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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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.
| All Categories |
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 |
|---|
Athabascan Region by Amy Van Hatten:Sometimes, when people who are not familiar with a person's background do an interview, they (unintentionally) take information out of context. However, if you double check your work, then it has a good chance of fitting to the source's background. Compare the two Elder interviews I submit here. There are ways to interpret them and not take them out of context. Try to figure out the process by using clues from the context of information on hand. One article is transcribed from a recorded interview with Jonathan David. Further knowledge I have of him not mentioned in the interview is that for years Jonathan has helped students, teachers and community members learn about the two worlds he lives in. He is very encouraging and an inspirational speaker too. A few projects he is very involved with are the AISES Native science fair & camps, Old Minto Culture Camp and the UAF Elder-in-residence program. The interview with Henry Titus was edited from my notes. I had asked his daughter to add whatever she remembered about growing up in camp as a way to encourage others who have moved away from rural villages. The next time I am told "I don't know anything," I will gently say, "Nonsense!" because what little she shared with me was like adding passwords to missing pieces. She corroborated my interview notes. Thank you, Dolly Edwin. Special thanks goes to Jonathan and Henry, with loving respect from me. Happy Trails. Henry Titus Happy Birthday Henry Titus! Henry turned 84 years old on April 10. He respectfully remains the oldest person in Ruby, Alaska. Originally from Kokrines which was once a booming little town about 30 miles up river from Ruby, Henry and his late wife Agnes raised their family as the last residents in the 1980s (he currently resides at the Tanana Tribal Elders Housing during winter months.) Numerous people see him as a friend who is fun and easy to talk with. One of the most important values in life I picked up from him, is to have fun while working hard and doing my personal best. The powers of play are often forgotten during work or in other things we do for our own sake or for the sake of others. Read further along and notice that play is not simply games like baseball, volley ball and hopscotch, but a matter of how to maintain life skills (Native science) and gripping the kind of resilience it took to live in the midst of tough times without pointing it out. Henry said the prime time of his life was being able to live out in the woods and having the ability to make various tools and other implements for subarctic subsistence living taught to him by his ancestors. The basic tools he used were handmade from various earthly elements. Henry's outdoor education was taught with simplicity and logic. For example, the trunks of big birch trees were used for two main reasons: moisture and straight grain. The natural curve from the base of a root was used for the bow and stern of a canoe. It was also used to make downhill skis. Henry's measuring tool was a long piece of string with knots tied into it. It had many uses such as building eight-foot freight sleds, canoes (see photo of canoe building in 1970 in Kokrines), smoke houses and fish racks or balers out of spruce or birch trees. It was very handy when he made snowshoes with accuracy according to his petite wife's height and weight. Even the little kids owned their own size snowshoes. In addition, he had a workbench staked into the ground on the bank at fish camp. For a fun exercise, Henry skied down the base of Kokrine hills. When he checked his trapline he noticed that fox liked to follow his ski tracks, so he set his snares nearby. He figured fox didn't follow sled tracks because of the dog scent so he never set snares close to sled trails. He used to "gee pole" with his dog team, that is using skis (like skijoring) between a team of eight working dogs and the freight sled. He use to hang onto a long pole that was fastened underneath the sled basket and just alongside a sled runner. This method was the best way to handle a big load. In those days, the sleds were big and heavy. They were especially heavy when he loaded them down with camp gear, wife and kids. In the 1950s he taught sled building to students for one month in Tanacross. He said kids from Ruby and Nulato went with him to Tanacross and that the people were real nice there. His father talked about how he rolled himself up inside of birch bark to keep warm in cold temperatures. It was also used as a repellant when mosquitoes were bad. Don't use spruce bark because it is sticky. His daughter Dolly Edwin, living in Fairbanks, shared some rich cultural activities with me. With fond memories of growing up in a remote village, she recalls how she and three other sisters helped their parents gather the clear kind of spruce pitch in a can. Her Dad melted it and spread the pitch when he did repair work on canoes. They collected duck and goose down for blankets and pillow fillers, lake grass for lining their boots, and birch bark to line ground pits that served as coolers or to keep things frozen a bit longer. Besides carrying dry fish or meat, they also carried geencodze as trail snacks (fried bear or moose fat similar to pork crackling.) A weather observation she believes to be true was when you see fresh mouse tracks in the snow it means it won't snow for very long. We hope you enjoyed the information we shared with you. (All this sounds like curriculum ideas-figure in the physics, mathematics, science and oral history and then run with it!) Jonathan David Jonathan David is a soft-spoken Athabascan Elder from Minto. The twinkle in his eyes gave him away before I took him serious whenever he was being witty. He is a fun person to be around. I found his sense of humor very enlightening and straight from the heart. He is one of the most willing and able-bodied men to work with students in camp settings. His years of experience in living off the land that he was born in, gives listeners a sense of being there when he talks of the old days. Please read the words he shared with me at a "Huff and Puff" basketball tournament in Fairbanks (he said he never played basketball, just baseball and handball the old time way.) For years I operated the generator in Minto, Alaska. In the village I use to collect rainwater from the roof. One time I got around 40 barrels of water. I put pipe all the way around from barrel to barrel. It ran into a big wooden tank. The school used it. In the winter I hauled ice from the lake close to my village. I learned about electricity before I left the village. The schoolteachers use to talk to me about it and they had an electric stove. I became good with my hands and I could think about what I was hearing real good so I went to school in Sitka. Some teachers work in Sitka for 13 years. Many times I just figured it out in my head and never forget. Once they told me something I never forget. Now I got bum head because I have too many things to think about. (He laughs.) Before that I worked on the Nenana boat dock in summer time for four years. I did everything on the barge. We hauled lots of groceries. Up to 300 barrels of fuel too. Before that I helped cut 1,000 cords of wood. The whole village cut it in two months. We had six different wood cutting areas. My oldest daughter, Anna Frank, was little that time. She even help cut brush and burn it after the wood was cut, so the Army caterpillar could haul all the wood out. All the steamboats use to buy the wood. We had it banked up in six places. All the way up and down the river from old village up to about twenty miles away from the village. Before that I worked construction for $125 a month. I changed railroad tracks between Nenana and Fairbanks. We put in higher tracks that use to have narrow gauge. Nowadays it's bigger gauge. Wintertime I go back to work at the school. I seen campfire, wood stove, oil stove, electric stove, gas stove and now microwave and I never cook. There are too many coffees and too many other things so I just drink tea. I don't know how I learned all those things. I had to use my head. Work on my own things. My own house when something is wrong. I fix it. Only when I can't fix it, I buy new one. That's after it's been there too long (He laughs and we seemed to have ended here, but there is more to his stories.) | |
|
Iñupiaq Region by Elmer Jackson:The AKRSI initiative for the Iñupiaq Region for the year 2000 will be Elders and Cultural Camps. Summer camps have been in existence in the Iñupiaq region for a number of years. The organizers of the 1999 cultural summer camps have been busy. Illisagvik Camp is located between Ambler and Shungnak on the upper Kobuk river. Last year, they held their first camp and plans are underway for a second camp. Further down the Kobuk river is the Kiana Elders' Iñupiat Illitqusrait Camp located near Kiana. The Kiana Traditional Council plans and sponsors this camp with funding coming from the Robert Newlin Aqqaluk Trust Fund. Northwest Alaska Native Association sponsors the Sivunniigvik Camp, located near Noorvik. Many Elders and youth from the region attend this camp. In the village of Selawik, Elders and planners usually take students camping or to a residential camp for part of the summer. At these camps, the students and young people are taught the Iñupiat Illitqusrait or the way of life of the Iñupiat. Some of the topics taught are fishing, hunting skills and other skills for gathering food with an emphasis on the Iñupiaq values. The planning for next year's AKRSI initiative has begun. I do not have the camp schedules at the present. If you would like more information, you can call me at (907) 475-2257 or e-mail me at fnej@uaf.edu. Many thanks go to all who participated in the 1999 Alaska Native/Rural Education Statewide Consortium held in Kotzebue, April 15-17. | |
|
Lessons Learned by Mary Rubadeau:It has been a remarkable and rewarding afternoon, listening to the talented and committed people speaking today. They are giving us their pledge to keep the educational needs of rural Alaska and Alaska Natives at the very center of their decision-making on the statewide scale. I applaud the vision and commitment of everyone in this room and the organizers of this retreat. What we are about today is Alaska Native student success. Twenty years ago my husband, Bob, and I moved from New York to Unalakleet. I was to be the special education teacher for the BIA school there. I had a shiny new degree and was ready to get right in there and "change the world!" But, as happens often in life, things turned out differently than I had planned. And, looking back, I guess you could say that the best part of my "real education" began there on the Bering Sea coast. I want to spend a few minutes telling you about some of my teachers and how they taught me what I needed to know. A few "lessons from the bush." I also want to share a short list of guiding principles I learned from these cultural teachers-a checklist I have used as a quick test for myself to see if an idea meets the high standards of cultural relevance and application. And then I will relate briefly how the Juneau School District responded positively to an Office of Civil Rights complaint and built programs and services to better meet the educational needs of our Alaska Native students. My first teachers in Unalakleet were Thora and Martha-the two oldest women in the village. They waved us over on our first walk through town. Many of you know the kind of wave I mean! With a mischievous twinkle in their eyes and not an ounce of shyness in their direct interrogation, they introduced us to our first important lesson. They asked the important questions first, to put us into a context they could understand with information about the single most important influence on who we were: our families. Where does your family live? Is it a city? Have they been to Alaska? Will they miss you? Brothers? Sisters? Nieces, nephews? Why don't you have any children yet? Over tea they spoke about