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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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 6, ISSUE 2 |
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Iñupiaq Region:News from Northwest Alaska by Branson Tungiyan:I have been working at Kawerak, Inc. for the past two years as the program director for the Eskimo Heritage Program. The mission statement of the Eskimo Heritage Program is "to document and preserve the Bering Strait Region's culture, heritage and traditions of the three Native groups and to expand the Eskimo Heritage Program's collection to the people and the villages." I have been working on individual Elder interviews and putting them into a computerized database. This has been like attending a bilingual education class, as I go through the transcriptions of all the wonderful stories, legends and traditional knowledge that each Elder exemplifies in their interviews. To me, this is truly the "link from the past, to the present and to the future." Whether the interviews are from an Iñupiaq Elder, Central Yup'ik Elder or a St. Lawrence Island Yupik Elder, the cultural values spoken are the same. This brings me to the new position I am involved in with the AFN/Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI). Phase II of AKRSI is "bringing schools and communities together in rural Alaska." This will be done by implementing the ten initiatives on a region-by-region basis over the next five years. For example, the Iñupiaq Region will be working on the Village Science Applications and Alaska Native Science and Engineering Society (ANSES) this year. The Iñupiat have already gone through some of this by attending cultural camps and working on their science fair projects with the Elders in the communities and with the schools in the districts. The AKRSI is about education, working with the community, the schools and the children. This not only involves the children in the villages in the school districts, but also the youth in the tribal colleges. We will also be working with Native educators within each respective region. The focus of the AKRSI Phase II will build on the successes of the initiatives that were implemented in Phase I. Culture is the core of every Native group in this great state of Alaska. It brings the true meaning of being Alaska Native. The ability to have survived the harsh environment and climate over thousands of years proves that culture is the core of any Native group that sustains the life of its people. This gives the people heritage and tradition as an identity to continue and pass on to generation after generation for its survival as indigenous people. It gives me pleasure to be working as a part of this process with my fellow Alaska Natives. | |
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Multicultural Education: Partners in Learning - Yugtun Qaneryararput Arcaqertuq by Theresa Arevgaq John:Rural Alaska Native Adult Program, Alaska Pacific University Keynote address to the 27th Annual Bilingual Multicultural Conference, February 7, 2001 Waqaa! Greetings to the bilingual conference planning committee, Elders, educators, parents, students, administrators and community members. I am honored and humbled to be the keynote speaker for the 27th annual BMEEC 2001 conference theme, "Multicultural Education: Partners in Learning." There are several key points in regards to the Yup'ik heritage language and culture I feel are important to address today. I will use English as well as Yup'ik in my presentation. The key points that I would like to address are: Arguments 1. Who is responsible for the language maintenance? Is it the parents? Community? Educators? Elders? Self? 2. Should we be concerned about maintaining Yup'ik Language? Why? 3. Will bilingualism affect a child's formal education? How? 4. Do children with bilingualism have better educational outcomes? 5. Will we lose our Native cultural identity along with language loss? 6. Where are the Elders? 7. Should we support Yup'ik immersion programs? Theresa Arevgaq John instructing a class at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Photo courtesy of Rural Student Services, UAF. Ethnic Identity Formation and It's Implications for Yup'ik Language Development. I am fortunate to have been raised in a remote Yup'ik-speaking community on Nelson Island. This was the era when formal education was just being implemented into the community. Elders, grandparents, parents and prominent community members were the main educators who taught youth and adults the indigenous traditions and customs-quliraat, qanruyuutet, alerquutet and inerqutet. Oral traditional education passed down creation, raven stories and cultural values. Many Elders and community members truly believed and still believe in our creator, Ellam Yua. We are taught that Ellam Yua granted us our indigenous language, culture, history and spiritual world for us to keep and maintain. The ancestors' innovative and effective traditional teaching methods are integrated and effective multicultural education materials. The Yup'ik pledge is recited in some Kuskokwim Delta villages like Toksook Bay. When I attended Calista Elder's Conference last November, I had an opportunity to visit the school and participate at the school assembly. There I requested the students to recite the pledge which I've attempted to translate. Wangkuta yupigni qanruyutet aturluki anglituukut. Ilakuyulluta, ukvertarluta, pingnatuuluta. We, the Yup'ik people, grow up following the traditional values and principles. We live in harmony, we have faith and also strive for prosperity. Nallunrilamta yuuyaramteni piciryarangqerngamta nutemllamtenek. This is because we have wisdom and knowledge of our traditional lifestyle. Qigcikiyaram aturtai taringumaut ellam iluanelnguut elpengqellrit nunuliutengqellrit-llu. Those who hold and respect the traditional knowledge and laws of our spiritual worldview know that they will be rewarded for their proper behavior. Qanruyutem aturtai umyuartuluteng, elluatuuluteng, nuuqitevkenateng yuuluaqerciqut. Those who follow the traditional values, laws and principles will become wise, knowledgeable and live to be prosperous and wealthy. I specifically wanted to share this with you because it's written in Yup'ik. The words in this pledge remind me of late Elders like Billy Lincoln, Sr. and my grandmother, Al'aq (respected leaders) who spent endless hours teaching us kids using these exact words. The important messages reflect cultural integrity, accountability, self-determination and encourage a foundation for youths' achievement. At this time I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank the Yup'ik associate professor Cecilia Martz, former Kuskokwim Campus faculty member, who developed the Y/Cuuyaraq poster containing these words. Our students will learn and live as the key holders of our Elders words. With fluent indigenous languages, youth can have strong cultural and traditional knowledge, spirituality, communication skills and self-esteem. It is also evident as time goes on that it will only become more difficult for youth to maintain their first language. The English language world surrounds us and is slowly eroding our languages away, which is our power base with each generation. The lack of indigenous language brings suffering for youth and adults. For example, language barriers make it difficult for new generations to learn about traditional family ties and clans, ancient stories and songs, leadership skills, ceremonials, hunting and gathering skills and traditional laws. We have learned from the research presented by the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks regarding language loss among our Native groups. In some cases, like the Eyak and a few others, the only speakers are dying off. We must make an effort to ensure that the remaining indigenous languages are enhanced and taught to all ages. Our language and cultures are greatly affected and impacted by the daily use of English. On the other hand, we have community members who cannot speak their language yet have an understanding and sense of their culture. I would like to share with you two heartbreaking encounters I had with two elderly women who expressed their pain and sorrow with me. Both events happened in Bethel around the mid-l980s. The first person was an Elder woman in her sixties from a coastal village, waiting for a flight at the airport. While we waited, sitting on benches across from each other, a young lady came to her and asked her a question in English and grandmother responded back in broken English. Her voice was quivering when she told me that she could not communicate effectively with her own grandchild that she was raising. She was unable to teach her and other children the Yup'ik traditions and values because they did not have a common nor efficient communication tool. The grandmother looked very sad at that moment, which made me feel sorry for her. She was sad to see the passing of her heritage language, including her culture, as the students used only English at school and watch television after school. There is an argument that we face daily regarding language use responsibility. Who is responsible for resolving situations like this? Are we as parents and families responsible or are the schools? I think we are all responsible-as parents, relatives, community members and educational employees-we must not let this continue. The second Elder shared a similar situation with me. In her case, the teacher advised her to speak to her children in English because that would benefit their education. About twelve years later, another teacher approached her and said, "Why didn't you teach your children Yup'ik? At this point, she felt confused by two educators approaching her with opposing advice. She admitted it was too late now for children to learn Yup'ik who are older and will have a hard time learning the new language. She sat silently and cried. This is a national controversial issue with schools, governments and leaders who all struggle to deal with the question of if/how we should include indigenous languages in our schools. Like our ancestors, let us unite and make a commitment to incorporate indigenous languages into all aspects of our villages so we can have societies with common languages. These two women were willing to share their painful family crisis for a reason. They are not alone in this situation, many of our people are going through the same crisis. We cannot continue to hurt the hearts of our Elders, the holders of our cultural wisdom and knowledge. They are the backbone of our families and deserve the utmost respect. As Native speakers who are also educators and administrators, we can enhance language use in schools and at home and provide efficient communication tools for the students without endangering their scholastic achievement. To encourage Native heritage language development, the parents, school board members, educators and prominent leaders all need to get involved in planning the annual academic curriculum. We must become proactive members by joining local and district school boards that guide and work with school administrators. We can and must identify quality Native educators and administrators with expertise and proficiency in Native languages and let them control the schools. Native educators should promote and provide local knowledge, wisdom and innovation through developing a dynamic curriculum. These steps will provide positive consequences for our Yup'ik heritage language. We have our own Native immersion programs in place, like the ones in Bethel and Kotzebue, that develop and implement community-based, culturally-relevant curriculum. They have dedicated Native educators, staff and teacher aides who work diligently to ensure indigenous education through first languages. When I visited the immersion school in Kotzebue, I was impressed with little kids speaking Iñupiaq only. Shortly after I arrived, their teacher informed me that I could not speak English beyond the entrance area. I spoke to them in Yup'ik because my Iñupiaq language is limited. Disciplinary rules like these will enforce indigenous language use. Naluk, my niece, has gone through the Yup'ik Immersion Program in Bethel since it was implemented a few years ago. She is now in the fifth grade, with fluent Yup'ik speech and grammar. Her mother, Agatha John-Shields, has been an influential educator and proactive parent of the program. Thank you for your persistence, Gus, in teaching all your children and other's Yup'ik at home and school. There is fear that some parents feel in giving their children an opportunity to learn the indigenous language. I was shocked and horrified that some Yup'ik parents in Bethel were resistant to enrolling their children into the immersion program. They believe their children will have a hard time adjusting to a standard English classroom after Yup'ik immersion classes. They simply don't see the need and are eager to have their kids become like everybody else. Today my sister's children can communicate with their grandparents in their first language. This proves that indigenous languages can be taught at home and school. It takes dedication, determination and persistence to make this happen. These students are the future leaders of our languages. I applaud the efforts of all immersion teachers who provide essential lifelong cultural foundations for youth and serve as role models for students and educators. I used these two examples of what I consider to be an ideal and effective immersion program with a community-based curriculum. There are challenges from opposing parents, school board and community members who feel that Native education is not essential to our youth. Please don't let them stop you from doing your job. Through programs like these, our descendents will learn and live Native ways of knowing without endangering their future success in an integrated society. The Impact of Yup'ik Language Programs on Student Attitudes The Yup'ik language programs influence student attitudes in ways that make them feel proud of their heritage language and culture and will have a long-lasting positive impact on their attitudes. Harold Napoleon, in his book Yuuyararq, states "Many villages have expressed interest in reviving cultural heritage activities and Native language use in their schools, because it has become evident that practicing one's cultural heritage and speaking one's heritage language promotes self-esteem in young people." The Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools says "Culturally-knowledgeable students are well grounded in the cultural heritage and