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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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 8, ISSUE 2 |
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Athabascan Region: Cultural Orientation Program for New Teachers by Linda Green:* Work with community through local mentoring, * Identify cultural boundaries in those school districts and * Provide a culturally appropriate and supportive educational environment for all the students. Funding from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development will be used to provide seminars on an optional basis for new teachers, to be followed by a professional development course in collaboration with TCC's Interior Athabascan Tribal College. Alaska Native teachers and Elders from each community will be recruited to mentor new staff in their district in accordance with the new Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs. The seminars will include the following: Communicating Across Cultures (designated staff from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network/Lead Teacher and Interior Athabascan Tribal College) * Traditions, Language and Learning (Local Elders) * History of Education in Alaska * Utilizing resources such as the cultural standards and Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs The follow-up course will provide an introduction to the following: * Knowledge of local Alaska Native cultural practices and traditions * Value and significance of Elders as teachers. How to work with Elders * Curricular and instructional strategies that focus on place-based education and experiential learning * The role of indigenous languages, oral tradition and story telling * Native ways of knowing * Using technology in a culturally-appropriate way * Culturally-appropriate curriculum resources * Cultural standards * Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge * Native Educator Associations and other significant Native organizations. Mentors and Elders will utilize the Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Orientation Program to better orient the new teachers into school districts and communities. Mentors will meet with the new teachers weekly and will be responsible for the local orientation to the community as stated in the guidelines. Elders will meet with the new teacher at least weekly to clarify cultural questions and offer assistance. Please feel free to contact Linda Green at (907) 474-5814 or Reva Shircel at (907) 452-8251 ext. 3185. Letters of inquiries can be mailed to: Linda Green P.O. Box 756730 Fairbanks, AK 99775-6730 linda@mail.ankn.uaf.edu or to Reva Shircel Tanana Chiefs Conference, Inc. Education Department 122 First Avenue, Suite 600 Fairbanks, AK 99701 | |
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Commentary on "Future Alaska Native Educators" by Nels Anderson, Jr.:by Nels Anderson, Jr. My name is Nels Anderson, Jr. of Dillingham. I read the article, "Future Alaska Native Educators," by Cathy Rexford, in the Jan/Feb 2003 issue of Sharing Our Pathways. I enjoyed the article and it prompted me to comment and ask some questions that I think people throughout Alaska should be considering. "Rather than trying to reinvent the Alaska education wheel, we should mainstream our values and ideas of what is good learning into the school districts we now have at our disposal." The article says that 459 out of a total of 8,206 public school teachers are of Alaska Native or American Indian descent. If my math serves me correctly, that is about 5.59%. That is a very sad statistic. That leads me to ask how many Alaska Natives we have working in the university system? I have always felt, to the greatest extent legally possible, that our institutions should reflect the makeup of the population served. One of many places where we, Alaska Natives, exceed our percentage of the total Alaska population is in our jails. Another place where we exceed our percentage of the total population is in our dropout statistics in our schools and university. What is the teacher retention rate in our Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) and rural and remote schools as compared to urban schools? How many of our schools' aides, cooks, janitors and maintenance personnel are Alaska Natives? How many Alaska Native professors and administrators do we have at the University of Alaska? How many of our schools across the state, especially our REAAs and rural and remote schools, have Alaska Native principals, financial managers or superintendents? How many Alaska Natives are there on the University of Alaska Board of Regents at this time? How many of our REAAs are locally controlled by Native school board members? Question: If what I suspect is true-that most of the REAAs are locally controlled by predominantly Alaska Native school board members, then-why are we not using that power to achieve the goals and objectives identified by the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative? Shouldn't we be making sure that our REAAs are using their power to move toward academic excellence as envisioned by AKRSI? Answer: It would appear to be an ideal strategy to utilize the resources of the state of Alaska to move toward good learning principles. Rather than trying to reinvent the Alaska education wheel, we should mainstream our values and ideas of what is good learning into the school districts we now have at our disposal. We should be working very closely with the University of Alaska to adopt and implement sound policies that improve our delivery of education, increase teacher retention rates and reduce our dropout numbers in our schools and university. Question: If indeed Alaska Natives control many of the boards of our REAAs and rural and remote school districts, then why can't those boards assert their power and authority and adopt the necessary policies that will move them toward training AND hiring more Alaska Native and American Indian teachers and administrators? Can't our school boards collectively develop a "memorandum of understanding" with the University of Alaska to join forces to make sure that our future teacher and administrative personnel are recruited, trained and hired from our Alaska Native teacher aide and substitute teaching pool in our REAAs and rural and remote school districts? Answer: We should support any existing university programs that are taking our teacher aides and substitute teachers and moving them into our classrooms as full-time accredited teachers. If necessary, those programs should be expanded to move ALL of our teacher aides, tutors, mentors and substitutes into a certified training program that will allow them to become accredited, certified associate teachers with a higher pay scale. We should then encourage these associate teachers to continue their education to get them full accreditation and become full-time certified teachers. This strategy should be encouraged and pushed aggressively. Most of this can be done by our university distance education delivery system. In addition, our university and school boards should be grooming and training future administrators in a similar program. Question: Are our school boards and the university insisting on teaching the basics and adopting a teaching plan that will help our students excel academically, understand who they are, learn about how they fit into our overall Alaska society and reduce their drop out rates? Answer: I believe that our REAAs and rural and remote school boards have the necessary legal authority needed to assert their power to make sure that we have a public school system that is teaching our students the basics-that is learning to read at the end of the second grade; reading to learn by the end of the fourth grade; mastering math basics of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing by the end of the fifth grade; having a fundamental understanding of basic scientific principles by the end of the eighth grade and, in addition, having a rudimentary understanding of Alaska Native history and Native cultures within the context of Alaska history by the end of the eighth grade. Finally, we should be developing the necessary strategies that will reduce the number of dropouts in our schools and university. In summary, I think that the article "Future Alaska Native Educators" is very good and should be expanded to include the following: It should examine the statistics on dropout and teacher retention rates in our schools. It should also look at how many Native principals, superintendents, financial officers, teacher aides, tutors, mentors and substitute teachers we have in our REAA, rural and remote village school districts. It should look at what the University of Alaska dropout rates are for Native students and see how many Alaska Native university professors and administrators we have. It should review the existing teacher training program we have at the University of Alaska to see if improvements can be made that will increase the number of Alaska Natives being trained from the teacher aide and substitute teaching pool found in our REAAs and rural and remote school districts. And finally, after that is done, we should make sure that all educators and news media across the state get a copy of this article to wake people up so that we can exert the power we have to make the changes we need to have our students excel in our schools, university and university rural campuses. Thank you for that great article and giving me a chance to express some of my views about education in Alaska. We should support any existing university programs that are taking our teacher aides and substitute teachers and moving them into our classrooms as fulltime accredited teachers. | |
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Fourth Annual ANSES State Science Fair by Alan Dick:On Saturday, before Sunday's ANSES State Fair, students and chaperones scurried around Anchorage and Eagle River in the second year of the "Junkyard Wars of Science Fairs." At 9 A.M. teams of participants were given maps, $50, the set of rules and an assignment: plan and carry out a science project having to do with "campfires." The excitement level was high and by 6 P.M., eight teams had poster boards and a completed experiment ready for the judges. This lighthearted event gave the students a chance to interact with the judges and each other before the big event on Sunday. It also forced them to utilize science skills, map skills, team building skills and ingenuity in developing a project in less than nine hours. Students also had to spend time at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Two of the ANSES State Fair projects have been nominated for an International Science Fair in Beijing, China. There is no assurance that they will go, but students worked in schools until midnight preparing their projects for consideration. It represents an opportunity of a lifetime for the young people involved. AKRSI folks are holding their breath, hoping we can send students to carry our model of relevant, village-based science projects to other nations. The ANSES State Science Fair participants and winners were honored in the noon luncheon at the Native Educators Conference banquet in the Sheraton Hotel on Monday, February 3. Several of the winners were interviewed by Channel 2 News. The broadcast that evening was inspiring. The Imaginarium played an important part in the operation this year. Students handled reptiles and participated in liquid nitrogen experiments while other projects were being judged. There wasn't an idle moment the whole weekend. Staff watched genuine friendships being made and strengthened, personal transformation taking place and science becoming a deeper part of young peoples' lives. To observe the process makes the hundreds of hours of preparation worthwhile. The Imaginarium folks will likely oversee the operation next year as AKRSI intentionally fades out, but the event will continue to create an arena where the students are the show and science the theme. Staff watched genuine friendships being made and strengthened, personal transformation taking place and science becoming a deeper part of young peoples' lives. | |