their own families. It was important that they let us know how their lives had grown in relation to others. So many names! Martha alone had twenty-four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Thora, as a much sought after traditional midwife, had delivered hundreds of babies over her fifty-year vocation. All were "family." In the following years I learned to listen to people as they told me about a child. You know what I mean, "That little Rosie, she is Diane's second girl, fourth baby. Her mother is Elsa, sister to Ruby from Bethel. Baby's father is Clarence. His mother was Ethel and married to the postmaster . . . " I always found within those names the right person to call if Rosie was having a difficult time. They gave me the adult mentor for this child. Just the right advocate in this child's life that would help me see to the child's needs-Lesson Number One. Before we left that first day they pulled me aside and agreed that now that I was in Unalakleet I would have babies. They told me to drink stinkweed tea and sleep with my feet towards the door. Sure enough, both of my children came as naturally into the village as that first conversation with these remarkable women. All of the latest findings in developmental brain research points to the tremendous importance of nurturing, parental involvement and positive stimulation during the earliest years of a baby's life. As a cornerstone of their culture, Alaska Natives understand and reinforce this concept. Children from birth were not left behind. They were brought to every event, every meeting. Their well-being was factored without mention into planning large community gatherings or small groups discussing matters at city hall. Children were not excluded. Their needs were never thought of as separate from the agenda of a meeting. This was Lesson Number Two. As a teacher I watched with interest the keen, but fair, competitiveness of the children. Although setting high goals and meeting the mark was evident in athletics and subsistence activities, it was hard to find the right way to transfer the strategy to the classroom. I asked Thora about how could I get my students to view algebra like a foot race. She sat me down in her kitchen and with all of the great acting ability of an accomplished storyteller, and told me why competition, although sometimes necessary, should always make us laugh, not create winners and losers: Two old women were picking berries on the tundra in their long dresses and their break-up boots. These women had spent their whole lives as friends, gone to school, raised their families, and enjoyed their status as Elders. The picking was good and in the late afternoon they found themselves far away from the village, near a stand of willows. Suddenly a big grizzly bear lumbers out of the trees and spots them. They begin to back away and the bear slowly follows them out across the tundra. The two women turn and run arm in arm across the tough footing of the tundra. Looking back they see that the bear is gaining. Suddenly, one of the ladies sits down on the tundra, kicks off her rubber boots and begins digging in her backpack for her tennis shoes. Her friend is trying to pull her back to her feet as the bear closes the distance. "Hurry up, hurry up," she said. "Those shoes aren't going to help you outrun the bear!" The seated woman ties her last knot and jumps to her feet. "I don't have to outrun the bear," she said with a wink, "I just have to outrun you!" Competition is not the only way to motivate and interest a child in achieving high standards-Lesson Number Three. We need to look to our pockets of excellence in Alaska: There are many exceptional classrooms already in rural and urban Alaska. Classrooms in all of our districts where: * The learning outcomes-the targets for success are clear. * All students find opportunities within the school day to shine. * Teachers have resources-including technology. * There are many ways for students to demonstrate competencies. * There are consistent high expectations for all students. * Highly trained and creative teachers employ a variety of instructional methods to meet diverse learning styles. * The richness of Native language, music and culture is celebrated for its cognitive and spiritual worth. * Parents and caregivers are full participants in the educational plans for their children. * The challenge to all of us as educational leaders is to expand the success of these model classrooms system wide. * The role of parents in a child's education is one of the highest predictors of future success. * All children are special. Each learns in their own unique way. Beware of categories that divert resources from the primary teacher-student relationship. * Community partnerships with business leaders, elected officials, parents and family service agencies strengthen an educational system. * Keep what is best for children and learning at the very center of your agenda. Put bargaining units, facility needs and grant criteria secondary to designing an educational program to meet each child's needs. * Schools are a community asset to be used to assist children and families. Mental health counseling, family support services, before and after school programs, structured recreational activities and adult learning opportunities all belong within the walls of a school. * A positive and safe school climate where respect is a core value that is reinforced at every opportunity. I'd also like to share a few stories from Juneau. There are 1,150 Alaska Native students in the Juneau Schools, approximately 20% of the student population. When I went to Juneau in 1994, there was a complaint against the district from the Office of Civil Rights regarding the over-identification of Native students in special education. This was a national problem that was very real in the Juneau School District and it was not clear how to resolve it. If we decertified children from eligibility, then funding and services would be cut. Many Alaska Native leaders, parents, specialists, teachers and even administrators become students of the problem. We networked with national experts and read and thought and talked and listened to each other. Today we can't claim that the issue is resolved, but we have new strategies that work far better to serve kids and families while placing a high value on cultural influences on learning. Those strategies include: 3 cultural interviews, 3 new assessments, 3 intervention teams and 3 a long term plan for staff development on equity and multicultural issues. We have also developed a vision for identifying Alaska Native language and cultural and traditional learning styles as gifts, not handicaps. We have stopped putting bureaucratic labels of "communication disordered" and "learning disabled" on kids, and have taken administrative and paperwork time and used it to better serve them. In the past year, the district has worked with Native leaders to develop a Tlingit Language Plan. Juneau is making a commitment to blending the traditional language and cultural history within multiple aspects of the curriculum, not simply creating a separate class that must compete for limited resources. We have a cadre of teachers who have made a commitment to be our anchor team to kindle this fire that we know will take years of resolve to flourish. But it does feel good to be taking action on this critical issue instead of just talking and wringing our hands! The actions we have taken in Juneau have one common goal-to increase the achievement and success of Native students. We've worked towards this goal on many fronts: new alternative programs, more classroom options, summer school, tutorials, an Early Scholars and Elders-in-the-Schools program and a partnership with Headstart to serve 20 additional Native children and families in a new site in one of our schools. We are making progress, but again these actions require long-term commitment. We have much to learn from each other. I feel privileged today to share some of my reflections and experiences with you. My vision for the future is an individualized learning plan for every child-a blueprint for learning. My future has students demonstrating their competencies in a project-based format. Each student will have a portfolio of their educational products that show their abilities and work. My future for education includes a positive adult mentor for each student. No child can have too many people interested in their well-being and development and every child deserves a mentor and advocate. I look forward to building on the many other lessons handed down from Thora and Martha. I am excited about listening and learning from all of you over the next two days. Thank you for hosting this retreat. Thanks to all of you for being here. It will take every ounce of our leadership, vision and resolve to make sure that all of the children in Alaska have not only the opportunity to dream big dreams, but also the skills to make them come true. Thank you, Quyana, Gunalcheesh | |
|
Partnerships Are Necessary For Success by Frank Hill:The words above mean partner in some of the Alaska Native language dialects, but all share the understanding that it takes the coordinated skills of individuals to accomplish a task or complete an activity. If any part of the partnership fails to do their work, the probability of success is decreased. Many successful endeavors depend on the coordinated work of individuals or groups of individuals. Such is true of the work of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative/Rural Challenge; without the partnerships we have established throughout Alaska, the efforts of AKRSI/RC would not be successful. Many corporate and legal entities have senior partners that established the concept of the business or firm and continue to serve as advisors to the entity's success. Alaska Native Elders are our senior partners; they collectively contribute their wisdom and knowledge to the project so that we can continue to be successful in our mission to enact systemic change in Alaska's rural schools and improve learning opportunities for Alaska's rural and Native children. AKRSI/RC's partners include school districts, the University of Alaska, private higher educational institutions, local tribal colleges, Native teacher associations, the Alaska Department of Education, tribal organizations, city and borough governments, public and private organizations, and individuals. Partners must have a coordinated vision of the goal or mission of the enterprise. Each partner must do their part to ensure that the goal is accomplished. Partners meet frequently to make sure that everyone is working toward that goal. Partners can be depended on to do their job; just like I knew my commercial fishing partners would do theirs. Commercial fishing is a dangerous activity, and without the confidence that my partners would do their jobs unfailingly, I, as captain, would not be able to do my job of keeping the boat where the fish are, safely. My hunting partner, George, and I have established a pattern for successful hunting-we know each other's skills and strengths and can depend on each other to make sure that we have successful and safe hunts. My Finnish father had a friend who named his small boat Ipa, which I understand to be "partner" in Finnish. He named his boat appropriately because he said he could depend on it to do whatever he asked, unfailingly, every time. The aft/helmsman in an Aleut baidarka had to know how to keep the craft stable on the ocean waves so that his partner could successfully throw his spear. This is one of many examples of partners working together in Alaska Native cultures to be able to successfully live in their environments. It often took whole groups to do the job, such as a successful whaling crew, then later, the whole village was needed to pull the whale onto the ice and divide the bounty. The AKRSI/RC partners have been working together for nearly four years. Since we began, we have maintained a consistent set of partners and have refined our methods and means to stay on track. It is still very important to keep our partners informed and updated as we approach the last year of the project, in the time we have given ourselves to accomplish our mission. We want to thank the AKRSI/RC partners for the work they have done. They need to know that without their individual and group efforts, none of what we have accomplished would have happened. | |
