NOTE: Issues range from 1996–2006. Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated. For current information, please contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, 907-474-1902.
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VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1 |
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Dixie Dayo Assumes SOP Editorial Responsibilities:On behalf of the AKRSI staff we would like to express our appreciation to Lolly Carpluk for the contributions she has made as the editor of Sharing Our Pathways over the past four years. Thanks to Lolly's encouragement and vigilant editing, the newsletter has provided a valuable means for educators throughout Alaska to share ideas, insights and practices that are making positive differences in the lives of rural and Native students. Lolly's responsibilities have changed to incorporate teaching graduate courses on Documenting Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights. Dixie Dayo has taken over the SOP editorial reins starting with this issue. Dixie, from Manley Hot Springs, has been associated with the AKRSI as a project assistant for three years. She is well equipped to assume the newsletter editorial tasks along with the editorial support, layout and graphics of Paula Elmes. We look forward to many more stimulating issues in which rural educators share their pathways to a quality education. | |
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Elder Interview: Nick Galaktionoff:Moses L. Dirks, Unalaska, November 28, 1999 I was born in Makushin, Magusim kugan aganaqing 1925. This month or next month. And after I was born, kids they didn't know how they were born anyway. My dad and my mom they were going to move into their own house. My dad built a house and finished it. So then my mom and dad was ready to go. I had an older sister named Malaanyaa. They went out and pack things over. And me, I was left with my grandmother. So my grandmother grew me up all the way. When I was five years old I started helping my dad. I didn't know what I was doing. He always told me that I was doing good. I suppose I was making a mess, but he always said I did good. I ran into the house and tell my grandmother. My grandmother was a very important person to me that time. She would always teach me; I didn't really know my real mom and my dad. She told me that was my dad. But I never called him my dad. I always call him Ludang, "my oldest." So I don't know my real mom because my dad call him Ayagang, "my wife." So I start calling her my Ayagang. We grew up that way. Before he (dad) go to St. Paul, he would take the baidarki skin off 'cause you save the ribs anyway. You don't want them rot away. After he come back from St. Paul, them guys were working for forty dollars a month. People make more than that in one day now days. Then after he come home from St. Paul, take a rest for one week and start work on his baidarki, changing the string ropes on there and soak the skin in the creek. After it got dried up it don't get stretch or shrink anyway (the sealskin). After two days you put them on. People come in and help him sew it up and everything and no time he finished it. No party, but they always had tea parties after that. So my dad told me I was five or six years old. I know I was small. I don't know how old I was. My dad said that he was going to take me out in a baidarki. But, my grandmother told him, don't take him too far out. I know I can't see nothing. I have nothing but a smile on my face. Finally, he got me in a baidarki hole (in the front). Boy my eyes were barely sticking out. Then he launched his baidarki giving me a ride around from that house all the way far as the creek and from there turned back, all the way as far as that point. And we finally landed. My grandmother lift me up from the baidarki take me out, take me home. I thought that it was a lot of fun I ever had. Because we didn't have our own toys, we all made toys. That's all we had. Pretty tough them days. But everything I do this better and what anybody do it looks better. But when I was eight years old I started fishing. I am not alone but always go with them fishing, seining right in the front. Those were the days when it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun for every kid. Them days the people work on fish and after that my dad is gone. Go out and get some wood and fish. My dad and my dad's brother and his friend and guy named Matfii Burenin, John Burenin, Akiinfer Galaktionoff-he was my dad. John-that was his brother but he got different dad. He never come home. There was not even a storm, not even windy. People there looking for them. They didn't find them. Finally, Iliya Burenin find the boat in another bay all chopped up. Japanese got them. Japanese started to move into Unalaska in the mountains, hide away spying Dutch Harbor. So that was 1939. The marshall got there on the mailboat. Not the mailboat, but Coast Guard boat. He found out my grandmother and mother did not have no help. And back to Unalaska again. Finally try and find a place for us to stay. Finally Coast Guard got there and pick us up and we come in 1939. I don't like it but as kids we can't do nothing by himself. I was 13 years old. And after that I am doing something like everybody else, helping my mom. In 1939, just about 1940, my grandmother died. She was seventy-nine years old. I didn't know she was seventy-nine but after she died, after I grew up until fifteen-sixteen, I found out she was seventy-nine years old. So I've got nothing to do so I had to move in with my real mom. I didn't like them kids in there, but they were my brothers and sisters. Always doing something. For ten cents you tell them to do something. I am getting ten cents from somebody else. Ten cents was a lot of money. I would buy two big bar candies. Now days them forty, fifty cent bar candies are twice as small as the big candies before. And from there I work most of the time. When I was fourteen years old, school started. And they wanted me to go to school. I was happy for a while. I might learn something. I was in school but I didn't like my teacher. If I don't say "Good morning Miss Jorgensen," she would always hit my head with a little ruler. Boy, I didn't like that. I have been up at the school. I know how to sign my name. So one morning I got sandwich and I got a big coat. I make a big sandwich and put it in coat pocket and I left. People go up to school but me, I kept going all the way to the trail, Biorka Trail. I walk all the way over to that Beaver Inlet. I am not even scared but I will be scared later. I did not have a place to stay. I take walk on the beach for a while. Dark comes I start eating my sandwich. I stay by the small creek, put my head down and drink water. I did not have a cup. I eat half of my sandwich. Later I went into the grass and went to bed. I sleep good for a while and I wake up, pitch dark. Boy, I am kind of nervous. Early winter started, right after school started, oh, about a month and a half after school started. I got into Beaver Inlet over night. Next morning, I got up and finished my sandwich. No I don't want to stay there again. So I come home before I lose my trail. No truck road up on top side, just a trail. I could have come in to town earlier but I don't want to come to town when it is daylight. And I am scared of the goats up there. We got to go through this pass, about twenty goats up there. Belongs to Mr. King. Boy, pretty soon they would be teasing me all the way. I got chased from them animals; run before they hit me and I went over the fence. When I come on this side I feel safer. I come all the way to my house and my mom said, "We have been worried about you, where have you been?" "I've been camping." Well I didn't see no camp in Beaver Inlet. Next two days the marshall, Mr. Bill, I forgot his last name, he wanted me back to school. I told him if you put me back to school I am going to run away for good. I was scared but I said that anyway. So later he said okay stay home if you want to. He left me. That was Bill Brown. He was a marshall before Vern Robinson. Somebody else was the marshall before Bill Brown too. He died in Seattle. He was an Aleut. His Mother was Aleut I guess. He talked Aleut because everybody talked Aleut around here anyway. Not any more. Nick "Nicholai"Galaktionoff was born in the village of Makushin on the island of Unalaska in 1939. Nick comes from a large family; he and his sister Marina are the only survivors. Both of his sons reside in Unalaska. Nick's hobbies include halibut and salmon fishing. He used to go out seal hunting and fishing whenever he got a chance. He now has poor eyesight and does not go many places anymore. Nick likes living in Unalaska and enjoys fishing and walking around town. | |
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Iñupiaq Region: Quyaanna (thank you) AKRSI from the Northwest Arctic Borough School District:The Alaska rural systemic initiatives that have been undertaken by the NWABSD under the memorandum of agreement with AFN have affected the school district in a positive way. Initiatives were designed in a way to begin systemic changes for school improvements. In the beginning the pace was slow because the school district was looking for ways to initiate the projects into existing plans. An example has been the AISES science fairs. The school science fair is held in March but the AISES science fair had to be held in the fall in order to plan for the national AISES science fair. AISES science fairs are interesting because the students come up with projects such as the study of caribou lifecycles, uses of caribou antlers, using willow bark to make dyes, comparison of furs in cold weather, under-ice fishing with a net, the Aurora Borealis, population density of shrews and voles, bio-engineering to prevent erosion and other interesting projects. AKRSI-sponsored Elders and educators came together to plan for subsistence curriculum. Although a curriculum was not written, much needed information was shared among the participants. In traditional times, education was provided one-on-one with parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and other extended family members teaching the younger ones. Today we try to simulate that experience in a classroom setting but it is difficult. However, traditional methods such as observation and hands-on experience are still reliable methods of teaching and learning. Using concrete examples in teaching concepts is a practice that must continue for maximum learning to take place. Character building is also important to the Iñupiat because it affects survival in the Arctic. For example, hard work, endurance and patience were attributes that were developed in children. This was balanced by humor, enjoyment of the outdoors, hospitality and an attitude of gratitude. The Elders at the subsistence curriculum development workshops gave the following advice to be shared with students: "If you see Elders doing work, stop and help them. Do not steal. Do not talk angrily back to anyone. Everyone should know his or her relatives. Respect other people's property. Give advice to younger people. Share your catch and bring food to your neighbors and others. Help others. Don't mimic or criticize others in a negative way. Don't expect to get paid for helping Elders. Don't waste food. Finish your work before playing. Don't stay up late. Respect other students and people." Obviously, these words of wisdom span across cultures, especially among Native people of Alaska. Cooperation was necessary for survival. We are thankful that AKRSI has worked hard to make education relevant and meaningful to students in rural Alaska. Although many parents and educators are concerned about the exit exam and teaching to the state standards, it does not mean that education about the local environment has to be excluded. There are ways to integrate information about the local animals, plants, geography, history and literature while still meeting state standards. For example, the Davis-Ramoth Memorial School at Selawik held their second Iñupiaq Week where they did cultural activities all week and then integrated their experiences into the regular classroom. Erdine Skin, an Apache teacher, was actively involved in the Iñupiaq subsistence curriculum workshops held under AKRSI; her students had very good AISES science projects last year. Debra Webber-Werle, a kindergarten teacher at the Napaaqtugmiut School at Noatak, has had many students working on dynamic science projects. A kindergarten teacher in Kotzebue recently requested assistance about integrating cultural activities into her curriculum. When the school district had their inservice on aligning state standards with the district curriculum, they were encouraged to use cultural standards to help them integrate local culture into their lesson plans. There are many ways AKRSI has affected the Northwest Arctic Borough School District and it will continue as a domino effect as time goes by, even when the project funding ends. We are grateful to all the AFN-AKRSI staff for all their hard work and contributions. We have only scratched the surface and will continue to search for the treasures we are yet to find in this whole arena of education. | |
