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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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 2, ISSUE 1 |
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Inupiaq Region by Elmer Jackson:Northwest Arctic Borough School District (NWABSD), North Slope Borough School District (NSBSD), Bering Straits School District (BSSD), and Nome City School District (NCSD) will host a district-wide subsistence curriculum development workshop that produces curriculum resources reflecting subsistence practices of the region and utilizing indigenous knowledge and the way of teaching. They will also participate in the regional Academy of Elders in which they and the Native educators will work on the development of indigenous curriculum resources for use in the schools. Ilisagvik College will participate in the development of a prototype curriculum framework based on Inupiaq cultural precepts and principles that will be shared with the other districts in the Inupiaq region. They will provide support for the documentation of Inupiaq Ways of Knowing. Ilisagvik College will also assist in supporting the activities of the North Slope Inupiaq Educators Association, which will provide guidance for the implementation of an Inupiaq Academy of Elders, drawing on the support of the Ciulistet Yup'ik teachers and the Association of Interior Native Educators. Kawerak, Inc. will provide support for the documentation of Inupiaq Ways of Knowing and Teaching that can serve as the basis for the teaching of all subjects in the schools. They will participate in the development of a prototype curriculum framework based on Inupiaq cultural precepts and principles that will be shared with the other districts in the Inupiaq regions. Finally they will assist in the establishment of a Bering Strait Native Educators Association that will provide guidance for the implementation of an Academy of Elders drawing on the support of the Association of Interior Native Educators. The BSSD will also utilize the Native educators to assemble and document Siberian Yup'ik and Inupiaq curriculum resources that can be utilized to bring indigenous knowledge and perspective into the school curriculum. The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) chapters are coming to a reality in the Inupiaq region. Thanks to those who have committed their time for the Alaska RSI project. When you begin planning, fundraising, etc., local governments such as the traditional councils or IRA councils, city governments and search and rescue organizations are always willing to donate money to support school functions. Start planning your science project for the science fair to be held somewhere in the Inupiaq region. Our elders will assist in the judging of the science fair projects. AISES project coordinator, Claudette Bradley-Kawagley and teacher liaisons attended the 1996 AISES conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah. We will read their reports in the next issue of Sharing Our Pathways. I will give you an update on the progress of the AISES chapters and the Scientist-in-Residence program. If you have any questions or concerns, call me at (907) 475-2257. Happy New Year! | |
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KIDS 2000 Distance Education Courses:The Professional Education and Training Center at the Univeristy of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is offering KIDS 2000 distance education courses this spring. The courses' focus on standards in math, science and other subjects. Students in the courses will develop standards-based interdisciplinary teaching units to use in their classrooms. The units will be published and shared. These courses would provide an excellent opportunity for Native and non-Native teachers to team up and produce culturally relevant curriculum materials with guidance and college credit available from UAS. The registration deadline for the courses was January 13 but if you want more information call 465-8748. | |
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Making the Old Way Count by Wm. Clark Bartley:Prior to the invention of the Kaktovik Inupiaq numerals, the numbers of the Inupiaq language were falling into disuse and, except for the lower numbers, were being forgotten. The Inupiaq counting system had almost become a relic from the past even for the most fluent Inupiaq speakers. Consequently, there are Inupiaq speakers who have had only a rudimentary understanding of their own traditional number system. The Kaktovik Inupiaq numerals began as an ordinary math enrichment activity at Kaveolook Middle School on Barter Island, but because of the remarkable simplicity of the system, it has caught on as a way of expressing, in symbols, the numbers of the Inupiaq language. It has gained recognition not only on the North Slope and in Alaska generally, but it has also gained attention nationally as well as internationally. In early September of 1994 at Harold Kaveolook School, students were exploring base-2 numbers in their middle-school math class. Some students mentioned that Inupiaq, their Eskimo dialect, has a base-20 system. They then decided to try to write the Inupiaq numbers with regular Arabic numerals, but found there were not enough symbols to write the Inupiaq numbers. Upon creating ten extra symbols, the students found that the new symbols were difficult to learn and remember. They discussed the problem and tried different approaches. Finally they hit upon a system that was conceptually simple and reflected the Inupiaq oral counting system. After fine-tuning their new numeral symbols, the students then began to do simple addition and subtraction problems with them. To their amazement, they discovered that their numerals had a number of distinct advantages. It was easier to add and subtract with them than with Arabic numerals. Often the numerals almost