|
Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools:The following guidelines, adopted by the Assembly of Alaska Native Educators in February 1999, address issues that should be considered in the preparation of teachers who will be expected to teach students from diverse cultural backgrounds in a culturally responsive and healthy way. The intent of these guidelines is to offer assistance to teacher education programs in addressing the special considerations that come into play for teachers seeking to implement the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools in their work as educators. Using the Alaska Teacher Standards as a framework, these guidelines provide specific suggestions for complementary knowledge and skills that culturally-responsive teachers need to acquire above and beyond the performance indicators stipulated by the state for each of the teacher standards. While all of these guidelines should be given explicit attention during the initial pre-service preparation of teachers, many of them will benefit as well from continued attention throughout a teacher's professional career. No student, community or society stands still for long and, therefore, neither can a teacher. The guidelines are in draft form now, with plans to publish the final version this summer. You can download a pdf version (viewable with Acrobat Reader) from our ANKN website at http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/teachers.pdf. 1 Philosophy A teacher can describe the teacher's philosophy of education and demonstrate its relationship to the teacher's practice. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. develop a philosophy of education that is able to accommodate multiple world views, values and belief systems, including the interconnectedness of the human, natural and spiritual worlds as reflected in Alaska Native societies. b. incorporate locally appropriate cultural values, as reflected in the various regional value statements and posters, in all aspects of their teaching. c. gain first-hand experience in alternative ways of knowing and learning under the guidance of personnel who are themselves grounded in ways of knowing that are different from those based on a literate tradition (i.e., schooling), including the experientially-based oral tradition of Alaska Native societies. d. incorporate alternative ways of knowing in their teaching practice and understand the similarities and differences between them, particularly with regard to Alaska Native and Western traditions. e. demonstrate their understanding of alternative world views in contexts where they can be judged by practitioners of those world views. 2 Learning Theory & Practice A teacher understands how students learn and develop and applies that knowledge in the teacher's practice. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. incorporate and build upon the prior knowledge and experiences of the students in their care and reinforce the positive parenting and child-rearing practices from the community in all aspects of their teaching. b. demonstrate a thorough understanding of the role of naturalistic intelligence in indigenous societies and will demonstrate their ability to draw upon multiple forms of intelligence in their teaching practice. c. acquire and apply a full repertoire of skills for the appropriate use of experiential approaches to teaching and learning in their teaching practice. d. demonstrate the ability to work with mixed-age/grade groupings in their classroom and to utilize the range of abilities and experiences in such a situation to instructional advantage. e. approach the developmental potential of their students in a way that recognizes that all children develop at their own rate and in their own way. f. engage in extended experiences that involve the development of observing and listening skills associated with the traditional learning ways of Native people. 3 Diversity A teacher teaches students with respect for their individual and cultural characteristics. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. acquire and apply the skills needed to learn about the local language(s) and culture(s) of the community in which they are situated. b. draw upon the traditional teaching roles and practices in the community to enhance the educational experiences of their students. c. participate in an Elders-in-Residence program and learn how to implement such a program in their own school and classroom. d. understand the significance of the role of cultural identity in providing a strong foundation for all social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development and will demonstrate the ability to build on that understanding in their teaching. e. acquire a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the local, regional and statewide context in which their students live and be able to pass on that understanding in their teaching, particularly as it relates to the well-being and survival of small societies. f. help their students to understand and compare different notions of cultural diversity from within and beyond their own community and cultural region, including factors that come into play within culturally mixed and blended families. g. serve as adult role models by actively contributing to the local lifeways and traditions as practiced in the community in which they teach. 4 Content A teacher knows the teacher's content area and how to teach it. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. pursue interdisciplinary studies across multiple subject areas that are applicable to the curriculum content they will be called upon to teach as it relates to the real-world context in which their students are situated. b. demonstrate an extensive repertoire of skills for the application of the content knowledge they teach in guiding students toward the development of local solutions to everyday problems in the world around them. c. know how to acquire an in-depth understanding of the knowledge system indigenous to the place in which they are teaching and apply that understanding in their practice. d. demonstrate a recognition that many and various cultural traditions from throughout the world, including Alaska Native, have contributed to the knowledge base reflected in the Alaska Content Standards. e. demonstrate the ability to align all subject matter with the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools and to develop curriculum models that are based on the local cultural and environmental experiences of their students. f. recognize the importance of cultural and intellectual property rights in their teaching practice and will honor such rights in all aspects of their selection and utilization of curriculum resources. 5 Instruction & Assessment A teacher facilitates, monitors and assesses student learning. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. utilize multiple instructional strategies and apply those strategies appropriately and flexibly in response to the cultural and instructional environment in which they are situated. b. incorporate and build upon locally identified cultural values and beliefs in all aspects of their teaching and assessment practices. c. construct and teach to alternative curriculum frameworks, including those grounded in Alaska Native world views and knowledge systems. d. utilize alternative instructional strategies grounded in ways of teaching and learning traditional to the local community and engage community members in helping to assess their effectiveness in achieving student learning. e. demonstrate the ability to utilize a broad assortment of assessment skills and tools in their teaching that maximize the opportunities for students to demonstrate their competence in a variety of ways applicable to local circumstances, including the involvement of local Elders to pass judgement on knowledge and skills associated with traditional cultural practices. f. demonstrate a thorough understanding of the cultural implications of standardized and norm-referenced tests and be able to make appropriate decisions regarding their use for educational and accountability purposes. g. consider all forms of intelligence and problem-solving skills in the assessment of the learning potential of students in their care and provide appropriate opportunities for the educational advancement of all students. h. acquire the skills to utilize technology as a tool to enhance educational opportunities and to facilitate appropriate documentation and communication of local cultural knowledge while honoring cultural and intellectual property rights. 6 Learning Environment A teacher creates and maintains a learning environment in which all students are actively engaged and contributing members. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. construct learning environments in the classroom context that are modeled on natural learning environments in the community. b. effectively utilize the local community as an extension of the classroom learning environment. c. successfully prepare for, organize and implement extended camps and other seasonal everyday-life experiences to ground student learning naturally in the surrounding environment. d. utilize natural structures and models to construct learning environments that are compatible with the cultural and ecological context in which students are situated. * Family & Community Involvement A teacher works as a partner with parents, families and with the community. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. effectively identify and utilize the resources and expertise in the surrounding community to enhance the learning opportunities of the students. b. develop partnerships with parents, Elders, school board members and other community members as co-teachers in all aspects of their curricular and instructional planning and implementation, and arrange for appropriate recognition for such contributions. c. understand the role and responsibility of the school as a significant factor in the social, economic and political makeup of the surrounding community and as a major contributor to the communities health and well-being. d. assume culturally appropriate and constructive roles in the community in which they teach and respect the roles and contributions of other members of the community. 8 Professional Growth A teacher participates in and contributes to the teaching profession. Culturally responsive teacher candidates who meet this standard will: a. draw upon the regional Native Educator Associations along with state and district resources for their own educational improvement and professional growth. b. engage in critical self-assessment and participatory research to ascertain the extent to which their teaching practices are grounded in the traditional ways of knowing and transmitting the culture of the surrounding community. c. prepare and maintain a comprehensive portfolio documenting the strengths and weaknesses they bring to their role as a teacher. d. demonstrate their willingness and ability to contribute to a supportive collegial environment that promotes professional growth of all participants on behalf of the educational and cultural well-being of the students in their care. e. participate in, contribute to and learn from local community events and activities in culturally appropriate ways. | |
|