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Report Released on Alaska Rural Systemic Reform in Education:Below is an excerpt from an executive summary of the final report from a three-year study of rural school reform conducted by the Northwest Regional Educational Lab (NWREL) and UAF in cooperation with seven rural communities and school districts in Alaska. The balance of the summary will appear in the next issue of Sharing Our Pathways. This report presents the results of a three-year study of educational reform in rural Alaska communities and schools. The research revolves around seven case studies in villages and school districts spanning western, central and southeast Alaska. These are primarily subsistence communities serving Eskimo and Indian students. Each community had embarked on a reform process called Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) that strives to create educational partnerships between schools and the communities they serve. The study examined how educational partnerships are formed and sustained and how they ultimately benefit Alaska Native students. Trying to understand the systemic nature of educational change was a focal point of the study. In rural Alaska, systemic change means fully integrating the indigenous knowledge system and the formal education system. For rural school districts, this means engaging communities in education-fully integrating Native culture, language and ways of knowing into the curriculum and meeting Alaska's state-driven academic standards and benchmarks. Each case study was led by a researcher from NWREL or UAF who worked with a small team of school practitioners and community members who participated fully in the research. The case studies tell what happened as rural schools embarked on a change journey through AOTE and other reform activities, paying attention to educational accomplishments and setbacks, community voice and the experiences and learning of students. The cases include qualitative and quantitative evidence although hard data on student performance was limited and often inappropriate to the educational goals pursued by communities. The following recommendations are offered to educators and policy makers based on the study. While directed to the Alaska audience, these recommendations apply in large part to rural schools and communities anywhere in the country. * Stabilize professional staff in rural schools. * Provide role models and support for creating a positive self-image to which students can aspire. * Parent involvement needs to be treated as a partnership with more shared decision making. * Implement teacher orientation, mentoring and induction programs in rural schools. * Eliminate testing requirements that interfere with language immersion programs. * Strategic planning needs to extend to the next generation or more (20-plus years) at the state and local levels. * Strengthen curriculum support for culturally responsive, place-based approaches that integrate local and global academic and practical learning. * Encourage the development of multiple paths for students to meet the state standards. * Extend the cultural standards and Native ways of knowing and teaching into teacher preparation programs. * Sustainable reform needs to be a bottom up rather than a top down process and has to have a purpose beyond reform for reform's sake. * Alaska Onward to Excellence should be put forward as a means (process) rather than an end in itself (program). * Form a coalition of organizations to sponsor an annual conference on rural education that keeps reform issues up to date and forward reaching. These findings and recommendations are discussed more thoroughly in the body of the report. It may be obtained from NWREL or the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies at UAF as well as the ANKN website: www.ankn.uaf.edu/reform. | |
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Rural Alaska School Districts: Who is in Control?:Most of rural Alaska's schools and districts are populated by Alaska Native students. School boards are elected by and from residents of the district, resulting in mostly Alaska Native-majority boards. With this fact one would assume that the Alaska Natives of the region would have little to worry about concerning whether their local culture and language would be a strong, if not dominant, facet of the local schools' curriculum and instruction. Given the fact that few licensed administrators and teachers are Alaska Native, or even Alaskan-born, the assumption above is not a safe one to make. At the present time there is not one Alaska Native school superintendent in Alaska, only a handful of Alaska Native school principals and less than six percent of all teachers are Alaska Native. Over 80% of Alaska's newly-hired teachers continue to come from out of state. Since so few school district superintendents and administrators are from Alaska, or are Alaska Native, they are often unfamiliar with the cultural and environmental conditions of the districts they administer. To the extent that we tend to teach and administer the way we were taught, in most cases rural Alaska school districts with Alaska Native school boards and student populations are run just like Anywhere, USA. Add to this situation the extremely high turnover rate of teachers and administrators in rural schools, where in some cases you literally have to start all over again every year or two, we often end up repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I don't fault these professional educators alone because lacking strong direction from the local school boards they will do what they think best, even when they know it is not, because they have only their own experience to draw upon. Recent State of Alaska improvements in professional educators' licensure requirements begin to address the cultural relevancy issues noted above. However, the full effect of these improvements will not be realized until all teachers and administrators have been re-licensed under the new system. If the local school boards do not have definite and strong policy statements concerning budget development and approval processes, relevant curricula, teaching practices and materials, school calendar considerations, teacher/personnel hiring/performance effectiveness reviews and staff development preferences, the administration will often carry out and operate the district with little if any input from the governing body of the district-the school board. It is the professional duty of the administration to make sure that at least the letter of the law is met in school operations. There are few, if any, school laws or regulations that require school administrators to pay attention to the local culture, language or environment in the administration of schools and districts. State laws are designed to allow for variation to take place on the local level. Schools and professional educators have a technical language and jargon of their own that is often confusing and mysterious to the general public. Alaska education laws and regulations are no less technical or confusing. Many Alaska Native school board members will not dispute policy or personnel recommendations made by their administration, assuming that the administrators are the professionals in these matters. In addition, members of many Alaska Native cultures do not, or will not, publicly disagree with others even if they have other opinions. Yet the school board is ultimately responsible for the academic success of their district's students. Perhaps one of the causes of the lingering fact of low academic achievement of Alaska Native students is due to the lack of assertiveness of local school boards regarding budget, policy, instructional program and personnel matters. Who knows the most about local needs: local members of the school board or the administrator from Outside? Perhaps a program to train Alaska Native school board members to more fully realize their legal responsibilities and to actually take policy control of their districts should be developed. Of course, not all school boards would need this training. It is my understanding that the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB) has developed an accountability model for school boards, but I am not sure what level of training or participation rural Alaska Native school boards have had in this accountability model. Maybe a supplementary funding program could be developed to assist AASB and the local boards in implementing this school board accountability program? As a facet of Alaska Native self-governance, I believe that control of education matters is an area that lends itself well to developing a locally-relevant program of instruction with Alaska Native Educators in the classrooms as well as district offices. The long-term effect would reach into many other areas of Alaska Native self-determination. Also, if most of the teachers and administrators in rural schools were Alaska Native, the employment picture of rural Alaska would change considerably. In many villages, the highest paying jobs are held by non-Native, non-Alaskan teachers and administrators. Too often the money earned from those positions goes outside the state with little secondary benefit to the rural economy. A program could be developed that would train and sensitize new-to-Alaska teachers and administrators to teach and work in Alaska Native villages and schools. Such a program once existed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where participants were sponsored by their districts to learn about Alaska Native cultures and living and working in small, often remote schools where they would be in the minority. This program was discontinued but I believe that many school districts would pay for their new-to-the-state teachers and administrators to participate in such a program, especially if it were offered on a regional level. Here is another area that could have positive long-term effect on the stability and improved academic performance of Alaska Native students. Two promising programs are the Rural Educators Preparation Partnerships (REPP) and Native Administrators for Rural Alaska (NARA). These programs sponsored by the University of Alaska have a goal to significantly increase the number of Alaska Native classroom teachers and school administrators. However, they are both small in scope, with limited budget capacity. These are efforts that should be significantly increased with more funds made available. Without the elected Alaska Native school board members exercising their responsibilities as policy-making bodies, not many of the initiatives discussed here will significantly improve the academic performance of Alaska Native students. | |