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Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative:One of the key goals of the University of Saskatchewan's Framework for Planning is "meeting the needs of Aboriginal people." The university has restated on a number of occasions its commitment to pursue this aim through expanding program options which are attractive and relevant for Aboriginal people. The Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative (IPJI) constitutes an effort to further this important goal by providing students with opportunities to explore indigenous knowledge and "ways of knowing" and to build their disciplinary expertise in relation to the justice theme. The IPJI arises out of the need to address issues of justice as they relate to indigenous peoples and what the Supreme Court of Canada has termed a "crisis in the criminal justice system." It evolves from the premise that there are different viewpoints regarding justice and that the indigenous viewpoint, grounded in indigenous knowledge and "ways of knowing," needs to be incorporated into programs and courses at the University of Saskatchewan. It is the hope of the framers of the IPJI that by re-articulating traditional knowledge and teaching regarding justice as framed by its bearers, the Elders of various Aboriginal communities, new partnerships and improved relationships of respect and understanding may form between these communities and the university. The IPJI operates within a framework of values that includes mutual respect, obligation and responsibility. The purpose of the academic programs is to enhance understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples with regard to the requirements of justice in today's world. The failure of Canada's criminal justice system is a critical aspect of the lives of Aboriginal peoples that is addressed by the IPJI. It also examines the social, cultural, economic, political, institutional and organizational features of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities that are the causes of crime, assimilation, exclusion and community breakdown. Indigenous Knowledge: Capstone Courses The IPJI will have a curriculum that focuses on indigenous knowledge relating to justice, incorporating different world views about justice. The curriculum will introduce instruction in indigenous knowledge and teachings into the university setting, and will involve team-teaching. The third year courses are: IK 301.3 Indigenous Knowledge: Methodologies. Examination and de-construction of the existing knowledge base on indigenous peoples. The purpose will be to study indigenous methodologies. IK 302.3 Indigenous Knowledge: Theory and Practice. Students will examine oral traditions and histories and begin to develop an understanding of how to work and think within these traditions and histories. IK 401.6 Indigenous Knowledge: Concepts of Justice. This is the fourth-year capstone course. The study of issues associated with indigenous knowledge with a particular focus on concepts of justice. Students will be introduced to advanced substantive concepts and the process of indigenous justice, social order, freedom and social control. The underlying theme of these capstone courses and academic programs will be built upon, but not confined to, the study and remedying of the application and enforcement of criminal justice system rules, "law" and justice on the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members of society. What can the Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative offer me? The IPJI provides an opportunity for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students to study in a chosen discipline, while focusing on issues surrounding indigenous peoples and justice. It establishes three new degree programs in law, public administration and sociology. These programs will draw upon the teachings, values and traditions available through the ethical sharing of indigenous knowledge, experiences and expertise. The programs will be conducted in a way that affirms the values of mutual obligation, mutual respect and responsibility. For more information, contact: Administrative Coordinator, IPJI Native Law Centre University of Saskatchewan 101 Diefenbaker Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B8 Phone: (306) 966-6246 Fax: (306) 966-6207 E-mail: masuskapoe@skyway.usask.ca | |
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Iñupiaq Region: Heritage, Love and Science by Wilma Osborne:When I walked into the Eskimo Heritage office in Nome, it felt like I had come home. In the recordings stored in this office live voices, letters, words, ideas, knowledge, advice, struggle, tragedy-so many lives captured by the technology. Memories surround me as though I am reviewing my life before I die. I felt loved. People before me wanted me to know things from how to hunt and take care of game to old wives' tales. And another group of people took the time and care to document, transcribe and store this information. That is love indeed. It allows me to understand my place in the world as a woman raised in the Arctic. It gives me security. It allows me to know what is expected of me in the context of this land and people and carry myself forward with intention. There is a question that Western science has of humanity in relation to the rest of the universe. Where do we fit in? What separates us? Such is the task of a scientist. It is people's blazing imaginations that send probes thousands of miles out of our atmosphere and into other planetary orbits-the same questions drive individuals, even groups of people on quests. So let us ask the question, how is heritage scientific? Heritage is something handed down-the rights, freedoms and burdens as a result of being in a certain place and time. It is intellectual property, knowledge and imagination. People have applied themselves here for a very long time; they know how to deal with stress specific to the North and have passed along lifelong, scientific information about weather, animals, land and sea, as well as how to form lasting, meaningful relationships with each other and everything around them, including the past and future. Native people thrive because they ask these questions of their place in the universe, but heritage is an equal partner which gives those queries beautiful, intense meaning. Western science is in its infancy and has tended to separate humans from the universe. This is beginning to change. Indigenous people all over the world have immense understanding and wisdom to contribute to the spiritual "coming of age" of Western science and allow it to blossom into something we see merely as a ray today. Heritage is the imagination we give to science that makes life more than worthwhile. It is through our heritage that love is given to scientific knowledge and makes life worth living, worth sharing, worth protecting, worth giving. | |
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Observing Locally Connecting Globally:2003 Summer Institute for Educators June 10-25, 2003 Fairbanks, Alaska In communities around Alaska you hear comments like: "The weather is strange and unpredictable" or "Sea ice patterns are changing." These comments reflect Alaskans' observations and concerns about the effects of global change on their communities and lives. Join educators from around the state as they: * learn to use local/traditional knowledge as a basis for environmental studies; * use the GLOBE* curriculum to enhance student science skills and understanding; * learn some of the latest teaching techniques and current best practices in science education; * address science, math and cultural standards and * share ideas, strategies and perspectives. Who Anyone working with students is welcome. We are especially encouraging teams consisting of teachers, resource specialists and local experts in science or Native knowledge. Cost $100 credit registration fee. Partial to full grant support for travel and per diem on an application basis Credit 4 credits, UAF-NRM 595 or ED 595 Instructors Elena Sparrow, Leslie Gordon, Sidney Stephens, Guest elders and experts Information http://www.uaf.edu/olcg Contact: Martha Kopplin 474-2601 phone / 474-6184 fax mkopplin@northstar.k12.ak.us * Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment | |
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Southeast Region: Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian Relationships by Andy Hope:For some reason, Haida clans (and some Tsimshian clans) claim crests opposite from their Tlingit counterparts. That is, Haida Raven moiety clans claim Tlingit Eagle moiety crests and vice-versa. When a Haida is adopted by a Tlingit clan, they are adopted by the opposite moiety. The Taalkweidi and Kaasxakweidi Tlingit Raven moiety clans of Wrangell were originally Haida Eagle moiety clans. The Tsimshian Gaanahada claim the same crests as the Kiks.ádi, Kaach.ádi, Gaanax.ádi, Gaanax.teidi and Teehittaan. The Laxk'eiboo (Wolf People) clan of the Tsimshian, who correspond to the Tlingit Teikweidi and the Tsimshian Ganu.at are said to be descendants of the Tlingit Neix.ádi. The Tlingit Raven crests Raven, Sculpin, Frog, Starfish and Sea Lion are claimed by Haida Eagle moiety clans. Haida Raven moiety clans claim the wolf. Many crests were obtained as gifts, were purchased or were claimed in warfare. Nearly 300 years ago, groups of Haida began migrating to Alaska from Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia. After settling in Alaska the Haida clans adopted a modified version of the Tlingit clan house system. The Haida differ from the Tlingit in that all clan houses in some villages belonged to clans of one moiety, though clans of both moieties resided in each village. Haida villages also have chiefs, and clan houses had individual owners. Individual ownership of clan houses is prohibited by Tlingit common law. The Alaska Haida Raven dominated villages were Klinkwan, Sukkwan and Koinglas. Eagle dominated villages were Howkan and Kasaan. Once settled in Alaska, the Haida began breaking away from the main groups, founding new clans in the manner of the Tlingit. Kaigani was named after a summer camp where they met European fur traders and explorers. Of the K'yak'aanii Eagle moiety, the Yaadas broke into five groups and the Ts'eihl Laanaas and the Sgalans formed four each. The Yaadaas were probably an offshoot of the Sdasdas. The K'yak'aanii Raven moiety broke off in the following manner: the 'Yaakw Laanaas broke into four groups; the Kwii Taas into six; the Gaw Kaywaas into two and the Taas Laanaas into four. A chart of the Haida crests and clan houses associated with each moiety is being assembled and will be made available to schools and communities throughout southeast Alaska. Anyone wishing to participate in the development of this chart/poster should contact Andy Hope at fnah@uaf.edu or 790-4406. | |