traditions of their community." One of the objectives of this standard states, "Students will be able to reflect through their own actions the critical role that the local heritage language plays in fostering a sense of who they are and how they understand the world around them." When the youth learn to speak their heritage language fluently, they will be able to hear and learn many of our traditional qanruyutet and alerqutet that will give them guidance for healthy and prosperous lifestyles. Knowing one's language is interlinked with learning one's culture. When I was doing my student teaching at Bethel High School in the early eighties, I had an opportunity to form a cultural club that met weekly. I formed this club because I had heard that there was a problem with cultural diversity in school. The Native students were criticized for speaking Yup'ik or for wearing Native clothing. The goal of the cultural group was to develop and encourage cultural identity among students through traditional activities. They learned the history and meanings of traditional Yup'ik songs. During our sessions they viewed videos of dancers, learned about masks, mukluks, qaspeqs and headdresses. After a few gatherings, students began to show up in their qaspeqs and mukluks and were no longer ashamed of themselves. The parents of my students approached me in local stores and asked what I was doing to their kids. They informed me that their childrens' attitudes improved at home and they were anxious to attend school. We, as educators, can inspire our youth to become proud owners of their language and traditions. My late grandmother, Anna Kungurkak, like many Elders, was my best educator allowing me to benefit by maintaining the advanced first language that belongs to our people. Elders in her generation who were raised through oral history have a solid personal and educational foundation. She once said "Ilaten kenkekuvki elitnaurciqaten": "If you love your family and community members, you will educate them." The true meaning of love is to make time to educate the young future leaders using the integrated teaching methods of our Native ways of knowing. Our ancestors also teach us the importance of knowing who we are and that we should know our cultural values. The Yup'ik term aciriyaraq, refers to acquiring a Native name. It is an honor and comes with responsibilities. Through the naming system, we keep our ancestral spirits alive and we must carry that name with respect. The Elders stress traditional values like naklekiyaraq-caring for others, kenkiyaraq-love for all, and ilangqersarag-having friends and associates. These are integral parts of our societies that we must revere and nurture. In reference to our traditional spirituality, we must revisit our traditional ceremonies and rituals that meant so much to our ancestors. Yuraryarat, the various dance ceremonials including kevgiq, ineqsukiyaraq, kelgiq, kegginaquryaraq and nangerciciyaraq are diverse forms of prayer. The angalkuut (shamans), both men and women, played very important roles in these communities. The angalkuut are gifted with powers to heal, interact with animal spirits and serve as composers and choreographers. I am not promoting shamanism-I'm just informing you about the past. Elders inform us that our Native spirituality was forced aside or put under the table when newcomers arrived, with the expectation that ancestral powers will revive again when the time is right. I feel that the time is right now to empower ourselves to bring back our traditional forms of prayer through multicultural education. In the southwestern region of Alaska, young people are bringing back the drums and forming school dance groups. With formations of local dance groups, we are bringing back language and Native spirituality. This is possible with Native educators who organize and teach with the help of local Elders. I recommend books like Cauyarnariuq and Agayuliyararput for teachers to use that describe various ancient ceremonies told and described by the Elders. In the past, I had several opportunities to work with and learn from respected Elders who live in various parts of our state. First, the Bilingual and Cultural Institutes in Bethel brought in Elders to assist Native educators for four intensive weeks. They collected materials and developed community-based resources for K-12 books. The Elders-in-Residence program at UAF allowed me to work and teach with Elders from all over the state as well. These Elders taught college students for five intensive weeks. The students recorded, cataloged and archived videos and audiotapes at the local library. I would recommend all educators to utilize these resources of Elders sharing their biographies and life stories as cultural teaching tools. I would like to take this time to recognize some of these Elders who took time to provide invaluable knowledge and wisdom in the past: Frank Andrew, Chief Paul John, Susie and Mike Angaiak, Teddy and Maryann Sundown of Southwestern; Austin Hammond of Southeast; Catherine Attla, Chief Peter John and Moses Johnson of the Interior; Mary Bourtokofsky of the Aleutians; and Jimmie Toolie and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Issac Akootchook of the North. I salute all the Native Elders who have contributed to the education of our Alaska schools. Without them we would not have quality resources for our cultural curriculum. They are truly our Native professors. Strategies to Strengthen Communities and Families The following are strategies I feel will assist in strengthening our communities and families for our children's education. For parents, the caretakers and first educators, please make time to teach your heritage language at home. Start with simple words like kenkamken-I love you. If you don't know the language, learn it with your children. Use note pads to write down Native words and post them all over the house. For example, post them in living rooms and kitchen areas and use them as visual reminders. Make time to talk with your children. It is best to teach them early in the morning when their minds are fresh, and repeat them again later that evening. I would suggest a few words at a time so they don't get confused. For communities, make a conscious effort to use the indigenous language daily. We need to become proactive and encourage members to become fluent speakers. I encourage you to invite Elders to use their first language to address the public in schools, churches, local events or on radio and television. Build a team of local education and community organizations to collaborate in efforts to incorporate and implement the use of indigenous language in social functions. Academic institutions and administrators should become friends and supporters of immersion schools as well as bilingual and cultural education centers. Incorporate and implement culturally-relevant orientations for school board members, administrators, staff and educators on local language, history, culture and seasonal lifestyles. It is essential for all academic employees to understand and incorporate traditional ways of living. Partner with local Elders, prominent community members and agencies to assist in developing community-based academic curriculum. Utilize the Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages in conjunction with the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. Encourage and sponsor bilingual educators to get certified and hire them. This will have a positive impact on our student retention rate. Tamalkurpeci cingamci maryagcisqelluci yugtun qaneryararput nutemllarput-llu ciumurucesqellukek elitnauruteklukek-llu. I just summoned you to fight to keep our indigenous languages and cultures alive. It's going to be an uphill battle. Let's stand up together as one team to enhance multicultural education. Tuaingunrituq Quyana. | |
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New Guidelines for Indigenous Languages and Child-Rearing:Two new sets of guidelines have been developed addressing the strengthening of indigenous languages and the nurturing of culturally-healthy youth. One of the purposes of these guidelines is to offer assistance to people who are involved in indigenous language and child-rearing initiatives in their communities. The guidelines are organized around the role of various participants, including Elders, parents, classroom teachers, communities and young people. Native educators from throughout the state contributed to the development of these guidelines through a series of workshops and meetings associated with the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. The guidance offered by the guidelines is intended to encourage everyone to make more effective use of the heritage language and traditional parenting practices in the everyday life of the community and school. It is hoped that these guidelines will facilitate the coming together of the many cultural traditions and languages that coexist in Alaska in constructive, respectful and mutually beneficial ways. Along with these 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, families and Native communities are all encouraged to review their policies, programs and practices and to adopt these guidelines and recommendations wherever 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. Following is a summary of the areas of responsibility around which the Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages and the Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth are organized. The details for each area will be published in a booklet form and are currently available on the ANKN web site at www.ankn.uaf.edu. Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages Respected Native Elders are the essential resources through whom the heritage language of a community and the meaning it is intended to convey can be learned. Parents are the first teachers of their children and provide the foundation on which the language learning of future generations rests. Indigenous language learners must take an active role in learning their heritage language and assume responsibility for the use of that language as contributing members of the family and community in which they live. Native communities and organizations must provide a healthy and supportive environment that reinforces the learning and use of the heritage language on an everyday basis. Educators are responsible for providing a supportive learning environment that reinforces the wishes of the parents and community for the language learning of the students in their care. Schools must be fully engaged with the life of the communities they serve so as to provide consistency of expectations in all aspects of students lives. Education agencies should provide a supportive policy, program and funding environment that encourages local initiative in the revitalization of the indigenous languages. Linguists should assist local communities in the development of appropriate resource materials and teaching practices that nurture the use and perpetuation of the heritage language in each respective cultural community. The producers of mass media should assume responsibility for providing culturally-balanced materials and programming that reinforce the use of heritage languages. Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth Respected Native Elders are the essential role models who can share the knowledge and expertise on traditional child-rearing and parenting that is needed to nurture the cultural well-being of today's youth. Parents are the first teachers of their children and provide the foundation on which the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual well-being of future generations rests. Culturally-healthy youth take an active interest in learning their heritage and assume responsibility for their role as contributing members of the family and community in which they live. Communities must provide a healthy and supportive environment that reinforces the values and behaviors its members wish to instill in their future generations. Educators are responsible for providing a supportive learning environment that reinforces the cultural well-being of the students in their care. Schools must be fully engaged with the life of the communities they serve so as to provide consistency of expectations in all aspects of students lives. Child-care providers should draw upon Elders and other local experts to utilize traditional child-rearing and parenting practices that nurture the values and behaviors appropriate to the respective cultural community. Youth services and juvenile justice agencies should provide a supportive policy, program and funding environment that encourages local initiative in the application of traditional child-rearing and parenting practices. Researchers should work with local communities to help document traditional child-rearing and parenting practices and explore their applicability to the upbringing of today's youth. All citizens must assume greater responsibility for nurturing the diverse traditions by which each child grows to become a culturally-healthy human being. 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, UAF, PO Box 756730, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6730, http://www.ankn.uaf.edu. Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth and Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages will be available in the near future from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. Meanwhile the guidelines can be viewed on the ANKN web site at http://www.ankn.uaf.edu. | |