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Southeast Region: Tribal college planning in Southeast Alaska: A Chronicle by Andy Hope:Our first meeting was a teleconference hosted by AKRSI at the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus. The next combined session was held in Juneau in February 1998 at the Centennial Convention Center. Darrell Kipp, founder of the Blackfeet Immersion School in Browning, Montana, was a special guest speaker. Ted Wright and I traveled to Harlem and Browning, Montana to visit Fort Belknap Tribal College and the Blackfeet Immersion School to gather information on language programs. We met with the Ft. Belknap trustees and staff and discussed the possibility of certification of a Tlingit language certificate and two-year degree. Our intent at the time was to start the program in late 1998 but this plan did not work out. In May 1998, the Tlingit Language consortium held a major conference in Juneau in conjunction with the Southeast Alaska Native Rural Education Consortium (SEANREC). Tlingit and Haida also provided travel from the Administration for Native Americans Language planning funds. In August 1998 Sealaska Heritage Foundation transferred the Kellogg Foundation planning grant funding to Tlingit and Haida. Ted Wright was contracted to administer the grant. In October 1998 the Southeast Alaska Native Language consortium (formerly Tlingit Language Consortium) met in Juneau in conjunction with the SEANREC annual planning meeting. Participants grouped by community and presented assessments and priorities for language projects. In February 1999 SEANREC met in Juneau to plan the AKRSI Native Science Camp initiative. At this meeting the participants, including the SEANREC Elders Council, adopted an interim charter for the Southeast Alaska Tribal College (SEATC). In April/May 1999, the Consortium of Alaska Native Higher Education (CANHE) met in Juneau. SEATC and the Tlingit Haida Central Council (THCC) representatives gave presentations to CANHE. In May 1999 an Interim Board of Trustees for SEATC was assembled. I was elected chair. The SEATC Interim Board met several times by teleconference in the summer of 1999. In September 1999 John Hope and Jim Walton gave a presentation on the tribal college planning project to the participants at the Kiks.ádi pole raising ceremonies. More than 100 Tlingit Elders and clan leaders signed a resolution endorsing the tribal college planning project as well as the interim board of trustees. The Chilkat Indian Village also adopted a resolution endorsing SEATC. In October 1999 SEATC met in Juneau in conjunction with the SEANREC annual planning meeting. Tlingit and Haida grant administrators presented draft tribal college financial and feasibility reports at this meeting. The Wrangell Cooperative Association and the Wrangell Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood Camps also endorsed SEATC. In November 1999 the Grand Camp Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood Convention adopted a resolution calling for utilization of facilities at Sheldon Jackson College by SEATC. It applauded Tlingit, Haida and AKRSI for efforts in planning a tribal college in Southeast Alaska and requested both to continue in a united way. The Douglas Indian Association adopted a resolution endorsing SEATC. The SEATC Trustees adopted articles of incorporation. The board of trustees of SEATC are Arnold Booth, Isabella Brady, Nora Dauenhauer, Dennis Demmert, Dr. Ronn Dick, Andy Hope (chair), Joe Hotch, Roxanne Houston, Katherine Miyasato, Charles Natkong, Sr., Marie Olson, Dr. Joyce Shales, Sue Stevens, Dr. Bernice Tetpon and Jim Walton. Thank you to the Elders and clan and clan house leaders that have supported the effort to develop a tribal college in Southeast Alaska. I would also like to thank the board of trustees for making a commitment to the education of Alaska Native people. | |
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The Time Is Right to Write by Dorothy M. Larson:An Alaska Native writer doesn't have to write about culture to be valid, even though that is how we are often first identified. Alaska Natives can write on par with other writers, including creative non-fiction, fiction, poetry, technical, memoir, biography and autobiography, journalistic, historical, mystery, drama, spiritual and all other categories of writing styles and genres. This isn't meant to be critical of those writers who use their skills to tell another's story. If it weren't for them, some stories might not have been told or read. This is meant to encourage and support Alaska Native writers who want to write their own stories. A recent Anchorage Daily News article about Alaska Native writers Diane Benson, Anna Smith, Jeane Breinig and Susie Silook was very enlightening and refreshing. They took the risk in the literary and art world to share their experiences. Their experiences living in two worlds make their writing insightful, powerful and poignant. They bring a special presence through their writing that is not reflected when told through another. It hasn't been that long ago since Alaska Natives had their own newspaper, Tundra Times, with Howard Rock at the helm. How we looked forward to the weekly edition of the statewide Alaska Native newspaper with a fervent purpose-one of the finest small newspapers ever published. Though we now have several rural newspapers in most regions of Alaska, these papers are more local in nature and often reprint outside news from other sources. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a paper modeled after the old Tundra Times with an Alaska Native editor, columnists and reporters devoted to news important to Alaska Native people? Recently, I read excerpts from a fiction book written by a former longtime Alaskan. Note "former" longtime Alaskan. Though the book was fiction, there were characters in the book that seemed familiar; one had the same nickname as a person I remembered from my childhood. I felt hurt for the person and their family should they happen to read the book. I chose not to finish the book. Since I am from the area, I skimmed another book about Bristol Bay on a local bookstore shelf. I leafed through it and got the gist in just a few minutes. It was a feeble attempt by the author to depict the Bristol Bay fishery as the "Wild West" of southwest Alaska. Who wants to read about the antics and parties of "Indians" as this college professor called some of his subjects. It was another book of the recent past that was purported to be fact but disgusted old timers of the area because it was filled with errors. It, too, was written by a former "longtime Alaskan" now living elsewhere. If his book were fact, he should be locked up in some penitentiary this very moment. A year ago I attended the Sitka Symposium which is considered a writers' conference. The symposium isn't a true writers' conference, but people do write and discuss provocative issues. Authors are present to critique and review manuscripts of participants. The Mesa Refuge Program asked the Sitka Symposium for their list of past participants in order to solicit applicants for their unique writers' retreat. The Mesa Refuge Program is a new writers' retreat in northern California established to provide a place where individuals can come to pay undivided attention to their writing. The program is for established and emerging writers as stipulated by the generous founders. After much thought, I applied for the retreat on the last day the application could be postmarked for consideration. A few weeks later, I was notified by a public radio message from my daughter (I was out at fish camp) that I had been accepted. In my wildest dreams, I never believed I would be chosen for this opportunity-two weeks by a national seashore with two other writers-a gift of time and space. It was a dream come true. In the bio they put together, I was called a Native poet and activist in the Native community because of my past involvement and experiences. The word "activist" was not what caught my eye in my bio; it was that I was called a poet. Since 1971 when I first began writing, I called my writing a hobby. When I was a junior-high student, I secretly dreamed of becoming a writer, but never pursued it until I took a course at Anchorage Community College many years later. Over the years I attended a number of university classes and workshops with a couple of renowned poets and university professors. I participated in a number of loosely formed writing groups off and on, more off than on. I continued to call my writing a hobby even though I had a few poems published and read a short story I wrote over the public radio station at home in Dillingham. When friends read my work, I never knew if they were just being kind to me by telling me they liked it. I returned to writing about a year and a half ago. This class saved my sanity and helped me through a very difficult time in my life. It was then I began to think seriously about writing. I'm not getting any younger and I figured that if I am going to write, I should get serious about it-write more, improve what I have written, study writing and write more. In September I left for the two-week retreat at Mesa Refuge not quite knowing what to expect. I was introduced as a writer/poet to the other two writers in residence. One resident was writing a book as a result of his work with the Audubon magazine. He had four to five publishers waiting for his overdue book. The other was a recent graduate student who started a college geography magazine and became editor and writer. I was the novice, for sure. A retreat is meant to renew, rejuvenate and inspire. There was no pressure to produce; it was a gift of time. However, past residents have completed books or began new ones at the Mesa Refuge. This retreat forced me to focus. It wasn't difficult to do because the surroundings were tranquil and close to nature. At first, I thought, too close. I was only a few hundred yards from the San Andreas Fault! Once I put that out of my mind, the environment, the setting and the ambiance was perfect-so conducive to writing. I came home with a preliminary draft of my book with new and old work to complete and a dream to publish a book of poetry, prose and a few short stories. I am hoping to convince a very talented artist friend to illustrate my book for me. I want to continue work on another project: a cookbook I began collecting recipes for last year. I hope to be able to find a writers' group where I will feel comfortable in order to share my work and to read the work of others. Many questions arose for me: How would I get an agent? How would I get published? I still don't have the answers to those questions but I did revisit my dream of some day becoming a poet, a writer and an author. And to those of you with a similar dream, I hope you pursue it. The discovery at the Mesa Refuge that I could allow myself the gift of time (without guilt) to write was a revelation. We must give ourselves precious time and space to devote to our writing. It can apply to any craft we pursue. Learning to discipline oneself is a challenge. We must rid ourselves of the distractions and allow the garbage to escape and the new material to take shape in our minds and hearts. There are Alaska Native writers who write wonderful poetry, children's stories and who have novels waiting to emerge. These talented writers can and should create their niche in the Alaska and the global literary world. As Alaska Native writers enter the new millennium, we can denounce the invisibility we have often encountered. Alaska Native's are a very visible, proud people. We are more than capable of creating a significant imprint-the time is right. | |