Southeast Region by Andy Hope:Planning for the 1999 AKRSI initiative began in January with a teleconference and has been followed by a regional planning meeting in Juneau in late February and several subsequent teleconferences. Technical support for planning and implementation of the 1999 AKRSI initiative has been provided by Dr. Claudette Bradley-Kawagley and Alan Dick. Other support has been provided by Dr. John Carnegie of UAS-Sitka Campus. Dates have been set for two AISES Camps this summer. The first (for girls grades 5-11) will be held July 5-17 at Dog Point Fish Camp and the UAS-Sitka campus (for use of science and computer labs.) The second camp (for boys grades 5-11) is August 2-14, also held at Dog Point Fish Camp and the UAS-Sitka Campus. Applications are available from the participating school districts. Ten students, ideally five boys and five girls, from each district will participate in the camps. A special topics course with undergraduate and graduate options will be offered by John Carnegie and Claudette Bradley-Kawagley for teachers and educators in conjunction with the camps. Alan Dick, author of Village Science and Northern Science, will also offer technical support throughout the year. Alan will attend both camp sessions. Claudette will attend the August 2-14 camp. Those interested can e-mail me at fnah@uaf.edu or phone (907) 465-8776. The intent of the planners is for students to develop rough ideas for science projects while at camp. These projects can then be refined in the fall and winter and hopefully entered in the regional, state and national AISES science fairs. The Southeast AISES fair is tentatively scheduled for November 1999 in Juneau. The statewide AISES fair is tentatively set for late January or early February 2000. The Southeast Alaska Native Educators Association will host a Native Curriculum Development Institute in conjunction with the August camp. The institute will be open to the public. The institute will feature the Carnegie/Bradley-Kawagley courses as well as a session on the Axe Handle Academy (a bioregional thematic curriculum) that will be offered by Richard and Nora Dauenhauer. A celebration of indigenous languages is tentatively planned for late fall in the San Francisco Bay area. Tentative co-sponsors include the Athabascan Language Consortium, The Tlingit Language Consortium, The Native California Network, Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival, News from Native California Magazine and the Before Columbus Foundation. The celebration will be to honor those who have worked to conserve indigenous languages and promote indigenous language literacy. The first Sister Goodwin Award (sponsored by the Before Columbus Foundation and part of the American Book Award program) will be presented at the celebration. Contact me for more information. | |
|
Summer '99 Camps:The following camps are those we had information on when preparing this newsletter. Please verify information with the contact listed. Summer 1999 Ilisagvik Camp Upper Kobuk: Ambler, Shungnak, Kobuk Contact: Ambler Traditional Council (907) 445-2196 Yupiit Camp Mini Fish Camp near Akiachak Contact: Sophie Kasayulie (907) 825-4427 SWRSD Camp Near Manokotak Contact: Dana Bartman (907) 289-1013 April 30-May 2 Squirrel Spring Camp (Teachers-Elders) Picnic Beach Contact: Esther Ilutsik (907) 842-3502 May-June Yup'ik Immersion Camp Akiachak, Akiak, Tuluksak Contact: Sophie Kasayulie (907) 825-4428 1st week of June Koyukon-Athabaskan Language & Culture Camp, Koyukuk Contact: Eliza Jones (907) 927-2205 June 12-19 Old Minto Cultural Heritage Camp Old Minto Contact: Robert Charlie (907) 451-0923 June 21-30 1999 Pike Spit Cultural Camp, Kotzebue Contact: Elmer Goodwin (907) 442-3341 July 4-30 Sivunniugvik (Spirit Camp Kobuk River) Contact: Aqqaluk Trust c/o NANA (907) 442-3301 July 5-17 Southeast Regional Science Camp 99 Sitka at Dog Point Incoming 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls Contact: Andy Hope, fnah@uaf.edu (907) 465-8776 July 7-21 Fairbanks AISES Science Camp 99 Howard Luke Camp Incoming 7th, 8th, and 9th grades Contact: Dixie Dayo, fndmd1@uaf.edu (907) 474-5086 July 11-15 & July 15-20 KANA Spirit Camp (not an AKRSI camp) Sitkalidak Island near Old Harbor 10-18 year olds Contact: Val Pillans or Gwen Kwachka at KANA, (800) 478-5721 July 18-24 & July 25-31 Academy of Elders/AISES Science Camp Katenai, Afognak Island Incoming 2nd-12th graders Contact: Teri Schneider, tschneider@ kodiak.alaska.edu (907) 486-9031 July 25-30 Frosty Peak Camp, Cold Bay Contact: Allison Young (907) 276-2700 August Kashunamiut Elder Academy Chevak Contact: John Pingayak (907) 858-7712 August 2-14 Southeast Regional Science Camp 99 Sitka at Dog Point Incoming 7th, 8th, and 9th grades boys Contact: Andy Hope, fnah@uaf.edu (907) 465-8776 August 9-20 St. Paul Stewardship Science Camp St. Paul Island 7th-12th grades Contact: Mike Kurth, (907) 546-2222, ext 1 Karin Holser, (907) 546-3190 August 16-21 Camp Qungaayux, Unalaska Contact: Harriet Berikoff (907) 581-2920 September 20-26 Aleknagik Cultural Camp Camp Polaris Contact: Esther Ilutsik (907) 842-3502 | |
|
The Cry of the Loon by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:The loon's standards of life and making a living are impeccable, thus allowing it to live successfully for many thousands of years. Its basic standard is respect-a respect for the Greater Being, spirits, others' rights to live a life that fits their needs and a respect for the environment. It is taught all aspects of its place by its parents using all five senses. The young are taught how to play; taught the ritual of swimming, diving and making its call; taught how to select a nesting place; taught the art of making a nest; taught to appreciate the lifeforms within its place and taught to live a life that is interacting with all that is around it. Nature is science. It knows that it is a loon and always will remember that. Yes, its standards are simple and intertwined leading to a life that is full of meaning and direction. For those of us who are indigenous or Native people, we must resurrect our ways of recognizing and paying homage to the Ellam Yua spirits and Nature. When we regain our spirituality, we will again learn to laugh from our hearts and play because "those who know how to play can easily leap over the adversaries of life. And one who knows how to sing and laugh never brews mischief" (an Iglulik proverb.) When we awake at dawn and look at the sun rising and life begins to stir again, this is mysterious. The loon is telling us of this mystery of life-its mysterious connection to us. This is sacred. When we begin to understand this, we will begin to change our relationship to our environment. We will begin to experience a need for a new existence. I am happy to state that among the Alaska Native people, the Yupiat have striven for and are heading for a new existence! We have many Yupiat Elders and others who have become teachers for all of us, and all point to the same direction-a new consciousness for life. A new consciousness that is vibrantly traditional, full of truth, beauty, health, happiness and love. These five attributes of life become the foundations to the question that each and every one of us will ask ourselves as to the type of life that we want to pursue. As we put this into practice, we will become the model of existence for now and in the future. In this contemporary world of chaos, we can create our own reality. We can re-create ourselves as we want to be. We have the power within us to do this. We have three things that will help us to do this. First, we have our past through myths, stories, rituals and ceremonies. We can draw from them that which will help us reconstruct, and dispense with those that will not be of help to us in our efforts. Secondly, we have our imagination and ability to see what we would like to be in the future. What will we look like? What will we live in? How will we make our living? What kinds of things will we possess? How will we recognize the spiritual? And, lastly, we have our rational, thinking minds that react to things around us and thus enable us to connect with things as they are now. We know what we are, know what others think of us, know how we try to make a living, know how the federal and state governments work against us, and know how we react to negative as well as the few positive things that happen to us. Knowing these time and thought spirals can help us to reconstruct our reality and ourselves. It is time that we make songs about alcohol and drugs telling of their power over us, telling us it is now time for us to give up and be released from their use, and give up or relinquish our emotional ties to these destructive elements. If we merely release these from our lives, we will return to it. So it is absolutely necessary that we give up our emotional ties to it-I do it because it makes me feel good, allows me to talk and mix with people. This is an emotional tie that will get you back to it. The loon reminds us that its standards for life are high, and so should ours. In looking at the federal and state standards, I get confused as to the real meaning of them. Perhaps it's the fragmented and convoluted approach by fields of study that make this so. It does not show me a need for a change in education. There is an old Chinese saying that goes something like this: When there is someone pointing at the moon, only the idiot looks at the finger! These Eurocentric standards require that we look at the content of the various fields of study. They tell us what our students are purportedly to know at the end of secondary school. Content, thus information accumulation and reasoning, seems to be of overriding importance. As I've said before, information and rationality are a very small part of learning. There is a missing ingredient that fails to give direction and a wholeness to the standards. This is not to say that they are useless, but can be if left alone. The needed ingredients (strange attractors) are the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. These say to me that there needs to be a change in education, not only schooling. Schooling is that which happens in the structure called the school. Education is that which happens within and without the family, school and community. The latter is all inclusive. In reading and thinking about the standards, I get the distinct feeling that there is a need to change the way that we teach, the things that we teach about, the materials we use, how we measure growth and development and where things are taught. These standards behoove that something be done to accommodate the Native thought-worlds, their worldviews. The loon would desire this for its survival and ours. We are now on that pathway. In conclusion, the cry of the loon is encouraging us to balance our physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual selves to begin to live lives that feel just right, walking peacefully and expressing it to others in our own Native languages. Piurciqukut Yuluta pitallketuluta.-"we will become people living a life that feels just right." Quyana. | |
|
Village Science: ". . . And Junk Like That" by Alan Dick:One of my partners and I had a dog team that was a composite of all the rejects in the village-dogs people didn't want to feed and didn't want to shoot. They were slow but adequate for our needs. The oldtimers told us not to feed fresh lush to our dogs but to freeze them for several nights first. We thought about it and decided that they were giving us some superstition because we could see that the lush were fat and good dog feed. When it was our turn to check the fishtrap, the dogs agreed with us as they ate the fresh lush on the spot. We didn't say anything, not wanting to hurt people's feelings by exposing the local superstition. Within two weeks our dogs were totally lifeless. We had to rest them halfway to the store and it was only two miles from the village. Occasionally, someone mumbled, "fresh lush." We didn't make the connection for quite a while. We fed our dogs tremendous amounts of dogfeed, but they remained skinny and lazy. Finally, the tapeworms started dangling from the dogs' posterior and we got it. Fresh lush have tapeworms! If we had frozen or cooked the lush, our dogs could have made it to the store without a break halfway. Superstition? Hardly. That was science. The oldtimers always told us not to eat snow when walking in the winter. They said to stop and make tea over a fire if we were thirsty. I was only about five miles from home and had walked the trail before. Not wanting to waste time making a fire, I shrugged off the advice and started eating handfuls of snow to quench my great thirst. I almost didn't make it home. It takes 80 calories to convert one gram of 32° ice to 32° water. A junior high student could have done the math and told me I hadn't eaten enough food that day to provide the energy necessary to melt large quantities of snow. I felt qualified to write the sequel to a Jack London saga by the time I dragged myself in the door. I wasn't alone in my foolishness. In the late '60s there was a new BIA teacher in the village. He said "Native people are smart for how to cross the river and junk like that." Before six months were up, he almost drowned twice. He tipped a boat over when the ice was running in the river. His wife had to save him as well as the doctor and nurse who were in the boat. Later that spring, he barely escaped when he drowned his snowmachine in twelve feet of water. There are still some issues I wonder about, like whistling at the northern lights. I don't see how whistling can influence anything. Did I? Of course I did back then. I walk lightly in those areas now. The fact that I don't understand something doesn't disprove it. There are many issues yet to be explained. | |