gave the students the answer. The students enjoyed the challenge of converting decimal numbers into the base-20 Kaktovik Inupiaq numerals. As they tried to convert increasingly larger numbers, they found that conversion was easier using counters with place value. This idea was then extended into a form of a base-20 abacus. The students discussed the ideal structure of their abacus, got beads from the art teacher, experimented and finally built abacuses in the school shop. Since that time, they have found that because the base-20 Inupiaq abacus represents numbers in a similar way to their new numerals, it is easy to work with the abacus not only to convert, but also to add, subtract, multiply and even to divide. Their Inupiaq abacus has become an important component of math education using the Kaktovik Inupiaq numerals. Inupiaq mathematics, to the extent that it now exists as a scholastic discipline, was born as a twin, on the heels of the Kaktovik Inupiaq numerals. As the students began to perform mathematical operations with their numerals more and more, they discovered that the symbols were powerful enough to be manipulated as symbols. It is as though the symbol itself is a kind of graphic math manipulative. When the class began to experiment with division, they did it the same way they did when dividing decimal numbers. However, a few students noticed that part of the process can be simplified because of the visual nature of the numerals they invented. Soon they had figured out how to do long division almost as though it was short division. Quite frequently, as students work with the numerals they have discovered shortcuts in math that cannot be done so easily with the Arabic numerals. In the spring of 1995, the North Slope Borough Board of Education invited the students from Kaveolook School to fly to Barrow to present and explain their invention. Those who attended that presentation were impressed with the exciting educational possibilities opened up by this system. It is a system which is a direct reflection of the way one counts in Inupiaq. The underlying genius of the Inupiaq language has been crystallized in these numerals, making them useful for practical purposes. As the 1995-96 school year began in August, the ECE immersion class in Barrow and the Inupiaq language classes in Wainwright and Point Lay began introducing the numerals into the classrooms. Teachers in other grades at the elementary school, the middle school, and even the high school in Barrow began introducing the system to their students. Ilisagvik, the local college, began introducing the numerals and their use to students across the North Slope by adding Inupiaq mathematics into its curriculum and its catalog and compressed video classes. By this time, a great deal had been discovered about the practical potential of the Kaktovik Inupiaq numerals, and the students and their teacher had managed to collect a great deal of material about other Arctic and Native American counting systems. The numerals have also been used exclusively (to the exclusion of Arabic numerals) in an ECE immersion program in Barrow and a complete textbook is being developed in the Inupiaq language to teach math, using the numerals, in the first-grade immersion classes. | |
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Southeast Region by Andy Hope:November 6-8, Juneau: Curriculum workshop with Richard and Nora Dauenhauer of Sealaska Heritage Foundation and Jackie Kookesh, a Tlingit math/science teacher. A Tlingit math curriculum guide will be produced as a result of this workshop. The math guide will be supplemented with a Tlingit country map and traditional Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida calendars. The map will include surrounding First Nations and a comprehensive listing of traditional tribes and clans within each of the respective nations. Jackie Kookesh is the main author of this publication, with help from the Dauenhauers and myself. Illustrations will be produced by Jackie Kookesh and Harold Jacobs. The guide will be published in late December. November 12-13, Data collection workshop, Sitka: This workshop was facilitated by Jana Garcia, a Haida archivist (email: jan@accessone.com). A detailed report on this article is available. Write to me at UAS, 11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801. Among the workshop recommendations: Design and implement a survey tool to identify and describe Southeast Alaska Native curriculum materials and collections. Compile the information together with a bibliography of published resources. Special attention should be taken to ensure accuracy of information, particularly regarding availability (access and use). I will be participating in a follow-up teleconference with Bill Schneider and Jana on December 12 to further discuss the issue of access and use of materials on traditional Native knowledge. This will be a continuing major issue in each of our regions as we move through this project. November 14-15, Alaska RSI Coalition, Juneau. This meeting was organized and hosted by Peggy Cowan, science specialist at the State Department of Education. Participants included a wide spectrum of representatives from organizations around the state who are working with school districts to make their math or science education activities more appropriate for Native students. One workshop highlight was the presentation of the Alaska Math/Science Frameworks Indigenous section "Native Ways of Knowing and the Curriculum." It provides a framework to help districts design compatible learning systems that allow for and support multiple worldviews. See volume 1, issue 5 of the Sharing Our Pathways newsletter for an article by Peggy Cowan on the frameworks. During the Alaska RSI Coalition meeting, I was able to meet with Sidney Stephens of the Alaska Science Consortium (ASC) to discuss completion of the Tlingit chapter of the ASC Native Uses of the Seas and Rivers handbook. This handbook will be published in the next few months, and will include contributions from teachers throughout Southeast Alaska. | |