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Village Science: Mastodon Soup? by Alan Dick:As a carpenter I had a hard time doing corners on banisters until I learned to first copy, then bisect the angle. When the pieces are cut at exactly half of the intersecting angle they fit like they grew together. Geometry class rose to the forefront when I got out my compass and scratched the arcs, bisected the angle and then adjusted my chop-saw to the precise setting. As a math teacher and a carpenter, I have to admit that I have never used the Pythagorean theorem to square a building: A2 + B2 = C2. When you do, the answer comes out in feet and tenths of a foot. Accurately converting tenths of a foot to inches just isn't worth the trouble. However, I know that a 3' x 4' x 5' triangle gives a perfectly square corner as do 6' x 8' x 10' or 12' x 16' x 20' triangles: One of the handiest uses of these triangles comes when installing steel roofing. If the first piece of roofing isn't perfectly square with the building, the steel will run up or downhill with a two-inch overhang on one end and a conspicuously different overhang on the other. Problems ceased once I started using a 6' x 8' x 10' triangle to set the first piece of steel. I built a 60' x 80' airplane hanger. The roof overhang was consistent within a quarter of an inch from one end of the building to the other. We used to figure dog feed by the bundle: 40 fish to a bundle, one fish a day per dog, 280 days from freeze-up to break-up, multiplies to seven bundles per dog per winter. Seven times the number of dogs told us how many bundles we needed . Ratio and proportion? We use it all the time mixing two-cycle gas and oil. Arcs and angles? How else do you set the azimuth when installing a satellite dish? Distance = Rate x Time. We do it constantly when traveling by snowmachine from one village to another. As we assign importance to math skills let's look around us and find examples that have meaning to the students. Those with no meaningful application should go the way of the mastodon, at least until the students develop some enthusiasm for the principles involved. Have you ever seen the glaze that comes over a student's eyes after the fourth consecutive long division problem with two digit divisors? They know all adults use calculators when traveling in that rocky terrain. Even if we do the problem by hand, we're not sure we are right. Train B leaves Boston going 60 mph. Train A leaves Los Angeles going 80 mph. Where do they meet? Ugh, mastadon soup! Let's give students a reason to use math to solve everyday problems. Once they have developed an interest they can more readily move on to advanced math. Most of us who live in rural Alaska use math on a daily basis but we have an aversion to contrivances with no real life applications. No ivory towers here. They are too hard to heat in the winter. | |
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Yup'ik Region: Gathering the Resources by Nita Rearden:by Nita Rearden, Lower Kuskokwim School District Some of you will remember when our parents, grandparents or great grandparents saved practically everything. They saved items like canvas, flour and sugar sacks, Crisco and coffee cans, Blazo and kerosene cans, Blazo boxes and different types of glass bottles. Each item was recycled in such a way that nothing was wasted. For instance, Blazo boxes were used for cupboards or storage containers; flour and sugar sacks were used for dish towels, diapers or even undergarments if mothers sewed; empty cans were used for kitchen and tool containers or dog dishes; gallon Blazo cans were used for seal-oil containers or other purposes. I remember one time I was traveling to Fairbanks after the holidays with a Blazo can full of seal oil in my hand. My mother recycled every resource material she could. At the Anchorage airport, when I walked through the line to get on the jet, a security officer stopped me and told me I could not take the Blazo on board. I answered her that it wasn't Blazo, but the content was seal oil. She didn't believe me and said she would have to check it. Oh boy! I mentioned to her the contents would make the airport smell. She went ahead and opened it anyway. The truth did come; she wrinkled her nose and the people behind me smiled and my friends laughed. Do you remember as a child all of the materials we collected that were considered trash but we used as toys? We gathered cans for our play dishes or parts of clothing. We put cans on our shoes to look like we were wearing high heels. We used grass and wooden sticks for dolls because we could not take our nice homemade dolls outside. We used willow branches for bows, slings and arrows to hunt pretend grass seals. We collected pebbles for play bullets, marbles or food. We used sticks for storyknifes when we were not allowed to take out the beautiful decorated, ivory storyknifes. We made do with whatever we could create in order to play and pretend. All of what we did was good! We were using hands-on experiences in the content areas of science, social studies and language arts. Today we find our own little people would rather watch TV, play Nintendo or sports instead of utilizing natural resources. Parents found out that these distractions are convenient for babysitting but don't realize the harmful effects. Our respectful ancestors taught us to collect resources from nature such as animal skins for clothing, plants for food and medicine and grass, tree barks and roots used for dishes or for water and berry buckets. When we collected these items, we learned skills such as sewing, taking care of animals, hunting and more. Our background dealing with these resources has made us strong Alaska Native people! Our resources are real! When a person is connected to either land, religion, home, culture or school, the person has an anchor to their identity. Today we gather some of these same materials for beautiful Native arts and crafts to sell or make gifts for someone special. Money has become an important part of our gathering. So many resources are available from the stores, we see many items wasted whether it is food, household items or other materials. Most everything ends up in the dump! As an educator we still gather resources. They aren't necessarily the resources our ancestors taught us about but they are necessities for classroom use as books, textbooks and writing supplies. Teachers gather resource materials to help them become better teachers in order to meet the needs of their students. Many educators today are researchers. We search to gather information especially if we believe what we worked for is the right thing. For instance, in my job, I look for research on bilingual materials in order for parents in our district to understand that speaking two languages is better than being able to communicate in only one. Research shows that as adults, being able to communicate in two languages helps us to be better problem solvers. When I was thinking about what topics I could talk about for this conference, I thought of many issues, issues such as the English-only law, the new bilingual law, subsistence, loss of languages, benchmark testing, high school graduation qualifying exams and quality schools-all of which are issues that affect us. I thought of how I could discuss these matters, but you know what? Without the background knowledge we have gained from a resourceful childhood, we would not be able to deal with any of these issues. Just recently a teacher from Atmautluak and I were discussing how children learn. She told me about an interesting moment she had with her father when she became a teacher. He told her that a child is like a tree acquiring many branches. The branches of the child increase as he learns new concepts. New branches continue to grow when they are utilized well. Sometimes branches stop growing when a person drops his cultural background. From this I learned we can discuss issues and link them to our cultural background. It is important that our children know how to utilize their cultural resources! This year it seems like we have very strong issues to deal with. I think the Alaska Native Eductors' Confrence is an important place to begin. Communication and understanding of the issues is important to allow us all to grow another branch. Let's continue to gather our resources to help one another and our children. Quyana qanemcivqarlua. | |
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VOLUME 5, ISSUE 2 |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley:Grand Prize Winners: * Jorddonna Esmailka and Krista Workman, eighth grade from Shageluk. Project: Air Pollution & Caribou Food-Lichen * Sonta Hamilton and Amber John, ninth grade from Shageluk. Project: Modern & Native Medicinal Teas for the Common Cold * Edwina Starr, eight grade from Tanana. Project: The Moon Honorable Mention * Dwayne Benjamin, eleventh grade from Shageluk. Project: Traditional Athabaskan Traps Statewide AISES Science Fair On January 31, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative held the first Statewide AISES Science Fair at Birchwood Lodge outside of Anchorage. Thirty-five students entered twenty-five projects. They came from villages throughout Alaska. The projects were judged by six Elders and three scientists. Elders evaluated projects on their usefulness to the Alaska Native culture, village lifestyles and Alaska Native corporations' vested interests. The scientists evaluated the scientific method and research design. We deeply appreciate the work of the Elders, who currently live in Anchorage: Drafin Buck Delkettie of Illiamna, Anatoli Lekanof of St. George, Anna Willis of Red Devil, Shirley Kendall of Hoonah, Art Jones of Kotzebue and Pauline Hathaway of Deering. They studied each project, interviewed the students and provided encouragement for their work. The following students were the grand prize winners and will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota March 30 to enter their projects in the AISES National Science Fair. Grand Prize Winners * Zena Merculief and Curtis Melovidov from St.Paul. Project: Which Oil Produces the Most Energy: Motor Oil, Cooking Oil or Seal Oil? * Jolene Cleveland from Selawik: Project: Under Ice Fishing * Nicole Thomas from Nome. Project: Science of Seal Oil * Roberta Murphy and Robert Foster from Noorvik. Project: The Population Density of Shrews and Voles * Crystal Gross from Barrow. Project: Antimicrobial Effect of Arctic Plants * Desiree Merculief from St. George. Project: What is the Largest Flatfish? * Amber Howarth from Noatak. Project: Caribou Uses * Patrick Schneider from Kodiak. Project: Oil Discovered! Honorable Mention * Dwayne Benjamin from Shageluk. Project: Traditional Athabaskan Traps | |