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UAF Summer Program in Cross-Cultural Studies for Alaskan Educators:UAF. Rural Academy for Culturally Responsive Schools May 27-31, Fairbanks The five-day intensive Rural Academy, sponsored by the Alaska Staff Development Network, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the UAF Northwest Campus, will consist of the following educational opportunities: * Each enrollee will be able to participate in two out of seven two-day workshops that will be offered demonstrating how the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools are being implemented in communities throughout rural Alaska. * Two panel sessions will be offered in which participants will be able to hear firsthand from key educational practitioners and policymakers from throughout the state. * A day-long field trip will allow participants to meet and interact with Elders and other key people and visit sites in the Nome area. * Participants will share successful strategies and programs from throughout the state. * Participants will have the option to complete a follow-up project relevant to their own work situation. Instructor: Ray Barnhardt and workshop presenters Credit options: ED 695, Rural Academy for Culturally Responsive Schools (2 cr.) ED/CCS 613, Alaska Standards for Culturally Resp. Sch. (3cr.) EDP 110, Introduction to Para-Professional Education (2 cr.) Cross-Cultural Orientation Program for Teachers June 2-20, 2003 The Center for Cross-Cultural Studies and UAF Summer Sessions will be offering the annual Cross-Cultural Orientation Program (X-COP) for teachers beginning on June 2, 2003 and running through June 20, 2003, including a week (June 7-14) out at the Old Minto Cultural Camp on the Tanana River with Athabascan Elders from the village of Minto. The program is designed for teachers and others who wish to gain some background familiarity with the cultural environment and educational history that makes teaching in Alaska, particularly in rural communities, unique, challenging and rewarding. In addition to readings, films, guest speakers and seminars during the first and third weeks of the program, participants will spend a week in a traditional summer fish camp under the tutelage of Athabascan Elders who will share their insights and perspectives on the role of education in contemporary rural Native communities. Those who complete the program will be prepared to enter a new cultural and community environment and build on the educational foundation that is already in place in the hearts and minds of the people who live there. Instructor: Ray Barnhardt and Old Minto Elders Credit option: ED 610, Education and Cultural Processes (3 cr.) Native Ways of Knowing June 23-July 11, 2003 The third course available in the cross-cultural studies series is a three-week seminar focusing on the educational implications of "Native ways of knowing." The course will examine teaching and learning practices reflected in indigenous knowledge systems and how those practices may be incorporated into the schooling process. Examples drawn from the work of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Alaska Native Knowledge Network will be shared with participants. Instructor: Oscar Kawagley, Ph.D. Credit option: ED/ANS 461, Native Ways of Knowing (3 cr.) CCS 608, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (3 cr.) Information For further information about the Rural Academy, contact the UAF Center for Cross-Cultural Studies at 474-1902 or the Alaska Staff Development Network at 2204 Douglas Highway, Suite 100, Douglas, Alaska 99824, phone (907) 364-3801, fax (907) 364-3805, e-mail asdn@ptialaska.net or go to the ASDN web site at 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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Youth Panel Workshop at 2003 Native Educators Conference:On February 3, 2003 a workshop entitled Youth Perspectives on Education sparked the interest and enthusiasm of Elders and educators of all ages. A small group from the Future Alaska Native Educator Network presented ideas, concerns and solutions on Native education issues. These young college students are Ava Vent, Crystal Swetzof, Quentin Simeon and Mariah Sakeagak. In response to the requests of many conference participants, here are the youth comments and collective ideas for action. Presented by Ava Vent Hello my name is Ava Vent and I am a Koyukon Athabascan from Huslia. My parents are Warner and Alberta Vent. My grandparents are Robert and Mary Vent of Huslia, and Joseph and Celia Beetus of Hughes. In the fall of 1999 I graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High school in Sitka, Alaska and then moved to Phoenix, Arizona to attend Grand Canyon University. In the spring of 2001 I transferred to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado for one semester. Then I finally decided that attending UAF would better help me in becoming a successful elementary teacher in Alaska's diverse society. This is my junior year in college. I will graduate with my bachelor of arts degree in the spring of 2005 and then I plan to further my studies with a master's degree in education. There are many different ideas on what can be done to improve the success rates in the education of Alaska Native students. Over the last two years I have heard so many excellent ideas on how to better educate the students in both rural and urban areas of Alaska. Some of those alternatives are that parents need to take part in their children's education. Teachers need to come up with exciting new ways to combine the class curriculum with our cultural values. We all need to come together and be positive role models for our younger generation. We need to lower our village and urban substance abuse problems so that the Alaska Native dropout rate as well as the suicide rate will go down. Most importantly teachers, parents, tutors and school employees should get to know the students inside the class as well as outside. First of all, Alaska Native students' success relies heavily on the home environment. Parental interaction is very crucial in the development of a child's moral and traditional values. Parents need to show love and support for their child all the way until they graduate with their degree. Parents need to spend more time helping their children with their homework and appreciating their accomplishments as well as helping them fix their mistakes. Parents need to find an effective way of teaching their children to be responsible early in a child's life. Something as easy as helping them make cookies or letting them do simple tasks on their own can help them learn to be responsible. Another idea to improve success rates of Alaska Native students is for teachers to find effective ways to correlate the class curriculum with traditional values so that the students can find more ways to relate to and better understand their schoolwork. Moreover, there are many curriculums already in our schools that involve traditional cultural values. By listening to my mother, grandparents and my Aunt Catherine Attla, I've heard hundreds of old stories about our ancestors and how it used to be in the villages long ago. My grandpa Joe often tells stories of when he was younger, and a lot of them ended with a certain moral point which effects the choices people make. These sorts of stories later effect children's moral values all through adulthood. Other ways to include cultural activities in the curriculum that I can think of include: making traditional fish traps, building sleds or snow shoes, making birch baskets, sewing with beads and moose hide, picking berries, ice fishing, camping and many other cultural activities. A negative factor that affects Alaska Native students is alcohol and substance abuse. Alcohol and substance abuse is very high in Alaska, and we need to come together and try to end this problem by coming up with alternatives. As long as the alcoholism rate among Alaska Natives is high, the dropout and suicide rates will also increase. I have lost many friends and family to alcohol and suicide and this motivates me to try to find ways to give the Native youth alternatives other than alcohol and drugs. Most importantly we, as students, teachers and community members, need to get to know each other. I went to elementary and middle school in Huslia until the eighth grade. Therefore, I can think of some ways to bring a community together in order to gain students trust and respect. If you plan to teach or are teaching in a village with people you don't know, then get to know them. Participate in fun activities with the students during your free time. For example you can go fishing, sledding, check snares or traps, go for a snowmachine trip or even go on a picnic. By doing these activities and getting to know the students as well as the people of the community, the students will feel comfortable talking to you and you can gain their trust and respect. Moreover, the teacher will feel like less of an outcast and feel comfortable with the people of the community. There are teachers in the past who have gained my respect and helped me understand my schoolwork to the fullest. These teachers include Velma Schaffer from Allakaket, Gertie Esmailka of Huslia and Sharon Strick from Ruby. Helpful educators at Mt. Edgecumbe High School included my algebra teacher, Gary Jarvill, and the school counselor, Bob Love. Velma Schaffer used to bring some of my friends and me out for a snowmachine ride to check her rabbit snares. We used to stand on the back of her Yukon dog sled and see how long we could drag and then pull ourselves back up. She taught us how to set up rabbit snares and how often to check on them. Gertie Esmailka used to work so hard with our class when we practiced for Christmas plays. She also used to bring us out on lots of field trips for