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Teaching and Learning Across Cultures: Strategies for Success by Ray Barnhardt:You have just been hired to teach in a cultural setting with which you have had little if any previous experience. How can you enter into and learn about that community in a manner that will maximize your chances of making a positive contribution to the educational experiences of the students with whom you will work? There are no simple prescriptions in response to that question, but there are strategies you can draw upon to guide you into a new teaching situation and help you adapt your teaching practices to better serve the unique educational needs of that cultural community. The compilation of tips and advice that follows is a distillation of the experiences of many educators who have learned to adapt their work to the physical and cultural environment in which they are located. Although the author's experiences have been drawn mostly from work in Native villages in rural Alaska and are those of a non-Native educator, the issues will be addressed in ways that are applicable in any setting involving people from diverse cultural backgrounds. While a condensed version of such a complex subject runs the risk of over-simplification and misinterpretation, it is offered here as a starting point for an on-going journey of personal exploration and cross-cultural sensitization that each of us as educators must undertake if we are to relate to people from other cultural backgrounds in a respectful and constructive manner. When we learn to relate to each other and teach in a culturally considerate way, we benefit not only those with whom we work, but we benefit ourselves as well. We are all cultural beings, and accelerating changes in the makeup of the world around us makes that fact an increasingly obvious and inescapable aspect of our daily existence. How then can we take culture into account in our work as educators? How do you enter a new cultural community? First impressions count! The way you present yourself to people in a new community will have a lasting impact on how they perceive and relate to you, and consequently on how you perceive them. This is especially true in a small village where everyone lives in close proximity to one another, but it is also true in the context of classrooms as micro-communities. The first thing to remember is that many other teachers have come and gone before you, so students and parents have developed their own ways of making sense out of their relationships with strangers. While this may be a new experience for you, it is not for the host community. The background and perspective you bring to the situation, particularly in terms of cross-cultural experience, will have a major bearing on how you present yourself in a new setting. If you have taught previously in a comparable community, or are yourself from a similar cultural background (e.g., a Native teacher), you will have relationships and experiences to build upon when you enter the new community that a beginning teacher without that prior experience will not have available. For the purpose of making these limited observations as useful as possible, the emphasis here will be on the latter situation, where the teacher is assumed to be starting from scratch in a new cultural situation. The biggest challenge you face is getting to know people on their own terms and letting them get to know you as a person, rather than just as a "teacher." The tendency for people who make their living off the printed word is to turn to the nearest library or bookstore when confronted with a new situation about which they lack information. While it may be useful to acquire some basic factual information about your new cultural home beforehand, most of what you need to know about the people and community you will be working with is probably best acquired firsthand, with minimal influence from someone else's perceptual filters. The fewer prior conceptions and the less cultural baggage that you carry into the situation, the more likely that you will be able to avoid jumping to superficial conclusions, leaving you free to learn what it takes to make a constructive entry into the local flow of life. There are many layers of shared understandings in any cultural community, and for an outsider to even begin to recognize that the deeper layers exist requires a considerable openness of mind and a great deal of time and effort. Our first impressions of a new culture are usually formed in response to the more obvious surface aspects that we can see, hear, and relate to our own prior experience, so it is important to withhold judgment and defer closure on our interpretation of behavior and events as long as possible. Once we arrive at a conclusion or form an opinion, we begin to rely on that explanation for guiding our subsequent behavior and hesitate to assimilate new information that may lead to a deeper understanding. The resulting myopia can contribute to numerous problems, including inappropriately low expectations regarding student abilities. You can minimize the potential problems outlined above and accelerate your immersion into a new cultural community in a number of ways. If the opportunity exists, one of the most useful steps you can take is to get involved in the community as early as possible, preferably before you assume the role of teacher. Let people get to know you as a person first, and this will have enormous payoff in everything that you do as a teacher. If possible and appropriate, get involved in the community where your students live early enough to join in traditional summer activities, so you can get to know people on their terms and begin to see