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Southeast Region: Getting From Here to There: Vision for a Southeast Alaska Tribal College by Ted A. Wright:* Take less time than others to graduate, * Stay in school and finish more often than other enrolled students, * Have an ending GPA that is half a point higher than mainstream graduates, * Carry less debt with them after they have completed their studies and * Are more likely to stay in or return to their home areas after graduation. The author of this study believed that the benefits of tribal colleges result from the fact that they provide a non-competitive environment where group and cooperative learning is emphasized and in which hands-on, inquiry-based methods prevail. A Carnegie Foundation Report on tribal colleges concluded that most tribal college faculty practice instructional methods that recognize rather than ignore the importance of traditional ways of knowing and of Native culture. More to the point, the tribal colleges recognize that all students need more than technique and a degree to succeed in life. They need pride in their heritage and an understanding of who they are, as well as the belief that they can make valuable contributions to their families and communities. With this philosophy at the heart of their missions, tribal colleges offer classes specific to the cultures of the tribes they serve, as well as more general courses in Native studies and regular academic subjects. In this way, tribal college students gain a stronger sense of self while they earn a degree and take advantage of the opportunities higher education can provide. Many of them go on to successfully pursue further studies at mainstream institutions. After hearing a message similar to this, a fellow member of an ANCSA corporation board on which I once served asked me why we would need a tribal college when existing institutions already have a hard time getting enough students through their doors. My answer then and now is that I believe there are a significant number of people in our educational system that want and need more than what the existing institutions have to offer. To be specific, I believe there are at least three classes of students that Southeast Alaska Tribal College (SEATC) could serve, regardless of whether they are just out of high school or are adult learners: * Those who want to take college classes and learn more about the world around them but from an Alaska Native cultural perspective. (These are continuing education students with academic or artistic/cultural rather than vocational interests.) * Those who go to college with the intent to pursue a degree or certificate and are attracted to the tribal college because of its focus on Native culture and its abiding interest in their success. (These students would matriculate at the Southeast Alaska Tribal College and, depending on their goals, transfer to UAS or Sheldon Jackson College.) * Those who would otherwise not view college as an option, either because their secondary school experience was not positive, or because they believe college is too hard. (For these students, the tribal college could work with high schools in a two-plus-two or charter-school-to-tribal-college program that is more in tune with their needs.) The existence of this population is hard to prove by surveying people's opinions about what they might study or why current institutions have failed them. In fact, this is one of those times where you just have to have faith that, if you build it step-by-step, they will come. In my observations, most tribal colleges that have come into existence have done so more as a result of someone's vision and faith than due to their collection and analysis of data. Still, the leadership of the tribal college movement in Alaska is working to compile basic data about the numbers of American Indian and Alaska Native students who drop out of high school, drop in and out of college over many years or exit college altogether. Even in the absence of definitive data, we know that too many of our students are not staying in school and are either not going to college or exiting after a certain point. If, as I claim, a tribal college is part of the solution to this problem, how do we get there from here? My personal vision for Southeast Alaska Tribal College starts with the already-established Board of Trustees, which includes a significant number of Elders and is truly representative of our tribes. In terms of curriculum, I envision programs that align basic content with the cultural standards developed through the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the regional Native Educator Associations. This kind of alignment is especially critical for training teachers and would necessarily be a part of programs offered to those who would teach Native language, culture and the arts. As far as how we would teach, it is more true now than ever that our Elders and our Indian Education Program and JOM graduate's roles must be front-and-center with an eye toward institutionalization. I also envision several Alaska Native charter schools throughout Southeast that would serve as a pipeline to the tribal college. The junior and senior year of the charter high-school experience would then include prerequisites for a SEATC Associate of Arts (AA) degree that is compatible with those offered by UAS and Sheldon Jackson College and articulates with their bachelor's degree programs but features an Alaska Native Studies emphasis and maintains a consistent focus on the relationship between Native and non-Native views of the world. The question of whether there is a need for additional degrees and certificates beyond those already offered can only be answered as the SEATC management meets with regional employers and representatives of UAS and SJC. It is possible, for example, that the tribal college could offer specific classes within the UAS and SJC degree programs, at least to the extent that a Native perspective is seen as an advantage in the workplace for those degree/certificate seekers. Even apart from this kind of cooperative programming, I believe there is a niche for the Southeast Alaska Tribal College. Of course, the only way to prove this is to create the tribal college. On a related note, I have observed an interesting phenomenon in recent years, and I think it warrants a comment. The University of Alaska Southeast and Sheldon Jackson College, along with other colleges, universities and non-profit organizations in Alaska, continue to receive what will amount to many millions of dollars to recruit and retain Native students, train Native teachers, create curriculum that reflects Alaska Native values and to help largely Native districts improve their schools. These grants to "Alaska Native Serving Institutions" are almost always directed by non-Native individuals who, though good, honest people, do not have the whole benefit of our Native and tribal perspective. Plus, you have to ask yourself, when are we going to get to the point where these millions of dollars for Native programs will actually be provided to and controlled by tribal, Native organizations and institutions? We have made tremendous progress toward self-governance in areas like housing, health and social welfare; but in education we seem to lag behind. Perhaps I am too impatient and lack perspective. Then again, maybe this state of affairs needs to change and a tribal college is the best way to get there from here. Southeast Alaska Tribal College Campus, Juneau Sheldon Jackson College campus, Allen Auditorium | |
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The Best of Both by Alan Dick:I gently asked my children what the name of the team was and how they got that name. Surprisingly, our youngest son, who was only a first-grader said, "They are the Aniak Halfbreeds because they take the best of both." During the recent ANSES State Science Fair, we truly saw the "best of both." All projects were firmly rooted in the local traditions, yet brought out the science processes and principles that are reflected in the state standards. After a long grueling day of interviewing and deliberating, the judges were invigorated and repeatedly thanked us for inviting them. Why? The projects were a beautiful synthesis of both worlds. There is an unmistakable energy that accompanies the natural learning process. AKRSI alone did not make this happen. We merely created an arena where motivated village students and teachers could shine. We created a framework that fostered a cultural synthesis of local knowledge and textbook knowledge. The students brought the evidence. It would have been instructive to capture the discussion on tape as the four Western science judges and the five Native Elders deliberated the "Best of Show" projects. Each nomination for Best of Show was defended by a judge in the presence of the others. The observations that were shared reflected the keen insights that students had exhibited. Later, one of the Native Elders, who was normally very quiet, was so emphatic in making the case for a project that he stood, vigorously presented his view and even shook his finger. When he sat down, he was stunned, and apologized for being so forceful. We smiled and thanked the Elder for his insight. The student had spoken to the Elder's reality. These moments happen only once in awhile, but with cultural and science interests high and everyone knowing what to expect next year, a new dynamic is certain. The best of both. Again. | |
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UAF Summer 2001 Program in Cross-Cultural Studies for Alaskan Educators:Rural Academy for Culturally Responsive Schools May 26-30, 2001, Bristol Bay Campus, Dillingham, Alaska Cross-Cultural Orientation Program for Teachers June 4-22, 2001 at UAF campus and Old Minto Camp Native Ways of Knowing June 25-July 13, 2001 at UAF campus Place-Based Education July 16-Aug. 3, 2001 at UAF campus For further information about the Rural Academy, contact the UAF Bristol Bay Campus at 907-842-5483, 907-842-5692 (fax) or the Alaska Staff Development Network at 2204 Douglas Highway, Suite 100, Douglas, Alaska 99824, 907-364-3801 or 907-364-3805 (fax), e-mail: asdn@ptialaska.net, web site http://www.asdn.org. For further information on the other courses offered in Fairbanks, please contact UAF Summer Sessions office at 907-474-7021 or on the web at http://www.uaf.edu/summer. | |
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Welcome to the New Regional Coordinators from Frank Hill, Oscar Kawagley and Ray Barnhardt:Co-Directors of Alaska RSI We would like to extend a warm welcome to the AKRSI family for Branson Tungiyan (Nome), John Angaiak (Bethel) and Velma Schafer (Fairbanks), as well as a welcome back for Andy Hope (Juneau) and Teri Schneider (Kodiak). These people have taken on the role of regional coordinator for their respective regions as we move into Phase II of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. We also thank the regional non-profits for taking on the responsibility of coordinating the AKRSI activities across their cultural regions, along with the sponsorship of the regional tribal college initiatives. We look forward to a strong and continuing partnership with the Elders, communities and schools throughout rural Alaska. Contact information for each of the regional coordinators is provided on page nine of this newsletter. | |
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Yup'ik Region: Alaska Native Village Education by John P. Angaiak:When and where do we begin? On education, I think we know when to start - at the birth of a child and it does not matter where on earth you live. The philosophy of education is highly politicized and emotional today. Along the way, parents learn that the way a child views education early on is a mirror image of the way his parents look at it. The child's attitude toward education is reflective of the attitude of his/her parents. There is more than one way to look at education. It is a personalized, family affair. Some parents sacrifice their time and effort for the education of their children. Others may look at it only as an alternative option to subsistence, or enough to get by. It seems that we develop a better perception of education when we get older. Adults have a better understanding of how it was then and how it is now. I grew up with a strong subsistence-oriented education, though I entered Western schooling before 1950. The first school in my village was a BIA school. Our parents only had what they learned from their own hands and subsistence experience. Their kind of education was learning skills for survival. For boys, it was knowledge of a vast area of terrain, hunting skills, the sea and weather. To know these skills meant being a good provider for their family. The girls mastered skills from their mothers on how to make mukluks and parkas, to sew, prepare food and take care of hunting needs. The girls knew how to complement what their husbands provided. They were partners for life. All this was obtained by hands-on experience from their parents and Elders, so clear that their children knew what they would become in the next decade. When Western education arrived, it did not change who I was as a person. It created an opportunity to expand my subsistence education. It meant that I could strive to master a subsistence education and master Western education too-to survive in a different lifestyle. We will always be Alaska Natives and speak more than one language, regardless of where we are living. We will always be attached to a subsistence lifestyle. In fact, modern education helps you better understand subsistence, to appreciate it, to understand its weaknesses and strengths and, above all, how it defines who you are. Our attitude toward Western education should not be different from subsistence education. We should treat them both equally as important to our survival. They should complement each other. It is here that I want to make my point. Western education is here to stay. We should make the best of it and take advantage of it. There is no way getting around it. The facts, figures and politics of education are not what I want to talk about. It is about our general attitude. I believe we need not fear for the future of our children anymore. Sometimes what we say at statewide gatherings on education is not what we say about education at home. We pass resolutions directing our leaders to solve our Native education problems. We seem to blame the system for our weaknesses. Somewhere in the corner of each village, silent parents reside whose children are known to be above the norm in school. The parents never seem to do anything different, but they make sure their children are dressed well for winter, eat well, do their homework and are in bed by nine o'clock. They don't blame the system. What makes the silent parents different? They truly give attention to their children. They talk to them freely, all in their Yup'ik language, because they never went to school. They encourage their children to excel in school, listen to the teachers, do homework and go to bed on time. Such parents believe education starts at home. They want their children to have better opportunities. The children feel comfortable. The children are encouraged to feel that they could go far with a good education. Parents are right there with them. Education is fun. Parents give their children the right attitude and the freedom to be educated in subsistence and beyond. The children feel they can now return all the love and care their parents gave. It is about respect between parents and children. These parents have never been to the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention. They were too poor and could not afford all the conveniences of the modern life. They only knew how to provide for their children the best they could. Their reward was that most of their children graduated from the universities and all have jobs now. These traditional parents never liked to be confused with the philosophies of education. They would lose their sense of direction when people of high thinking started talking about the best way to educate children. Their rules were simple: to read, write and excel in mathematics and science. Beyond that, it was elective. To read, write and excel in mathematics and science are the core of a universal education. All the children of the world are being drawn to the core, down to the smallest village. Education is here to stay. Our ancestors were committed to making sure their children knew how to provide for their own so that they would survive in their time. We should have the same grasp about survival today as our ancestors did about surviving in their time. This century belongs to our children. They should fit well in this century. As parents, our time was yesterday. What about the changing world all around us? We may someday need two earths to sustain the world population with its staggering growth rate. The explosive world population is now on the move everywhere. Most often its masses are highly educated. They can take jobs in our villages while we can't make up our minds about educating our children for future jobs. Everywhere around the world people are talking about survival, at any cost. If we don't change our attitudes toward education now, we cannot be partners with the rest of the changing world. Education will not change our status as Alaska Natives, but it will gain us respect for our unique culture as an educated society and help us to be partners in the changing world. We have to make a move on education. We should not corner ourselves in our own villages. The world has nothing for us unless we take education seriously. We should not lose our language, the way we do things and who we are. Such an education is not for the privileged few. It's okay to be educated twice. | |