schoolwork. We used to go out and pick cranberries for cranberry-orange bread. We made the bread for the parents when they came in to pick up our mid-term grades. Sharon Strick brought out my artistic side by showing me how to make different but interesting arts and crafts-for example she showed us how to make natural paper. She also taught us how to make beads with Fimo clay that we cooked in the oven. Gary Jarvill had a very amusing personality that helped us understand algebra in a fun way. Mr. Bob Love was a big help with my future plans after high school. All these teachers had something in common, which was their involvement in our daily lives as well as in our education. I stated just a few of the unlimited solutions that we can practice in order to help our Native students succeed in Alaska's changing economy and society. The government also has a big impact on the education of our Native students. Politics and power have a heavy influence on the education of Alaska Native students. When it comes right down to it, the education of Alaska Native youth depends on the government who has the power to decide how much funding should be spent on Alaska's education system. Therefore, the government has the resources which are crucial in pulling together Alaska's education system. I like to think education is like knowledge, it only gets stronger and more powerful as it grows over time. Think about it, we have come so far in developing our education system since the early 1930s and 40s. Back then students were attending school in the village church, if they even had one. For example in Hughes, which is located along the Koyukuk River, my mother remembers that the classes were in a local man's home up until the missionaries built a church. These students and teachers could not even understand each other. Moreover, they all had to share a class, in which some students were older siblings of one another. I think about how difficult and frustrating it must have been for these teachers and their students. They must have been strongly motivated because those students are now adults who speak fluent English as well as their own heritage language. This is thanks to their motivation and our growing education system. A few of the aspects that helped our educational system so far include bilingual programs, cross-cultural programs and immersion programs. Most importantly, everyone helps our education system by simply knowing that we all have cultural differences and that we are trying to find a middle ground with each other. This is a crucial first step to helping education develop successfully for the Alaska Native youth. Education is a very timely topic in which everyone needs to be a part in order to ensure that the younger generations of Alaska will be successful. We need to leave this conference knowing that we can help Alaska's Native students succeed in preschool, kindergarten, grade school, high school and college. Some of the ideas I have touched upon to help Alaska Native students succeed are: pay attention to your children's education as well as their lives; teachers need to accommodate their curriculum in a way that the students can easily learn and understand and finally, all school staff, students and the community need to build trust, respect and comfort with one another. Ana Basee' and have a wonderful evening! Presented by Mariah Sakeagak: The Importance of Native Role Models for Students My experience at Barrow High School: * Teachers and instructors were mostly non-Native except for the bilingual teachers. * Students need to take notice that they, too, can get a degree in teaching if they set there mind and heart to it! I have always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was just a young child, and to now realize the importance of having Native educators makes me want to work even harder to complete my degree. To have little children come to you and tell you that "they want to be like you and go to college and be a teacher" always warms my heart. I have mentors on the North Slope who are in fact bilingual teachers; they have shared with me the importance of getting an education so I can go home to Barrow one day and be a mentor for other Native students. My experience with college/higher education: Often students who have graduated from a rural area are not familiar with what is outside of their community, mostly because of the outrageous prices on airfare. When they do get out of their community to attend college I think its important to have someone, perhaps a Native educator to share with them the survival skills beforehand. I say Native because I know from my experience to have someone familiar nearby to share their ideas and experiences made it more comfortable for me. Many rural students haven't lived elsewhere so they have a rural perspective; to have someone there who has been there, like myself, would help them understand what the rest of the world is like. When a non-Native shares with you what they experienced, their perspective on life is often different because they have grown up in a city or Outside, and they haven't experienced what it was like to grow up in a village. For me entering college, I was very shy and I did not usually ask questions about anything even though I was confused. It wasn't until last semester that I started opening my mind and my mouth! I was tired of not sharing my ideas, because usually they were good ideas. Mostly I was shy because I was the only Native in class, but this is not stopping me anymore. From here on out I am going to voice my opinion. If you have something to say, don't be shy like I was. Let people know what you think. With this I know I will be able to complete my degree, GO HOME, and be a role model for others. I will be one of the Native educators who encourages other students to go out and want to be teachers! And if not be a teacher, be something, because as long as you set your mind to it and work hard, you can achieve anything! Presented by Quentin Simeon The foundation for all stable relationships is based on trust and the truth. In order to educate our children, we must teach them the truth. However, in order to reach our children we must first be trusted by them. And to get our children to trust the teachers, the teachers must be trusted by the community. The approach is threefold. The first concerns the method of teaching. We must apply the knowledge to our students, connecting them with the information and the world around them. Make them feel as though they have a voice and a story worthy of being told. In other words, teach from the world they come from, not just the world of the Europeans. However, the Western or European world is not going to disappear, so we must implement a training course designed to educate our people about the differences and similarities of and between the Western culture and ours. The second aspect that relates to the first is what tools should we use to teach our children or what books are we going to teach them from? Should we write our history from our own perspective or settle for the Western documentation? I prefer the former. But if we choose to use Western books, I suggest that we at least screen them for certain biases. The final portion to an approach is the teachers and their relationship with the community. I would prefer to have Native teachers everywhere, but that is unlikely, so we must find a way to acculturate the teachers to our communities, as well as accept them as members of our families. Make them feel welcome, not like a stranger, then we will keep our children out of danger. With trust, we can accomplish a lot. It doesn't really matter if we are Native or not. The children are important-after all that's all we got. Once we, the educators, earn their trust our children will eagerly get on the bus. Plan of Action After the presentations, some collective brainstorming and small group discussions yielded great ideas. Everyone in the workshop participated. Listed below are some of the proposed actions: * Highlight successful programs such as immersion schools across the state and use them as role models. * Allow communities to influence curriculum. * Have schools recognize and incorporate cultural values. * Use student panels such as this as a component for teacher inservices. * Role models in our communities need to present in the classrooms. * Role models in each region need to be identified and interviewed by the students. * It doesn't take much to encourage young people if they are able to see for themselves first hand the accomplishments their people have made. This could give them a boost in furthering their education. * Community leaders past and present should encourage youth to become future leaders and role models. * Create booklets of Native mentors from throughout the past 50 years so children see the accomplishments people have made AND USE THEM IN OUR SCHOOLS! * Write letters to state and national legislators to call their attention to the problems No Child Left Behind is creating for our schools. * Publish ideas from this workshop in Sharing Our Pathways! | |
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Yup'ik Region: Fifth Annual Calista Elders and Youth Convention by Mark John:The Fifth Annual Calista Elders Council Elders and Youth Convention will take place March 27-29, 2003 at Kotlik. The first day will be the annual meeting of Calista Elders Council, which includes an election of the board, reports from CEC staff and presentations from agency representatives with interest in Elders. The next two days will involve presentations on "Kevgiq" (Messenger Feast), talks on traditional Yup'ik values and Kevgiq performance and demonstration by Kotlik and Stebbins Dancers. With this event, we are going to document Kevgiq which is a major ceremony that is filled with teasing, ridiculing, sharing, giving, strengthening family ties, bonding as a community, etc. With the documentation gathered from the convention, we will make a video tape and provide information that can be made into books for students and the general public. This will be an excellent way of passing on Yup'ik knowledge and tradition. When the churches and the schools were established in the region in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they discouraged the practice of traditional ceremonies. They argued that the ceremonies were demonic and made the Native population suffer by giving away too much of their food and material belongings. The items that were given away were distributed to the elderly and to those without providers. This practice was a traditional way of providing social welfare. In most areas of the Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta, the Yup'ik were forced to move towards accepting the Western way of life and abandoning traditional Yup'ik ways of being. This made the Yup'ik Elders back away from traditional ceremonies and practices. The Elders also backed out of passing on this valuable knowledge. It is important now to bring out those ways and document them while we still have Elders with that knowledge. This project fits right into two parts of Calista Elders Council mission statement. It fits into " . . . striving to maintain and preserve the cultural, linguistic and traditional lifestyle of the Natives of the region" and "foster and encourage the education of the young people within the Calista region." Since we have made culture and history our niche in the region, this project fits right into the activities that we have been focusing on. It will be as excellent addition to the progress Calista Elders Council has been making in documenting important activities of our culture. | |