life through their eyes. This will enable you to make your lessons much more meaningful for your students, and it will open up avenues of communication that will be beneficial to everyone involved. If you are looking for a place to live, consider how your housing and life style will set you off from, or help you blend into the community. While housing that sets you apart from the community may be convenient (when available), you pay a price in terms of your relationship to the rest of the community. Whenever possible, choose immersion over isolation, but don't forget who you are in the process. You will be more respected for being yourself (assuming you are considerate and respectful) than for "going Native." Seek advice from the practitioners of the culture in which you are situated, and always convey respect for their ways, recognizing that you are a guest in someone else's community. If you encounter situations of apparent social breakdown and dysfunctionality, be especially careful to exercise discretion and obtain the views of others before you take any precipitous action. The most important consideration when entering a new cultural community is keeping an open mind and accepting people on their own terms. A little attention to how you present yourself in the beginning can make a big difference in your relationships for the remainder of your stay in the community. First impressions do count! | |
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Village Science by Alan Dick:My first fishwheel was a total embarrassment. I left it in the water in the falltime knowing that it would drift with the ice in the spring. The river raised, set the fishwheel on top of the bank and then the ice broke, leaving the fishwheel behind. I had to look at it for three more years until a merciful breakup removed the reminder of my addiction to ingenuity. Another time I built a boat. I wanted to see how a boat would run if it were very long and narrow. It paddled nicely, but when I put a small motor on it, I had to lay on the floor to pull the starter rope since it was so tippy. Once it got going, it was stable, but my heart pounded for several hours after I slowed down again to land. I decided that it was definitely unsafe so I let it drift thinking that someone would make a campfire with it in a driftwood pile someday. Two days later I heard a boat land in front of our cabin. Someone returned the boat thinking that they were doing me a favor. My addiction to ingenuity caught up with me again. I should have taken more time talking with people who understood boats or should have burned the thing. There have been other boats, stoves, sleds, houses and projects that had similar fates. I built a boat in Telida that had wings. I snuck to the river on the day of its maiden voyage, but the whole village appeared on the bank when I pushed out for its trial. I planned to skim on top of the water, even in shallow places, with the wide wing of my wing-boat. I had seen it many times in my mind. My wife suffered the embarrassment of being in the boat with me as we spun around and around in circles. We were barely able to move upstream. We growled at each other a bit, not loud enough for the villagers to hear, but strongly enough to vent-her mortification at being seen in such a boat, and me that my dream was refusing to enter reality. When I was told the theme of this newsletter is to acknowledge existing materials that are successful, I had many positive examples in mind, but was overcome by a compulsion to honesty. Some of my greatest visions worked well in the realm of imagination and balked when they encountered the scientific reality. Recently, I went through the warehouse of the local school district. I found many works, the dust of which has collected dust. Those materials were generated by people no less sincere than we are. They too had a vision and enthusiasm. Why aren't the materials in use? With some, the ideas were great, but the formatting was poor. With others the graphics left too much to be desired. With others the teachers' editions were not teacher friendly, and with others they seem to have been generated with a different spirit or vision. We are not the first ones to recognize the need for relevant curriculum and methods. However we must learn from those who have gone before us or we too will produce dust collectors. The test for a student is the scoring of the teacher-produced questions. Our test is whether our works continue to travel by themselves. Some previous works perished because their timing was wrong. They were gems before their time. I believe that some of the works with the thickest accumulation of dust have the greatest lessons. I have personally abandoned my addiction to innovation to want whatever is best for students, regardless of the source. Everything we need is already available from the minds of the elders, from the work of the past and the energies of those currently creating. We must gather it in the right way, the right spirit, and in the right time. Now is that time. | |
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Welcome Dixie Dayo:Dixie Dayo was recently hired as a program assistant for the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. Dixie is originally from Manley Hot Springs and will be working in Fairbanks at the Harper Building. She can be contacted at 474-5086; her e-mail address is fndmd1@aurora.alaska.edu. Dixie has worked a number of years for Bean Ridge Corporation (the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act village corporation of Manley Hot Springs), the Manley Village Council and as an operating engineer dispatcher/equipment coordinator. Dixie Dayo has a B.A. in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks but says that her most valuable education has been her Indian education taught to her by Aunt Sally Hudson; two Mom's, Judy Woods and Elizabeth Fleagle; older brothers, Robert and Darryl Thompson and many others who have taken the time to explain the traditional Native way of thinking, working and seeing. "It is exciting being employed with a project where I am able to fulfill my goal of learning about ALL the unique Native cultures in Alaska." | |