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Yup'ik Science Fair Report by Yurrliq Nita Rearden:I want to share my experience and thoughts while working with teachers from LKSD. Julie McWilliams, Health and Science Education Specialist from the Academics Department, helped with the fair handbook and communicated with the science teachers trying to spark their interest in the fair. I was happy to work with Julie sharing ideas and information about how vital it is to have our teachers understand the environmental resources available for Native science experiments. We received some information from the teachers that the time to produce a finished project was limited for the fair. Yet, some also had problems in getting information from Elders in the communities, or did not know how to go about it. In addition, since our district is focused on benchmark testing for reading, writing and math, science teachers may have thought that they don't have the time to participate. It sounded like a Native science fair was just another thing to do! There seems to be some missing linkage for bridging Western science education from a Yup'ik world. Yup'ik culture has many science resources and experiences that students attain while growing up in their subsistence life style. Unfortunately, not all students experience subsistence activities in their villages due to changing circumstances. The whole environment of a student includes survival skills, geographical knowledge of the area, subsistence fishing and hunting and weather as well as the home environment, where a student may learn to make items such as clothing and subsistence material made from natural resources. The students learn their Native knowledge well by the time they reach the upper elementary level or junior high, if given the opportunity. The information that the students learn is usually embedded in their knowledge for the rest of their lives. This is a real science life! The question is how do we connect the teachers who are not from our region to students' prior knowledge from growing up in the LKSD region? I think one of the ways would be to revisit Yuuyaraq curriculum and have the Yup'ik teachers work with the science teachers at their sites. Another idea would be to allow teachers to observe and work with local resource teachers to learn, understand and comprehend the knowledge that the Elders and students share at cultural camps. When I mentioned the idea of revisiting the Yuuyaraq curriculum to Bev Williams, she indicated that she wanted to look for funding to make the idea work. Julie McWilliams mentioned that she would like to research raising benchmark testing by working with teachers using hands-on science. I'm glad to see support coming from the Academics Department. It will take a group effort to make these ideas work. LKSD provides support for activities that help students learn in a meaningful way. Just imagine Robert Bujan and Amanda Williams, the students from Nuniwaarmiut School in Mekoryuk who participated in the Native science fair: they now have life-long memories and knowledge about tanning reindeer. They will be sharing their findings with the community by demonstrating which is the best tanning solution to use on the reindeer skins. The students received the grand prize award at the regional fair and again at the state level. They will now have a chance to participate at the National AISES Science Fair! Another group of students who received a grand prize award from the Yup'ik region were from Crooked Creek with a project about hypothermia titled, "A Cold Body." The two students, William Felker and Elena John, also won at the state level and will go to the national competition. The knowledge that the students learned and shared is valued by Elders in the community to help them understand and improve the lifestyles in the villages. I would also like to congratulate and thank the second- and third-place winners for participating in the fairs: "The Energy of Light" with Mae Mute, Jennifer Frink and Mane Darris; "On Fire" with Nastasia Andreanoff and Roxanne Sakar; "When the Lights Go Out" with Jessica Athanas and Elizabeth Dostert; "Chills of the Camp Fire" with Leona Inman and "We Drink It: Water!" with Raymond Parent. Most importantly, I want to let the teachers who took the time to work with their students know they are greatly appreciated! Elder judges for the Yup'ik Region Native Science Fair were Peter Gilila from Tuluksak and Cecilia Martz from Bethel. Science judges were Claudette Bradley and Gene Peltola. Community members of Bethel, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lower Kuskokwim School District and Bethel Regional High School are also thanked for their involvement. Quyana cakneq tamarpetci! | |
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3 |
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AKRSI Holds Forum on Culturally-Responsive Curriculum:On March 26-28, 2001, over 50 educators from across the state gathered in Anchorage for a forum on culturally-responsive curriculum sponsored by the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI). A dedicated group of Elders, Native educators and others actively involved in curriculum initiatives associated with the AKRSI spent three days reviewing current curriculum efforts and outlining steps for future development. Given the many new state mandates, school reform initiatives and ongoing challenges that school districts are grappling with today, it seemed an opportune time to step back and reflect on where we are and where we want to go with Native education in Alaska. The focus of the curriculum forum was to take a look at how education programs and services can best be positioned to push our curriculum development efforts beyond just developing more culturally-appropriate "units" and exploring what a broader culturally-responsive curriculum "framework" might look like and then to build on this to determine where the AKRSI resources can be best put to use over the next few years. In addition to going over existing materials and models, we explored what it means for curriculum and instruction when attempting to operationalize the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools, and what kind of support is needed to move that process forward. Along with presentations on many exciting regional curriculum development initiatives from around the state by participants from each of the five cultural regions, reports were made on the following current statewide programs and initiatives: * Orientation to ANKN SPIRAL Curriculum Resources/Web Site: Sean Topkok * Curriculum Resources at www.alaskool.org: Paul Ongtooguk * Innuqatagiit/Dene Kede Curriculum Models: Cathy McGregor, Nunavut * Handbook for Culturally-Responsive Science Curriculum: Sidney Stephens * Translating Science Standards into Practice: Cyndy Curran * Village Science/Alaska Native Science and Engineering Society: Alan Dick * GLOBE Project: Sidney Stephens * Subsistence Contaminants Curriculum Project: Marvin Bailey, Patricia Cochran * Alaska Challenger Project: Daniela Martian * Carnegie Math Tutor Initiative: Bev Smith * Cooperative Extension Fisheries Project: Peter Stortz, Zelma Axford * Cultural Atlas Initiative: Sean Topkok * ARCTIC Technology Initiative: John Rusyniak Following status reports on the various regional and statewide initiatives, the participants turned their attention to developing recommendations for action plans around three focal areas. Following is a summary of the recommendations put forward for follow-up actions in each of the focal areas (no order of priority was established): Group 1: Develop local and regional strategies for school districts to implement culturally-responsive curriculum. This group was to prepare an action plan outlining strategies to guide district-level curriculum initiatives and regional collaboration aimed at improving the cultural responsiveness of school curricula. Recommendations of this group included: 1. The AKRSI regional coordinators should organize a "Regional Curriculum Forum" in conjunction with the regional planning meetings in the fall. 2. The AKRSI staff should work with the regional Native educator associations to develop a CD-ROM template that provides a locally-adaptive framework to facilitate culturally-aligned curriculum development. 3. AKRSI should develop a "Talent Bank" of knowledgeable Native educators who are available to provide culturally-appropriate professional development for teachers, administrators, schools and districts. 4. AKRSI, Native educator associations and AASB should provide assistance for local school boards to develop a vision for implementing culturally-responsive schools (e.g., AOTE process). 5. AKRSI staff should assist in developing a network of curriculum development expertise to assist local schools and districts in implementing the cultural standards for curriculum. 6. State, regional and village corporations and foundations should provide political support and investment for strengthening the role of schools in local communities. 7. AFN should work with the Native educator associations to promote educational policies that support the implementation of culturally-responsive schools throughout the state. 8. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development and AKRSI should use school district report card data and the cultural standards to document the relationship between culturally-responsive curriculum and issues associated with student achievement. 9. School districts should establish locally-knowledgeable teams of teachers, Elders and aides to promote culturally-responsive curriculum in the schools. 10.The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development and AKRSI should establish a procedure for a cadre of Quality School consultants who can assist schools in developing "school improvement plans" based on the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. Group 2: Develop statewide strategies for supporting school districts in implementing culturally-responsive curriculum. This group was to prepare an action plan outlining statewide strategies to guide the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development and the University of Alaska in providing support to schools for implementation of culturally-responsive curricula. Recommendations of this group included: 1. Support for curriculum initiatives should focus on those school districts that have the greatest need and are most receptive to implementing new approaches so as to achieve the greatest demonstration effect and impact. 2. AKRSI should organize the curriculum resources and technical assistance that are available to schools seeking to become more culturally responsive into a package of support services that can be tailored to meet school district needs. 3. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development should provide incentives for school districts to implement cultural orientation programs for new teachers as part of their annual in-service plan submitted to EED. The orientation program should include an extended camp experience and an "Adopt-a-Teacher" program. 4. The University of Alaska and EED should make available a "cross-cultural specialist" endorsement for teachers built around the criteria outlined in the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools and the Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers. 5. The UA system should develop a unified approach for the delivery of performance-based elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs and degrees to rural Alaska, with a particular focus on the professional development of the 700-plus teacher aides in rural schools. 6. All teacher preparation programs should fully incorporate the Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers and prepare teachers who are equipped to work with communities in implementing the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. 7. The Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers and the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools should serve as the basis for the review and approval of courses to be used to meet the state Multicultural Education and Alaska Studies requirements. 8. The school designator criteria being established by EED should include an assessment of the extent to which the ethnic composition of a schools professional staff is proportional to the ethnic composition of the students being served, and if they are disproportional, the school improvement plan should indicate how such a balance will be achieved. 