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VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3 |
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2003 AFN Convention Theme Approved by Frank Hill:The 2003 AFN Convention will examine the issues around education and self determination for Alaska Natives. Keynote speakers, panels and presentations will be scheduled that highlight the central issues concerning education and connections to personal and Native community self-determination. The AFN Elders and Youth Convention that precedes the regular AFN Convention will also be utilizing the theme of education and self determination, from the Elders and youth perspective. AFN is working with the First Alaskans Institute to coordinate the major recommendations coming out of the AFN Convention with the focus of the First Alaskans Institute annual Native Education Summit now being planned for mid-November, 2003. AFN is developing a group of Native Educators and representatives of education entities to assist in planning and developing the convention activities including keynote speakers and panels that will highlight the major issues concerning education and self determination. | |
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2003 Celebration Honoring Alaska's Indigenous Literature by Virginia Ned:2003 Alaska Indigenous Literature Award Recipients Howard Luke for My Own Trail, 1998, ANKN. Athabascan Elder Howard Luke's book was written so that Howard could share and preserve his life story and the Athabascan culture with others. Catherine Attla for Sitsiy Yu-gh Noholnik Ts'in'. As My Grandfather Told It: Traditional stories from the Koyukuk, 1983; K'etetaalkkaanee. The One Who Paddled Among the People and Animals. The Story of an Ancient Traveler, 1990; and Bekk'aatu-gh Ts'u-hu- ney. Stories We Live By. Traditional Koyukon Athabaskan Stories, 1996, Yukon-Koyukuk School District/Alaska Native Language Center. Florence Pestrikoff, Mary Haakanson, Sophie Katelnikoff, Jenny Zeeder, Nick Alokli for Alutiiq Word of the Week, 1999, Alutiiq Museum. Alutiiq Word of the Week has increased exposure of the Alutiiq language and offered valuable cultural knowledge and stories. More information can be found on www.alutiiqmuseum.com/wordoftheweek.htm or call 907-486-7004. Aangaarraaq Sophie Shields for her contributions in editing, transcribing and translating materials that are produced for the Yup'ik speakers. Her most recent work is the soon-to-be released Qulirat in collaboration with Yup'ik Elder author Paul John and Anthropologist Ann Riordan-Fienup. Dr. Dolly Garza for Tlingit Moon and Tide Teaching Resource: Elementary Level, 1999, University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sea Grant College Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The book is an excellent educational resource for elementary educators. John Aqumggaciq Active for his contribution in educating the general public about the Yup'ik culture and his skill at portraying Yup'ik humor which is a vital part of the Yup'ik people. He is well known for his commentaries and reporting of news on KYUK, Alaska Public Radio Network and National Public Radio. HAIL award recipients John Active, Alice Petrivelli for Cedar Snigaroff, Howard Luke, Gerald Tennyson for Sophie Shields, Ursula Clauch for Martha Teeluk, Catherine Attla, Edna Lamebull for Katherine Mills and Marie Olson, HAIL Elder. Posthumous Awards: Cedar Snigaroff for Niigugis Maqaxtazaqangis Atkan Historic Traditions, 1979, Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. This posthumous award goes to a man who had passed on the Unangaˆx history through his own language. William Oquilluk for People of Kauwerak, 1973, 1981, Alaska Methodist University, Anchorage, Alaska. The book is a memorial to William Oquilluk, to one man's dedication to his personal ideals in response to the obligations imposed on him by his cultural heritage. Katherine Mills for Tlingit Thinking, 1990, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation; Woosh Yax Yaa Datuwch, Tlingit Math Book, written by the students of Hoonah High School under the direction of Katherine Mills, 1973, printed by Andy Hope, second edition 1997, ANKN. Katherine was one of the first Tlingit teachers in the University of Alaska Southeast. Martha C. Teeluk for Martha Teeluk-aam Qulirat Avullri Erinairissuutekun Ukunek Yugnek Evon Benedict, Charlie Hootch, Anna Lee, Matilda Oscar, Isaac Tuntusuk-llu, 2001; and Martha Teeluk-aam Qulirat Avullri Erinairissuutekun Agnes Hootch-aamek, 2001, Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Lower Kuskokwim School District, Bethel, Alaska. Martha was the first Yup'ik woman to be known as an expert in the Yup'ik language who contributed many hours of work developing and creating accurate and practical Yup'ik orthography. | |
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Alaska RSI Regional Contacts:Regional Coordinators: Andy Hope, Southeast Teri Schneider, Olga Pestrikoff, Moses Dirks, Alutiiq/Unangaxˆ John Angaiak, Yup'ik/Cup'ik Katie Bourdon, Iñupiaq Region Athabascan Region pending at TCC Lead Teachers: Angela Lunda, Southeast Teri Schneider/Olga Pestrikoff/ Moses Dirks, Alutiiq/Unangaxˆ Esther Ilutsik, Yup'ik/Cup'ik Bernadette Yaayuk Alvanna-Stimpfle, Iñupiaq Linda Green-Interior/Athabascan | |
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ANKN Curriculum Corner by Ray Barnhardt:Every community in Alaska contains a wealth of local knowledge about birds that can serve as a rich resource for curriculum ideas and the involvement of local people. In an effort to provide an example of the curricular possibilities in the study of bird traditions, the ANKN is in the final stages of publishing Bird Traditions of the Lime Village Area Dena'ina: Upper Stony River Ethno-Ornithology, by Priscilla N. Russell and George C. West. To illustrate the many enrichment opportunities that the single theme of "birds" can bring to a curriculum, here is the table of contents from this book: Contents (partial): Environment Environmental Communities Climate and Weather Seasonal Cycle Social Interaction Learning about Birds Sharing the Catch Harvesting Strategies The Harvesting of Birds The Harvesting of Eggs Composition of Hunting Parties Transportation Blinds Hunting Clothes Methods of Calling Birds Foods & Products Made from Birds Preparing and Preserving Birds for Food Use of Bird Skin in Clothing and Other Products Feather Technology Bird Bone Technology Medicinal Uses of Birds Taming & Training Birds How Tame Geese Saved the Lives of a Woman and Her Two Daughters Beliefs About Birds Communication with Birds Classification and illustration of over 150 bird species Lime Village student stories Dena'ina language bird list Teachers in all grade levels and subject areas will find ways to incorporate birds as a theme in their classes, though the kinds of birds available will vary with location and season. For further examples of student work around the topic of birds, check out the stories from Scammon Bay and Marshall on the ANKN web site at http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/Marshall/birds. The Dena'ina bird traditions publication is also being prepared for posting on the ANKN web site as a model and template for similar curricular resources to be developed by teachers and students in other regions of Alaska. We urge you to check out these resources and get your students involved in the excitement of learning from and documenting the world around them. We welcome submissions of curriculum resources and ideas that you think might be of interest to others, as well as descriptions of curriculum initiatives that are currently underway or for which you are seeking sites or teachers who are willing to pilot-test new materials. Information on obtaining copies of the materials described in this column is available through the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at www.ankn.uaf.edu, fndmd1@uaf.edu or at 907-474-5086. | |
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Announcement:Previous issues of Sharing Our Pathways can be downloaded from our ANKN website: www.ankn.uaf.edu/SOP | |
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Athabascan Region: Interior Athabascan Tribal College Language Program by Beth Leonard:The Gwich'in Language Development Institute will take place in Fort Yukon from May 27 through June 17; for more information, please contact Kathy Sikorski at 907-474-7875 or Jennifer Carroll, Yukon Flats Center at 907-662-2521. Irene Solomon-Arnold and Gary Holton are planning the Tanacross/Upper Tanana (Northway) Language Development Institute which is scheduled to take place in Tok. For more information please contact Irene Solomon-Arnold at 907-474-6263. The Deg Xinag (Holy Cross, Anvik, Grayling, Shageluk) Language Development Institute will take place in one of the Lower Yukon villages. For information on this program, please contact Beth Leonard at 907-452-8251, x3287 or Malinda Chase at x3484. The Koyukon and Lower Tanana (Minto/Nenana) Language Development Institutes will take place on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus from June 2-20. For more information on the Koyukon program, please contact Susan Paskvan at 907-474-0764 and for information on the Lower Tanana program, please contact David Engles in Minto at daveengles@yahoo.com or Beth Leonard at the phone number listed above. | |
