from resources which were not refined, but formed and shaped using the natural materials. Their tools, housing and household utensils had to be with and of nature. Harmony was the key idea behind this practice. They believed all plants, creatures, winds, mountains, rivers, lakes and all things of the earth possessed a spirit, therefore had consciousness and life. Everything was alive and aware, requiring relationships in a respectful way so as not to upset the balance. The four values of honor, respect, reciprocity and cooperation are conducive to adaptation, survival and harmony. The Native people honored the integrity of the universe. It is a whole living being. As it is living, all things of the earth must be respected because they also have life. The Native people had the ability to communicate with all things of the universe. This is called reciprocity. From observing nature, the Alaska Native people learned that the earth and the universe are built upon the premise of cooperation. Researchers must implement these tour values to advance knowledge and expand consciousness. The constructs and understandings of the Alaska Native people must be honored for their integrity on the level of the modern scientific holographic image. The holographic image does not lend itself to reductionism nor fragmentation. Reductionism tries to break reality into parts in order to understand the whole without realizing that the parts are merely patterns extant in a total web of relationships. The Native world views do not allow separation of its parts as each part must be understood in its relationships to all other parts of the whole. Respect for the Native people who formalized this view must be practiced. The Native people have transcended the three-dimensional, quantifying and sensory constricted studies of nature practiced by the modern world. It behooves that there be cooperation between the researcher and Native people. The researchers must forget about human superiority to things of the universe and to people considered primitive and backward. The Native people must be treated as equal human beings with powers of observation, critical analysis and a gift of intuition and the magical. Following are some examples that make the practice of the four values difficult or impossible from the perspective of the modern world for doing research in a Native world. The tools of mathematics have given us some ideas about patterns and forms as well as abstract and esoteric formulae that sometimes leave us confused and questioning the use to which they will be put. For example, when will the hunter need to know the exact distance across a river using trigonometric functions? However we agree with a lot of mathematical and scientific theories and concepts, such as the shortest distance between two points is a straight line; that a circle is a line that keeps falling in toward the center; that the radii in a circle are equal length; that the circle has no beginning and no end; and so forth. These are common sense ideas that indigenous people can readily subscribe to. Part two of this article will appear in the fall issue of Sharing Our Pathways. | |
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Active Reality Research, Part II by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:With infringements of new people from other parts of the world, came a weakening of the self with all its strengths of what to be and how to live. At first the circle remained strong. However, with the encroachment of missionaries from various Christian religions, traders, trappers, miners and explorers came diseases unknown to the Native people. Following this came a calamity surmounting any experience that the Native people have ever had. Many elders, shamans, parents, community members and children died as a result of these unknown diseases. With the loss of so many people, especially the shamans who until this time were the healers, left the Native people questioning their own spirituality. Was it really the work of the devil and his evil allies that the Native people subscribed to and believed in as the missionaries pointed out? This dealt a crushing blow to a people who had direct access and communications with the natural and spiritual worlds through their shamans. The first rent to the circle of life was in the spiritual realm (Fig. 2), and we have been suffering from a spiritual depression ever since. Alaska Native spirituality can in no way be wholly replaced by orthodox Christian religions, Eastern or other ways of knowing about a spiritual life. Where the break occurs, one side of the curved line becomes more linear to reflect confusion. Through this break occur leaks for new ideas, values and ways of life that cause much doubt about their own world and beliefs. A maelstrom of values, beliefs and traditions result causing a confusion of what to be and what to do. The sense of self becomes weakened, thus its drawing force is weakened causing some original and traditional ideas of life to be lost. The turmoil, like that of a tornado, continues. The amalgamation of Western and other cultures from throughout the world are mixed with Native traditions. Although the Alaska Native people did not readily accept modern education and religions and gave initial resistance, breaks eventually occurred. If conditions had been different, the Alaska Native people could have controlled what was allowed into their world view. But such was not the case. The encroachment of various peoples and their cultures overwhelmed the Native people. Not only did these new people come with new ideas, but with new species of dogs, plants, domesticated animals, bacteria and viruses. This not only caused turmoil for the human beings but also caused ecological havoc. Armed with their new technological tools-hunting, trapping and fishing devices-along with the need to make money to buy these "needed" items, the newcomers battered down sacred ideas of harmony in many Native people. The next onslaught was in the emotional realm (Fig. 3). Not feeling good about themselves because of the message being told them by the missionaries, teachers, miners, trappers, traders, federal agents and so forth, they became emotionally depressed. They had been told that their languages and cultures were primitive and had no place in the Western or modern world. The educational system was established to dissipate and destroy their languages, spirituality and cultures. The barrage came in many forms from institutions of the colonial hegemonic force. The once proud hunter/provider and successful homemaker now felt little worth living for in their ravaged world. There was nothing promising left to allow them to feel good about themselves, have confidence for self-governance or self-reliance. Only despair was left. The intellectual arena was the next rupture to occur in this circle of life (Fig. 4). Rationality and empiricism coupled with intuition had been the Native peoples' forte´. Nature was their metaphysic and thus they lived in reality. They had successfully devised their world view to allow them to live life with all its difficulties but developed coping tools and skills to deal with the hard times. Now with their spirituality and emotions on a downward spiral, the people became intellectually dysfunctional. They became docile and robot-like, expecting everything to be done for them. Their original clear consciousness or awareness was now unclear, as if being viewed through a stigmatized and scarred corneal lens. Things were dim, shaded, with some channels opaque and confusion followed. A framework for assimilating new experiences no longer existed. The last fissure occurred in the physical well-being whereby the Native people in their demoralized state became susceptible to diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, cancer and many nutritional deficiencies and psychosocial maladies (Fig. 5). The foundations upon which a whole person was produced by the culture was now broken asunder with a new fragmented culture, a mix of many cultures represented by newcomers, producing fragmented Native youngsters susceptible to new ideas, diseases and yearnings. The ruptures allowed some aspects of Native characteristics to flow out or become modified by allowing new fragmented ideas, ways of being, thinking, behaving and doing to seep in. This has caused much confusion among the Native people. The Native ways of science have always been multi-dimensional to include the human, natural and spiritual worlds. This was a conscious effort to keep in balance. Everything on earth, including earth and self, was endowed with a spirit, therefore life. And because of this spirit or energy from the Spirit of the Universe (Ellam Yua), the Native people must do things in ways that no harm nor disrespect happen to life on earth. It then required that the Native people come up with elaborate rituals and ceremonies to pay homage to all, to maintain or at times to regain balance in one's life or that of the community. They had transcended the need for quantifying and establishing laws of nature. Much of the subject matter in the schools' curricula is one-dimensional because it is linear. The vaunted mathematical and scientific disciplines and their offspring, the technologies, are often one-dimensional. These tools have the wonderful capacity for new discoveries in other worlds but because of the Western society's need to learn to control nature they lead to confusion and a feeling of being weaned from the life force and its inherit relationships. They are bereft of the values extant in the indigenous societies which open doors for new world discoveries. Western mathematics, sciences and technologies have values, however, they are proscribed to ambition to learn in depth and greed to use this knowledge for gain. This is arrogance, a senseless and meaningless ambition, leading to the disintegration of the human experience. Through them, the more we know, the less we know about life. This says to me that Western mathematics, sciences and technologies have been superficial, never getting to the meat of things. What has been missing from the great potential of these and the other disciplines? Part III of this article will appear in the next issue of Sharing Our Pathways. | |