9. AKRSI should work with the Alaska EED to develop a process and support structure to assist schools designated as low-performing in the development of school improvement plans consistent with the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. 10.A cadre of Culturally-Responsive Quality Schools consultants should be established who are fully knowledgeable in all aspects of the implementation of the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools to assist districts in the development of culturally-appropriate school improvement plans. Areas of CRQSC expertise should include the following: * multiple standards for measuring school success; * appropriate methods for assessing local educational needs; * history of alternative approaches to school structure in Alaska; * role and practices of successful administrators; * procedures for developing and implementing a local plan of action; * strategies for parent, community and staff involvement; * relevant aspects of school law and state regulations; * alternative school staffing and scheduling arrangements and * techniques for systematic observation and analysis of school practices. 11.Information on the beneficial effects of the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools on student achievement should be made available in multiple ways to schools and communities. 12.AKRSI should work with the Native educator associations to develop a set of guidelines for culturally-responsive school boards and to orient superintendents to the strategies for implementing the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. 13.Appropriate resources and training should be made available to ensure that the history of Alaska Native peoples is fully integrated in all Alaska and U.S. history courses in an accurate and representative manner. 14.AKRSI should seek funds to provide support for Native educator associations to become more actively involved in all aspects of policy- and decision-making regarding education in Alaska. 15.The Alaska Federation of Natives, the Native corporations, the First Alaskans Foundation, the Denali Commission and the Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education should take a proactive role in support of integrating the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools and associated guidelines in all aspects of education in Alaska. 16.All of the recommendations derived from the Forum on Culturally-Responsive Curriculum should be reviewed on a region-by- region basis to formulate appropriate regional action plans for their implementation. Group 3: Develop strategies for regional Native educator associations to play an active role in implementing culturally-responsive curriculum. This group was to prepare an action plan outlining strategies to guide the involvement of regional Native educator associations in the development and implementation of culturally-responsive curricula. Recommendations of this group included: 1. The regional Native educator associations should work closely with local and regional corporations to establish ongoing Elders councils (e.g., Calista Elders Council) to provide guidance at all levels in implementing the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. 2. The Native educator associations should work with Elders to document traditional ways of knowing and terminologies not used in everyday conversation to make them available for use in curriculum materials development. 3. The Native educator associations and AKRSI should organize grant-writing workshops for teachers to obtain funds for curriculum and teacher training initiatives. 4. AKRSI should set up a section of the ANKN web site listing grant opportunities and guidelines for funding Native education initiatives. 5. Native educator associations should utilize the ERIC Clearinghouse to obtain current information on research related to American Indian/Alaska Native education issues (http://www.ael.org/erichp.htm). 6. Regional Native educator associations should utilize the Cook Inlet Tribal Council resource materials to support recruitment and placement of Native teachers and administrators. 7. Native educator associations should assist teachers in developing the proper protocol and practices for working with Elders in a culturally-appropriate educational capacity, including effective use of the Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge. 8. School districts should include Native educators in all curriculum discussions with the explicit responsibility of promoting the incorporation of the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools in all aspects of education programs. 9. Native educator associations should incorporate as 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations so they can secure and manage funding for their own initiatives. 10.Native educator associations should each host a minimum of two to three audioconference meetings per year to provide an opportunity for members to identify current issues, voice concerns and formulate strategies. 11.Native educator associations should assist graduate students in identifying appropriate topics for research projects and theses that will contribute to the educational needs of the state. The recommendations outlined above are intended to serve as the basis for more detailed action plans by the designated organizations. We wish to express appreciation to all the participants in the Forum on Culturally-Responsive Curriculum for contributing their valuable time and insights to this effort. We invite everyone with an interest in these issues to offer additional ideas and suggestions for how the action plans can be further strengthened so that we can look forward to a bright future for education in rural Alaska. | |
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Alaska RSI Regional Contacts:Andy Hope Southeast Regional Coordinator 907-790-4406 E-mail: fnah@uaf.edu Branson Tungujan Iñupiaq Regional Coordinator 907-443-4386 E-mail: branson@kawarak.org Velma Schafer Athabascan Regional Coordinator 907-474-4085 E-mail: vschafer@hotmail.com Teri Schneider Aleut/Alutiiq Regional Coordinator 907-486-9276 E-mail: tschneider@kodiak.k12.ak.us John Angaiak Yup'ik Regional Coordinator 907-543 7423 907-543-2776 fax E-mail: john_angaiak@avcp.org | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region: The Academy of Elders/Science Camp 2001 by Teri Schneider:Camp #1 will be held from July 23-July 29, and Camp #2 begins July 30 and ends on August 5. Both camps are being held at the Dig Afognak site at Katenai, Afognak Island. Transportation, food, facilities and staffing costs are being paid for by the three sponsoring organizations. Those who are able are asked to pay a $30 registration fee. Participants unable to pay will not be denied. This camp is open to all students currently living in the Kodiak area, grades 2-12 (young students may be considered if they are successful applicants and are accompanied by a participating adult family member.) Participants should have an interest in Alutiiq Native culture, language and ways of knowing and perhaps science, math, and/or technology. Also invited are local indigenous Elders, educators of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, members of the Native Educators of the Alutiiq region and other interested community members as space allows. This camp began in the summer of 1997 to orient new teachers to the region before they began teaching in the Kodiak schools. The Elders attending that summer said that we should bring students to such a camp, along with teachers, so that all could learn together. The camp acknowledges the Alutiiq Elders as the first teachers of their culture and allows participants to learn firsthand from Elders and community members with hands-on projects related to rural survival, lifestyles and Native ingenuity. While learning more about the rich history of our island communities and exploring the culture of the Alutiiq people, past and present, we are able to orient new teachers to the cultural and environmental uniqueness of our island community. In bringing together Elders, teachers and students outside of the formal school setting we are giving participants the opportunity to live with and learn from people of another culture. Because this camp is academically oriented, we are hoping to stimulate interest in math, science and engineering fields among Alaska Native students. These are fields of study and work that have seen very little representation from within the Native community. We would like to increase students' confidence and knowledge in math, science and technology while incorporating Native values and perspectives with Western math, science and technology. The Academy of Elders/Science Camp has provided an opportunity to very naturally integrate academic learning with cultural enrichment. If you or someone you know is interested in attending, you may contact Teri Schneider at 486-9276, email tschneider@kodiak.k12.ak.us or Olga Pestrikoff at 486-6357, email olga@afognak.org. | |
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Athabascan Region: Alaska Indigenous Peoples Academy by Victoria Hildebrand:Project Alaska Indigenous Peoples Academy (AIPA) is nearing the end of its first fiscal year in early June and many objectives have been accomplished. The project's focus is twofold. One is to develop Athabascan curriculum aligned with state and cultural standards and the other is to train in-service teachers new to the rural and urban schools of the Interior. To date, the AIPA staff has been very busy working towards the project's goals. Although the staff started working late into the grant, they have met many objectives for the first year. One of the activities has been to network with interested staff and educational agencies. To date we have made new contacts with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Anchorage, Tanana Chiefs Conference, the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, the First Alaskans Foundation, the National Indian Education Association and the Native Hawaiian Education Council just to name a few. Another activity that turned out to be a success included a summit that was held on January 15-17, 2001. The focus of this summit was to discuss issues and concerns that are important to Alaska Native education and to develop action plans for the objectives in Project AIPA. The plans from this summit are now in progress. The plans for the 2001 Alaska Indigenous Peoples' Academy are underway and brochures for interested attendees will be mailed out soon. Our curriculum specialist is very busy developing the curriculum and we look forward to its future implementation. In the coming fiscal year, Project AIPA will focus on teacher training and continued curriculum development. | |
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Contaminants Have Found Us by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:We, as indigenous people, were adapted to these climatic conditions and so were the plants and animals we depended on for food. Perhaps these special adaptations made us, the plants and animals more susceptible to certain anthropogenic contaminants. And now our own activities in using technological devices in our everyday activities are contributing to the physical, chemical and biological pollution of our Arctic ecosystems. From what scientists have told us, you get the idea that there are two sources of contaminants-sources far from the Arctic and within the Arctic. The industrial complexes in Russia and other Eurasian countries contribute to the Arctic contamination. The main modes of transport for these contaminants are air currents, ocean currents and riverine systems. The meltwater in the spring carries the pollutants downriver to the deltas and into the oceans. Another way of transporting contaminants is through the migratory birds and mammals which winter in the warm climates and then migrate north in the summer. These are often at the top of the food web and are the most effected. But we, as a Native people, continue to eat these nutritious foods as well as maintain breast feeding for our young children. Because of contaminants contained in these foods that we eat, we may very well have a higher exposure to and accumulation of contaminant contents. Some of the major areas of concern for the effects that these contaminants can have is "influencing the ability to conceive and carry children, reducing our defense against diseases, affecting children's mental development or increasing the risk of cancer" (AMAP, 1997). How do we as Alaska Native people and others begin to alleviate the situation? As long as we believe that science and technology is the answer to our problems, we will forever remain in the morass of the modern world. Unless we encourage our youngsters to go to the Elders and to pursue higher education to learn another way of making sense of this world, we will never get out of this trap. We must relearn our own Alaska Native languages and ways of making sense of this world. We have a way of looking at the universe that recognizes there are different perspectives-the outward and the inward. By using both viewpoints we can gain wisdom. The Eurocentric way of knowing tends to rely on the physical and intellectual processes and pays less attention to the emotions and the spiritual dimensions. We must find a way of marrying the senses with the spiritual side for a more balanced perspective. Our Native languages are of wholeness and healing. They are languages of Native eco-philosophy, or "ecosophy". We need to relearn how to live in harmony with nature. Our languages describe these thought worlds, these worldviews. Our space-time concepts are cyclical according to the moon phases, seasons and the plant and animal cycles that determine the times of abundance and times of scarcity. The location and timing of these cycles give us scheduling and spacing tools. To relearn and revitalize our Alaska Native languages and cultures is to liberate ourselves from the industrial and materialistic prison into which we have been thrust. To relearn our mythology that Raven created Mother Earth helps us realize that we cannot think of ourselves as being superior to anything of Mother Earth. Raven is a deity in this mythology but Raven can also be a buffoon, a comedian and a picaresque. The reason we do not worship the raven is because we are animists, not theists. We must relearn our history but not from history books. We learn history particular to an individual, a family, a community from the quliraat and from the mythology, galumcit, stories, placenames, songs, dancing and drumming peculiar to that place. All these will give you a strong sense of who you are and where you are from. This beautiful concept of respect becomes clearer to us as it is connected to a belief system with high moral attitudes, rules and standards for personal character to become the best person one is capable of being. All of this is needed to begin to rebuild a new world based on what we learned from our ancestors, coupled with selective adaptations from the contemporary world. Here are a few suggestions that we can work on: Insist on sustainable development-perhaps projects that require we work closely with nature-regenerative or reclamation activities such as cleaning up wetlands and fish-spawning areas. We must demand that industries and manufacturers find ways to reduce the use of natural resources, reduce packaging and pay attention to effluent and emission laws. We must demand that manufacturers of such thing as TVs, microwave ovens, snowmachines and other durable goods redeem and recycle those items when they become inoperable-perhaps they could establish a "lend-lease" program. We should begin to assess what technological tools are acceptable in the village instead of accepting whatever comes along. Let's become more biologically literate, not just electronically literate; let us strive to live healthy. I think that if we begin to pay attention to such matters, we will begin to live life with a strong sense of belonging, discipline, independence and generosity. After all, the ultimate standard is to live a life that is healthy and stable in a healthy and sustainable community. | |