|
Yup'ik Region by Barbara Liu:Kashunamiut School District is sponsoring a sod house rebuilding summer camp at one of their traditional sites which is within a boating distance from Chevak. More information on Kashunamiut Camp is available from John Pingayak at Kashunamiut School (email: pingayaq@hotmail.com) or by calling (907) 858-7712. Bristol Bay Campus/Ciulistet Research Association is sponsoring a mini-spring Squirrel camp at Picnic Beach a short distance from Dillingham. More information on the BBC/CRA camp is available from Esther Ilutsik at Bristol Bay Campus (email: fneai@uaf.edu) or by calling (907) 842-3502. Yupiit School District is sponsoring a Mini-Fish camp, which is a boat ride away from Akiachak. More information on the Yupiit Camp is available from Sophie Kasayulie at the Yupiit School (email: skasayulie@akiachak.ysd.schoolzone.net) or by calling (907) 825-4427. Southwest Region School District is sponsoring a camp near Manokotak. More information on SWRSD Camp is available from Dana Bartman at Manokotak School (email: dbartman@manokotak.swrsd.schoolzone.net) or by calling (907) 289-1013. In March, 1999, a two-day meeting was held for some of the Academy of Elders' camp coordinators; the planning process was conducted in the C/Yup'ik language. Esther Ilutsik, (representing BBC/Ciulistet) came as well as Joe Slats representing Yupiit School District and Earl Atchak, an alternate for John Pingayak, representing Kashunamiut. Two of our Elder consultants on regional camps were Andrew Ayuluk of Chevak and Joe Lomack of Akiachak. After introductions, I gave a brief overview of the AKRSI project and our initiative for this year, and quoted our C/Yup'ik philosophy statement developed on C/Yuuyaraq. Two years ago, a written statement was developed through a graduate course facilitated by Cecilia Martz along with Elder Louise Tall of Chevak. Students involved were Joe Slats of Akiachak, John Lamont of Alakanuk, Evon Azean of Kongignak, Tim and Fanny Samson of Kipnuk, John Mark of Quinhagak, Lorina Warren of Eek, Flora Ayuluk of Chevak and myself. In our two-day meeting, we talked about science and math-how learning is through hands-on activities out in the field. While we may be able to tie-in Western science and Y/Cup'ik ways of living, there was some fear expressed that in melding the two ways of knowing, that the use of English would create some imbalance in our "Y/Cuuyaraq". The Elders agreed that they are not in a position to divide us but to encourage us to work together towards involving our "Y/Cuuyaraq" through education. Earl Atchak of Chevak added, "the words of the poster send hope, strength and unity." We further clarified our Academy of Elder Camps' mission in our discussions. Everyone accepted the Y/Cup'ik poster philosophy as guiding our camps' direction. The wisdom truly comes from the hearts of our Elder men and women. The Elders expressed the importance of presenting camp activities in our own language. It was encouraged that participants be able to understand and speak with them. Elders Joe Lomack and Andrew Ayuluk spoke in agreement using high Yup'ik vocabulary at times, enlightening several thoughts in running camps and setting guidelines. Joe Lomack explained Ellam Kilgartaan/Creator watches over the land, water and its inhabitants. There are rules on hunting and gathering for family members experiencing death, miscarriage and menses. Ella/Weather animals and fish sense those affected by these three areas. There are many side effects, both long-term and short-term, through good or bad weather and abundance or scarcity of animals and fish that can affect the whole community or camp. Consequently, if a sponsor takes this seriously and requires that the camp participants let it be known who have not experienced any of the three within the year, the weather will cooperate and animals and fish will be available. Andrew Ayuluk mentioned a concern that children are not used to camping anymore and need parental support to motivate them. Involving community adults, such as young parents and teachers in the camp to motivate youth and Elders, begins a good example of Y/Cup'ik families, schools and community working harmoniously. Any questions on the AKRSI memorandum of agreements with school districts within the Y/Cup'ik region or activities associated with AKRSI, please contact your school district coordinators or myself. Contacts are Nita Rearden, LKSD; Sophie Kasayulie, Yupiit; John Pingayak, Kashunamiut; Ellen Napoleon, LYSD; Lillian Johnson, St. Mary's; Dana Bartman, SWRSD and Cheryl Jerabek, Kuspuk. Have a great summer. C/Yuuyaraq Wangkuta Y/Cup'igni qanruyutet aturluki anglituukut. Ilakuyulluta, ukvertarluta, pingnatuuluta. Nallunrilamta Yuuyaramteni piciryarangqerramta nutemllarmek. Qigcikiyaram aturtai taringumaut ellam iluanelnguut elpengqellrit nunuliutengqellrit-llu. Qanruyutem aturtai umyuartuluteng, elluatuuluteng, nuuqitevkenateng yuuluaqerciqut. Translation: We, the C/Yupiit are raised according to the original directions of our forefathers. We love one another, our belief is strong and we continue to better our lives. We know that our way of life has been grounded in traditional values and customs since time immemorial. Those who follow the teachings of respect understand that everything has a spirit with rewards of gratitude. Those who follow the teachings of our ancestors are intelligent, self-assured and prosperous. | |
|
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 |
|---|
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. | |
|
Alaska RSI Regional Contacts:Elmer Jackson Iñupiaq Regional Coordinator PO Box 134 Kiana, Alaska 99749 (907) 475-2257 e-mail: fnej@uaf.edu Barbara Liu Yup'ik Regional Coordinator Box 2262 Bethel, Alaska 99559 (907) 543-3467 e-mail: fnbl@uaf.edu Amy Van Hatten Athabascan Regional Coordinator 5230 Fairchild Avenue Fairbanks, Alaska 99709-4525 (907) 474-0275 e-mail: fyav@uaf.edu Andy Hope Southeast Regional Coordinator University of Alaska Southeast School of Business/PR 11120 Glacier Highway Juneau, Alaska 99801 (907) 465-8776 e-mail: fnah@uaf.edu Teri Schneider Aleutians Regional Coordinator Kodiak Island Borough School District 722 Mill Bay Road, North Star Kodiak, Alaska 99615 (907) 486-9031 e-mail: tschneider@kodiak.alaska.edu | |
|
Fall Course Offerings for Teachers in Rural Alaska by Ray Barnhardt:Alaska Studies ANTH 242, Native Cultures of Alaska; GEOG 302, Geography of Alaska; HIST 115, Alaska, Land and Its People; HIST 461, History of Alaska. Multicultural Education ANS 461, Native Ways of Knowing; ED 610, Education and Cultural Processes; CCS/ED 611, Culture, Cognition and Knowledge Acquisition; ED 616, Education and Socio-Economic Change; ED 631, Small School Curriculum Design; ED 660, Educational Administration in Cultural Perspective. Cross-Cultural Studies CCS 601, Documenting Indigenous Knowledge Systems; CCS 608, Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Enrollment in the above courses may be arranged through the nearest UAF rural campus, or by contacting the Center for Distance Education (CDE) at (907) 474-5353, email racde@uaf.edu, or by going to the CDE web site at http://www.disted.uaf.edu. Those rural residents who are interested in pursuing a program to earn a teaching credential should contact the rural education faculty member at the nearest rural campus, or the Rural Educator Preparation Partnership office at (907) 543-4500. Teacher education programs and courses are available for students with or without a baccalaureate degree. Anyone interested in pursuing a graduate degree by distance education should contact the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies at (907) 474-1902 or email ffrjb@uaf.edu. In addition to the above courses offered through the UAF campuses, the following distance education courses are available through the Alaska Staff Development Network (ASDN) under arrangements with Alaska Pacific University: Alaska Alive (which meets the state Alaska Studies requirement) and Creating Culturally Responsive Schools: A Standards-based Approach (which meets the state multicultural education requirement.) A new multicultural education course aimed at administrators is also under development by ASDN. Information regarding enrollment in these courses can be obtained from the Alaska Staff Development Network at (907) 364-3801, email asdn@ptialaska.net, or at the ASDN web site at http://www.asdn.schoolzone.net/asdn. Welcome to the last school year of the 20th century and the first of the new millennium. | |
|
Iñupiaq Region: Nalukatagvik-A Gathering for Celebration and Blanket Toss for a Successful Whaling Season by Elmer Jackson:The whaling captains and the crews host their Nalukataq in June. Prior to the celebration, they prepare mikigaq and maktak. The strips of whale meat and maktak are aged and served at the feast. The maktak, flippers and tail are stored in the sigluaq, where they are preserved by freezing. The whale meat is frozen as quaq. Fresh frozen tongue and meat are cooked by boiling and then served. Other parts of the whale that are edible are also prepared for the feast. The celebration is opened with a prayer of thanksgiving. The whaling crew and servers hold hands to give thanks to the Creator. The gathering of people are warmly welcomed. The first course is a delicious soup, bread, crackers and doughnuts. A complete course is served. Elementary school-age children serve coffee, tea, sugar and cream. After the meal, the Nalukataq begins. Many young people and adults take turns on the blanket toss. Many hold bags of candy, furs, cloth (material), and when they are suspended in the air they toss them to the crowd. After the Nalukataq, another part of the whale is shared. Whenever a course is served, those who are not present at the celebration are also given food. For instance, maktak, avatraq or cut parts of the flippers are shared with everyone. Many return home with gifts from the celebration including its delicacies. After a whole day of feasting and blanket tossing, the celebration ends in the evening with Iñupiaq dancing. "When the whaling captains and the crews are successful in harvesting whales, their labor of love and giving is celebrated. " Living the subsistence way of life, incorporating the Iñupiat values of sharing and respect of others and respect for animals and the environment are elements of the culture-these are sacred to the Iñupiat. Iñupiat in other coastal communities also celebrate and give thanks after a successful whaling season. Many land and sea mammals, fowl, fish, berries and edible and medicinal plants are harvested from the land and waters. A successful harvest of food ensures the survival of the Iñupiat heritage. Subsistence is the Iñupiat indigenous right. Our forefathers protected the land and waters-that is why we are still able to gather and harvest the fruits of the land. "Living the subsistence way of life, incorporating the Iñupiat values of sharing and respect of others and respect for animals and the environment are elements of the culture-these are sacred to the Iñupiat." | |
|