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Year Two Initiatives Bring Exciting New Challenges by Dorothy M. Larson:Informative reports from each of the MOA partners demonstrate that many things are happening in each of the five cultural regions-much more than we would have dreamed of a year ago when we began the project. It has been a truly remarkable year with all the activities, the progress, the positive involvement of the elders, communities, MOA partners and others who are interested in becoming involved. With the Alaska Rural Challenge up and running, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce Harold Napolean, coordinator for the Reclaiming Tribal Histories initiative. Harold will be working in the Aleut region with Moses Dirks, Aleut regional coordinator. Harold is no stranger to rural Alaska, hailing from Hooper Bay. Welcome aboard, Harold! Time was spent in regional working groups to plan and strategize for the Year Two initiatives. The regional coordinators had a tremendous amount of work to accomplish and did an excellent job in coordinating the initiatives within their regions, establishing Elders Councils, working with a diverse group within their own regions and working with one another collaboratively as a team. The consortium meeting, attended by the staff and MOA partners of the project, is extremely important in the implementation of the Year Two initiatives, to get a reading on the status of Year One initiatives and how to transition from one initiative to another. We applaud the elders for their involvement, patience and wisdom as we see how indigenous knowledge and practices can be appropriate in this age of technology and information. We are looking forward to continuing our quest to make that knowledge an integral part of the teaching and learning for rural students-especially in math and science. Guest speakers included Sharon John, science teacher at the Kanangaq Program at West High School in Anchorage, and Mark John, a graduate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage who spoke on how he is able to use his skills as a traditional hunter, gatherer and fisherman in and around the city. Prior to the consortium meeting, many of the elders and partners were available to participate in the working groups which were formed to discuss topics such as Indigenous Curriculum Frameworks, Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights, Native Educators Network and the Regional Cultural Atlases. The group feels an urgency to discuss and develop a policy statement which will guide our work as it relates to the cultural and intellectual property rights on the information, stories and other sensitive areas that can impact the work that we are involved in. Year Two will begin on January 1, 1997 so that the two projects, the Alaska RSI and the Alaska Rural Challenge, are synchronized on a calendar year and the initiatives will be concurrent. This next year the staff will be working a twelve-month year rather than the ten-month year. On behalf of the co-directors, I would like to express thanks to all the consortium members for their active participation. It is their involvement that will insure the success of the Alaska RSI and Alaska Rural Challenge. Thanks to our dedicated staff: regional coordinators Amy Van Hatten, Barbara Liu, Moses Dirks, Elmer Jackson and Andy Hope and Gail Pass, Shirley Moto and Harold Napolean in Anchorage. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to Paula Elmes, Lolly Carpluk, Linda M. Evans, Dixie Dayo and Jeannie O'Malley-Keyes in Fairbanks. A special thanks to the many elders involved with the Alaska RSI projects across the state. Without this team of hardworking, professional individuals, we would not be able to continue to keep up the pace and to accomplish the work outlined in the initiatives. We were recently informed by Dr. Gerald Gipp, NSF Program Officer, that the funding for Year Two initiatives has been approved. We look forward to continuing and establishing a new partnership for 1997. | |
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Region by Barbara Liu:We must remember since the inception of this project, the Yup'ik/Cup'ik elders and teachers are the key players in contributing to the development of curriculum content. It involves the Yup'ik/Cup'ik language expertise to adapt the math, science and other content areas within the State and district school standards. The Bristol Bay Campus (BBC) and LKSD have had supplemental meetings according to its MOA with the elders and teachers in 1996. Most recently, four Native teacher delegates from LKSD and three Kuskokwim Campus instructors participated as observers at a subregional meeting sponsored by BBC, October 25-27 in Dillingham. Elders and teachers of Dillingham City and Southwest Region schools participated in the three-day weekend meeting with participants from New Stuyahok, Ekwok, Kolignak, Manoktak, Dillingham, Aleknagik and Togiak. During the meeting in Dillingham, the Ciulistet Research Team provided techniques for teachers in developing thematic content with participating elders' knowledge. The theme for both regional meetings presented by the Ciulistet Research group focused on specific regional geography, i.e. traditional travel routes between the Kuskokwim and Bristol Bay and traditional place names situated around the above villages. Our initiative for 1997 is Culturally Aligned Curriculum Adaptation. This initiative asks educators to create a climate of exchange that can happen between the school and community. This requires some planning time in school including community resources in order to develop locally culturally adapted lessons. The Department of Education (DOE) and Alaska RSI will work with models underway in many classrooms within our region. Peggy Cowan with DOE will be planning regional meetings with educators from Lake & Peninsula, Dillingham City Schools, Southwest Region, Yupiit, Lower Yukon and St. Mary's School Districts as funds allow for covering travel and expenses. | |