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Elder Highlight: Tribute to Oscar Nictune Sr. by Bob Maguire:The following tribute was prepared by Bob Maguire. Reprinted from Spirit of our Ancestors, a publication of Denakkanaaga. Oscar Nictune, Sr. was truly an extraordinary person-someone I feel very privileged to have known. When I came to the Koyukuk River country for the first time in the mid-1960s, Oscar was one of the first people I met. I was immediately struck by his intelligence, his openness to share his life experiences and his ever-present sense of humor. Later in 1968 I married my wife Cora-herself a granddaughter of Oscar Nictune Sr.-and I received the honor of having a grandpa myself for the first time in my life. During the following years it was my privilege to share many stories and adventures with Grandpa Oscar. Born in 1901 he was the last living person to have experienced the gold rush era in the Koyukuk country at the beginning of the last century. Most of us are left to only imagine this era of steamboats, miners, pigs, horses and gold discoveries. There are few signs of the towns such as Bergman, Arctic City, South Fork and Peavey or of the 10,000 people who clamored over the countryside. Oscar took in all this activity and was influenced directly by it when he was recruited to attend school in Old Bettles in 1905 at the age of five. It was because of this experience that he received his name Oscar. Having only his Eskimo name, Qayak, he was given the name of the outside teacher's youngest brother! Later, at the age of 12, he would haul loads of frozen fish by dog team from Alatna to Bettles, Coldfoot, Wiseman and the other creeks to sell to miners eager for fresh food supplies. Soon thereafter he was employed as a cabinboy and deckhand on the steam-powered paddlewheelers that plied the waters of Interior Alaska. Later in life he married Grandma Cora-the daughter of Duvak and Dinook-and together they had nine children. Then the most tragic event of his life happened when his wife died during childbirth while delivering twins. Grandpa must have loved his wife Cora immensely for he never remarried saying that "when my love died, loving died too." I think that he felt he could never find another person like his love, Cora, so he chose to raise his family alone. He lived the next 56 years as a widower! Sheep hunting was his favorite passion, especially in his later years. He learned to hunt sheep at an early age with his father Peter Nictune and others like Duvak, Nuylayek and Johnny Oldman. He loved the upper Alatna River country and the many creeks that run into it-creeks with names like Milchetah, Nahduk, Pingaluk, Gaduk and Unakserak. He had many stories of sheep hunts in the earlier times when there weren't other big animals such as moose in the country. Most of us who are privileged to travel there today still refer to it as "Grandpa Oscar's country." His greatest pleasure in his later years was still being able to accompany the younger grandsons to such places as Unakserak River and be the camp boss. When I had my airplane in Allakaket in the mid-1970s, Grandpa Oscar and I took many trips together. He was the boss of that too and would often come across to Allakaket and announce to me, "Today we are going to Wiseman!" or wherever. He loved to visit his sister Florence Jonas in Wiseman. Sometimes he would stand back around the corner of her house and let me knock on her door, so he could surprise her. Perhaps my favorite memory of him was a trip up the North Fork of the Koyukuk. I asked him why he wanted to go up the North Fork and he said, "Well there's some country I haven't seen!" So after several days of camping I gathered up our trash in a plastic bag and put it in the plane. When I got everything else packed up I looked for Grandpa and he was way out on the gravel bar sticking tin cans and other items from our trash bag on the willows. I walked out onto the bar and asked him, "Grandpa what are you doing?" He replied, "This is so if any of those other people come up this way, they'll know Oscar was here first!" When he passed away in 1998 at the age of 97 he left behind a legacy of being a kind and generous man-one who cared for people. He left behind a family that he raised and supported to carry on his philosophy of always helping others, doing everything in the best fashion possible and of always seeing the positive side of life. | |
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Iñupiaq Region: Eskimo Heritage Program: Kawerak Board Report, March 2001 by Branson Tungiyan:Much has been happening at the Eskimo Heritage Program since the beginning of the New Year. Topping off the list is the new memorandum of agreement that was signed between Kawerak, Inc. and the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) on December 1, 2000 by Julie Kitka of AFN and Loretta Bullard of Kawerak. This MOA is to implement Phase II of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI). Both Kawerak, Inc. and AFN agree to "collaborate for the purposes of implementing the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative" funded by the National Science Foundation. Through this agreement, AFN and Kawerak, Inc. affirm their commitment to work together on behalf of improving the quality of education in Alaska. In furtherance of this commitment, Kawerak, Inc. agrees to perform the following tasks between November 1, 2000 and February 28, 2002: 1. Focusing on the Iñupiaq Region, Kawerak, Inc. will participate in the Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education (CANHE) to pursue the continued development of a tribal college system in Alaska. 2. Kawerak, Inc. will continue to develop the institutional infrastructure for the Iñupiaq region that will serve as the basis for establishing a tribal college with the capacity to address the educational needs and cultural well being of the Native people in the region. I have been selected, through the Eskimo Heritage Program, to be the regional coordinator for the Iñupiaq region. This is going to be very challenging because it requires overseeing many different initiatives in our region. Some of the specific responsibilities include: * Encourage collaboration of educational partnerships on a regional and statewide basis, including support and assistance for the regional tribal college initiative. * Coordinate and organize at least one regional Elders' council meeting each year. * Coordinate activities of memoranda-of-agreement partners both for regional and local village/school initiatives. * Travel to and/or meet personally with MOA partners at least two times annually in partner's location. * Additional and training workshops on AKRSI resources and activities. * Identify, research and complete individual cultural curriculum projects. * Participate in statewide activities relative to promotion and development of AKRSI initiatives as a representative of the specific cultural region. Another important thing that happened was that we had a retreat for the Eskimo Heritage Program on January 4, 2001. The purpose of the retreat was to review and assess where the program is on its long-range plan, what the accomplishments have been, set goals, establish a plan of action and determine who will be responsible in making sure the goals are achieved. We went through the following: Accomplishments * EHP office still in existence. * Supplemental funds from AKRSI to move forward with goals. * Iñupiaq (except for King Island and St. Lawrence Island) and Yup'ik collection digitized. * 92% of individual Elder interview audio tapes complete. * Hosting of successful Elders conferences. * Development of K-3 and 4-6 readers. * Through the EHP, Elder advisory committees started at the village level. Trends Affecting the EHP Program * Acknowledgment nationwide by Native Americans. * More funds available (both government and private). * Bigger voice. * "Professionals" put credibility on Native cultural knowledge. * Revival of Native dancing and singing in the region. * Roles of Elders in the community disappearing. The next step in the process is to identify what challenges (gaps) exist in accomplishing the mission statement of the EHP Program and what needs to be done in order to overcome those challenges. We turned the challenges into two-year goals and what needs to be done into the action plan. From there, we established who would be responsible in making sure the goals are met. I have also been working with the Kawerak Elders Advisory Committee (KEAC). One of the activities of the KEAC is attending the Bering Sea Coalition Conference in Anchorage with the Council of Elders. Clarence Irrigoo and Charles Saccheus, Sr. of Elim had attended the last two conferences held in Anchorage. The KEAC decided that the same two individuals should attend the conference and be the representatives from the Bering Strait region for the next two years. Two different Elders can be selected for the following two years, and so forth. Jacob Ahwinona and Anders Apassingok attended the first Bering Sea Coalition conference. I have been attending a series of meetings and conferences since becoming involved with AKRSI. The first one-week trip was to meet with the AKRSI staff and attend the Association of Interior Natives Education Summit with the Athabascan educators. This trip was very beneficial as it gave me a better picture of my role as the Iñupiaq regional coordinator for AKRSI. I will be working closely with our MOA partners: Nome Public Schools, Bering Strait School District, Northwest Arctic Borough School District and North Slope Borough School District. The second one-week trip was to attend a meeting in Anchorage with representatives from the Pueblo and Navajo tribes of New Mexico and Lumbee of North Carolina in connection with the Rural Schools & Community Trust project. Alaska is currently one of the states that have Native groups in the project. This meeting was concurrent with the Native Educator's Conference (NEC) and the Bilingual Multicultural Education & Equity Conference (BMEEC). The Native educators adopted two new sets of guidelines: Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth and Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages. The purpose of these guidelines is to offer assistance to educational personnel and others who are seeking to incorporate the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools in their work. Using these guidelines will expand the knowledge base and range of insights and expertise available to help schools and communities nurture and pass on their cultural heritage with respect and integrity. A highlight of the Eskimo Heritage Program has been in regards to establishing the Eskimo Cultural Center as one of the priorities. It has gathered enough support that it is being presented in the state/federal issues packet. This is something that has been identified as a need for the Bering Strait region. With the long cultural histories in the Bering Strait region, there is no place for the representation of the strong cultural heritage we have as Native groups. We definitely need to have a cultural center to put on display the region's wealth of cultural heritage. All in all, I feel that the program is heading in the right direction, with goals set in place. It makes me feel more comfortable to have goals to follow with an agenda. There are other activities happening on a daily basis. An interesting trip is coming up in early May where I will be following the Unalakleet group to Washington, D.C. They are going there to review objects at the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History. There are 90 objects in all at the two places from the Norton Sound region. I have been invited to attend as an observer, with the opportunity to bring a contingent from Nome and the surrounding villages at a later date. The Kawerak Elders Advisory Committee will also be inviting Dan Karmun, Sr. to their next meeting to explain about the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority's upcoming trip to Nome and onto the villages in the region. A group of 30-plus people will come up from Anchorage and travel to six villages to conduct meetings and return the next day and assess their village trips. Norton Sound Health Corporation is assisting the group with their studies of the villages' social problems. I will be contacting the village Elders' advisory committees to get input and suggestions in regards to AKRSI. Phase II of AKRSI will concentrate on initiatives that were successful in Phase I and develop them at a higher level. There are five sets of initiatives being rotated in the five cultural regions. Each region will have an opportunity to implement each initiative. These initiatives are: * Elders & Cultural Camps-Academy of Elders * Indigenous Science Knowledge Base-Cultural Atlas * Culturally Aligned Curriculum-Cultural Standards * Native Ways of Knowing/Teaching-Parent Involvement * Village Science Applications-AISES/ANSES Camps The Alaska Federation of Natives will continue as a sponsor of the project. We look forward to working with the communities and Elders to help continue its success. Thank You. | |