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Athabascan Region: Whouy Sze Kiunalth: Teaching Our Many Grandchildren by Joan Herrmann:Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium received grants that are helping to create a better world for our people. In a partnership with two museums, two school districts, University of Alaska and the National Parks Service, our students are learning about our traditional way of life, how to make healthy lifestyle choices, why we should care for our land and how to use technology. In short, we are teaching our children how to maintain their cultural identity and also succeed in a modern world. Providing quality health care in rural Alaska presents many challenges to our villages. However, for the past two years, our students have been working to raise community awareness about crucial health issues while learning how to make responsible choices that impact their own health. Our "Learn and Serve America" programs were designed to promote learning and passing on information about our traditional ways of staying healthy, our use and preparation of subsistence foods, our Athabascan language and comparing ways of life today to ways of life for our Elders in the past. MSTC was awarded three tribal grants by the Corporation for National Service, Learn and Serve America program. These grants promote a service-learning approach through all the program activities. This approach, commonly associated with traditional learning styles, encourages our young people to learn and develop through active participation in service experiences that meet actual community needs and are coordinated with the village schools and communities. We have already conducted activities such as removal of more than 300 junk cars and student-led health fairs; activities that extend our children's learning beyond the classroom out into our communities and foster a sense of caring for others, leadership skills, career-related skills and preservation of traditional knowledge that will protect the health of our communities for present and future generations. In our villages, the Elders are the only ones left with full knowledge of the old ways and as they leave us, so does our culture. Many of our older people were sent away to boarding school when they were young, denied the right to speak our language in school and were inundated with the outside world's way of doing and living. Today's children are even further removed from our traditions and culture, but they have an easier time learning and an energy that makes it fun to teach them. By having the Elders teach the students, the knowledge is being passed on directly to the generation that will know enough by adulthood to do more with it. The student's parents will also benefit from what their children learn, as the students share what they have learned with their village. Angie David assists as her Grandma Katie John goes through the screenings at last spring's health fairs. Partnerships Tribal councils and focus groups provide the source of guidance and direction for the projects; Cheesh'na Tribal Council and Mentasta Lake Traditional Council offer input and direction to the entire program and many of the same people serve as focus group members. The purpose of the focus groups is to bring together a diverse group of local community members for input on project processes and progress. They have been working with program staff and students for five years providing curriculum content, direction for student research and guidance for the program staff. Student service activities are planned to ensure ongoing quality service activities and learning throughout the entire year, rather than just during the school year. Practical, working partnerships continue to be developed with the village councils, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, our local health clinics and Gateway and Copper River School Districts to provide health education opportunities to our students and community members. Classroom Activities Our students participate in classroom research about sanitation and nutrition, and program assistants provide after-school activities two to three times per week that support the classroom lessons. Activities include students examining the content of foods they usually eat, cooking nutritional snacks, interviewing Elders and preparing food for them. Students also make posters for display in the schools and community halls and plan traditional themes for their upcoming health fair exhibits. Health education presentations and activities are coordinated in our villages utilizing local expertise wherever possible. For example, Mentasta Elder, Katie John has spent time with students discussing her nationally acclaimed lawsuit, Katie John vs. the State of Alaska, and sharing why she has worked so hard for the future of Alaska Native subsistence rights and lifestyle. Elder Lena Charley spends one day each week with students to teach them traditional ways of living and speaking their language. Elder Molly Galbreath has shared with students about what her life was like, growing up in Batzulnetas; sharing photos of tanning moose hides, talking about wilderness survival and staying strong and healthy by living off the land. Student-led Health Fairs The projects follow MSTC's Mission " . . . empowering our people by enhancing our traditional values to ensure a healthier and more positive future for our children." These grants allow the students to participate in fun, hands-on, culturally relevant lessons in and out of school. One of the most important and favorite ways of learning is through our community's Elders who are grandparents of not only their grandchildren but of all the children in the community and share their knowledge with them. The students then take what they've learned, stories and traditional knowledge of health and caring for the environment and create ways to share it with their community. To share what they've learned, students put on an annual spring health fair, present skits at community dinners, are developing a website, help teach in the computer lab and are restoring a historical trail to be used as an interpretive trail in each village. The health fair is the most work intensive as students design and produce the exhibits based on traditional knowledge. The students work hard to learn from their Elders and community members. Students research in teams of four to eight and create learning centers to share pertinent cultural knowledge with their communities. Students present their projects at the spring health fairs where they act as teachers to share their new-found knowledge with their communities. Our students have been challenged to learn from Elders about important cultural traditions. The past two years, they have explored issues that are important and that they feel are especially relevant to their lives today. The students in Chistochina have focused on subjects including steambath, exercise, nutritional values of moose vs. beef, local berries and traditional medicinal plants. Mentasta students have chosen to focus on the traditional knowledge and practices having to do with the moose during hunting, food preparation, potlatch, language and uses of the hide. Leandra Martin builds a diorama at the Denver Museum-learning how to build exhibits. Culturally-Relevant Curriculum Throughout the project, a culturally-relevant curriculum has been developed and piloted as a working document that breaks down many barriers-to bring the community into the classroom. The curriculum, called Whouy Sze Kiunalth (Teaching our Many Grandchildren), has lessons about topics ranging from subsistence and environmental management to gathering, nutrition and traditions of our food. This curriculum is the product of five years of intensive work and actually began with the original Learn and Serve grant. Museum staff at UAF guide Brian McLaren, exhibit designer, and Megan Holloway, resource educator, search the archives for exhibit artifacts. Jerry Charley teaches students how to make a drum. Teaching strategies are being developed through our partnerships with UAF for the curriculum that will promote a better understanding of health and environmental issues in Alaska Native Villages and build necessary skills for rural service. The curriculum has been designed as a model to teach students about their culture, whatever it may be, and is aligned with current Alaska state standards throughout the lessons, making it "teacher friendly". It is designed to be shared, used, adjusted or adapted in order to meet the individual needs of villages and schools who use it. Now in its final editing phase, the curriculum has been formally adopted by both Copper River and Alaska Gateway school districts. Exhibit One of the program goals is to develop an exhibit that will demonstrate our commitment to ensuring a healthier and more positive future for our children. And as we have progressed through these projects, it has become apparent that the exhibit we want to construct will be a model for many Alaska tribes and will be appreciated for its educational value in many arenas around the state such as schools, hospitals, cultural centers, our partner museums and many other locations. We are working with an exhibit designer to develop a conceptual plan. This design plan will develop ways this can be viewed and translated for clarity by all ages and literacy levels. Modern technologies that are used in high quality museum exhibits will be utilized. The exhibit, titled after the original project, "Teaching Our Many Grandchildren," is expected to be small, about 300 square feet, and will be designed to travel to a variety of venues including museums and culture centers in Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Copper River region as well as to schools, libraries and other community centers in rural Alaska. It may also travel to the Lower 48 to venues such as our partner museums or other cultural centers. The exhibit will present the story of our Athabascan clans and how our Elders, Mentasta Traditional Council, Cheesh'na Tribal Council, Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium and school teachers are committed to preserving and passing on the values and knowledge of our traditional tribal identity, that is, our subsistence lifestyle based on a deep respect for the land and each other. It will tell about stories passed on by our Elders such as Katie John who, in a changing world, continues to remind her children and many grandchildren of the old ways of living and the lessons they taught of self-reliance, laughter and service to our villages. Since the focus of "Teaching Our Many Grandchildren" is to demonstrate subsistence and the values of spiritual well being inherent in our lifestyle; the exhibit will also house objects and artifacts that reflect our subsistence way of life. Key in presenting the story of our people is the land and a strong sense of place. The exhibit will show the majesty and great beauty of the Copper River headwater region, beloved home to our people. We hope to develop an online version of this exhibit to make it available to rural communities who might not otherwise be able to view it. Several agencies have already expressed a desire to see this project succeed and have indicated an interest in displaying the exhibit after its completion date which we anticipate for fall, 2003. Closing Each student has had the opportunity to become an expert on his or her project. They are beginning to understand the depth of knowledge available in their communities and the importance of sharing that knowledge with their peers. They have gained self-esteem and pride, essential elements for living a healthy life. The "Teaching Our Many Grandchildren" curriculum resources will be available through the Alaska Native Knowledge Network web site at www.ankn.uaf.edu. | |