Newhalen Cultural Heritage and Video-editing Class by Michael Roberts:On September 14, a group of U.S. Park Service archaeologists Dale Vinson, Becky Saleeby and Martha Olympic Crow and an archaeologist and a former LPSD student of mine at Igiugig, arrived to carry out four weeks of archaeological fieldwork. It was not an excavation but an examination of an existing disturbance caused in an ancient site by road building. Mapping, radio carbon dating, soil samples, stratigraphy and surveying for other local sites were among some of the activities. The senior class of Newhalen School provided the work force and were taught techniques that lead to the designation of the site on a listed state registry. In the application process, the students were able to officially name and number the site. A concerted effort by the village and the students is leading to preservation of this site. As the students did the work, they also video-recorded the process using a digital camcorder provided by the grant money. When the weather no longer permitted fieldwork, we turned to video editing. The archaeological portion of the video was constructed first. Students learned how to capture digital video to computers and edit using a digital camcorder and Firewire (IEEE 1394). All of the special effects in the video were created using computers. The narrative for this portion was almost completely written by the students. It describes the process they took part in. The narration matches video clips which they chose as appropriate from hours upon hours of videotape. The completed video was then returned to videotape (VHS, SVHS, 8mm and DV) from the computer. They also learned how to burn CDs of the movie for use on Macintosh and Wintel PCs. In the second portion of the video, there was significant emphasis from the Newhalen Tribal Council on oral histories provided by village Elders. In the late fall, Elders from surrounding villages were flown in for a potlatch and roundtable story-telling. This was all recorded on video. On many of the oral histories, the students acted out or added portions of the stories which were superimposed again using various computer editing techniques to enhance the story. In stories told in Yup'ik, translation was provided by Father David and Gladys Askoak. "The third part of the video was a collection of stills from the Iliamna Lake area." The third part of the video was a collection of stills from the Iliamna Lake area. The village of Igiugig was of great help in allowing the use of a fine collection. John Branson of the U.S. Park Service was also of great help. Part of the video was actually a captured slideshow presentation by John. After the credits on this movie, the students inserted a bloopers section that is revealing. It shows amongst other things, the recording of some of the narratives on the movie. It also shows the amount of fun we had completing the project. Finally, the video was duplicated for sale. The Newhalen Cultural Heritage Project, A Culture In Motion, can be purchased through the Newhalen Tribal Council for $15.00 per copy. Contact Joanne Wassillie, Village Administrator, Newhalen Tribal Council, P.O. Box 207, Newhalen, AK 99606. Phone: (907) 571-1410, fax: (907) 571-1537. The proceeds will go into a fund to continue the partnerships, school curriculum and most importantly, collection, documentation and preservation of cultural materials and archaeological sites. I don't think you can watch the video without realizing the educational cross-curricular value the project contained. The elements of relevance, choice and creativity made it more meaningful than the traditional classroom. The school/community partnership involved in this project greatly enhanced the existing relations with the village and the classroom, school and Lake and Peninsula School District. It has provided cooperation and a better channel of communication. I have never been involved in a project that has been more fulfilling. | |
|
Southeast Region by Andy Hope:Teachers and students from Chatham, Hoonah and Sitka School districts participated in the training orientation. That spring UAS Juneau liaison, Tom Thornton, hired Jimmy George, Jr. as a student assistant for the Southeast Cultural Atlas project. Jimmy traveled to Fairbanks for web site training at the Oral History Library. Lydia George (Jimmy's mother) an elder of the Angoon Tlingit Raven moiety Deisheetaan clan, came to Juneau as Elder-in-Residence and lectured Tom Thornton's Ethnopsychology class. In the summer of 1997, Lydia, Jimmy, Tom and Michael Travis began working on the mapping and sound files for the Angoon Tlingit place names. On the technical side, this project was proof-of-concept that educational multimedia can be done without resorting to expensive, proprietary development systems. I hope this encourages others to 'get their feet wet' and start experimenting with what can be done using HTML, JavaScript, and other cross-platform web technologies. Michael D. Travis Working on the atlas for me was a real eye-opener. The thrust of the AKRSI is to promote Native ways of knowing. So much of this revolves around looking at how information is woven and connected through image and symbol. The Angoon cultural atlas CD-ROM allowed us to explore these links through Tlingit images and symbols -regalia, art, crests, place names, personal names, etc.-as well as through oral history. Lydia and Jimmy George's work with clan houses helped me see how Angoon Deisheetaan Tlingits connect their regalia and crests to personal and social identity and how the threads of Tlingit identity always lead back to the land. The multimedia format also allowed us to do this with Native voices and to connect Tlingit traditions to modern science and geography in ways that are just not possible in conventional expository writing. When we showed it to teachers in Angoon, they immediately saw potential applications in their classrooms as well as ways to extend the links to other areas of the curricula and Native culture. All this is very exciting and, I think, good for education, heritage preservation and enhancement, and cross-cultural communication and collaboration. Tom Thornton Associate Prof. of Anthropology University of Alaska Southeast Work on the atlas project will continue. The participants at the August 9-13, 1999 Indigenous Curriculum Institute in Sitka will continue work on the Klukwan and Kake atlas projects and observe a presentation of the Sitka Tlingit place name project. Institute participants will work on integrating other curricula, i.e. the bioregional, thematic Axe Handle Academy and the One Reel Salmon curriculum project. Many individuals and organizations have contributed to the development of the cultural atlas project: University of Alaska Southeast, Chatham School District, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Oral History Library, the Southeast Native Subsistence Commission, the Angoon Community Association, the Chilkat Indian Village, the Organized Village of Kake, Interrain Pacific and Sealaska Heritage Foundation. | |
|
Subsistence and Contaminants by Tauni Rodgers, Jeff Dickson, Molly Patton and Larry Duffy:Senka Paul, a former University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) student who works as a grant writer for Tribal Services, obtained a small grant from the National Institute of Health through the University of Washington Ecogenetics Center to begin baseline measurements. Collection sites for freshwater fish were at fishing and ice-fishing sites in the Y-K rivers with subsistence users donating fish for the study. The collection of fish was managed by the Y-K Health Corporation Office of Environmental Health and Engineering (OEHE). Results of this preliminary study have given state and federal officials more information to design future studies. Of the sixty-six fish sampled, sixteen (mostly pike) were found above the 0.2 parts per million (ppm) level of concern set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But these results are below the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards of 1.0 ppm and lower than most mercury levels of fish found in the lower 48 states. It's believed a diet consisting of large fish (greater than 20 inches) eaten twice a week is not a cause for concern. The main concern of neuroscientists and toxicologists for the levels of mercury observed in a few of the fish in this study is on the development of a healthy human fetus. The most sensitive time is during the first three months of pregnancy (first trimester). Pregnant women should not worry about eating pike. At this time it is not recommended eating large pike seven days a week. It is not known how much mercury is passed on to humans. Physicians within the Y-K Health Corporation are working with the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia to address this issue. It should be noted that there is likely a positive effect from eating fish oils. Studies have shown fish oils block the uptake of mercury. There are many interactions between diet and mercury absorption, with fish protein, Vitamin E and Vitamin * possibly modifying the toxicity. About the Authors Tauni Rodgers is the lab supervisor for OEHE in Bethel, Alaska. Larry Duffy coordinates the Partners-in-Science program for the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and is a member of UAF's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Molly Patton is an Environmental Health Specialist with Tanana Chiefs Conference in Fairbanks. Jeff Dickson is a Public Health Service (PHS) sanitarian working for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, OEHE in Bethel. | |
|
Traditional Yup'ik Knowledge-Lessons for All of Us by Esther Ilutsik:A Yup'ik Elder, John Pauk, a well-known nukalpiaq (a great hunter), shared the following information during a discussion with other Yup'ik members at a conference in Aleknagik, Alaska in January, 1999. He said, "Experiences and practices are very important parts of the learning process. Without experience and practice you will not learn how to do something better or understand it very well. You will not be able to teach and share your information with someone unless you yourself experience and practice it." He shared that observation after many years of hunting while he was looking back at some of the hunting implements he had made in his earlier years. At the time, he thought they were good. But examining them now, he found them inferior and imperfect. His many years of experience and practice were not reflected in this earlier work. He emphasized that experience and practice bring about an understanding- an educated understanding-that brings other experiences and practices together. Why is it that when we, the Native people, bring up the idea of teaching the local indigenous culture in the school, we still hear comments like, "They should just teach it at home if they think it is so important." Many of the things we want our children to learn we, as Native parents, haven't learned. So how can we teach the cultural knowledge that we feel is important to our children when we have not been taught these things ourselves? Many educators or even community members do not realize that we have a generation of parents who have not had the opportunity to engage in activities that would make their culture more meaningful to them. They sense that it is important and know that it is something that will help their own children gain a better understanding of who they are. They see it and hear about it, but since they have not experienced and practiced it themselves, they are not able to pass it on. Therefore we, as educators at the university and public school levels, have an added responsibility-the responsibility of educating those who missed out on these traditional learning opportunities. Those of us who have had the opportunities to be educated by our Yup'ik Elders need to pass the information on. We need to explore ways we can share this information with those who want it, but do not have the financial capacity to pay for workshops or university-sponsored classes. Many people do not have the financial capacity to pay the tuition costs or participate in a program that will once again educate them in their own cultural practices, so we need to seek other avenues. Traditional Yup'ik Learning Let's take a look at a traditional Yup'ik learning situation. In the past, the Yup'ik people learned a lot by participating and observing. This does not imply passive observing as defined in the Webster Dictionary (to watch attentively), but rather immersing