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Active Reality Research, Part III by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:From all indications, nature thrives on diversity. Look at the permutations of weather during a day, month or year. Climates differ from one part of the earth to another. Flora and fauna differ from one region to another. Continents and their geography differ. No two snowflakes are exactly alike. The stars, constellations and other heavenly bodies seem to be unchanging, yet our learned astronomers tell us that many changes are taking place. According to them, novae, supernovae, black holes, stars dying and being born and so forth are happening in the universe. The science of chaos and complexity shows us a diversity of patterns we never thought existed in nature. These all point to diversity-the balance that makes nature thrive. The Alaska Native people knew this and strove for harmony with all of life. Alaska Native people have come full circle and are seeking to heal the breeches that have put life asunder. Seggangukut, we are awakening, we are being energized, is what the Yupiaq say. They have nature as their metaphysic and have drawn energy from earth whereby things in times past were often quite clear and thus could be attended to or a resolution reached. One aspect of energy exchange that has often been spoken of by Native people who are ill is that of being visited by various people from the community to show care and love for the ill person. They have expressed the feeling that some people will cause the person to feel worse while another person will make the person stronger and clearer of mind. It is said that in the former case, a person who does not have the right mind or balance in life will draw energy from the ill person thereby making the ill person worse than before the visit. On the other, there will come a person who is kind, upright and is with a mind of making you better. Instead of drawing energy from the ill person, this person shares some of his/her energy with the sick person. The ailing one feels better. Another example of energy exchange is the story of a man out on the ocean. He gets caught on an iceberg that gets cut off from shore and drifts out. He has no choice but to try to keep warm and survive the night. The next day, he finds that the iceberg is stationary but is not attached to the shore ice. New ice has formed overnight in the water between. He remembers the advice of his elders that to test the newly formed ice and its ability to hold up a person, he must raise his ice pick about two feet above the ice and let it drop. If the weight of the ice pick allows the point to penetrate but stops where it is attached to the wooden handle, he can try crossing on the ice. If, on the other hand, it does not stop at the point of intersection, then it will not hold up the man. In this case, the former happened. The man looked around him at the beauty, the might of nature, and realizing the energies that abound, he gets onto the ice. He must maintain a steady pace for if he stops or begins to run he will fall through because he has broken the rhythm and concentration. The story goes that when he began his journey across, there was a lightness and buoyancy in his mind. This feeling was conveyed to his physical being. Although the ice crackled and waved, he made it to the other side. He drew energy from nature and was in rhythm with the sea and ice and, coupled with lightness and buoyancy, made it safely to the other side. In the another story, two youngsters come into being and they find themselves in an abandoned village. It has been some time since the people disappeared by indications from the decay of semi-subterranean houses and artifacts in the village. One possible explanation of why the people were gone might be that these Yupiaq people may have reached the apex of spirituality which is pure consciousness. Their bodies became the universe and their pair of eyes became part of Ellam iinga, the eye of the universe, the eye of awareness. This could explain how some communities became mysteriously deserted. Western physics with its quantum and relativity theories say that we are mostly energy. Why then should not our spirit or soul be energy? Scientific technology has given proof of energy fields, personal aura, findings from near death experiences and many other human experiences. Theory of relativity tells us that matter is condensed energy and also conveys that the world is made up of relationships. Can we not then say that our spirit is made up of energy? If this is true, the Alaska Native must be able to draw energy from earth because we are a part of it. All life comes from earth. Alaska Native peoples' metaphysic as nature becomes corroborated by the Western theories. This also strengthens the argument that the laboratory for teaching and learning should be placed where one lives. Being outdoors in nature enjoying its beauty and energy, and becoming a part of it, energizes the youngsters. This could bring back the respect of personal self, and if one respects oneself then certainly one would be able to respect others, nature and the spirits that dwell in and amongst all things of nature. The students will be able to whet their observational skills while learning from nature and drawing energy to themselves. They can again attain love and care with all its concomitant values and attitudes that give life. It is imperative that the students from all walks of life begin to experience and get close to nature. There is a vast difference in learning about the tundra in the classroom and being out in it. Being in and with it the whole year round, they can experience the vicissitudes of seasons, flora, fauna, sunlight, freezing, thawing, wind, weather permutations, gaining intimate knowing about place and using their five senses and intuitions to learn about themselves and the world around them. It is this drawing of energy from nature that will allow the self to again become strong so that the breaks in the circle of life become closed. Then the individual and community can allow chosen outside values and traditions to filter in which they think will strengthen their minds, bodies and spirits. The Alaska Native people will again become whole people and know what to be and what to do to make a life and a living. They will have reached into the profound silence of self to attain happiness and harmony in a world of their own making. Quyana! | |
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Advocating for Our Educational Priorities by Senator Georgianna Lincoln:In Senate District C, there are 25 school districts and 16 different Native languages. School districts are unique and depend on administrators, teachers, parents and students to bring their individual talents and qualities toward a successful education. We must be careful in our drive to assess achievement that we do not devalue those qualities students possess that may, in fact, be indicators of success later in life—qualities no standardized test can accurately measure. Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in the 2004 session to address the impact of the high stakes graduation exam. The graduation exam is high stakes because without a diploma a student will not be able to get into the military service, many vocational education programs or trade schools; therefore these are bills you may want to follow-up on: HB 457 Allows for three types of diplomas. The basic diploma for those who meet the local schools graduation requirements, but fail the exit exam. The enhanced diploma for those students who meet the local schools graduation requirements and pass the exit exam. The advanced diploma for those students who meet the local schools requirements and pass the exit exam, plus have additional advance placement classes that are consistent with academic excellence and count toward their college degree. SB 248 Ensures we have a high stakes exam minimizing the “false negatives” and clarify the legislative intent regarding severe cognitively disabled students. It requires severe cognitively disabled students (as defined by the state) to be waived from the HSQE. Attracting and retaining quality Alaskan teachers is an issue I have supported over the years. SB 101, which I introduced, is the Teacher Cadet program whereby we can recruit and retain quality teachers who are dedicated to rural schools and communities. There continues to be a 50% turnover rate in many rural districts. We must hire Alaskans first, as our homegrown teachers don’t need the same level of cultural training and can begin teaching effectively in our villages. Our Alaska Native languages are not thriving and healthy. We must ensure funding is sufficient for Native languages to be taught in our schools that want it. In 2000, my Native language curriculum bill (SB 103) became law. This legislation mandated school districts with over 50% Alaska Native students to form a Native language curriculum advisory board. If that board deems it appropriate, then the school district may implement a Native language curriculum. With 98 schools in Senate District C, school construction and maintenance dollars have been critical. Since 2002 there has been success in rural and bush Alaska with eight new schools, planning and design costs for five more new schools and 39 schools receiving major maintenance projects. Though I am retiring from the Senate this next year, I will continue to advocate for our children in every opportunity possible. Ana basee’. Georgianna Lincoln was born to Kathryn “Kitty” Evans Harwood of Rampart and Theodore “Rex” Harwood of Michigan. She has two children: Gidget Beach and Sean Lincoln. Georgianna is also the proud grandmother to Acey Jay Beach. In 1990 she was elected to the State of Alaska House of Representatives. She has been an Alaska state senator representing District C, since 1992. The 2004 Alaska State Legislative Session marks her last legislative session since Senator Lincoln will be retiring. For all your support and hard work, on behalf of rural and Alaska Native education, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative extends a sincere, Ana Basee’ (thank you). | |