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VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative welcomes the Interior of Alaska into the AISES family. January 31 to February 2 was the first Interior AISES liaison teacher meeting. Teachers worked on culturally relevant science activities for the AISES chapter/clubs soon to be established in village schools. Teachers plan to hold monthly audioconference meetings to include more teachers within the seven school districts: Alaska Gateway, Galena, Iditarod, Nenana, Tanana, Yukon Flats and Yukon/Koyukuk. Village students will develop science fair projects, develop plans this spring, collect data in the summer and construct display boards in the fall in preparation for an Interior Alaska Science Fair, November 1997. The teachers formed a summer camp committee to plan a July camp to be held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Howard Luke Camp. Students must submit plans for their science fair projects with the application to the camp. The date for the Interior Alaska Science Fair will be November 20-22, 1997 in Fairbanks. Elders will participate in the judging processes along with teachers and scientists. Rita Alexander of Minto Elders Council attended the three day meeting for the Interior Alaska AISES liaison teachers. At the end of the meeting she expressed her gratitude that the Athabascan culture is going to be taught in the schools via AISES chapter/clubs. She encouraged the teachers to discuss AISES with the elders in their villages. The Arctic Region AISES professional chapter held an audioconference meeting jointly with teachers in the Interior, members of the Anchorage AISES Professional Chapter and interested educators attending the Bilingual Multicultural Education Equity Conference in Anchorage during the second week of February. This meeting helped teachers start precollege chapters and provide startup experiences of the Arctic Region AISES precollege chapters. UAF AISES Chapter is sponsoring an AISES College Chapters Conference for Region I that includes students from colleges and universities in Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Vancouver, BC and Alaska. The conference will be held March 6-8, 1997, concurrently with the Festival of Native Arts. Students in dance groups from village schools are invited to attend sessions during the day. Alaska Native Education students of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District will receive an invitation to attend the conference. The UAF AISES students are planning a career day and hope to have many precollege students in attendance. Lots of good activity is being generated by the Village Science Application Initiative via AISES family groups: Chapter/Clubs, UAF College Chapter and Alaskan professional chapters. Three cheers for Alaska RSI. | |
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Alaska RSI Regional Contacts:Amy Van Hatten Athabascan Regional Coordinator (907) 474-0275 e-mail: fyav@aurora.alaska.edu Andy Hope Southeast Regional Coordinator (907) 465-6362 e-mail: fnah@aurora.alaska.edu Elmer Jackson Inupiaq Regional Coordiantor (907) 475-2257 e-mail: fnej@aurora.alaska.edu Moses Dirks Aleut Regional Coordinator (907) 274-3611 e-mail: fhmd@aurora.alaska.edu Barbara Liu Yup'ik Regional Coordinator (907) 543-3457 e-mail: fnbl@aurora.alaska.edu | |
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Aleut Region by Moses Dirks:The Aleut Region is completing its first initiative-Indigenous Science Knowledge Base-which is a Jukebox program on a compact disc containing information on indigenous science and is near completion. As soon as certain procedures are taken care of, the Jukebox program will be made available. The Aleut Region is now in the process of implementing its second year with the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. This year's initiative for the Aleut Region is entitled Elders and Cultural Camps. This initiative would require, with the help of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) partners, setting up an academy of elders, Native teacher organizations and cultural camps in the region. Along with the elders we will teach the Native ways of doing things. We are hoping to set up two elder and cultural camps in the region-one in the Aleutian and one in the Kodiak/Chugach Region. Aleutian Pribilof Area The potential MOAs with the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association and the Unalaska Public Schools have been contacted to help out with the initiative for this year. Kodiak Area Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) has also been contacted as a potential MOA, they will also be involved with helping this year's initiative. This is the second year that KANA has been involved with the project. KANA was our original MOA partner for the development of the "Jukebox" program. Chugach Area Chugach region has been contacted about the second year initiative, Elders and Cultural Camps. Chugach Alaska Corporation was contacted and informational material was received from them about cultural camps they have running in their region during the summers. The Aleut/Alutiiq Region is in the process of informing and involving all potential partners who would be interested in participating in this year's initiative. The Aleut region will be following up on the signing of the potential MOAs this spring. The sooner we can sign everyone involved we can proceed with the initiative for this year. We are excited about working with our elders. If you have concerns or questions please call me at (907) 274-3611, Monday through Friday between 8:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M. | |