yourself in the activity. This could be with immediate family or extended family members or at the community level. Consider the following scenarios: Scene 1 A young girl plays near her mother as her mother is making a squirrel parka. She is playing with her dolls. Her mother gives her some scraps of fur to make a simple piece of clothing for her doll. She tries her hand at sewing with her mother showing her how to thread, to make a knot and doing the first few stitches for her as she observes (this time the Webster definition is valid.) Then she finishes what her mother started and has her help with tying the knot. Scene 2 The young girl is outside playing with a few older girls as well as girls her own age. They are all seated in a circle each with a yaruin (a story knife) and are taking turns telling a story. She watches as the other girls draw a squirrel parka detailing all the parts of the parka, sharing the stories and meaning behind each design and pattern. She also draws as she watches and listens. When it is her turn, she is helped by the other girls. Scene 3 The young girl is with her mother and father at a gathering and observes and listens. She notices that her mother and father greet certain people as relatives. She notices that the parkas that they wear are all similar. One part of the parka stands out as the important symbol that signifies relationships. She also notices that those with the most similar designs are invited to the home as overnight guests. Scene 4 The young girl is a little older and again sits with her mother as she sews a parka. The girl indicates to her mother that she would like to make a small parka for her doll detailing some of the family patterns. The mother shares with her the most significant part of the parka design, then shows her how to make it and has her make one for her doll. These scenes are played out over-and-over again until the young girl has reached marriageable age. She has all this knowledge, experience and practice which she brings to her early years of marriage and now, with her own family, continues the cycle. Education and Western Influence To what degree has traditional Yup'ik education been influenced by the Western world? Let's take a look at the following scenarios: Scene 1 A child is playing at home near her mother. Her mother is working on a parka. But the child and mother are both distracted by the television. The child is playing with a Barbie doll or other manufactured doll. This doll doesn't need homemade clothes. All the clothes are pre-made. Scene 2 The child is playing with other children at a preschool. They have puzzles and other toys they are playing with. They are acting out roles they see within the community: going to church, going to a birthday party or even going shopping at the local store. A teacher is sharing stories, showing the children different social skills. She has the children participate in art activities and reinforces certain types of behaviors. The teacher models the behaviors that she expects of the children. Scene 3 The child is with her mother and father at a gathering. She observes and listens. She notices that her mother and father greet certain people as relatives. But all the people at this gathering are dressed in Western clothing. She makes an assumption that certain people are related to her based only on how her parents greet these people. Scene 4 As the child gets older, she enrolls in the local school. Her whole day and many evenings are spent at the school. She rarely spends time at home and when she is at home, she's doing homework or watching television. Western education and influence have taken over the responsibility for raising these children. It is no longer the mothers, parents and even peers sharing and teaching each other. It has been replaced by another method of learning. No wonder there is a "gap" between the parents and the children. Neither of the participants knows what the other is doing. The parents want their children to learn and understand certain things from their own culture, but the school is not teaching these skills. Let's take my own personal experiences as an example. I grew up and was educated within the school setting. My parents knew that education was important for survival, but they had little idea what was being taught in school-only a vague understanding. They knew that reading, writing and mathematics were all very important. They assumed that some of the things they were doing at home were being taught at school, such as the art of cooking and preparing food. But little did they know that the food preparation that was taught had very little to do with how food was prepared in the home. My father first came to that realization when my mother was not home to prepare food he caught. I was home when he came back from hunting with a couple of ducks in hand and asked me to prepare them for the next meal. I had, as a young girl before I started school, observed my mother and tried my hand at plucking birds, so that part was easy. But when it came to cutting up the bird, I had no prior knowledge. I may have observed, but did not have the opportunity to experience or practice it. So there I was, afraid to admit my ignorance to my father, I cut up this poor duck. I literally chopped it up to make some soup and threw the rest away. When the soup was done, my father came in to dish himself up, while I quickly made myself scarce, but within earshot. I heard him mutter under his breath, "Oh my God! What do they teach in school? This poor daughter of mine does not even know how to properly cut up a simple little bird. How will this poor creature live. She has no respect for this poor bird." Documenting Traditional Yup'ik Knowledge Interviewing is the most popular way of collecting and documenting traditional Yup'ik knowledge. The interview process has many different variations. For example, public school teachers have students interview Elders on subject areas that they are interested in. This process is usually teacher-directed and, most often, the information gathered is limited due to barriers in communication. University students also collect information by interviews and these again are usually teacher-directed. Depending on the interest and background of the students participating in these sessions, they usually contain more or less detailed information. There are also research groups that are comprised of Elders, professional educators and paraprofessionals who meet and gather together to document traditional knowledge. They use a form of interviewing where Elders and educators bounce information off one another. This method of interviewing brings about more detailed information which is further discussed in depth by the participants. But even this process does not take into consideration the type of information that would be collected and documented if the participants were able to actually experience it. For example, there is an art to gathering the edible roots from bush mice. You hear about how mouse food is gathered. You learn that it is gathered during a certain part of a season. You may even have the opportunity to see it, but you have not had the opportunity to engage in this activity to see how it is done. It is like looking into another world, because when questions are asked of the Elders, they share what they know, but in many cases they forget to share significant details because they assume everyone already knows those things. On one such occasion, we interviewed and recorded as much information as we could about edible mouse food from our Elders: what the names of the edible roots were, what they might taste like, the process used in preparing them for meals and even having the Elders attempt to draw what the roots and tubers looked like. It was then decided that we should go out and gather these edible roots. During the field trip we, the students, observed the Elders in action. They knew exactly where to go and we followed. We observed as they looked for a certain area with the types of plants that they knew the mice would cache. Then they would look into the grass. When questioned, they said, "Oh, we're looking for telltale signs of mice. You see they have little roads in the grass." So we, the learners, looked and to our amazement saw all these little highways. Then they started taking little steps and moving up and down. When questioned, they said, "Oh, we are feeling for a spongy area. If it feels spongy it might be the mouse nest or it might be the food cache." Then, when a mouse cache was found, the tools were taken out: an uluaq, a bag and even some bits of dried fish and crackers. The nest had to be cut in a special way so that the Elders would be able leave it as naturally as they had found it. After the edible roots were taken they were replaced with dried fish and cracker crumbs and thanks was given. In this way they shared more detailed information that was not initially evident during the interviews. In experiencing and practicing the gathering of edible mouse food, we were able to document a great deal more information then we would have if we had just relied on the interviews. We, as educators, had acquired information that was validated by our own experience and practice. When learning passively from our Elders, we are able to bring only limited information and insights back into the classroom, but through participation in the actual field activity, the information takes on much greater validity and meaning. Sharing Yup'ik Knowledge As teachers and educators, we are responsible for sharing the information we gather with students who want to learn more about their culture, as well as with other individuals who are within the present school system and community. What avenues are available to share such information so that others may also benefit from this knowledge? There are many new materials being developed for integration into the school environment that address the approaches to the teaching described above. Specific ideas and suggestions are outlined in the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, available through the Alaska Native Knowledge Network/Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI). One of the initiatives of the AKRSI involves implementing "Native Ways of Knowing" into school teaching practices, including documenting traditional cultural knowledge and incorporating it into the curriculum using experiential methods. As a result of this initiative, many new materials are now being developed and integrated into the regular classroom. Schools are beginning the process of becoming grounded within the local culture. "This is how to pull back the earth (ground)." L to R Elder Henry Alakayuk, Sr. of Manokotak, Elder Helen Toyukuk of Manokotak, and UAF student assistant Virginia Andrew of Aleknajik. PHOTO BY ESTHER ILUTSIK We, as Elders, educators and teachers, are very optimistic that the educational environment within the Western schools will change so that learning will fit the needs of the students; so that the teachers coming into the area will have an understanding of and sensitivity to the local culture and so that we will begin to see some positive changes for our people and communities. One area that has been overlooked, however, is the education of the generation who are presently the parents-about their own culture and traditional roles and responsibilities in child-rearing. This is especially critical for those who had to leave home to attend a boarding school-how do we begin to bring their heritage back to them? Collecting Knowledge Into Action The Ciulistet Research Association, working through the Bristol Bay Campus in Dillingham, has begun to address these issues and concerns. The Native educators who make up the Ciulistet Research Association come from the two main districts within the Bristol Bay area: Dillingham City Schools and Southwest Region Schools. It was decided that one of the ways to begin to address these concerns and issues was to present public workshops. This would serve as a means of educating the public without cost to the participants. We would not only serve the needs of our people, but also people from other cultural groups. It was also decided that we would seek funding from the Alaska State Council on the Arts, which funds artist and educational workshops. Money was obtained to pay honorariums for two Elders to assist us with the workshop. The community workshop, which is just getting underway, is designed to model, as close as possible, the Ciulistet method of collecting information-that is bringing together Elders with professional educators and inviting the children and people from the general public to participate. To attract educators, the workshop is being offered as a university-level course through the Bristol Bay Campus. By involving the educators, we hope to narrow the communication gap between the school and community. All of this is to be reinforced through opportunities for firsthand experience and practice in the knowledge and skills that are being shared-out where the mice make the highways in tundra. Our vision is that the information presented at the workshop will generate interest among the parents, community members and teachers, thus creating a domino effect in education-teachers teaching the ideas and themes in the classroom, while the parents and community members share the information with their own children as well as others in the community. It truly is an exciting time in education! "Here is the mouse trail." "Pull back the grass to get to the mouse cache." PHOTO BY ESTHER ILUTSIK PHOTO BY ESTHER ILUTSIK "Here is the mouse cache . . . " L to R, Elder Henry Alakayak, Sr. of Manokotak, teacher Ina Bouher of Dillingham City Schools, Elder Helen Toyukak of Manokotak. PHOTO BY ESTHER ILUTSIK | |