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AIPA Culture Camp by Linda Green:We arrived on Sunday and began setting up the tents that would be our homes for the week. As we finished, we got acquainted with each other. The camp theme was "Caribou". Monday morning started with breakfast and a gathering led with a prayer from one of the Elders, followed by a review of the agenda. After that we took three caribou skins to the lake, about an eighth of a mile away from the camp, to be soaked for approximately 24 hours before working on them. As we did this the Elders went over each part of the caribou. Then we started working with the leggings. Under the direction of the Elders, we made two different toys and a tanning tool. As the teachers finished their projects they went to another area and started cutting white fish that were caught in the net that day. After dinner we were very tired from working all day so we all slept very nicely. Tuesday began with breakfast and a prayer and the Elders started telling stories about how the Gwich'in people were totally dependent on the caribou herd. There were always camps around the herd. There were no nets, so people built fish traps and used spears made from willows. Bows were made from caribou skin and arrows were made from the antlers. Flints were used to make the arrowhead. It wasn't important to have a clock because each day was filled with trying to survive. People walked more, because that was the only mode of transportation. We went over uses of the caribou skin, stomach and bones. Each use was intertwined with a traditional value. In the evening the teachers went over different strategies to use in integrating what we were learning into school curriculum and standards. Wednesday we rose and had breakfast and a prayer. Then we started working on the skins that we had put into the water on Monday. It was 80 degrees out when we hung the skins on a tree and started cutting the hair off with sharp knives. Others were scraping the skins that had the hair already removed. After dinner we made babiche from previously prepared skin, as well as fish hooks from the bones. We also playing string games the Elders showed us. Thursday we continued fleshing and cutting hair off of the eight skins we had. That evening we discussed values students should know-things such as who they are and where they came from. Each morning should be started with a prayer for strength. Teachers also talked about the units they would write, how each would be different from the standard curriculum, the importance of teaching from a traditional perspective and how this learning could be brought into the classroom. Units should be started with a story by an Elder and last a minimum of two weeks. Another idea was to start a unit explaining the seasons. We ended with Joel Tritt, second tribal chief of Arctic Village, talking to the group about learning and how it is important for students to learn about the old ways in order to survive. Friday we began to cut the caribou skin for a sack. Patterns were made and the skin was sewn with sinew from the caribou. Since some were finished before others, so they went to the fish cutting table or made more things from the caribou hooves. We also included a field trip five miles up the river to an ancient caribou fence. Most of the group went, though some stayed behind and spent the day making snowshoes with the babiche from the caribou. Upon their return, the group expressed a deep spiritual experience in walking around and looking at the remains of the old caribou fence and the slaughter house. They talked about how clean the environment was and that very little was disturbed. They also talked about the way the fence was made so that caribou would go in and because of the mountain on one side, they would be trapped. Saturday we finished our projects and started packing up the camp. We left on Sunday and spent the night in Arctic Village in order to catch the mail plane to Fairbanks Monday. The teachers spent two days in Fairbanks writing and working on the units that they developed in camp, which needed to be completed by July 31 so they could be showcased at the AINE conference that weekend. I brought eight draft copies of the units made from the camp to present in a workshop at the Sixth World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education that was held near Calgary, Alberta, Canada on the Nakoda Nation Reserve from August 3-10. I also displayed videos made from the culture camps, along with camp booklets with lots of digital photos. Florence Newman, an Elder at the Arctic Village camp, also attended the conference. Her presentation, along with the booklets and videos, gave the workshop participants a strong, positive feeling about the culture camps sponsored by the Alaska Indigenous Peoples Academy and the Association of Interior Native Educators. Further information and curriculum resources are available on the AINE and ANKN web sites. | |
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AISES Corner:American Indian Science and Engineering Society School is starting for 1996-97 and AISES secondary and elementary chapters will be starting in the schools of North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic, Bering Straits and Nome Public Schools. School districts in Interior Alaska will begin planning the introduction of new AISES chapters. Students will plan Village Science Application projects to enter in district and regional science fairs. AISES in Alaska has a busy calendar: The AISES Chapter Liaison teachers will meet in Kotzebue, September 6-8, 1996. The teachers will represent the North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic, Bering Straits and Nome Public Schools school districts. They will meet with two Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (Alaska RSI) directors, the Alaska RSI/AISES coordinator, the Inupiaq regional coordinator and three Village Science Application coordinators. AISES Chapter activities, Village Science Application projects and science fair criteria at state and national levels will be topics for discussion. Plans for the Arctic Regional Science Fair will be finalized. Alaska RSI is sponsoring an Arctic Regional Science Fair sometime during the end of November or the beginning of December 1996. Students (K-12) in North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic, Bering Straits and Nome Public Schools will be invited to enter and participate in all activities. The best projects from the fair will be entered in the AISES National Fair in Albuquerque, New Mexico April 3-5, 1997. UAF/AISES students are preparing to raise funds for travel money to attend the AISES National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 14-17, 1996. Some Alaska RSI staff and village teachers are planning to attend the AISES National Conference, also. AISES Region I includes AISES college and university chapters in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, Canada and Alaska. The UAF Chapter of AISES is planning to host the Region I conference on the UAF Campus in conjunction with the Festival of Native Arts, March 6-8, 1997. If you need more information or would like to be included in any of the events listed above, contact Claudette Bradley-Kawagley, Associate Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756720, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775. | |
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AISES Corner:The Village Science Initiative enters the Kodiak/Aleutians/Pribilof Region in 1998. Plans are to establish AISES precollege chapter/clubs in village schools, operate two summer camps (in Kodiak and St. Paul Island) and to have a regional science fair for students in Kodiak, the Aleutian Chain and the Pribilofs. Teachers in Kodiak will meet in Port Lions with AKRSI staff to develop plans for the chapter/clubs and the summer camp. Monthly audioconferences with teachers and educators will commence March 18, 1998, to continue the development of the chapter/clubs and recruitment of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students for the camp. The Annual AISES National Science Fair in Rapid City, South Dakota is scheduled for April 2-4, 1998. Debra Webber-Werle of Noatak, George Olanna of Shismaref, Rita O'Brien of Nenana and Eddie Gavin of Buckland will chaperone. The following students have been invited to attend with their projects: Sarah Monroe of Nenana. Project: A Comparison of Arctic Grayling and Burbot Anatomy and Fishing Practices Allison Huntington & Brianna Evans of Galena. Project: Which (Fur) is Warmer? Mary Burns of Noatak. Project: Alcohol and You Sheila Washington, Sherry Ballot of Buckland. Project: Storing Berries the Traditional Ways William Birsemeier, Tirrell Thomas of Kotzebue. Project: Furs that Keep Us Warm Katy Miller, Brandon Romane, Puyuk Joule of Kotzebue. Project: Alder Willow Bark Dye EJ Howarth of Noatak. Project: Caribou Antlers Brandon Olanna, Norman Kokeok, Donnie Pootoogooluk of Shishmaref. Project: Uses of Low Wattage Electric Bulb by Using an Inverter The Alaska State Science Fair will take place March 27-29, 1998 in Anchorage at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Casey Skinner of McGrath will present her project Spruce Bark Beetle Habitat. Casey's project received first place in both the Elders' Awards and the Teacher/Scientist Awards. The Alaska Federation of Natives and the AKRSI are proud of the hard work and efforts of these young scientists. We look forward to continued progress in the development of their research. AKRSI is seeking articles from Alaska rural students (K-12) for a student newsletter. If you have any essays, poems, short stories or reports on any scientific or cultural event in the village, please send them to Ursula Graham, UAF Interior-Aleutians Campus, PO Box 756720, Fairbanks, AK 99775 or fax to 907-474-5208. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley:by Claudette Bradley The AISES Initiative concluded its fifth year with eight summer science-culture camps held on Afognak Island, Haines (vicinity of), St. Paul, Kwethluk, Kisaralik river, St. Mary's, Chevak and Fairbanks. Each camp had Elders teaching activities specific to the culture of the region and engaged students in science projects. The Fairbanks, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Society (ANSES) Science Camp 2000 ran on a slim budget, which we hope to rectify next summer. Twelve middle-school students attended the camp held at the Gaaleeya Spirit Camp from July 11 to July 25. They were Britta Kallman of Anchorage; Roberta Allen, Amanda Tritt and Donald Tritt of Arctic Village; Qaqsu Bodfish, Alicia Kanayurak, Eunice Kippi, Ronald Kippi and Harriet Nungasak of Atqasuk; Mathew Shewfelt of Fort Yukon; and Kimberly Rychnovsky of Newhalen. These students arose at 7:00 a.m. each morning to work with Elders and teachers. They cleaned and tanned caribou skins and made porcupine quill and beaded necklaces under the guidance of Margaret Tritt-an Elder from Arctic Village. They beaded pouches with Elizabeth Nictune Fleagle from Alatna. They learned Indian games and stories from Kenneth Frank of Arctic Village. Kenneth also helped students carve and polish caribou bone and wood to make an Athabascan "toss and catch the hole" game piece. Students picked medicinal plants and berries with Rita O'Brien, a certified teacher from Beaver. In Rita's class the students made cranberry leather, that was like candy to eat. With Todd Kelsey, an IBM consultant, the students constructed a weather station with a rain gauge, wind socket, barometer and thermometer. Students checked the weather each day and kept data on spreadsheets. They were able to compare the Elders' way of predicting the weather with the information from the weather station. One evening we met with the Elders to discuss the traditional ways of knowing the weather. In the afternoon class students developed a research project and did their experiments in the camp. Rita O'Brien, Todd Kelsey, George Olanna of Shismaref and Claudette Bradley of UAF assisted students. The computer lab had four ThinkPads and a color printer that were donated by IBM and powered by two solar panels and batteries. This enabled students to type up their information, make data sheets and construct graphs for their display boards. Students attended field trips to the Fort Knox Gold Mine and to the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO). Bradley Weyiounna is a WEIO high kick champion; he can jump eight feet to kick the ball. Bradley and Josh Rutman visited our camp one evening with the high-kick stand and demonstrated the high kick for the students. The students enjoyed the experience and attempted to kick the ball. The ball was lowered to four, five and six feet. The students enjoyed trying the high kick. Bradley showed the students how to wrestle with just arms or legs. This entertained the students and they loved trying to wrestle with each other. The camp ended with a potlatch for parents and Fairbanks' education community members. After dinner, awards and gifts were given to students, staff and other support people. It was followed by a poster session of the student display boards on their science projects. Students explained their research to the guests. Following the poster session everyone participated in Athabascan fiddle dancing. Staff and students want to extend a heart felt thank you to Howard Luke for allowing us to be at his camp which is also his home. We deeply appreciate his facilities and the care he has given to the land that was left to him by his mother. We cherish his advice and knowledge of Alaska Native ways that he generously shares with camp participants. We look forward to future camps at Howard Luke's. Youth Science Festival Claudette Bradley, the director of the Fairbanks ANSES Science Camp 2000, was one of six chaperones in the USA delegation of 20 teenage students attending the Singapore Youth Science Festival 2000, July 27 to August 2, 2000. The festival was attended by delegates from 21 countries of the Asian Pacific Economies Cooperation (APEC). The events included an international science fair and student summit science seminars on globalization, global warming, diseases, new endeavors, genetic engineering and clean environments. These are key issues for international science and technology research. The festival had 600 students and 200 educators/chaperones. Educators and chaperones were asked to present papers on science education in their economy. Dr. Bradley reported on the ANSES Initiative of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative which included science camps and fairs for rural students in Alaska. Participating educators/chaperones showed great interest in our culture-based science camps and fairs. They expressed interest in developing a student exchange program with the culture-based camps in Alaska and summer programs in their countries. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:October 10, 1996 was the birth of the Arctic Region AISES Professional Chapter. The members are educators in the Nome Public Schools, Northwest Arctic Borough School District, Bering Straits School District and North Slope Borough School District. They plan to meet monthly by audioconference. They will share plans for AISES precollege activities in the four arctic regions village schools. Debra Webber-Werle was voted president. Debra is a kindergarten and first grade teacher in Noatak. She received a special National Science Foundation grant to build science activities for students and interface activities with the community of Noatak. Congratulations Debra! We have confidence that you will be an excellent president. Members of UAF AISES Chapter continue their fundraising efforts to send students to the AISES National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 14-17. The chapter is sending five students and three additional students are being funded by the Institute of Marine Science. The UAF AISES Chapter will host the Region I AISES College Chapter Conference in Fairbanks March 6-8. The conference will feature speakers, workshops, a career fair and a high school session. High school students from Fairbanks and rural villages will be invited. School districts in the Interior have invited Claudette Bradley-Kawagley to present and discuss AISES and AISES precollege chapter/clubs with teachers in village schools. Claudette has presented at the Yukon Flats Teacher in-service, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District's Alaska Native Education Home-School Coordinators meeting and plans have been made to discuss AISES precollege chapter/clubs with teachers and students in the Yukon-Koyukuk School District. There is a lot of enthusiasm in rural Alaska for establishing AISES precollege chapters in village schools. Keep informed by continuing to read "AISES Corner" in each issue of Sharing Our Pathways. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:Congratulations! The University of Alaska Fairbanks AISES Chapter has won the Zanin Award for the Most Outstanding Chapter of the Year 1996 at the 18th National AISES Conference in Salt Lake City, November 14-17, 1996. Ten UAF students attended: Sasha Atuk, Fairbanks Mark Blair, Kotzebue/Detroit John Henry, Stebbins Jason Huffman, Huslia Shay Huntington-McEwen, Galena Kim Ivie, Fairbanks Carleen Jack, Stebbins Patience Merculief, St. Paul Mike Orr, Bethel Stefan Rearden, Bethel Oscar Kawagley spoke about the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative on the Traditional Knowledge and Science Panel during the concurrent sessions at the conference. He attended a book signing at the career fair for his book, A Yupiaq Worldview: A Pathway to Ecology and Spirit. During the precollege teacher meetings Oscar gave a talk on Native ways of knowing and Claudette Bradley-Kawagley spoke on tessellation patterns in mathematics. In addition, four teachers from the Arctic Region AISES Professional Chapter attended the conference: Bernadette Alvanna-Stimpfle, Nome Edna Apatiki, Gambell Arva Carlson, Barrow Debra Webber-Werle, Noatak Everyone enjoyed the conference with its informational workshops, large banquet dinners and many inspirational speeches. The Arctic Regional AISES liaison teachers attended a workshop in Nome, November 8-10, 1996. Teachers wrote lesson plans for AISES precollege chapter/clubs. Chip McMillan of UAF School of Education will write a manual with the lesson plans and summary of the talks on Native Science. This manual will be distributed to every school in the Inupiaq region. The teachers planned for the science fair projects to begin in the spring. The data collection will occur during the summer months and students will assemble their display boards in the fall. The science fair will take place in a village of the Northwest Arctic School District November 20-22, 1997. The science fair will have an opening ceremony with Native dancing. The elders council will judge the projects as well as the teachers and scientists. Students will have two sets of awards: one given by the elders and one given by teachers and/or scientists. We hope students will have many projects dealing with issues of Native science and village science application. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative welcomes the Interior of Alaska into the AISES family. January 31 to February 2 was the first Interior AISES liaison teacher meeting. Teachers worked on culturally relevant science activities for the AISES chapter/clubs soon to be established in village schools. Teachers plan to hold monthly audioconference meetings to include more teachers within the seven school districts: Alaska Gateway, Galena, Iditarod, Nenana, Tanana, Yukon Flats and Yukon/Koyukuk. Village students will develop science fair projects, develop plans this spring, collect data in the summer and construct display boards in the fall in preparation for an Interior Alaska Science Fair, November 1997. The teachers formed a summer camp committee to plan a July camp to be held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Howard Luke Camp. Students must submit plans for their science fair projects with the application to the camp. The date for the Interior Alaska Science Fair will be November 20-22, 1997 in Fairbanks. Elders will participate in the judging processes along with teachers and scientists. Rita Alexander of Minto Elders Council attended the three day meeting for the Interior Alaska AISES liaison teachers. At the end of the meeting she expressed her gratitude that the Athabascan culture is going to be taught in the schools via AISES chapter/clubs. She encouraged the teachers to discuss AISES with the elders in their villages. The Arctic Region AISES professional chapter held an audioconference meeting jointly with teachers in the Interior, members of the Anchorage AISES Professional Chapter and interested educators attending the Bilingual Multicultural Education Equity Conference in Anchorage during the second week of February. This meeting helped teachers start precollege chapters and provide startup experiences of the Arctic Region AISES precollege chapters. UAF AISES Chapter is sponsoring an AISES College Chapters Conference for Region I that includes students from colleges and universities in Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Vancouver, BC and Alaska. The conference will be held March 6-8, 1997, concurrently with the Festival of Native Arts. Students in dance groups from village schools are invited to attend sessions during the day. Alaska Native Education students of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District will receive an invitation to attend the conference. The UAF AISES students are planning a career day and hope to have many precollege students in attendance. Lots of good activity is being generated by the Village Science Application Initiative via AISES family groups: Chapter/Clubs, UAF College Chapter and Alaskan professional chapters. Three cheers for Alaska RSI. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:On November 20, 1997 thirty-two students from Interior Alaska villages entered 21 projects into the First Annual Interior AISES Science Fair '97 held at Howard Luke Academy in Fairbanks, Alaska. The fair was sponsored by the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Annenberg Rural Challenge. Peter Aloysius, Jr. and Mathew Chadbourne proudly display their science fair project "Swimming Electricity". In the evening Rita Alexander of Minto led the opening prayer while all participants stood in a circle. It is an AISES tradition to begin every event with a blessing from our elders. Oscar Kawagley was the keynote speaker; Clara Johnson, director of the Interior-Aleutians campus, welcomed students to Fairbanks; and Amy Van Hattan gave a update on the activities of the Alaska RSI in the Interior. After the refreshments, Rita Alexander and Travis Cole of Allakaket led all participants in Athabascan dancing and singing. We were really proud of the science fair participants who had also attended the Fairbanks AISES Science Camp '97: Kristopher John of Fort Yukon, Sarah Monroe of Nenana, Alvina Petruska of Beaver, Barbara Solari of Beaver and Andrew Runkle of Nickolai. Rita and Travis had taught these students to dance and sing during the camp this summer. They have become very fine Athabascan dancers. The opening session was closed with a blessing by Robert Charlie of Minto. The outstanding feature of this fair was the balance of science inquiry with Alaska Native culture. Students were asked to develop experiments or demonstration projects following the guidelines of the scientific method outlined in the handbook. Prior to coming to Fairbanks they were required to have three persons review their project using a checklist of Athabascan values. During the fair their projects were evaluated by two sets of judges: elders of the Interior region and teacher/scientists. Many of the teacher/scientists were graduate students from the Natural Science areas of study; they were selected by Professor Larry Duffy, department head of the Biochemistry Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. November 21 was the day of judging. Elders spent lots of time interviewing students about their projects. They evaluated projects on how well the student maintained Native values, understood the project, presented the project to the judges, and time spent on the project. They also evaluated the projects usefulness to Native culture, village life and Native corporations. The teacher/scientist judges talked with students in depth about their scientific method and procedure. They evaluated projects on creative ability, scientific thought/engineering goals, thoroughness, presentation to the judges and skill. These judges spent time writing valuable recommendations to students that will improve the project, when students revise it for the next fair. Both sets of judges caucused together and selected four grand prize winners. These winners will be encouraged to revise their projects in preparation to submit to other science fairs during the winter/spring '98. The judges worked very hard at their job. We are most grateful for their integrity and sincerity to help students realize the importance of their scientific inquiry. November 22 was the award dinner. The participants stood in a circle as Catherine Attla of Huslia led the blessing. Everyone gathered around the potluck dinner. After dinner several speakers talked to students: Susan Jones of Doyon Limited, Eleanor Laughlin of FNSBSD Alaska Native Education and John Regitano of Fairbanks Native Education Amy Van Hattan and Claudette Bradley-Kawagley assisted the elders in handing out the elder awards. The elders selected seven projects for first place: * Spruce Bark Beetles Habitat by Casey Skinner of McGrath, * Athabascan Medicine by Candice Nathaniel of Chalkyitsik, * How do you Trap Wolves? By Roy Wholecheese of Galena, * Arctic Grayling & Burbot by Sarah Monroe of Nenana, * Which (Fur) is Warmer? by Allison Huntington and Brianna Evans of Galena, * Oil Spills by Elizabeth Folger, Tyson Brown and Frederick Joseph of Tanana and * Moss Absorbency by Cindy John and Amber John of Shageluk. Elders gave second and third place awards as well. After everyone received their award the elders talked to students and everyone present about the meaning of their work and study to the Athabascan culture and people. The elders were Rita Alexander of Minto, Fred Alexander of Minto, Catherine Attla of Huslia, Jonathan David of Minto, Howard Luke of Howard Luke Camp and Margaret Tritt of Arctic Village. Elsie Eckman, math teacher at Eielson High School and a former AISES student at UAF, announced the winners of the teacher/scientist judges. They selected six projects for the first place, blue ribbon awards: * Spruce Bark Beetle Habitat by Casey Skinner of McGrath, * Bridges by Patrick Gringrich of Galena, * Insulating Values of Furs by Grace Sommer of Galena, * Acid Rain by Andrew Marks, Charlene Vanderpool, and Courtney Moore of Tanana, * Catching Snowshoe Hares: Trap or a Snare? by Andrew Runkle of Nikolai and * Fingerprints by Mandy Vosloh of Galena. The second place, red ribbon awards and third place, white ribbon awards were announced as well. Oscar Kawagley announced the Grand Prize winners. The winners were: * Spruce Bark Beetle Habitat by Casey Skinner of McGrath, * Arctic Grayling and Burbot by Sarah Monroe of Nenana, * Which (Fur) is Warmer? by Allison Huntington and Brianna Evans of Galena and * Catching Snowshoe Hares: Trap or a Snare? by Andrew Runkle of Nikolai. These students will be encouraged to enter their projects in other fairs, such as the statewide fair in Anchorage and the AISES National Fair in Rapid City, South Dakota. The presentation of awards was followed by Athabascan singing and dancing led by Rita Alexander and Travis Cole with David Ingles of Minto as an invited dancer. The fair ended with a prayer led by Robert Charlie. The First Annual Interior AISES Science Fair '97 was a melding of Western science with Native culture and village science application. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:In the summer of 1997, 36 students entered a three-week program in Fairbanks, Alaska. The students spent eight days on the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus and 13 days at Howard Luke's Gaalee'ya Spirit Camp along the Tanana River. In the summer of 1998, 15 students entered a two-week program at Howard Luke Camp and 28 students entered a one-week program at Afognak Campsite in Kodiak, Alaska. Camp Objectives * Stimulate interest in mathematics, sciences and engineering fields among Alaska Native students. * Increase student's confidence and knowledge in mathematics and science. * Prepare students for cultural challenges away from their traditional environment. * Incorporate Native values with Western mathematics and science. * Encourage parents to support the academic pursuits of their children. * Spend 14 days in an Athabascan camp located on the Tanana River just outside of Fairbanks. * Learn from Native Elders hands-on projects relative to rural survival. * Learn from UAF professors and the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative staff. * Work in teams of two or three students on a science project researching the natural environment. Fairbanks AISES Camp 98 The staff at Howard Luke's Gaalee'ya Spirit Camp included six Elders, four resident advisors, one artist-in-resident, one UAF professor, one IBM computer consultant, two teachers, one graduate student and one AKRSI staff scientist, plus two cooks and one boat captain. There were seventh, eighth and ninth grade Alaska Native students from Allakaket, Beaver, Fort Yukon, Nenana, Nulato, Shageluk, Noatak, Barrow and Anchorage. Each day students had two sessions in the morning; a project class after lunch followed by two sessions in the afternoon. Each day, 45 minutes prior to dinner was allowed for family chores and 45 minutes after dinner was allowed for cleaning the dishes. Evenings were for more social gatherings, traditional Athabascan dancing, Elders' storytelling, talking circles, volleyball, jump rope and Indian/Eskimo games. During the four sessions the students worked in small groups of five or six students. They had a computing and mathematics class with Todd Kelsey, the IBM computer consultant; beadwork and yoyo making with Elizabeth Fleagle and Elizabeth Frantz; cleaning and tanning caribou skin and tanning seal skin and beaver skins with Margaret Tritt; storytelling with Fred Alexander; and wood carving with Jonathan David. The groups of students rotated among these classes at the start of each session. The computer lab had six Thinkpads (laptop computers) and one color inkjet printer donated by IBM. The camp purchased a solar panel powered battery generator to supply electrical power to the computers and printer. Todd Kelsey taught the students and staff how to use and care for the computers and printer. He also taught some mathematics topics like fractal triangles and fibonnacci sequence. Margret Tritt and Claudia Demientieff tanning a caribou hide. During the project class the teachers worked with students in small groups on their science projects. Students learned to turn their scientific questions into hypothesis. They wrote a procedure and selected the materials they needed with the guidance of the instructor. All students were asked to write questions about their projects for an interview with the Elders. Most of the students were able to do their experiments during the camp and a few will have to continue their research in their home village. Each student received a display board and used the computers to write their hypothesis, materials and procedure and to make labels and data sheets. Students used a spreadsheet to record their data. Some students used the paint software to make drawings of their experiment. Students had to write a summary of their Elders' interviews and include the summary as part of their background information on their display boards. All students completed their display board for the poster session held during the potlatch at the end of the camp. Many invited guests enjoyed seeing the hard work of the students. Titles of student projects are: River Eddies: Kristopher John, Fort Yukon Heat Waves: Charlene Kallman, Anchorage Why People Smoke: Mary Burns, Noatak Caribou Teeth: Elmer Howarth, Jr., Noatak Which Skin is Warmer: Jesse Darling, Nulato Wolves: Cindy John, Shageluk Clouds and Condensation: Sarah Monroe, Nenana Antibacterial Effect of Arctic Plants: Crystal Gross, Barrow True North vs. the Magnetic North: Adam Adams, Noatak Fish Wheel vs. Fish Net: Natalie George, Nenana High Kick: Claudia Demientieff, Allakaket Bird Activity: Jedda Sherman, Noatak What Do Camp Robbers Eat?: Mary Ann Juneby, Beaver Fish Wheel: Liz Yatlin, Beaver Reflections and Snowblindness: Patuk Glenn, Barrow Students attended field trips in Fairbanks and at the university. They had a tour of the Geophysical building, which included the volcano and earthquake laboratory. They attended the Annual World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO). They saw the movie "Mulan" in town and visited the shopping mall. Prior to attending WEIO, an athlete, Melissa Evans, visited our camp and demonstrated how to do the high kick, leg wrestles and arm pulls. Students enjoyed doing them under her guidance. Kodiak AISES Science Camp 98 The Kodiak Camp included nine classroom teachers of the Kodiak School District, three Elders and three teachers from the AKRSI teaching staff. The camp was located on the ocean front with lots of sea life. The teachers worked with students one-to-one on science projects, providing guidance and understanding of the scientific method. The students were in the fourth grade through ninth grade. There was more representation from the fourth and fifth grades. We transported the computer lab to the Kodiak Camp and the teachers were very instrumental in getting the students to use the computers. All students wrote a title, hypothesis, materials and procedure for their projects. Some were able to use the spreadsheet to record data. Students toured an abandoned village that had been ruined by a large tidal wave in 1964. Many of the Elders had relatives who had lived in that village. The campsite had an archeological dig near by. An anthropologist lived in the camp with the staff and conducted tours of their digs for all camp members. The digs included homes of Native people in the early 1800s. Both camps were successful and had valuable experiences for the students. We successfully merged Native culture with explorations in science. Many students expressed a desire to attend the 1999 AISES summer camps. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley Congratulations to the University of Alaska Fairbanks AISES Chapter for their runner-up AISES award for the "Most Outstanding Chapter of 1998." This is the fourth year that the UAF chapter has been recognized by AISES. Among its members is Ricardo Lopez, a 22-year-old senior, majoring in biology. Ricardo is of Yup'ik and Aleut descent, who was born in Anchorage and grew up in Eagle River. He says growing up in Alaska lends itself to an appreciation of biology. He started his studies at Clark College in Oregon then transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. While at UAF, Ricardo joined the UAF AISES chapter. In his junior year, he applied to the undergraduate research program at Washington State University which was one of the many programs advertised to the AISES student members. In the spring of 1997, Ricardo entered the Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Research Program at Washington State University that was sponsored by National Science Foundation and Washington State University. Ricardo was one of seven minority students from around the country, who attended the program for six months. In the Washington State Marine Science program, Ricardo researched ultra violet radiation and how it effects the development of Pacific herring embryos. This was his first research project ever completed where he developed the research design. Dr. Brian Bingham, who was program coordinator, and Dan Pentilla of Washington State Department of Fisheries, were mentors for Ricardo and provided helpful suggestions throughout his research. As a result of his research, Ricardo developed a poster and slide show titled Ultra Violet Radiation and How it Effects the Development of Pacific Herring Embryos. He was invited to present at a scientific conference in Paris, France. He said the Paris experience was an eye opener to see how far science could take him: "One day at home in Eagle River and the next day in Paris." In his wildest dreams, he never expected to go to Paris, it was a nice surprise in his career. Two hundred people attended the Paris conference held at the United Nations UNESCO headquarters, which was five minutes from the Eiffel Tower. The participants were mostly international scientists and with very few students. Each day they would gather in one room and listen to a series of talks. Ricardo was among the young scientists who displayed their posters. They stood by their posters to be available to answer questions. The participants seemed to have high interest in Ricardo's work. His abstract was listed in the conference program along with all other abstracts and papers written by international scientists. Ricardo is deeply appreciative of the encouragement from Dr. John Kelley, director of Polar Ice Coring at UAF. Dr. Kelley has a strong interest in AISES and Native students in science. The Oceanographic Society sponsored the trip and he feels that Dr. Kelley's efforts and encouragement also made the Paris trip possible. In the summer of 1998, Ricardo had another stellar opportunity. He attended the number one rated marine science program in the nation at Scripps Institute of Oceanography at University of California in San Diego. Twenty-five students conducted their own research projects with mentors who were Ph.D. candidates. Ricardo said he learned more about graduate school at the Scripps Institute. He is very grateful for the guidance he received as he formed the next phase of his career, which is doing a master's degree and possibly a Ph.D. Ricardo says he is not sure about getting a Ph.D., so he may take a year off from his studies. He would like to work for the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward for a year before going to graduate school. He is interested in maintaining ties with the biological community and working at the Alaska Sea Life Center is a good way to remain connected. Ricardo says that Sue McHenry of Rural Student Services has laid some very valuable groundwork for the UAF AISES chapter, that will help maintain it as a strong chapter on campus. She is a great source of inspiration and has a superb sense of timing in helping the AISES students maintain the chapter and receive the many benefits of AISES. She makes the operation of running AISES seem very smooth and easy. Ricardo credits AISES with starting a chain reaction of opportunity for him; the benefits of AISES build on each other like a snowball. Many students feel AISES is for engineering students, but Ricardo wants to encourage students who are not engineering majors to become aware of AISES and its benefits. He hopes to encourage high school students to get involved with science and AISES. He was interested in science for a long time, but AISES made a difference and provided valuable opportunities and support. AISES provides academic and professional support; students in science and engineering share ideas and feelings of motivation and enthusiasm that encourages others. The AISES community continually inspires Ricardo to develop his research and studies in biology. He is certain new students will discover how life in AISES will surprise them. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley Village Science/AISES Initiative has expanded over four regions. Iñupiat and Athabascan students attended the Fairbanks AISES Science Camp held in July at Howard Luke's Gaalee'ya Spirit Camp on the Tanana River; Kodiak students attended AISES Science Camp in Afognak, also in July; Aleut students attended camp in August in St. George; and Tlingit students attended camp at Dog Point in Sitka, girls in July and boys in August. The Fairbanks AISES Science Camp operated for the third summer with 19 middle school students from Anchorage, Buckland, Barrow, Beaver, Arctic Village, Fort Yukon, Galena, Kotzebue, Minto, Manley Hot Springs and Fairbanks. Our staff included five Elders: Howard Luke, Margaret Tritt, Elizabeth Fleagle, Jonathan David and Fred Alexander; five Teachers: Rita O'Brien, George Olanna, Maria Reyes, Todd Kelsey and Claudette Bradley; four resident advisors: Dean Meili, Marilyn Woods, Adrienne Benally and Donna Foray; and one Artist-in-Resident: Travis Cole. The Elders talked to students about the old days, told stories, familiarized students with Athabascan language and cultural ways and helped students make crafts. Margaret Tritt of Arctic Village worked with students to tan eight caribou skins. Jonathan David of Minto took students into the forest to find cottonwood, which they needed to carve spoons and little canoes and boats. Fred Alexander gave Athabascan language lessons, told stories of the old ways and had students make a fish trap. Elizabeth Fleagle of Manley Hot Springs had students making beautiful beaded tops for moccasins or gloves. Howard Luke taught the students to respect Elders, the camp and each other. Teachers worked hard with students. Rita O'Brien, a science teacher at Ryan Middle School in Fairbanks, developed a canoe series of lessons which she extended into a lesson on vectors. She took students into the forest to collect spruce roots. All students worked to strip the bark from the roots and to split and dye the roots in preparation for sewing the birch bark canoe pattern pieces. When the canoes were finished, the students studied vectors under Rita's well-planned lecture and hands-on collaborative experiment. Students timed and measured the distance of a floating orange in the Tanana River to understand the forces on a canoe traveling in the Tanana. Todd Kelsey is an IBM employee of Rochester, Minnesota. He was responsible for the donation of six Thinkpads™ and a color printer used at the camp by the students to analyze data collected and to develop display boards for science projects. This summer was Todd's second year at the camp. He came to the camp for one week, set up the computer lab in the Elder's Hall, helped students use the computers and taught math and science lessons. Elder Jonathan David demonstrates wood carving to resident advisor Dean Meili. George Olanna, a Native from Shismaref, has taught K-12 for over 20 years. George is passionately interested in science. He has a special interest in the Northern Lights and arranged a field trip with Neal Brown, a former UAF physics professor, to Poker Flats, the rocket launch facility for the University used to study the Northern Lights. George took care of the solar panel battery generators which supplied the electricity to our computers. He worked with Todd during the first week and inherited Todd's classes during the second week. Maria Reyes is an assistant professor of education at UAF. She assisted students in finding research information on their science projects using the Internet at Rasmusen Library on the UAF campus. She also counseled students on interviewing the Elders. Students were required to write at least five interview questions about their project. The information gathered from the Elders was added to the background information along with the information found on the Internet. Marie had students write a bibliography of information gathered from the literature, Elders and experts they used. Claudette Bradley is an associate professor of education at UAF. She was site coordinator, but also worked with students on projects. She helped students use software to create spreadsheets for recording data and also charts and graphs for data collected. All five teachers worked collaboratively with each other and with students to develop a research question, hypothesis and a research method. Support staff, Dixie Dayo and DeAnn Moore, gathered research materials for the students. Resident advisors accompanied students who needed to attend the Department of Natural Resources, Fish and Game and the UAF museum and library. Professor Larry Duffy, chairman of the Bio Chemistry Department, sent chemistry supplies that included hydrochloric acid, litmus paper, test tubes and graduated cylinders. Some students finished their projects and will continue to do more library research and write a report for their project in preparation for the science fairs to be held during the school year. Other students will have to continue their data collection in their village and also write a report. All students had their display board ready for viewing at the potlatch held on the last full day of the camp. All students explained their science projects to the staff and guest attending the potlatch. See below for a list of projects and students. Fairbanks AISES Camp Projects * Do Elders Estimate (Number of Beads for Beaded Design) Better? Kristen John of Fort Yukon * Birds in Howard Luke Camp: Liz Yatlin of Beaver * How to Soothe Mosquito Bites, Willow vs. Ammonia: Crystal Gross of Barrow * Golden Ratio: Tamara Thomas of Fort Yukon * Has the Salmon Population Decreased in 20 Years?: Pat Campbell of Fairbanks * Can We Determine Age of a Bull Moose by Counting the Points on the Antlers? Gerald John of Arctic Village * Soil Erosion: Matthew Thurmond of Galena * Color Blindness in Cats: Jordan Baker of Minto * What Medicine Plants Will Cure the Common Cold?: Agnes Kallman of Anchorage * Spruce Beetles: Kristopher John of Fort Yukon * Acid Rain: Eilene Frank of Minto * Evaporation of Water: Matthew Shewfelt of Fort Yukon * Golden Ratio: Roseanne Cadzow of Fort Yukon * Heat Waves: Charlene Kallman of Anchorage * Log Cabin Demonstration: Travis Woods of Fort Yukon * Which is Warmer: Wolf Fur or Caribou Fur?: Lee Hadley of Buckland * Does Spruce or Birch Retain Heat Better?: Michael Settle of Galena * Which Soil is Most Effective With Plants: Potting Soil, Riverbank Soil or Forest Soil?: Leila Smith of Kotzebue * Medicine Plants: Kobi Grutler of Manley Hot Springs The plan was to have each project scientifically sound and incorporate Elders' knowledge in the background information. In addition, some students asked Elders to identify one of more of the variables they were to test. For example, Liz Yatlin asked the Elders to name the birds that fly around Howard Luke camp before she consulted a bird atlas to identify the birds she was observing. Crystal Gross asked the Elders what remedy they would use to soothe mosquito bites and the Elders said they would use ground up willow leaves. She compared that remedy with a commercial variety. Brad Wyiouanna of Shishmaref is a "High Kick" World Eskimo-Indian Olympics' (WEIO) athlete. He visited our camp one evening and gave a WEIO game demonstration for the students. He invited students to try some of the events and everyone enjoyed participating. This prepared the students for attending WEIO on the last evening, where students watched Brad compete for the gold metal and observed the dynamic blanket-toss event. Students and instructors are hard at work in the computer lab in the Elders' Hall. L to R: Jordan Baker, Claudette Bradley-Kawagley, Lee Hadley and George Olanna. Travis Cole of Alakaket was the artist-in-residence. He writes poetry, draws realistic sketches of trees, animals and nature scenes and dances, sings and drums Athabascan songs. He is a powerful leader and role model for the students. The students look forward to his Athabascan dancing sessions where he taught the proper Native way to sing and dance. Our students learned well and are well prepared to dance at the Fairbanks AISES Science Fair. Travis also worked as a resident advisor. Four other resident advisors were Dean Meili of Palmer, Marilyn Woods of Manley Hot Springs, Adrienne Benally of Boulder, Colorado and Donna Foray of Boulder, Colorado. The 19 students were divided into five family groups with one resident advisor as head of household. Each night the family groups met to talk and write in their journals. Every day each family had one of five major chores to take care of: collecting water, collecting firewood, washing dishes, cleaning the latrines or cleaning the camp grounds. During field trips each resident advisor was responsible for their family group. They had to stick together and watch out for one another. The field trips included attending WEIO, the movie theater, a tour through the UAF Large Animal Farm, a day trip to Poker Flats and a visit to the UAF museum. For recreation, students played volleyball and organized a volleyball tournament. Some students were able to swim for a short while at Hamme Pool. Some students had Hackey Sacks which they shared with others. For spiritual well-being of everyone in the camp we had three evenings with talking circles. Two of those evenings we had male and female circles. Mike Tanner, a minister, came each Sunday morning to deliver an outdoor Christian service. The Village Science/AISES Initiative plans to have six local Native science fairs in the coming academic year in the following communities: Kotzebue, Barrow, Fairbanks, Old Harbor, St. Paul and Juneau. Each fair will have two sets of judges: teachers/scientists will judge projects for their research method and presentation; Elders will judge projects for their value to the Native culture and village life. Each fair will have a celebration appropriate for the Native culture of its region. The best projects will be sent to a statewide Native science fair near Anchorage in February 2000. Eight projects from the statewide fair will have the opportunity to enter AISES National Science Fair 2000 to be held in Minnesota. The staff of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative has been discussing the possibility of having a winter camp for students to learn winter survival skills. Village teachers in each of the four regions will be invited to attend monthly audioconference meetings. We shall discuss the feasibility of having a winter camp and the optimal time for such a camp. In addition, we shall plan for the science fairs in the coming academic year. We are encouraging all teachers to attend the audioconference meetings and to extend these opportunities to the students in your school. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley:by Claudette Bradley The AKRSI/AISES initiative had a successful summer. Five camps operated in three regions. The Fairbanks AISES Science Camp was held at Howard Luke Camp with Athabascan and Iñupiaq middle school students. The Kodiak AISES Science Camp was held in Afognak. Pribilofs Camp was in St. Paul. Southeast Alaska had two camps (one girl and one boy camp) at Dog Point in Sitka. The AKRSI and AISES staff extend their deep appreciation for the hard work given by the staff in the camps. We especially want to thank Roby Littlefield and Betty Taylor in the Sitka Camps, Karin Holser and Debbie Bourdokofsky in the St. Paul Camp, Teri Schneider for coordinating the Afognak Camp and Claudette Bradley for coordinating the Howard Luke Camp. Furthermore, we want to acknowledge the fine work of Dixie Dayo, Alan Dick, DeAnn Moore and Travis Cole for their supporting roles in the camps. The AISES initiative of AKRSI is ending its fourth year with six regional science fairs and one statewide fair. The teachers in each region are meeting via audioconference to plan for the fairs and recruitment of students. All fairs will have Elders judging projects for their usefulness to village life and the culture of the region. The teachers and scientists will judge projects for their scientific method and clarity of presentation. Having two sets of judges is a unique feature of our science fairs. We are looking forward to having rural students participate in the science fairs and we extend our invitation to the students who attended our summer camps and have science projects to enter into the regional Native science fairs. Arctic Reg. AISES Science Fair '99 Kotzebue, Alaska December 6-8, 1999 Fairbanks AISES Science Fair 2000 Fairbanks, Alaska January 20-22, 2000 Statewide AISES Science Fair 2000 Birchwood Camp (near Anchorage) January 30-February 2, 2000 Kodiak AISES Science Fair '99 Ouzinkie, Alaska November 3-5, 1999 AISES Annual National Science Fair 2000 St. Paul, Minnesota March 5-6, 2000 The Southeast, Pribolofs and Barrow Regional Science Fairs do not have dates at this time. If you are interested in more information contact Claudette Bradley at 907-474-5376. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley:and Engineering Society) by Claudette Bradley I would like to honor Alaska village teachers who have given their support to the Village Science Applications initiative of AKRSI. These teachers have helped with plans for AISES science camps and science fairs, recruited students for camps and fairs, interested other teachers, mentored students doing science projects and chaperoned students entering science fairs. Each teacher has put in far more time and energy than I have room to describe here. My heartfelt thanks to them for their dedication to the Village Science initiative. The initiative began in 1995 in the Arctic region with four school districts. Deborah Webber-Werle, K-2 teacher from Noatak, provided outstanding leadership including initiating the Arctic Region Professional AISES Chapter. She worked with Alan Dick to bring his Exploratorium to Noatak and worked collaboratively on the AISES science fairs in Kotzebue. George Olanna, a retired sixth-grade Iñupiaq teacher from Shishmaref, mentored students on a solar power science project that became a grand prizewinner in the Kotzebue fair. He also taught at the Fairbanks AISES Science Camp in '97, '98 and '99. Ruth Sampson is a bilingual coordinator for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. Her office is the science fair business center. She has also assisted with budgets, decorating the armory and organizing van transportation. Kate Thurmond is a fourth-grade teacher in Galena. She developed an inservice workshop for science fair projects and fairs for teachers in the Galena School District. Kate collaborated with teachers to have a Galena Science Fair that preceded the Fairbanks fair. Gordon Chamberlin has picked up where Kate left off. Rita O'Brien, a teacher at Ryan Middle School in Fairbanks, assisted in the planning and implementation of the Interior AISES science fairs. She also taught in the Fairbanks AISES summer camps in '97, '98 and '99. Teri Schneider works full time for the Kodiak School District as an educator on special projects and is the AKRSI Alutiiq/Aleut regional coordinator. She recruited volunteer teachers for the Afognak AISES science camp; collaborated with the Kodiak Native Association to have Elders at the camp and organized the Elders, teachers and scientists to participate as judges at the Kodiak AISES Science Fairs held in Old Harbor in '98 and in Ouzinkie in '99. Betty Taylor is a teacher at St. Paul on the Pribilof Islands. She collaborated with Debbie Bourdokofsky and Karin Holser on the St. George Stewardship Camp. Betty was also a teacher in the Sitka AISES Science Camp '99. Roby Littlefield of Sitka has taught in elementary schools and now keeps up with an active family. She maintains the family subsistence camp at Dog Point where she coordinated the Sitka AISES Science Camp '99. She combined Elders and teachers in the camp setting to help students develop science projects. AKRSI is proud of these teachers and their work with students making science relevant to their personal, cultural and environmental situations. The AISES national educators have commented on the special qualities our students bring to the national fair and the uniqueness of their projects. They encourage us to continue and would like to model their programs after our AKRSI Village Science initiative. The teachers and Elders who have given to the Village Science Initiative is extensive and I may have left out a few names-for this I offer my apologies. ALASKA STATE AISES SCIENCE FAIR The winners of the regional AISES science fairs will participate in the Alaska State AISES Science Fair in Birchwood, 15 miles out of Anchorage, January 29-February 1, 2000. The fair will be held preceding and concurrent with the Native Educators Conference(NEC) with projects on display Monday morning, February 1 at the NEC. For more details visit our website: www.ankn.uaf.edu/aises/sciencefairstate.html. Winners of this fair will go to the AISES National Fair in Minneapolis/St. Paul. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley:Grand Prize Winners: * Jorddonna Esmailka and Krista Workman, eighth grade from Shageluk. Project: Air Pollution & Caribou Food-Lichen * Sonta Hamilton and Amber John, ninth grade from Shageluk. Project: Modern & Native Medicinal Teas for the Common Cold * Edwina Starr, eight grade from Tanana. Project: The Moon Honorable Mention * Dwayne Benjamin, eleventh grade from Shageluk. Project: Traditional Athabaskan Traps Statewide AISES Science Fair On January 31, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative held the first Statewide AISES Science Fair at Birchwood Lodge outside of Anchorage. Thirty-five students entered twenty-five projects. They came from villages throughout Alaska. The projects were judged by six Elders and three scientists. Elders evaluated projects on their usefulness to the Alaska Native culture, village lifestyles and Alaska Native corporations' vested interests. The scientists evaluated the scientific method and research design. We deeply appreciate the work of the Elders, who currently live in Anchorage: Drafin Buck Delkettie of Illiamna, Anatoli Lekanof of St. George, Anna Willis of Red Devil, Shirley Kendall of Hoonah, Art Jones of Kotzebue and Pauline Hathaway of Deering. They studied each project, interviewed the students and provided encouragement for their work. The following students were the grand prize winners and will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota March 30 to enter their projects in the AISES National Science Fair. Grand Prize Winners * Zena Merculief and Curtis Melovidov from St.Paul. Project: Which Oil Produces the Most Energy: Motor Oil, Cooking Oil or Seal Oil? * Jolene Cleveland from Selawik: Project: Under Ice Fishing * Nicole Thomas from Nome. Project: Science of Seal Oil * Roberta Murphy and Robert Foster from Noorvik. Project: The Population Density of Shrews and Voles * Crystal Gross from Barrow. Project: Antimicrobial Effect of Arctic Plants * Desiree Merculief from St. George. Project: What is the Largest Flatfish? * Amber Howarth from Noatak. Project: Caribou Uses * Patrick Schneider from Kodiak. Project: Oil Discovered! Honorable Mention * Dwayne Benjamin from Shageluk. Project: Traditional Athabaskan Traps | |
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