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Athabascan Region by Amy Van Hatten:-Theodore Roosevelt As I plan for the new initiatives on Village Science Applications and Careers and Living in Place that are being implemented in the Interior region this year, I can't help but reflect on past performances. Much of the success in 1996 was the result of a joint effort comprised of dedicated contributors from diverse fields touching on math and science. A sense of place and direction will surface under the flourishing guidance from elders, UAF staff, the seven participating school districts, Fairbanks Native Association, Denakkanaaga, Inc., Cultural Heritage and Education Institute and Gaalee'ya Camp. I would like to thank Paula and Lolly for their proficiency in putting together the Sharing Our Pathways newsletter, and I would like to invite any of the Interior members to submit an article in which you share some of your students' work in math, science, social studies or language arts. There are many exciting things going on. The Athabascan Regional Elders Council known as "The Spirit Of Our Ancestors Cultural Review Board" has nine board members. They are: Avis Sam, Northway; Trimble Gilbert, Arctic Village; Catherine Attla, Huslia; John Andrews, McGrath; Hannah Solomon, Ft. Yukon/Fairbanks; Bertha Moses, Allakaket; Rita Alexander, Minto/Fairbanks; David Salmon, Chalkyitsik; Kenneth Thomas Sr., Tanacross and James Dementi, Shageluk. Alternates are Fred Alexander-Minto/Fairbanks, and Johnson Moses, Allakaket. As Alaska RSI partners that represent the Interior, our first task is to maintain proper respect, mutual trust, loyalty, good people skills and an understanding of how the Native way of life is universal to all indigenous people. These are reflected in the project goals for the Interior region: * Provide governance within the Native community for the use and evolution of Native culture and education. * Empower the elders in their traditional role of transmitting the laws, customs, and values of Athabascan culture. * Make accessible the cultural resources that have been collected by disparate programs, identify the gaps in information and interview elders whose stories have never been recorded so that future developers of cultural materials can build on the base that already exists. * Equip village personnel with the highest-quality program models, information resources and the networking ability to share experiences and conceivable solutions to rural problems. * Promote unity among Native organizations. * Wage war on alcohol and drugs. * Provide elders with the means to express their concerns and to assume a leadership role in resolving issues of concern (education, social well being, elder care, family structure, etc.). * Involve the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Native organizations, school districts, youth programs and others in pursuing these goals. (From the Denakkanaaga, Inc. mission statements) Still in the works is the Athabascan regional strategic work plan. It is important for me to learn of all the Interior rural events, activities, career fairs, science fairs, Native council/corporation meetings with emphasis on education, teacher in-service days, cultural camps, AISES club/chapter meetings, Native language workshops, traditions week, curriculum workshops, medicinal plant workshops, students hunting and gathering ventures, Native science field trips, elders' council meetings and other gatherings that highlight cultural change. Such information is important to the Alaska RSI in order to implement a comprehensive and systemic approach to education reform. Project WILD Workshop Along with interested persons from Ella B. Vernetti School, Galena City School and sponsorship from the Alaska State Fish & Game education department, we facilitated a Project WILD workshop in Galena for a dozen local teachers last October. Two local elder women were invited to share their life experiences in two different cultures which they had to adapt to. For 16 hours we did hands-on cultural activities, teaching and sharing while safeguarding methods of peoples' lifestyles. Because of the success and quality time together, we decided to have another workshop at the Mokakit Conference entitled LISTEN.LEARN. LIVE.TEACH: Hands-on Designs for Integration of Indigenous and Western Scientific Knowledge. What happens when you take an international curriculum like Project WILD, mix it up with the Alaska Wildlife Curriculum, then flavor and season it with an understanding of traditional Native language, stories and the many seen and unseen elements of nature observed from your area? The result: an intriguing workshop where everyone gains from the total group knowledge. We will take the participants on a multimedia field trip along the nature trail, share images, stories and then go WILD firsthand with an activity. Handouts include adapted activities and poetry created from our experiences in Galena and Koyukuk. That is our version of integrating science and math with an Athabascan perspective. Watch and listen for upcoming events in the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and Rural Challenge Program. Thank you for your valuable time. | |