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Alaska RSI Regional Contacts: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 8128 Pinewood Drive Juneau, Alaska 99801 (907) 790-4406 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) 486-9276 e-mail: tschneider@kodiak.k12.ak.us | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region: Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights by Gordon L. Pullar:Keynote Address to the Native Educator's Conference, February 1, 2000, Anchorage, Alaska My thanks to Lolly Carpluk and other conference organizers for inviting me to be here tonight. And my special thanks to Teri Schneider for her kind introduction. On a sad day such as today I don't think I could launch into a speech before offering my sincere respect to the memory of Morris Thompson, who we all lost yesterday. I had the honor of serving with Morrie on the AFN board for several years and he was always someone I looked up to and learned from. He was a strong leader, a successful manager and a dedicated advocate for Native people. Above all, however, he was a genuinely kind and caring person. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. We'll miss him. Being asked to speak here tonight takes me back a few years ago when my friend Harold Napoleon asked me to speak at the AFN Youth/Elders Conference that he was coordinating. I did my presentation and it seemed to go okay and as I stepped down from the podium I saw that Harold was waiting for me with a smile on his face. "You weren't as boring as everyone said you were going to be," he said. So having reached that lofty plateau once, I hope to do it again tonight and not be as boring as everyone said I was going to be. I will begin with a disclaimer. That disclaimer is that I'm not an expert. I don't believe in experts. In fact, a sure way for someone to draw my suspicion and distrust is to claim to be an expert or to brag that he or she knows "all there is to know" about any topic. I am, however, a lifelong student. I try to observe, listen and learn. And as any good student will tell you, "the more you learn the more you realize you don't know." So the topic tonight is one I hope to continue to learn more about, that I am trying to learn about and one that I'm sure many of you have more knowledge about than I do. But you're not going to escape that easily. I have developed some thoughts that I will share with you. Over the past few years we often hear the terms intellectual property rights and cultural property rights with only some vague notion of what they might mean. However, the meanings are often or even usually different from person to person and country to country. And the meanings become even more diverse among indigenous peoples. Intellectual property is a common term within the American mainstream culture. We have all heard of and, to some degree or another, are familiar with patents, copyrights and trademarks. All of these things are usually associated with litigation and long court battles. There seems to be no end to what people will dispute when it comes to these concepts. Just this week, for example, television personality Rosie O'Donnell was in the news for filing litigation against a Portland, Oregon radio station for using the name "Rosie" in its ads. The name was being used in the context of Portland being known as the City of Roses. The concept of cultural property rights among indigenous peoples has different connotations than the charge of the misuse of Rosie's name implies. Cultural property rights may refer to one's inner identity. It is about ancestors and ways of doing, saying and knowing things. It is about culture and everyone on earth is entitled to a culture. It is about the past, the present and the future. It is about life. Over the past couple decades, there have been some issues of cultural property rights that have emerged in my home area of Kodiak Island that I have been involved with. One was the issue of the repatriation of human remains. Skeletons representing over a thousand people were taken from Kodiak Island during the 1930s and stored in the Smithsonian Institution. The reason given for not returning them was that they were the property of, that is they belonged to, all the people of the United States. It was a sad scenario when the remains of ancestors were considered "property." In fact, in one letter from the Smithsonian, it was stated that the remains could not be returned because the Smithsonian had a responsibility to care for them on behalf of all American citizens, not just "discrete interest groups." They were returned and reburied in the Fall of 1991 but only after considerable legal wrangling and an act of Congress. It is difficult even now to think of those ancestral remains as property. The government identified them as property, but Native people cannot usually make that kind of connection. They just know they have a responsibility to return the remains of their ancestors to their intended resting places. In virtually all documents advocating for cultural property rights, the issue of repatriation of human remains is mentioned. But sometimes the meaning of the word property is different from one culture to another. But it is not just lawyers and government bureaucrats that invoke legalese into such a sacred concept as a people's cultural heritage. Indigenous peoples, as well, tend to think of these property rights in a legal sense. But in today's world there is no choice. We often have to resort to the legal and political arenas to preserve and protect our birthrights. In the arena of international law and indigenous rights there are a few instruments that have made cases for indigenous cultural property rights in one form or another. For example: International Labour Organization Convention Number 169, Article 2 (b) (passed in 1989): Governments shall have the responsibility for developing, with the participation of the peoples concerned, coordinated and systematic action to protect the rights of these peoples and to guarantee respect for their integrity. Such action shall include measures for promoting the full realization of the social, economic and cultural rights of these peoples with respect for their social and cultural identity, their customs and traditions and their institutions. United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which passed out of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1994 and is now working its way through the UN hierarchy says in: UN Draft, Article 8: Indigenous peoples have the collective and individual right to maintain and develop their distinct identities and characteristics, including the right to identify themselves as indigenous and be recognized as such. UN Draft, Article 12: Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature, as well as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs." UN Draft, Article 13: Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation of human remains. UN Draft, Article 14: Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons. UN Draft, Article 24: Indigenous people have the right to their traditional medicines and health practices, including the right to the protection of vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. UN Draft, Article 29: Indigenous peoples are entitled to the recognition of the full ownership, control and protection of their cultural and intellectual property. They have the right to special measures to control, develop and protect their sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including human and other genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs and visual and performing arts. I know that many of you are familiar with the Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples passed by indigenous people in New Zealand in 1993. One recommendation in this declaration that I see as crucial is that indigenous people should define for themselves their own intellectual and cultural property. How do we "define for ourselves?" And what are cultural property rights to us? How should we exercise those rights? As the Nike slogan goes, "Just do it!" I believe, for example, that we should not allow outsiders to define who we are. This has been going on for 200 years in Alaska and has caused considerable confusion. In my area of Kodiak Island, the Russian fur traders that arrived in the late 18th century called the Sugpiat the indigenous people living there (Aleuts) just as they had done to the Unangan in the Aleutian Islands. They did this because of the similarities they observed between both the Unangan of the Aleutian Islands and the Sugpiat of Kodiak Island to a coastal indigenous group on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The people on Kodiak began using this term in their own language, the result being the word "Alutiiq." The name Alutiiq has had a revival and has grown in popularity in recent years, mostly as a way for the Sugpiat to distinguish themselves from the Aleuts of the Aleutian Island who have a different culture and language. But Alutiiq is a good term because a conscious decision was made by the people to use it. As if things weren't complicated enough, enter the anthropologists who decided to call the Sugpiat "Pacific Eskimo" or even "Pacific Yup'ik" because of the close linguistic similarities with Yup'ik people. While virtually no Alutiiqs use this term, anthropologists insisted for quite a number of years that they were correct. I don't believe there is anything wrong with people from Kodiak Island calling themselves Aleuts and, because it has been in use for so many generations, it may not be likely that a return will be made to Sugpiat. But it should be the responsibility of the people to learn the history of these terms so they can make an informed choice. But whatever terms are used they are, to me, cultural property. As cultural property, there are responsibilities and duties attached. Learning those responsibilities and duties is where we find ourselves today. There are a number of important and exciting projects going on today that are directly addressing and defining those responsibilities and duties. Dr. Erica-Irene Daes, the chairperson-rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations said in 1995 to the 47th session for the Commission on Human Rights, Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities: "To be effective, the protection of indigenous peoples' heritage should be based broadly on the principle of self-determination, which includes the right and the duty of indigenous peoples to develop their own cultures, knowledge systems and forms of social organization." I would like to emphasize some parts of Madame Daes' statement. She said, "the right and the duty of indigenous peoples to develop their own cultures, knowledge systems and forms of social organization." She made it a point to mention the principle of self-determination which is crucial to all we do as Alaska Native people and communities. Without exercising self-determination, Native peoples cannot exercise their rights or their duties and cannot define for themselves what their cultural and intellectual property is. But before we can make such definitions we must search for the questions. As Thurber said, "It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." Thank you very much and I hope I wasn't as boring as everyone said I was going to be. Copies of some of the documents referred to by Dr. Pullar can be viewed on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website at: http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/rights.html | |
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Athabascan Region by Kathy Swartz:Mapping Project This project is the beginning of a cultural atlas that will preserve the histories, stories and other information about the traditional lands of the Minto Athabascans. The project will create an interactive web-based map and CD-ROM of the Minto Flats area with Athabascan and English labels, links to stories, photos and audio clips. The map is being developed by Minto students based on information gathered with Minto Elders. The project is being coordinated by Bill Pfisterer and Paula Elmes is the ANKN graphic artist. In 1998 and 1999, Minto students traveled with Elders and project staff to different sites in the Minto Flats to record information. In 1998, there was a field trip to three historical sites: Cache, Graveyard and Four Cabins. During this trip the students were given a short course in photography and approximately 200 photos were taken. Students were taught interviewing techniques and how to use a tape recorder and microphone. In August 1999, there was another field trip by boat to Jack Hill #1 and #2 gravesites and the Goldstream cemetery with eight Minto Elders, eight Minto high school students and archeologist Carol Galvin. The trip focused on the identification of traditional subsistence and historic campsites and identification of old gravesites. During this school year, thirteen students have volunteered their time to compile the information that has been gathered and prepare an interactive website. Denali Foundation, "Denali on the Road," Snow Science Workshop In early 1999, Patty Craw of the Denali Foundation conducted a Snow Science Workshop in Minto. The workshop was made possible through the support and participation of local Elders, Deanna Couch, the junior high science and math teacher and 20 junior high students. The Snow Science Workshop was four days. The first two days of the workshop involved a combination of lecture and lab activities that provided students with background knowledge in Western science methods of studying snow and glaciers. Snow was introduced in the context of the hydrologic cycle, crystal formation and properties of snow. Students learned how to identify a variety