|
Village Science: They Won't Get It . . . by Alan Dick:I shared my thought. Immediately someone said, "But they won't get it." I had to agree. Most people wouldn't see the connection. I let it pass. The group tried to combine a test tube with an atomic symbol. It seemed distorted. Later, a giant "NO!" screamed aloud within me. Of course they won't get it. They are so out of touch with reality. A campfire is a perfect symbol of the combination of chemistry and physics. However, most people are so removed from the basics of life they cannot relate to something so meaningful and so important as a campfire. Our jobs have little or no connection with the meeting of our needs. We sign a check and our house is warm. If the house is still cold, we dial a thermostat or a repair man. That is our connection to reality? A campfire is real. The fire keeps us from perishing in the winter. It dispels the trembling of hypothermia after a rainy day of hunting in a boat. It sucks mosquitoes in its updraft in the summer. It keeps predators at a distance. Its radiance penetrates to our bones heating them as well as our souls. It is a friend that dispels the demon of loneliness. The fire is the center of the camp, a focal point. Everything happens around the fire: cooking, drying, planning, stories, the first cup of coffee of the day and the last "good night" of the evening. The campfire isn't always convenient. We circle it, with our eyes streaming tears from the smoke. The flames scorch our fingers as we remove the coffee pot. It chars our damp socks as we attempt to dry them on a stick. It needs constant tending. The smell clings to our clothes and hair. This is reality. "They won't get it." They need to get it! NASA needs to get it. MIT and Stanford need to get it. How can we award Ph.Ds to people who cannot make a campfire in the rain? It is not enough to go to a park with lighter fluid and a bag of charcoal. That is counterfeit. You owe yourself a campfire. Do it soon before you forget. Go far out in the woods. Spend the night. Don't be in a rush. Watch the fire. Watch the colors, the shape, the constant changes. You can think of the covalent bonds and the chemical reactions occurring, wondering which elements are residual as ash and which ones arise as smoke. You can think of convection, conduction and radiation and the fluid relationship between chemistry and physics, matter and energy. Better yet, sit by the fire, and think of your ancestors who sat by an identical fire. Time vanishes for a moment. Think of them and their world, their perceptions. Try to connect with their thoughts, dreams and aspirations as you feed the flames a stick at a time. Watch the shape, color and strength of the fire change. Sip the ultimate cup of coffee flavored like no espresso stand could ever imitate. Make a promise that you will do this again soon. Then keep it. | |
|
Yup'ik Region: KuC 1999 Graduation Address by Cecilia Martz:Graduates, Regent Croft, Dean Gabrielli, faculty, staff, students, parents, friends-especially those of you who traveled to Bethel to be part of our graduation ceremony-welcome and quyana cakneq for coming. For you, the graduates, this is a special day. You will remember this day, April 30, 1999, as a significant experience in your lives. It marks what you have accomplished and completed up to this time in your life, but it does not mean that you quit accomplishing and completing other objectives you have for tomorrow, the next day, next year and five years from now. Days such as this one elicit recollections of other significant experiences from our past. Our past experiences have made us who we are today, shaping how we think, what values we have, how we treat other people and how we view the world around us. Certain people figure prominently in our lives-people who have had a tremendous influence on our lives-and we give those people a very special place in our hearts. One person who helped shape my perspective of other people, religions, races, regions and anything different, was a religion teacher I had when I was going to school at St. Mary's High School. We had nuns (sisters), priests, brothers and later, lay volunteers as faculty and support people. I was in junior high and we had been studying about heaven and hell-places where we go after we die. I had been told that only Catholics would go to heaven. That really bothered me for years because it went against what my dad and other relatives had taught me about judging other people. Anyway, I raised my hand (we had to raise our hands to be recognized and once recognized, we had to stand up to ask our question or say what we had to say). The nun (her name was Mother John), looked at me with a martyr's look on her face. She was probably thinking, "Oh, dear, not her again!" but she called my name. So I stood up and quickly said, "Mother, if only Catholics go to heaven, I don't want to go there." I could hear the other students' loud intake of breath and I could also imagine them thinking, "Surely, she is going to be excommunicated and she certainly is going to hell." Well, Mother John looked at me and the other students very thoughtfully and said, "Cecilia, no, that is not true." The other students again did their audible intake of breath . . . surely Mother John was also going to hell. She continued: "There are many religions in the world. All people, whether they are Baptists, Methodists, Zen Buddhists or whatever, will go to heaven if they live good lives according to how their religion and their cultures dictate." I said, "Good, then I'll go to heaven." I will never forget the lesson in tolerance she taught me. She also taught me to do my best in everything that I do-washing dishes, writing a course outline, cutting fish, making a presentation or giving a speech. One other very influential person in my life and one who has the most space in my heart, next to my husband and children, is my father, who passed away 23 years ago. He always knew the appropriate times to say to me what he felt I needed to know. He showed me and other young people proper conduct by his actions and by pointing out the actions of others. "Our past experiences have made us who we are today, shaping how we think, what values we have, how we treat other people and how we view the world around us." One morning at camp, when I woke up, he said to me, "Tacung, (a special name just for me from him) anqaa (go outside)." So I went outside and stayed out there for a while and then went back in the tent. I had no idea why he wanted me to go out. When I went back in, I had my tea with milk and fry bread. After a while, my dad asked, "Which direction is the wind blowing from?" Had I checked where the wind was blowing from? Of course not. I had just gone out like he told me to and came back in. Some time later, he again asked me to go out after I woke up in the morning. So, again I went out, and what did I make sure I did? I checked where the wind was blowing from. I went back in and had my tea and fry bread. A while later, my dad asked, "What do the clouds look like?" Oh dear, did I look at the clouds? No, I had not looked at the clouds. Still later, he again asked me to go out in the morning before breakfast. This time what did I make sure I did? I made sure of the wind direction, made sure I could describe what the clouds looked like and I went further. I looked to see if the river tide was up or down, if the mountains looked high or low, if there was a blue reflection where the sea was, what birds were flying, what animal sounds I heard. I made sure I could answer any question my dad asked. After a while, I went in and had my tea and bread, at the same time waiting for "the question." While I was eating, my dad said, "When the clouds are stretched, the wind will pick up that day. If you see shimmering on the horizon, the ground is pushing the heat from the sun upwards. When you see what looks like fog rising from the lakes and ponds, their heat temperature is balancing with the air's." From that day on he started teaching me about the weather in different seasons because he knew I had learned to observe my environment. To this day, I still take careful note of my surroundings and can tell, generally, what the weather is going to be like each day. My dad was giving me scientific knowledge about our environment. In the same way, he taught me social studies by alerting me to different people's behavior. He taught me to read and write my own language. He taught me environmental biology and he kept teaching me until the time came for him to leave us. He also approved of Mike, who later became my husband. He also gave to me what has become one of the cornerstones of my personal values, a solid foundation for who I am. When I started leaving for school at St. Mary's, one of those times, he said to me, "Tacung, learn as much as you can about the Kass'aqa, they are here to stay. Their numbers will increase over time. Taugaam angurrluqapiareq qaneryaraput, cayararput-llu nalluyaguteryaqnaki." Angurrluk is a very strong word which translates roughly to "Never, never, no matter what!" or as Nita Rearden said, "Ever, ever, ever, not, not, not!" It's that strong of a word. My father said, "Never, never, no matter what, are you to forget our language, traditions, ways of doing things." (The English language sometimes is very inadequate to convey equivalent meanings.) So I follow that strong directive to this day to the best of my ability. Many of us who are following that directive in our lives and our work, especially people of my age, are starting to retire. Those of you who follow us must take up the responsibility to ensure that our language and culture continues to thrive. Our Elders have repeatedly begged us to do so. The Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta is the heart and soul of the Yup'ik language and culture. It is imperative that you remain vigilant and outspoken so that agencies, especially the educational institutions, will continue to show us, the people they are here to serve, that the continuation of our language and culture remains one of their highest priorities. This is a heavy responsibility that should never be ignored. There are many more people who have taught me and shaped me to what I am and affected how I think, and I thank those people from the bottom of my heart and soul. As you reflect on your own lives, think of those people who have influenced you and thank the Creator for them, and if you have the opportunity, thank them in person. So our lives go on. We keep on accomplishing and completing. We keep on learning. We keep on believing. We keep on hoping. We keep on being sincere. We keep on thanking. Most of all, we keep on loving one another. | |
|