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Iñupiaq Region: Keviq in Stebbins by Katie Bourdon:Once the giveaway is completed, the song leader begins by singing solo the family's selected song. The band of drummers join in once it's sung through by the leader and the awaited performance of the first dancer begins. Yupik style of dance is one of repeated encores. Guests can request pumyua or "tale again" and dancers are obligated respectfully to dance the tale again. It's common for dancers to continue the same dance 10, 15 times or more to the pleasure of the crowd. It's beautiful to watch-as the dancers tire, their intensity does not and with this intensity, the dancers and drummers become one. The palpable drummers' beat rings out and the dancers glisten with sweat. The flow of the strong beat and the rhythmic dancers motion all in unison engages everyone who watches. Sixteen new dancers performed their "first dance" on Friday, February 21 to the honored guests who traveled from Kotlik and to their fellow community members in Stebbins. Dancing and giving away graced the community well into the next day and didn't stop until 3:00 AM on Saturday. Later in the afternoon on Saturday there was another giveaway from the community of Stebbins to the Elders of Kotlik of gathered Native foods that were harvested by Stebbins people. In the evening, communities gathered again for dancing. Now the new dancers are no longer first dancers and could join any dance. The dances that were performed on Saturday evening were requested by the Elders from Kotlik. Following the Stebbins dancers, Kotlik was invited to perform. Elders Joe and Martina Apazeruk, who are in their 80s, gave a performance with grace, dignity, love, respect and humor that blessed all who witnessed. We could have watched those two all night! Dancing by Kotlik was enjoyed by everyone until midnight on Saturday. The Keviq was a weekend of nurturing between two communities that cultivates and strengthens all through cultural traditions that have thrived for generations and are still going strong in Stebbins. PUMYUA! In the center April Marie Merlin, who is 4 years old, is performing her "first dance" with her great-grandmother, Christine Steve, on the left and her adoptive mother, Margaret Merlin, on the right. Pumyua! Elder Rose Anne Waghiyi dancing. Rose Anne has been an instrumental Elder in Stebbins in reviving the Kevig and traditional dancing. | |
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Iñupiaq Region: NANA Science Fair by D'Anne Hamilton:Northwest Arctic Recognizes Traditional Knowledge in Regional Science Fair The annual American Indian Science and Engineering Society's Science Fair encourages Native students across the country to become scientists and engineers; the Northwest Arctic Borough School District regional AISES Science Fair on March 7, 2003 reflected the unique life experience of students in the arctic. At June Nelson Elementary School in Kotzebue, students from outlying villages sat waiting quietly as judges moved from display to display, questioning the students about their hypotheses, research and conclusions on projects ranging from traditional Iñupiaq diapers to healing practices of tribal doctors in the region. The handful of students spoke confidently as they greeted visitors to their demonstration boards, explaining the specifics of their projects. If affinity is what helps light a fire in the hearts of these fledgling scientists, Kathleen Skin of Selawik should go on to do great things. The Iñupiaq/Mescalero Apache traced the onset of diabetes through her ancestors, beginning with first contact with Europeans on down to her own mother who suffers from diabetes. Skin said she feared for her own health, "Doing this project . . . I started eating healthier and exercising more." Skin demonstrates the traditional measurement of how many vegetables to eat, cupping both hands together. She then makes a fist to show how many carbohydrates to eat, and so on. Drawing on the traditional knowledge of the Elders is one of the criteria for judging the projects. One student who descended from a line of tribal doctors detailed the manipulation of the digestive system and its benefits, while another displayed the various types of moss that were used for insulation, fire and baby diapers. Lexy Staheli of Kiana said it wasn't easy researching projects like the diapers. With tears in her eyes, Staheli said "We usually talk with the Elders about this kind of knowledge. But the ones who are left didn't always have the specific information we needed, so some of that information is just gone now." The grand prize winner was Ely Cyrus of Kiana, whose display included a PowerPoint presentation of a local Elder on video who detailed traditional weather forecasting. Cyrus has won national awards for the project, which included a comparison of the accuracy of traditional versus contemporary forecasting. The Northwest Arctic Borough School District's bilingual/bicultural coordinator, Ruth Sampson, organized the science fair and has been involved with the AISES event for many years. Although the entries this year were not as numerous as in previous years, with less than a dozen entries, Sampson believes the program has made a difference in encouraging Native youth to pursue science careers. "It really opens their eyes to the world around them and helps them to see the value in the knowledge the Elders have . . . and a side benefit has been the preservation of some important traditional knowledge that might not have been documented." Students who win their regional science fairs are eligible to go on to state competition, which in Alaska is called the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Society Science Fair. Top winners in that event are eligible for the National AISES Science Fair, which is usually held in the spring. For more information about AISES science fairs go to www.aises.org and for the ANSES Science Fair go to www.ankn.uaf.edu/anses/Overallstateinfo.html. NWABSD AISES science fair coordinator Ruth Sampson (left) presents students with awards for their projects. "We usually talk with the Elders about this kind of knowledge. But the ones who are left didn't always have the specific information we needed, so some of that information is just gone now." | |
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Leave No Language Behind:Camai, gui ataqa Kuku, nupugpakarpilama quyanakcagyumiamci nupugt'sllunuk mugtamllu unuarpak. Sugpia'ukuk Nanwalegmek nupugcilluki Sugpiat taumi Aluttit. Guangkuta uturpet Sugt'stun. Sungq'rtukut Nanwalegmek ernerpak ililillemta aualarnirt'slluku litnaurwik Sugt'stun. Katia Brewster, Ataka Moonin taumi Guitka Guangkuta Dynamic-kegkut, guangkunuk allu kimnuk, nanluta. Cali tainenguk Nanwalegmek Acuuk Kvasnikoff taumi Qelni Swenning. Sally and Sperry present at the 29th Annual Bilingual Multicultural Education/Equity Conference * Sally Ash teaches in the Nanwalek Sugt'stun Preschool. Sperry Ash received his Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in 2002 and is continuing on toward his master's degree from UAF. Camai! My name is Sally Ash. Before I go on I would like to thank you very much for letting us speak here this morning. We are from Nanwalek and we are representing the Sugpiaq people from the Alutiiq-Sugpiaq region. Our Native language is Sugt'stun. There are some people from Nanwalek today that helped us get the immersion program started: Kathy Brewster, Rhoda Moonin and Sperry Ash. We are a dynamic team, not just the two of us, but all of us. Also a couple of people who didn't make it are Natalie Kvasnikoff and Emlie Swenning. I am Sugpiaq-Russian born to Sarjus and Juanita Kvasnikoff. I was born and raised in Nanwalek, which used to be known as English Bay. I didn't realize it but as I was growing up, my village was slowly changing from Sugpiaq to a more Western lifestyle. Forty-five years ago big changes came to Nanwalek-a big BIA school was built. Speaking only Sugt'stun, to me it was exciting, new and bright but the teachers who came were different-frightening, authoritative and appearing superior to my grandparents, aunties and uncles or even my own parents. Our Elders encouraged us to learn as much as we could and to speak English. I was a good learner, always interested about the outside world, as much as any of my peers. The teachers were always promising us great things if we finished school. The Elders wanted us to get an education and get back something that was taken away from us, not to mention the pain and shame they went through for speaking a Native language. They were only trying to protect us from what they went through. It wasn't until I had to go out of the village for high school that I realized what my Elders were talking about. How different the outside world became. I was happy to finally finish school, and then I got married and had kids. I was proudest when our kids were born because I was back in the village and learning once again from my Elders and women in the village about the rules on being a mother and raising a child in the Sugpiaq ways. It was through my children's eyes when I realized the important ingredients needed for life that I had left off in my rush to fit into this world. We moved to Anchorage for a few years when the kids were small. As I attended their parent/teacher conferences, the teachers would always end the meetings telling me how much the kids talked and wrote about the village. That sounded to me like their hearts belonged in the village, so we moved back. When I got the school bilingual instructor job I felt so lucky! What an important job. I didn't know what I was doing but I really took my job seriously. It was only then that I really realized how much of the language was dead and dying in my home and in the Alutiiq-Sugpiaq region. I had always thought our language would be alive and well in Nanwalek, but it seemed in a blink of an eye that only the Elders and a few young adults were speaking the language. This void, this emptiness had come silently, subtly. How did I, a speaker of the language, let this happen? It was through my children's eyes when I realized the important ingredients needed for life that I had left off in my rush to fit into this world. Where did the Elders and I fit in our community and school to pass on our God-given knowledge of culture and language? I tried my best to teach with no real support from anywhere until I finally met Sandra Holmes, to whom I am forever grateful. She literally opened my eyes and ears. She critiqued my classes and helped me understand how I need to teach in order to be effective. She moved and after that I had no real support from the school district. Over the years I came to realize that forty-five minutes a day, five days a week was hardly making a dent in saving our language. At the bilingual conferences I'd hear the bilingual representative from our district talk with the Russians about their school and they sounded like they were really doing good and moving