of snow crystals and how to use aerial photographs, satellite images and topographic maps to observe glaciers. The third day took place at Ptarmigan Hill, approximately 20 miles east of Minto. Elders shared their knowledge with students for the first half of the day. The first activity they did together was to create a comfortable place to talk and eat by placing "greens" or spruce boughs on the snow in a circle. Then, two Elders showed the students how to make fire starter from dry spruce shavings and soon a fire was burning, snow was melted to make tea, snacks and stories were enjoyed by all. After spending time together in the circle, an Elder with the boys built an emergency shelter with spruce boughs while others showed the girls how to make ptarmigan snares. The second half of this day was focused on Western science methods of observing snow. Students collected measurements of density, depth, temperature, snow crystals and identified layers within the snowpack. During the final day, students made correlations between traditional knowledge learned from the Elders and the physical properties of snow as understood by Western science. During the workshop, students and Elders had a positive learning and teaching experience. Students were able to discover how certain traditional knowledge and Western science ideas coalesce. This shared knowledge was has been incorporated into the Snow Science curriculum to pass on to future students for years to come. Making Oral History Materials available in Minto The Oral History Program at UAF's Rasmuson Library is working on a project to locate, document, copy and annotate materials related to Minto and Lower Tanana Athabascans. The final products will include a complete and annotated list of material holdings at UAF. Copies of these materials will also be available at the Minto school with appropriate release agreements available. For audio and video recordings, the project has contracted with Minto residents and local language specialists to review the information. Bill Schneider oversees the project as curator of oral history and David Krupa, research associate, is the project director. Jarrod Decker, research technician, and Lissa Robertson, student assistant, are compiling, collating and annotating UAF materials. Ken Charlie and Richard Frank are working as independent contractors to review audio recordings. To date, the project has duplicated and begun annotation for the following: 250 historic photographs, 75 audio recordings, 6 video recordings, 120 journal articles, 350 newspaper articles, 125 audio recordings, 65 pieces of material culture, 40 artifacts from the University of Alaska Museum and 50 audio recordings from the James Kari collection. Project staff have made several trips to Minto to discuss the project with the Minto Village Council members and Elders. Additional trips are planned. The staff will provide a progress report to the community and seek new participants to help with review of the material. A photo album containing original photos will be left at the Minto Lodge with a log identifying people and places. The development of this annotated list will make it much easier for the public to access materials at UAF and in Minto. This project is a small step towards intellectual repatriation that is crucial, timely and may serve as a model for similar efforts throughout Alaska. Contact Information Cultural Heritage and Education Institute Robert Charlie P.O. Box 73030 Fairbanks, AK 99707 Phone (907) 451-0923 Fax (907) 451-0910 chei@mosquitonet.com http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/chei | |
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Commissioners' Panel Addresses NEC by Frank Hill:Marshall Lind (1971-83, 1986-87) addressed the following: * How do we fulfill the promises of local control associated with the creation of regional educational attendance areas? * How do we address the instability of professional staff in rural schools? * Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools should be implemented. * Assessment issues related to students and teachers. * Vocational/technical education needs. * Strengthening early childhood education programs. * Low success rates for Alaska Native students in higher education programs. Bill Demmert (1987-90) shared these issues: * Development of a child's cultural identity and language should be foremost in their education. * Students need to know who they are and connect with their cultural heritage to enhance their highest ability to learn. * More attention needs to be given to early childhood education. Jerry Covey (1991-95) discussed the following issues: * Local control of schools; opportunity and responsibility where it belongs. * Standards-driven education; culture needs to be included in the process. * Strong communities are essential to school success; need to address the problems of alcohol and drug abuse. * Politics of appeasement; politicians chasing public opinion without real leadership. Need political leaders who represent all Alaskans. There is no shortage of financial resources to serve all schools, but there is a shortage of the will to do so or to care for each other. Shirley Holloway (1995-99) highlighted the following: * In answering to the question of whether rural education will survive in the 21st century, she stressed the need for strong Alaska Native leadership that addresses high-stakes testing (i.e., the High School Graduation Qualification Exam), bilingual/bicultural education issues, government mandates, technology issues and the lack of Native professional educators. * Students learn best when taught by teachers who speak their own language. We extend our thanks to these Alaska education leaders for their insightful responses and adding another highlight to the Native Educators' Conference. We are also pleased that all former commissioners are still working to improve education for all of Alaska's students. | |
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Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge:Special attention is given to the educational implications for the integration of indigenous knowledge and practices in schools throughout Alaska. The guidance offered by the guidelines is intended to encourage the incorporation of traditional knowledge and teaching practices in schools by minimizing the potential for misuse and misunderstanding in the process. It is hoped that these guidelines will facilitate the coming together of the many cultural traditions that coexist in Alaska in constructive, respectful and mutually beneficial ways. Along with the guidelines are general recommendations aimed at stipulating the steps that need to be taken to achieve the goals for which the guidelines are intended. State and federal agencies, universities, school districts, textbook publishers and Native communities are encouraged to review their policies, programs and practices and to adopt the guidelines and recommendations where appropriate. In so doing, the educational experiences of students throughout Alaska will be enriched and the future well-being of the communities being served will be enhanced. Responsibilities for Respecting Cultural Knowledge Following is a summary of the areas of responsibility around which the guidelines for respecting cultural knowledge are organized. The details for each area, to be published in a booklet form as well as on the ANKN website, provide specific suggestions on the steps to be taken by persons in each of the respective roles. NATIVE ELDERS, as one of the primary sources of traditional cultural knowledge, bear the responsibility to share and pass on that knowledge in ways that are compatible with traditional teachings and practices. AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS should take all steps necessary to insure that any representation of cultural content is accurate, contextually appropriate and explicitly acknowledged. CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS AND ADMINISTRATORS should provide multiple avenues for the incorporation of locally-recognized expertise in all actions related to the use and interpretation of local cultural knowledge and practices. CLASSROOM TEACHERS are responsible for drawing upon Elders and other cultural experts in the surrounding community to make sure all resource materials and learning activities are culturally accurate and appropriate. EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS should utilize culturally-knowledgeable authors and establish multiple levels of review to insure that all publications are culturally accurate and appropriate. REVIEWERS should give informed consideration to the cultural perspectives of all groups represented in documents subjected to review. RESEARCHERS are ethically responsible for obtaining informed consent, accurately representing the cultural perspective and protecting the cultural integrity and rights of all participants in a research endeavor. NATIVE LANGUAGE SPECIALISTS are responsible for taking all steps possible to accurately convey the meaning associated with cultural knowledge that has been shared in a traditional language. NATIVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS should establish a process for review and authorization of activities involving the gathering, documentation and use of local cultural knowledge. As the users and audience for cultural knowledge, THE GENERAL PUBLIC has a responsibility to exercise informed critical judgement about the cultural authenticity and appropriateness of the materials they utilize. General Recommendations The following recommendations were put forward to support the effective implementation of the guidelines for documenting, representing and utilizing cultural knowledge outlined above. The Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools should be used as a general guide for any educational activity involving cultural documentation, representation or review. A statewide "Alaska Indigenous Literary Review Board" should be established with representation from each of the regional Native educator associations to oversee the implementation of the recommendations that follow. A statewide "Alaska Indigenous Knowledge Multimedia Working Group" should be established to examine the applicability of the above guidelines to the production of electronic media and the publication and utilization of cultural knowledge via the internet. Criteria for product certification of materials with cultural content should be established and implemented by regional literary review committees formed through the regional Native educator associations. The raven images from the ANKN logo could be used as a "stamp of approval" for each cultural region. Each regional literary review committee should develop a list of authorized reviewers for publications reflecting cultural content related to the respective region. An annotated bibliography of the best materials representing local cultures should be compiled by each regional literary review committee and published on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website for use by teachers and curriculum developers throughout the state. The Alaska Indigenous Literary Review Board should establish prestigious awards to honor Native Elders, authors, illustrators and others who make a significant contribution to the documentation and representation of cultural knowledge. Incentives, resources and opportunities should be provided to encourage and support Native authors, illustrators and storytellers who bring a strong Native voice to the documentation and representation of Native cultural knowledge and traditions. The guidelines outlined above should be incorporated in university courses and made an integral part of all teacher preparation and cultural orientation programs. An annotated bibliography of resource materials that address issues associated with documenting, representing and utilizing cultural knowledge should be maintained on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website. Further information on issues related to the implementation of these guidelines, as well as copies of the complete guidelines may be obtained from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6730 (http://www.ankn.uaf.edu). | |