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Native Education Advisory Council to the Commissioner by Bernice B. Tetpon:The Alaska State Board Action Plan on Native Student Learning includes a provision that the Department of Education & Early Development "establish a Native Education council to advise the commissioner." The Native Education Advisory Council's purpose is to focus on the improvement of the quality of instruction so it meets the needs of our Native students. Members include: Esther A. Ilutsik, Ciulistet Research Association; Moses Dirks, Unangan Educators Association; Sophie Shield, Association of the Native Educators of the Lower Kuskokwim; Lolly Carpluk, Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative; Andy Hope, Southeast Native Educators Association; Oscar Kawagley, Alaska First Nations Research Network; Frank Hill, Co-Director, AKRSI, Alaska Federation of Natives; Dorothy Larson, Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education; Cecilia Martz, Retired Indigenous Professors Association; Teri Schneider, Native Educators of the Alutiiq Region; Martha Stackhouse, North Slope Iñupiaq Educators Association; Nita Rearden, Alaska Native Education Council; Sam Towarak, Bering Straits Region Native Educators and Carol Lee Gho, Association of Interior Native Educators. Bernice B. Tetpon, Rural/Native Education Liaison, is the contact person at the Department of Education & Early Development for the Council. The Council will be meeting via audio conference this year. Many topics that are discussed come from the initiatives developed by the Native Educator Associations and the Alaska Federation of Natives resolutions passed during the annual convention. Discussions surround the initiatives and resolutions and their impact on educational policies, regulation and funding with recommendations to the commissioner. During the first meeting, March 9, 2001, Oscar Kawagley was nominated to chair the Native Education Advisory Council to the Commissioner. Topics of discussion included: Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth and designation of the Department of Education & Early Development's involvement with follow up activities to be determined at a later date. Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages Discussion centered on Senate Bill 103: An act relating to a curriculum for Native language education. Several districts are using the guidelines developed at the October 2001 Alaska Native Language Forum to develop the Native Language Advisory Committees. These are: home language survey, rationale of current program; description of delivery model and description of resources Cross-Cultural Education Specialist Endorsement It was recommended that new teachers could benefit from this course as part of their professional development and a salary increase as an incentive. Summer institutes as well as learning from the natural environment will be a part of the activities. Discussion-AFN Resolutions The council reviewed AFN Resolutions 00-11 through 00-16. Included was a discussion on the AFN Resolution 00-11 requiring that Alaska history be taught in the schools of Alaska and House Bill 171 which is an act relating to a curriculum for Alaska history with a Native studies component. Each Council member requested to review HB 171 to provide input. The April 2, 2001 meeting focused on unfinished business from the March 9 meeting. The results were that the council is recruiting Native Educators as Quality School consultants. The council will also recruit Native Educators to participate in the development of story problems on the Carnegie Algebra I Tutor addendum. The next audio conference is scheduled for May 25, 2001. | |
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New Graduate Program Emphasizes Indigenous Knowledge by Ray Barnhardt and Oscar Kawagley:The new M.A. program will provide a means to expand our knowledge base in areas that have received only limited attention in the past, as well as to document and pass that knowledge on to future generations in a culturally sensitive way. The intent of the program is to incorporate and contribute to newly emerging bodies of scholarship that have much to offer in addressing critical needs of the state. It will be available to students throughout Alaska by distance education in combination with intensive seminars and summer courses on campus. Graduates of the program will be expected to bring greater depth and breadth of cultural understanding to many of the complex social issues and fields of endeavor that shape Alaska today, especially those involving cross-cultural considerations and utilizing indigenous knowledge systems (e.g., education, ecological studies, natural resources, health care, community development, social services, justice, Native studies, etc.) Students will be required to demonstrate their ability to work effectively with indigenous people in their studies and to complete a final cultural documentation project in collaboration with knowledgeable Elders. New courses have been developed in the following areas, to be offered throughout the state each year by distance education, along with other courses that will be available to meet degree requirements: CCS 601, Documenting Indigenous Knowledge The course will provide students with a thorough grounding in the research methodologies and issues associated with documenting and conveying the depth and breadth of indigenous knowledge systems and their epistemological structures. Included will be a survey of oral and literate data-gathering techniques, a review of various modes of analysis and presentation, and practical experience in a real-life setting. CCS 602, Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights The course will examine issues associated with recognizing and respecting the cultural and intellectual property rights associated with the documentation, publication and display of knowledge, practices, beliefs and artifacts associated with particular cultural traditions. Appropriate research principles, ethical guidelines and legal protections will be reviewed for their application to cross-cultural studies. CCS 608, Indigenous Knowledge Systems The course will provide students with a comparative survey and analysis of the epistemological properties, world views and modes of transmission associated with various indigenous knowledge systems, with an emphasis on those practiced in Alaska. CCS 612, Traditional Ecological Knowledge The course will examine the acquisition and utilization of knowledge associated with the long-term inhabitation of particular ecological systems and the adaptations that arise from the accumulation of such knowledge. Attention will be given to the contemporary significance of traditional ecological knowledge as a complement to academic disciplinary fields of study. Admissions requirements 1. Applicants should have at least two years of experience related to the area of applied study. 2. Applicants should have a bachelor's degree in an approved area of study as determined by the faculty's admissions committee. The committee may recommend provisional admittance subject to completion of specified requirements. 3. Admission will be contingent upon: a. A minimum GPA of 3.00 in previous undergraduate work - or - Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination general test. b. Submission of graduate application, transcripts of previous work, three letters of reference and a three-page statement of intent. c. A satisfactory review conducted by an admissions committee composed of faculty from the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies and Department of Alaska Native Studies (may include a personal interview by the committee.) For further information about the M.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies, contact the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies (907-474-1902), the Department of Alaska Native Studies (907-474-7181) or go to the CXCS web site at http://www.uaf.edu/cxcs. | |
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Our Clothing, Our Culture, Our Identity by Veronica Dewar:by Veronica Dewar, President, Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association I would like to begin by thanking the organizers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to address you today. I would also like to acknowledge the many other Inuit women from Canada who are here with us. I am often the only Inuk at gatherings like this, so I would like to thank the British Museum for ensuring there was not only token representation of Inuit from Canada. Pauktuutit is the national organization that represents all Inuit women in Canada. There are approximately 60,000 Inuit in Canada who live primarily in the six Arctic regions: the Western Arctic, Kitikmeot, Kivalliq, Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavik and the north coast of Labrador. Pauktuutit was incorporated in 1984 to address a range of social and health issues that were not being addressed by other Inuit organizations in Canada. At that time, we were deep in negotiations of land claim settlements and other matters of national significance to Inuit. Our work has focused on the priorities of women, which have tended to relate to ending violence in our communities and restoring Inuit ownership and control of our culture, our wisdom and our futures. As the national representative of Inuit women in Canada, Pauktuutit regularly addresses issues related to traditional knowledge. As an example, Pauktuutit completed a major project on traditional child birthing and midwifery involving over 75 interviews of Inuit women and midwives describing over 500 births. Key objectives were to document and preserve this knowledge and to introduce it to the modern medical profession. I would like to share some personal experiences and perspectives on the importance of our clothing and designs to us as Inuit. I will then tell you about some of our recent activities, both within Canada and internationally, and what we hope to accomplish in terms of protecting our traditional knowledge and intellectual property as it relates to the amauti. The personal comments I am about to share with you first appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, a local daily paper in Ottawa, Ontario where I now live. Dixie Masak Dayo (Alaska) gave a presentation at the ACC titled "How Do We Heal?" featuring her story dress. The dress is about values and is a tribute to the Alaska Natives and her father who taught her a traditional education. When I was growing up in Coral Harbour, Southampton Island, traditional Inuit design was a natural part of my life; these were everyday garments. My mother had 13 children and she couldn't leave them to fend for themselves; she had to use the amauti to carry them. The amauti was always around. I even had one as a little girl to carry puppies in. The amauti has existed and been passed down from generation to generation. We couldn't afford to buy expensive clothes. The government social assistance we received was not enough. But my mother made caribou clothing for my father and brother. She made things from sealskin, use fox and wolf fur to protect the face from the elements and made mitts out of rabbit skin. Everything was made from skins from our surroundings. In a harsh, cold environment we needed these superb garments for survival. I remember looking through Sears' and Eaton's catalogues when I was about eight or nine back in the '50s. I really liked the big full skirts and the fur muffs. We wanted to buy the things we saw, but there was no way of making money to get them. In Coral Harbour, the priests would get boxes of secondhand clothes and we would look through them. We found sweaters and skirts and warm clothing, but nothing as nice as what we saw in the catalogues. My sister used to make me skirts. I remember a dress my sister made me with a big, full skirt and it used to swing around when I danced. When you are exposed to another culture, you get interested in new things. I went to school in Churchill, Manitoba and then in Ottawa. And I traveled overseas and was exposed to other cultures. I went back home at the beginning of the '70s and started working for land claims organizations as an interpreter. I started to question what I was doing. "Why am I not doing more to help my people?" I asked myself. "Do they understand their rights and what opportunities they have?" I got involved in local politics and I traveled around the North to different regions. I dressed mainly in Western clothes, but when I went back home, all my sisters sewed well and they would make me many traditional garments. I began to see the beauty in them: They were appropriate, warm and well designed, but beyond that they were part of our identity. In fact, they are really in demand now. More and more Inuit are wearing traditional clothes. Even some white people who move up North wear them now too. Also, you have to have a good salary to buy Western-style material, so sometimes it's easier to use caribou skins. You can wear them as reversible garments-one way with fur outside and one way with the fur inside. I think what some non-Inuit fashion designers have been doing with our designs is disrespectful. If they would see how they are really used up North, I believe they would think twice about how they're appropriating the designs. I've seen some non-Inuit try to sell their own version of Inuit design but it's often a distortion. For instance, a non-Inuit woman designed an amauti and normally the front is shorter than the back, which is longer and gives you room to move and keeps your legs warm from the back. But this lady made the back very short and started to wear it herself; she was selling them as authentic Inuit designs, but they weren't. When the Inuit women saw that, they said, "Why can't we stop that? It's misrepresentation and it distorts the very nature of it." It's sad, I think, because the garments-all pieces of the amauti, for example-have a meaning to them. The design is complicated. Every piece has a name; each section has a name and a purpose to it. For instance, with the amauti you can carry the baby in the back or if you want to breastfeed, you put your arms inside and you can roll the amauti backward to take the baby inside. If you distort that design, it becomes meaningless because you can't actually do any of those things. That is what it's all about. It would be best if designers consulted with us instead of just stealing our designs and patterns. We want recognition that these are our designs and we want to know what they