along. Our program was so sad that I started dreaming of an immersion school. With the help and inspiration of individuals from other Native language immersion schools-Dr. Jeff Leer, our main linguist from UAF Alaska Native Language Center; Dr. Roy Itzu-Mitchel; Loddie Jones from Ayaprun Immersion School in Bethel; my husband Marlon and so many others (some of you may be even here today)-we were finally able to see our dream come true. We started our immersion school for our pre-school kids three years ago. Our Nanwalek Village Council sponsored us. With the support of parents and grandparents who could see the erosion of our language and culture and the rate we were losing our Elders, and with financial support from various agencies, we got started. Getting started was both an exciting and frustrating time for us. We just converted everything in the head start preschool curriculum into Sugt'stun. We used traditional songs and made up songs and borrowed from our Yup'ik friends. We wanted to work with our district school but they wouldn't even acknowledge us as a school. I remember when I used to teach as a bilingual teacher my credentials were never questioned-supposedly I knew enough to run the program and have complete responsibility. But when I suggested an immersion program, all of a sudden I knew nothing! They tried to discourage us saying that our kids would get confused in school if we did not teach in English. I did some worrying because my own daughter, Ivana, was one of our first students but the thing that kept me going was "Hey, English is all around us through TV and music and even our own people so it will always be there." I can tell you, Ivana is in the first grade and she is doing just fine and so are the rest of our first immersion graduates. We have the happiest times in our little school when our kids are responding to us or to each other in our language or when parents proudly let us know what they hear or what their kids are bringing home. Nothing in the world can beat that! In the mornings we do regular school work, songs and arts and crafts. Then we have lunch followed by some physical education and some total physical response (TPR) and everything is done in Sugt'stun all day. Our cook, Angun Seville, prepares as much fresh and healthy Native foods as he can. We have a long way to go, but as I look back, I am proud and grateful for our little school, for our Elders who share their knowledge so freely, for the parents who give us their little ones to pass on our language, and as our Yup'ik sister Loddie says, to pass on our inherited gift from our ancestors. When I hear of other villages struggling to keep their language alive, I say, "work harder; this is our opportunity and maybe our only chance." Our wildest dream is to teach a Sugt'stun immersion program from preschool to high school in the school that BIA gave us. We want to be a part of the healing that needs to take place for our lost culture and language. Are we, the Elders in our village, really the people our young kids look up to? We want to be. We should be. We, like any other village or community, want our children to be successful students and young adults. As our Elders say, "Agun'lu Kinautacin-don't forget who you are." We are doing it the best way we know works. I know that when my grandfather said about our language, culture and traditions, "I hope this will go on forever," he meant well. On behalf of all Alaska Native languages that are struggling to survive I urge, "Please don't leave our language behind." Continued by Sperry Ash: Mom just told you her experiences. I would like to discuss some other aspects of our language situation so I want to begin by saying we Sugpiaq/Alutiiq people, especially in the Kenai Peninsula, are minorities in our Native land. I think that is also the case for other Sugpiaqs in their regions-Prince William Sound, Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula. Because of our minority status the use of our language suffers, especially within our educational systems: . We receive no meaningful Native language support from our school districts. . We are not allowed to have an immersion program for K-12 students, even though immersion programs do exist in our very own district for the Russian language. . Our immersion school is not recognized by our school district. . Not once has there been a Sugpiaq representative on any of the various school boards formed to determine education policies for our village. All of these decisions are made for us Sugpiaqs by others. Someone somewhere tells us what's good for us. As many of you are familiar, the history of American education with regard to cultural and language learning, especially in Alaska, is not one to be proud of. The educational flavor of the month is "Leave no child behind." Forgive my negative view, but as far as we can tell this is a new name for doing the same thing they were doing before. All it amounts to is teaching kids to pass some tests. Personally, I think a more appropriate name would be "One size fits all." Whether you agree or not, I can tell you it has not worked well in our village. The truth is we have only two graduates from Nanwalek. That's a pretty bad record. Even though we, in our village, pay the price for this miserable record, we lack the control to try things our way. Everything about the borough school in our village permeates with the attitude "we know what's best for your kids." Immersion is the unmentionable "I" word. This situation makes it very hard to make any progress when it comes to revitalizing our language. With the support of parents and grandparents who could see the erosion of our language and culture and the rate we were losing our Elders, and with financial support from various agencies, we got started. Besides our language we want to teach our kids to be proud of their culture, who they are, to be risk-takers and to have that can-do attitude they will need to solve the problems that they will face later on in life. The reality though is us kids will be just like our parents. We need to see our parents in charge instead of being helpers, having fun speaking their language instead of ashamed to say it in front of the principal, doing something proactive instead of crying or being consumed by anger about the situation and sharing our culture instead of being only observers and consumers of another culture. The struggle we continue to fight against alcoholism and other social diseases is in part a result of not being in control of our lives. These are the things we aim to promote in our school and none of them are on a test. I have heard it said "Your culture is so important . . . don't lose it," but when you try to actually do something then they say "first get your college degree and then we'll talk about it." For example, I took a lot of math in college. I was able to solve quadratic equations long enough to solve a few on a test. But you didn't invite me here to do that. Nobody does and probably never will. All you want to know and many like you is about our language and culture-all of which I could have learned from people who never went to college, maybe not high school or even grade school. My mom never went to college. It is an honor to sit beside her and talk to you about our situation. She, like so many of the parents and elderly in the Sugpiaq region, went through the period as a child when speaking Sugt'stun/Alutiit'stun was shunned, shameful or even forbidden. As children they swallowed this guilt. They held on to it. They also raised their children with it. I see it in the common From Sally & Sperry Ash: We really want to thank the organizers of this bilingual conference for inviting us to speak. We enjoyed the experience and the warm support we received. One of the things we do regret is that we did not adequately thank the many people and organizations that have helped us get to this point. Some of you that we would like to thank are: * Guilia Oliverio, UAF Alaska Native Language Center * Dr. Jeff Leer, UAF Alaska Native Language Center * Jennifer Harris, Chugachmuit * Sherrie Buretta, Chairman, Chugach Alaska Corporation * Teri Schneider, Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative * Staff of Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Immersion School in Bethel * All the parents who sent their kids to our school and Nanwalek IRA Tribal members who supported us * Our corporate donors: Chugach Alaska Corporation, CIRI, English Bay Corp, Rasmusen, DCRA, North Pacific Rim Housing Authority * Many of the staff and management from Chugach Alaska Corporation, Chugachmuit and the Nanwalek IRA Council. We also know that there are probably a few people and organizations who we forgot to mention. Please forgive our omission. There are also many of you out there who may not have time or money but support us in spirit. We thank you all for your support. mannerisms and attitudes towards our Sugpiaq language by this generation. Some still hold on to this. But my mom and a few others finally came to realize that it's okay to be Sugpiaq, Aleut, Alutiiq. It's okay to talk Sugt'stun, Alutiit'stun. Speaking Sugt'stun is not equated with being dumb or slow. Heck, they have two languages in their brains and we only have one. Who's using their brain more? I don't want to leave you with the impression that it has been a one- or two-person show. Many, many people have contributed to the effort of passing on the Sugt'stun language. There are many proactive community members in the village that share the high hopes for Sugt'stun. Just as we have support in the village, we also have support outside of the village. These connections have been equally as vital to the continuation of our efforts. Mom has mentioned a few so I will not run through the names again but I just want to reemphasize that the support we get is truly helpful. Cali, quyana! Unfortunately, we also have people in our small village of 250 and some outside the village who do not see value in teaching our language to future generations and that has been an additional burden to our efforts. Maybe I shouldn't have talked like this; those that are in disagreement with us might not understand what they are doing. Maybe we ourselves don't know what we are doing either. As my departed grandmother taught us many things about prayer, I ask you, the audience, to please pray for all of us. Pray for us and our efforts, that they are pleasing and acceptable to God. There are many more issues that need to be addressed related to language and its continuation, but of course we could not discuss them all in this time. I look forward to hearing from the rest of you and especially what you have to teach and share with us. Quyana. Besides our language we want to teach our kids to be proud of their culture, who they are, to be risk-takers and to have that can-do attitude they will need to solve the problems that they will face later on in life. | |
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