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Identity-Creating Camps by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:The following are a few suggestions on how we might approach and design camps for different purposes. Three types of Native cultural camps are described and each may be revised and adapted to suit the local situation and needs. Cultural Immersion Camp For students who have a good command of the Native language or dialect in a particular region and thus can be immersed on all aspects of the local culture. 1. All activities are done utilizing the Native language only and the focus is on in-depth learning of the things one needs to know to make a life and a living. 2. All planning and implementation includes local Native Elders and other knowledgeable Native people explaining what and why things are done the way they are for cultural adaptability and survival. This can include the following topics: a. Use of and relationship to plants and animals: times for harvesting; how and why certain rules are followed to ensure continuation of species; explain the traditional preparation and preservation techniques; how does the process contribute to natural diversity and cultural adaptability? b. Medicinal plants: their use and how they have been preordained by Ellam Yua (Spirit of the Universe) to have power to heal certain diseases; harvesting process-preparation and preservation; how to use them, being mindful of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual inclinations of the person being treated; how do they contribute to natural diversity and cultural adaptability? c. Explore the nature-mediated technology of the Alaska Native people: materials; preparation methods; explanations of why certain parts of materials are used; how the idea for the technology came about; functioning of the various parts; use and care of the item; does it utilize refined or unrefined natural resources and why; is it biodegradable; what are its spiritual aspects; how does it contribute to natural diversity and cultural sustainability and adaptability? d. Explore the natural sense-makers of nature for weather, seasons, flora and fauna. e. Discuss time and its measurement. f. Navigation techniques: finding direction using nature and celestial objects. 3. Use song, dance and drumming for transmission of culture, especially its spiritual aspect; develop a realization that everything a Native person does is a form of prayer and paying homage to Ellam Yua (or whatever name a tribe has for the Creator.) 4. Use mythology and stories for value-creation and teaching what it means to be human; the entire experience should be value-creating and give a cultural orientation, an identity. 5. Live off the land as much as possible, using traditional techniques and technology. 6. The scheduling must be flexible and determined by the Elders to do things when it feels right. Language Development Camp For students who have little or no understanding of the Native language or have little or no speaking ability. Thus the focus is on learning the language itself in a setting where it has inherent meaning. The process is best determined on a day-by-day basis by the Elders and teachers, but it could range from full immersion as outlined above, to gradual immersion starting with the Native language being used with English interpretations, then progressing to an hour or two in which only the Native language is used. In either case, the goal would be to have the last week be all in the Native language. Otherwise, all of the suggestions outlined for immersion camps would apply. Bridging Science Camp Same as above but incorporating aspects of a Eurocentric viewpoint. The bridging camp should include not only the Native language and cultural practices, but also the Eurocentric scientific concepts and practices. 1. Most of the activities outlined above apply, but with the addition of a comparative perspective. All activities are coordinated to best achieve understanding. The traditional activities are not separate activities from Eurocentric mathematics and sciences, but are planned to be compatible and complementary with one another. 2. Identify some of the most used Eurocentric scientific terms and coin corresponding Native words with help from Elders and students. 3. When using Eurocentric science knowledge, concepts or theories, explore how they may add to or detract from one's Nativeness. 4. Examine whether the Eurocentric knowledge is useful and applicable in the place you are situated or is it extraneous knowledge in that context. When and where is it useful? 5. Use traditional estimation and intuitive measurement techniques; explore recognition of pattern and symmetry without mathematical equations to confuse the issue-the universe is not all numbers. 6. Use computers and other technological tools sparingly; explore the implications of the statement, "our memories are becoming obsolete." 7. How does adding Eurocentric knowledge to the traditional ways of knowing enhance or detract from natural diversity and cultural adaptability? 8. Examine ways in which technological tools may add to environmental and mental pollution. 9. Examine ways in which the camp activities foster values of cooperation and harmony or competition and individualism. 10. The camp planners and implementers should always have the local list of Native values in front of them for guidance in determining what to include from the modern world. The bridging science camps are intended to incorporate the Eurocentric mathematics and scientific concepts along with the local knowledge base of the Elders. All daily activities should be coordinated to effectively and efficiently teach and validate both thought worlds. The students should gain a keen understanding of Eurocentric scientific research since many of the findings corroborate Native observations and have helped to identify globally-stressed arenas that explain why Mother Earth is suffering. This makes it absolutely necessary that students learn Eurocentric concepts as well as their own ways of recognizing patterns, utilizing symbols, employing estimation and intuitive measurement and developing a keen observation of place. The Native students have to realize that our ways of knowing are identity-building processes. They can then pursue careers in mathematics and the sciences buttressed with a nature-mediated world view giving them a kind and polite disposition to the world in which they live. | |
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Iñupiaq Region: Natural Products made from the Tuttu, Part III by Elmer Jackson:With winter being the longest season, warm clothing is necessary for survival. Hard and soft bottom kammak (boots) are sewn from the winter skin which has thick fur. Hard bottom kammak are made from the bearded seal skin which has been crimped. Waterproof kammak are coated with fat and oil making them waterproof. These boots are used during the spring and summer. Parkas for the young are sewn from the fawn skin, which is soft and pliable and the fur makes a warm parka. Mittens, socks, pants and other items are sewn from the tanned winter skin of the tuttu. One of the traditional Iñupiat ropes is made from the skin of the tuttu and the seal. The skin is soaked in water until the hair is removed easily. While the skin is still wet, it is cut into one long strip. It is then stretched and tied from post to post and dried. These strips can be used for making snowshoes or for tying a basket sled. There are many other uses. A tent of six caribou skins is used for a survival shelter. The floor is covered with spruce boughs and skins of the tuttu. The skin is also an excellent mattress. Caribou are the only members of the deer family where both the male and female grow antlers. The antlers can be used as sinkers for a gill or seine net. Each family had a mark on the sinkers. Grandfather Frank Jackson's mark is that of the footprint of the Sandhill crane-three marks. If a sinker was found they would know who it belonged to and would return it to the owner. The sharpest points of the antlers are used as piercing tools for dry white fish. Dry fish are pierced for the purpose of making a string of fish. The antler and bones are utilized for creating tools, spear heads, arrow heads and other implements. A useful fish scaler is made from the shoulder blade. This tool is called a kavisiiqsin. Many parts of the tuttu are used for arts and crafts and in sewing clothing. Upper Kobuk and the Nunamiut artists create face masks, molding the skin into a carved wood shaped like a face of a person. A miniature model of a sled is created using the lower jaw bones, wood, baleen and twine or traditional rawhide. Every part of the tuttu is saved. The hooves are saved for survival food. Once they are dried they will remain as they are. When food is scarce, they can be soaked in water until they soften and then cooked into a soup broth. The cooked muscle tendons on the hooves are eaten also. Generations ago, the Iñupiat endured starvation. The quest to find food was difficult, especially during the winter. The men and their pack dogs would qaqi or travel north towards Noatak and the North Slope to find caribou. The women and the young remained home, fishing and berrypicking. Food gathering kept them busy most of the day and night. To respect the animals and the environment was law-traditional law. Indigenous people passed, from generation to generation, the practice of having respect for the animals and the environment. They took only what was needed, subsisting from season to season. They shared with other people in the community. When a family did not have a hunter or provider, they were given food, wood and skins. Sharing brought a sense of contentedness to the community. People took care of each other, even in times of hardship. | |
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Report Released on Alaska Rural Systemic Reform in Education:Below is the balance of an executive summary of the final report from a three-year study of rural school reform conducted by the Northwest Regional Educational Lab (NWREL) and UAF in cooperation with seven rural communities and school districts in Alaska. The first part of this article appeared in the previous issue of Sharing Our Pathways (Volume 5, Issue 1). Through a cross-case analysis, six reform themes emerged: Sustaining Reform It is easy to start new reforms but difficult to keep up the momentum in order to bring about deep changes in teaching and learning. Our case studies show that sustaining educational reform over the long run is difficult but not impossible in rural Alaska. There were a variety of scenarios, including communities that could not successfully launch an Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) reform effort, those which had many starts and stops on a long and winding road towards important community goals and at least one exceptional community (Quinhagak) that has been able to create and sustain a Yup'ik first-language program for more than a decade. The most significant barrier to sustaining reforms is persistent teacher, principal and superintendent turnover. Turnover derails reform efforts and leads to a cycle of reinventing the school every two or three years. A process like AOTE can help alleviate the turnover problem by creating leadership within the community, especially when respected community Elders and other leaders are brought into the process. But to seriously sustain reforms, districts and local communities need to develop talent from within so that teachers have strong roots in the communities where they teach. Shared Leadership Leadership needs to be defined as shared decision-making with the community rather than seeking advice from the community. Strong and consistent superintendent leadership was an important factor in moving reforms