are doing with them. It's part of a general recognition of Inuit culture and a way to increase awareness of our culture. We recently had the experience of a representative of Donna Karan, a major New York fashion designer, who came to the Western Arctic in Canada and was buying older Inuit garments. In some cases, she bought jackets off people's backs and went into people's homes specifically looking for older designs. She did not consult with Inuit on the purpose of her visit, nor did she tell people what she planned to do with the garments back in the United States. Pauktuutit learned of her visit when a journalist from Yellowknife called us to inquire whether we were aware of this situation. We were not, but were certainly concerned. Once we had an opportunity to learn more about the purpose of her trip to the Western Arctic-which is a very long trip from New York City-and her activities in our communities, we felt we had no choice but to intervene. We were very concerned that Inuit were being exploited because she took advantage of some of the less educated people there who did not know their rights. We wrote directly to Ms. Karan, outlining our concerns and the reasons for them as well as explaining our efforts to develop a legal mechanism that would recognize and protect the collective nature of Inuit ownership of our designs and other cultural symbols and property. We had hoped to get a dialogue going, but unfortunately, we have not received a formal response. We did learn that in response to calls primarily from Canadian journalists, Ms. Karan's media people stated clearly that it was not her intention to appropriate Inuit designs by including them in her lines. It was then that we learned that the garments that were purchased in the Western Arctic were on display in Ms. Karan's boutique in New York City, along with designs from other cultures around the world. I can only wonder if the people who sold their garments were informed of this and whether they would agree. We are no longer willing to be treated like artifacts in museums, and that includes our living culture that is embodied in our clothing and other symbols of Inuit culture such as the inukshuk, ulu and so on. I also have to wonder what the purpose of such a display is and how it relates to the business of a New York fashion designer. Who benefits? Unfortunately, I know that, in this case, Inuit have received no benefit, but beyond that may have been exposed to a grave risk of appropriation and exploitation of our traditional and contemporary culture and identity. This brings me to the major focus of my presentation. Currently, our designs are not protected legally. Existing legal protections such as copyright, trademark and industrial property do not recognize and protect the collective nature of Inuit ownership of our designs, including the amauti. These are legal mechanisms that were designed to protect the property of individuals within a Western legal system. The Arctic adaptation of Inuit has inspired some remarkable innovations and technologies. The modern world, however, has appropriated many elements of Inuit material culture without due recognition or compensation for the original creators. The parka and qajaq are obvious examples. The traditional boot, the kamiik, is now a trademark brand of outdoor footwear made by Genfoot. The "history" of the company makes no reference to Inuit even though they use an inukshuk as a logo. This exploitation of traditional knowledge, and the intellectual property that it encompasses, is not unusual among indigenous peoples around the world. It is now critical that we develop the tools and skills to protect our heritage and ensure that we benefit from any use of our traditional knowledge and cultural and intellectual property. The introduction of the wage economy is relatively recent in the North and the rhythm of life for many communities still revolves around traditional harvesting activities. There are many opportunities in the fashion and clothing industry and many Inuit women are very interested in business and employment opportunities related to Inuit clothing. But pro-active methods must be taken immediately to demonstrate and protect the links between traditional culture, modern commercial applications, traditional harvesting and utilization of resources and financial self-sufficiency. Wage labour and the market economy has introduced the alien concepts of privatization and commercialization to communally-owned property. The issue of prior informed consent for the ethical use of this property becomes critical. Indigenous people have the right to own and control their cultural heritage and utilize environmental resources in a holistic and sustainable manner. It is important that the participation of Inuit women in the modern economy be actively promoted and protected. For several years Pauktuutit has promoted traditional Inuit clothing designs and artistry. In 1995 Inuit fashion and clothing was showcased at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa during the Winterlude festival and at the Toronto CNE. Southern consumers expressed great interest in the clothing and accessories at these two events. An economic development project entitled "The Road to Independence" has recently been completed. The objective was to assist Inuit women to take advantage of opportunities in the fashion and clothing industry by developing skills related to the design and production of traditional and contemporary garments intended for sale to southern consumers. The idea was to return ownership and benefits of the production of these garments to Inuit by cultivating an appreciation for handcrafted Inuit clothing. This can provide viable economic opportunities and financial independence for women that do not undermine the cultural integrity of Inuit communities. The project promoted employment through practical applications of traditional knowledge and skills as well as training to compete in retail markets that extend beyond their communities. Underlying principles included the transfer of skills to younger women by the Elders, community development and ownership and control of the benefits. The success of the project, however, can have a negative impact. Without clarification of the intellectual property rights involved, the amauti may go the way of the qajaq, parka and kamiik. Pauktuutit has been an active member of the Executive Committee and the Aboriginal Caucus of the open-ended working group on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Canada. The Convention on Biological Diversity, and specifically Article 8(j) of the convention, offer an opportunity for indigenous peoples to better exercise their rights to control, manage and share the benefits derived from the ideas and innovations they have developed. Article 8(j) of the Convention calls for contracting parties to: . . . Respect, preserve and maintain the knowledge and innovations of indigenous peoples that are relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity; promote the wider application of such knowledge, innovations and practices with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge and encourage the equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of such knowledge, innovations and practices. The convention will therefore serve as the cornerstone for Pauktuutit's work to protect the amauti. In that regard, we have recently achieved some success in obtaining funding to hold the first consultation with Inuit in Canada on how we wish to protect our cultural and intellectual property. We wish to consult with Inuit experts on the nature of collectively-owned property, and to explore the concept of the appropriate custodian for such a protection on behalf of all Inuit. Other questions we wish to discuss and obtain direction on include access and benefit sharing by individuals while respecting the collective ownership of cultural and intellectual property. I know personally of some Inuit designers who are currently struggling with the question of what their rights may be as an individual to personally benefit from the property and designs of all Inuit and our ancestors. Other questions we have identified and will be seeking answers for during the course of our project include: * What are the obligations of an individual who may benefit financially from using their own cultural and traditional knowledge as an Inuk, to their community and broader Inuit society? * Do Inuit currently have an informal customary intellectual property system in place? If so, what is the nature of the customary laws that relate to traditional knowledge and intellectual property and its appropriate use? * How does it relate to protecting the amauti as the collective cultural and intellectual property of all Inuit women in Canada? * Are there traditional rules about access and benefit sharing that can be applied in this contemporary context? As a result of our work over many years, we have been recognized as international experts by the World Intellectual Property Organization, which is beginning to address issues related to indigenous traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights. We participated in their second round table on the subject in 1999 and our work to protect the amauti is being looked at by indigenous peoples internationally as a precedent-setting project and is viewed as cutting-edge indigenous IPR work. Pauktuutit has also worked in association with the Indigenous Women of the Americas to develop a better understanding of the issues associated with craft commercialization and intellectual property. The Indigenous Women of the Americas is an association of likeminded indigenous women from throughout Latin and South America who come together when we can to address issues of mutual concern. In our early discussions with our colleagues in the Americas, we thought that issues of violence and personal and economic security would emerge as priorities for action. Instead, craft commercialization and the need to protect our traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights emerged as the first priority for indigenous women in the Western Hemisphere. As we began our work, we conducted a survey in 1997 among Aboriginal women in Canada to determine Canadian priorities and concerns. More recently, Pauktuutit helped organize an international training workshop on intellectual property rights and craft commercialization. The workshop was held in late April 1999 near Ottawa and was attended by indigenous women from throughout the Americas. The primary purpose of the workshop was to help women attain a legal understanding of the issues and to help them take economic control over commercialization of art designs. This is another example of Pauktuutit's commitment to promote the cultural heritage and economic conditions of women and positions Pauktuutit as the appropriate manager of a case study on the protection of traditional knowledge. In the spirit of Article 8(j), Inuit need the incentive to avoid an Arctic economy that exploits the environment. Our economy should respect our heritage and allow us to continue to use our traditional knowledge and resources in a sustainable manner. Protecting the intellectual property of our traditional knowledge will help achieve this end. Biological diversity can be conserved by conserving cultural diversity. As I said earlier, much of Inuit community life continues to revolve around traditional harvesting activities. Harvesting rights are guaranteed under the Nunavut, Inuvialuit and the James Bay and Northern Quebec agreements. An Inuit owned and controlled clothing and fashion industry that hinges on traditional knowledge, designs and motifs and the relationship to the harvesting and processing of furs and skins provide a multifaceted link to Article 8(j). I would also like to take this opportunity to inform you about events that are taking place even as I speak. In Ottawa, Canada, there is currently a hemispheric indigenous leadership summit. Indigenous traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights are being addressed as a priority issue within the context of globalization and the upcoming meeting in Canada of the Organization of American States (OAS). Inuit in Canada are determined that our rights must take precedence over hemispheric and international trade agreements that could negatively impact on our aboriginal rights. I understand delegates will be developing a resolution on the issue that will be presented to the member states of the OAS in April. Pauktuutit has also been actively involved in events leading to the World Conference Against Racism. We have been providing advice to the Canadian government as a member of their Aboriginal Advisory Committee and have also attended a recent intercessional meeting in Geneva that began negotiating the text of the declaration and plan of action that will be presented and discussed in Geneva. Traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights are priority issues for indigenous peoples around the world and it is no different for Inuit in Canada. Inuit have great things to offer the world. We are known internationally as diplomats and negotiators and have successfully negotiated three major land claim agreements in Canada. Inuit have a unique quality of harmony and consensus-building based on trust and mutual respect. We are more than willing to share these qualities with the non-Inuit world, as we are willing to share our unique culture with the world. But that relationship must be based on respect that is mutual and one that recognizes that we are the only owners of all the elements of our culture including our cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and our intellectual property. Thank you very much for your time. | |
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Southeast Region by Andy Hope:In brotherly love let your feelings of deep affection for one another come to expression and regard others as more important than yourself. Romans 12:10 The New Jerusalem Bible 1985 edition Come on boys It's all right We know very well There's a lot of bad Out there Come on men It's all right Don't despair Come on guys It's a fight Come on brothers Let's go to work Come on men Let's take care of the children The nieces The nephews The sisters The brothers The families The wives and mothers The sons and fathers Don't be afraid To learn respect and pride Know your ancestors Keep the clan in mind Come out boys No need to hide From that education From that family From your sisters From your brothers Keep the friendship Keep the family Keep the clan | |
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