forward in these small communities and districts. However, school leaders must believe and act on the principle of shared decision making in order to engage the community through long-term educational changes that benefit students. Shared leadership creates community ownership that will move educational changes through frequent staff turnover. School leaders must view a process like AOTE as a tool for developing community engagement and leadership rather than a program that seeks the community's advice. Building Relationships and Trust Personal relationships and trust are at the heart of successful reform and processes like AOTE are only effective when good relationships exist between school personnel and community members. Strong relationships are based on mutual caring for children and cross-cultural understanding rather than a specific reform agenda. In small communities, personal relationships are more central than formal decision processes as the way to get things done. A key teacher, principal, leadership team member, parent or Elder who is respected in the community can spark the change process. It is these respected people and their relationships with others that help the whole community develop an understanding of and connection to the principles of an external reform model like AOTE. Too much emphasis can be placed on process and procedure from the outside and not enough on building the relationships and trust from the inside. Reformers in rural settings might fare better if they worked to fully understand the local context and build reforms from the inside out rather than relying solely on external reform models. Enacting New Roles Educators and community members are often stuck in old roles while educational partnerships require new behaviors and ways of thinking. While it is easy to talk about creating partnerships, changing traditional roles is a learning process for both school personnel and parents. The mindset that parent and teacher domains are separate-and should remain so-hampers family involvement efforts. Our case studies reveal that without a compelling goal deeply rooted in community values-like preserving language and cultural knowledge-many parents and community members are content to leave education to the educators. Yet in small rural settings there are many avenues for parents, Elders and other community members to be involved in school as volunteers, teacher aides, other paid workers and leadership team members. Rural schools need to create a range of parent involvement strategies appropriate for small communities. Historical divisions between school personnel and Alaska Native parents still need to be overcome. A partnership process like AOTE must strive to rekindle the spirit of a people who feel marginalized by the education system rather than part of it. Creating Coherent Reforms Small rural communities and school districts need help in sorting through many ongoing reforms in order to create a more unified approach to educational and community change. There are many independent reform activities in these communities with few connections. AOTE was a positive force in most communities because it helped set a clear direction and vision for student success and provided opportunities for school personnel and community members to think about and talk about how everyone should work together to educate children in a changing world. AOTE was less successful as a force for substantially changing teaching and learning. Here there was often confusion or lethargy about taking action because there were already so many educational programs in place. How AOTE fit into this picture was unclear to participants. In rural Alaska, there is a boom or bust cycle of programs related to curriculum, instruction, assessment and technology. Yet some cases showed more unity of purpose and were able to progress towards reform goals, make significant changes in educational practice and see students improve. These places often exhibited the enabling characteristics described above including stability of school leaders and teachers, shared decision making which empowers communities while expecting improved student results, a climate of trust and caring and the ability to find the human and material resources to achieve goals like bilingual programs. Many elements have to come together for classroom-level changes to occur, not the least of which are creativity, hard work and time. Creating Healthy Communities Schools in small rural communities cannot achieve their educational goals in isolation from the well-being of the surrounding community. The AOTE visioning process brought out the deeper hopes, dreams and fears of communities that are trying to preserve their identity and ways of life in a global and technological world. AOTE resulted in districts and communities challenging themselves to simultaneously achieve high cultural standards and high academic standards as a means to improved community health. People also expect the education system to help young people respect their Elders, respect themselves, stay sober and drug free and learn self-discipline. There was a clear sense that education and community health are inextricably linked. Education is viewed as more than achieving specific academic standards and benchmarks. While the desire is there to integrate Native knowledge and Western schooling, educators in rural Alaska do not yet have all the tools and know-how to achieve this end. More resources are needed to create culturally-appropriate teacher resources. Proposed funding cuts to Alaska's rural schools could threaten further progress. Nevertheless, our case studies offer many positive examples of bicultural and bilingual education that can create more holistic and healthy communities in rural Alaska with the added benefit of improved student achievement. | |
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Southeast Region by Andy Hope:Nurture, trans. To foster, cherish. (as defined from the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, New Edition) Alaska tribes and Native educators should take the lead in confronting the challenge of cultivating and nurturing indigenous Alaska Native knowledge. There are many resources that tribes and educators can draw upon in addressing this challenge. One approach would be to begin a substantive effort to develop comprehensive education policies. Tribes and educators could begin by addressing language, culture, research and publications policies. In drafting such policies, the following tools are readily available: Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, Guidelines for Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools, Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge (see a related article in this issue on these guidelines,) the AFN Research Policy, Alaska Native educator associations, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education. Tribes and educators can and should foster the dissemination of Alaska indigenous knowledge and work to support Native and non-Native educators who are incorporating indigenous knowledge into the curricula of schools. Too often in the past, educators have been discouraged from developing curricula that reflect indigenous values because there wasn't an adequate support structure to make sure it was being done properly. Developing tribal education policies will create and promote a healthy learning environment for our communities. For the long term, tribal colleges will be the lead institutions for the ongoing development of Alaska indigenous knowledge. The development of tribal colleges is critical to this effort. Each of us, as tribal members, can contribute to the effort to develop education policies and tribal colleges. Developing explicit education policies and tribal colleges would help ensure the de-politicization of education programs and systems in our communities. There are Alaska Native educator groups in virtually every region of Alaska now. Members of these groups are available to assist tribes in their efforts to construct culturally-responsive education policies. The Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education (CANHE) has been working for more than two years to develop tribal colleges in Alaska and recently began the process of formally organizing to advocate for tribal colleges on a statewide basis. Members of CANHE will also be available to assist tribes with education policymaking. Tribal colleges will be the proper institutions to carry forward the effort to ensure that Alaska indigenous knowledge continues to flourish for future generations. | |
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UAF Summer 2000 Program in Cross-Cultural Studies for Alaskan Educators:The Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, the Alaska Staff Development Network and the UAF Summer Sessions invite educators from throughout Alaska to participate in a series of two- and three-credit courses focusing on the implementation of the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. The courses may be taken individually or as a nine-credit cluster. Three of the courses (ED/CCS 613, ED 610 and ED/ANS 461) may be used to meet the state "multicultural education" requirement for licensure and they may be applied to graduate degree programs at UAF. Rural Academy for Culturally Responsive Schools May 30-June 3, 2000 The five-day intensive Rural Academy, sponsored by the Alaska Staff Development Network, The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and UAF Summer Sessions, consists of the following educational opportunities: * each participant participates in two out of fourteen two-day workshops demonstrating how the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools are being implemented in communities throughout rural Alaska. * two panel sessions are offered in which participants hear firsthand from key educational practitioners and policymakers from throughout the state. * a day-long field trip allows participants to meet and interact with key people and observe exemplary programs in the Interior region. * participants share successful strategies and programs from throughout the state. * participants have the option to complete a followup project relevant to their own work situation. Instructor: Ray Barnhardt, Ph.D. and workshop presenters Credit Options: ED 695, Rural Academy for Culturally Responsive Schools (2 cr.) $258 ED/CCS 613, Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. (3 cr.) $387 Cross-Cultural Orientation Program for Teachers June 5-23, 2000 The Center for Cross-Cultural Studies and UAF Summer Sessions offer the Cross-Cultural Orientation Program for teachers, beginning on June 5, 2000 and running through June 23, 2000, including a week (June 10-17) at the Old Minto Cultural Camp on the Tanana River with Athabascan Elders from the village of Minto. The program is designed for teachers and others who wish to gain some background familiarity with the cultural environment and educational history that makes teaching in Alaska, particularly in rural communities, unique, challenging and rewarding. Instructor: Ray Barnhardt, Ph.D. and Minto Elders Credit Option: CCS/ED 610, Education and Cultural Processes (3 cr.) $534 plus $100 camp fee Native Ways of Knowing June 26-July 14, 2000 The third course available in the cross-cultural studies series is a three-week seminar focusing on the educational implications of "Native ways of knowing." The course examines teaching and learning practices reflected in indigenous knowledge systems and how those practices may be incorporated into the schooling process. Examples drawn from the work of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Alaska Native Knowledge Network are shared with participants. Instructor: Oscar Kawagley, Ph.D. Credit option: ED/ANS 461, Native Ways of Knowing (3 cr.) $279 Information For registration or further information regarding the UAF summer programs contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, 474-1902. | |
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