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Cross-Cultural Orientation Program For Teachers:June 9-27, 1997 Fairbanks Campus/Old Minto Cultural Camp Purpose The Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, University of Alaska Fairbanks will be offering the annual Cross-Cultural Orientation Program (X-COP) for teachers beginning on June 9, 1997 and running through June 27, 1997. It includes a week (June 14-21) 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. Course, Credit and Instructor The X-COP program is offered for three semester hours of academic credit and is designated as ED 610, Education and Cultural Processes. The credit is applicable toward the UAF M.Ed. degree, as well as the Alaska certification renewal requirement of three semester hours in "multicultural education." The course may also be followed with two on-site graduate courses offered during the fall and spring semesters to help integrate what is learned in the summer into teaching practice. The instructor for the course is Ray Barnhardt, Ph.D., who has over twenty-five years of rural and Native education experience in Alaska. Fees Participants enrolling in the three-week X-COP summer course will be assessed the standard tuition fee for a three-credit graduate course ($453), $50 for books and materials, and a $100 fee for food, lodging and transportation during the week at Old Minto. Dormitory rooms or married student housing are available on campus for participants in the program. Information on housing rates and applications may be obtained from the UAF Summer Sessions office (474-7021) or the Housing Office (474-7247). Enrollment Information Anyone wishing to enroll in the X-COP program should contact one of the UAF College of Rural Alaska campuses (in Kotzebue, Nome, Bethel, Dillingham, Barrow and Interior), the School of Education Center for Cross-Cultural Studies (474-6431), or the Summer Sessions office in Fairbanks (474-7021) for enrollment forms. For further information, call 474-6431 or send e-mail to ffrjb@aurora.alaska.edu. | |
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Curriculum Development from a : | |
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Integrating the Tlingit Language Across the Curriculum:Seven years ago Pauline took an active interest in learning the Tlingit language. As her fluency and her interest increased, she started looking for ways to bring it into her classroom. Pauline has created a curriculum that uses the Tlingit language on a regular basis. She has been especially innovative in using items available in the Sitka environment and in the daily lives of the children to make learning the Tlingit language and culture meaningful and exciting. She has developed books, lesson plans, calendars, parent involvement activities and many other ideas that she has shared unselfishly throughout the Sitka School District (some Southeast school districts and Southeast Headstart) and beyond. The following is a sample of only one of these creative activities-an herbal gift basket. The dedicated and genuine caring it must take to follow such a curriculum is awe-inspiring. What a wonderful learning experience she has created for her children and what a wonderful gift they have received to perpetrate the culture and language. The gift basket activity was a unit that took months to complete and in order to gain the knowledge for it, Pauline attended an herbal-plant class and adapted what she learned to a first grade level curriculum. The elements that were covered were plants, the five senses, math, health, cooperative learning, language arts, technology and art. Following are the steps it took in order to complete the basket and the benefits the children gained from the experience. September Class expedition collecting leaves and pine cones that were then categorized by size and color and dried by the students. October Class trip to muskeg to pick Hudson Bay tea leaves. Taught how to identify leaves by color and smell. The historical use of the tea to the Native community was shared and discussed. When the leaves were dried, the class had an opportunity to taste the tea. Late October The class went to pick the rose hips from the Senior Center in downtown Sitka. A class discussion was shared on the high content of Vitamin * in the rose hips and its benefits. The rose hips were picked and the kids helped to pick out the seeds. Some seeds were placed under a magnifying glass so they could see why it was so important to remove the seeds. Jam was made in the classroom enabling them to smell and taste the jam. Also in October The class had an outing to pick yarrow, a medicinal plant that is also in the basket. It is used for healing tea or to clot blood. Sitka is rich with the yarrow plant. They were shown how to identify it and how to dry it for tea. The red clover in the basket was brought to class for them to observe the drying and the making of medicinal ointment from the dried leaves. Pauline honors the culture and heritage through integrated instructional planning. Sitka is their textbook for science and social studies. Included in her curriculum are basic classroom commands, counting, subsistence foods, nursery rhymes, a daily lunch count, colors, songs, posters with matching tapes and a calendar that translates well-known rhymes into the Tlingit language. If you would like more information regarding her program, feel free to contact her at 305 Baranof School, Sitka, Alaska 99835. | |
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Inupiaq Region : | |
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Learning Put Into Cultural Perspective by William Beans:The first one I would like to describe is the making of a taluyaq, or trap, used for catching black fish, mink, otter or muskrats in the traditional way. The instructor already had straight grain driftwood split into strips for the students. He explained that this wood can be found during the summer when at camp, etc. He explained that not just any wood can be used for this purpose. Students were able to look at and touch the wood as he explained. He described the grain of the wood and how it could bend easily without breaking. The straight grain wood was three and a half to four feet long. The driftwood had to be carved down to approximately one-half inch wide by three-eighths of an inch thick. The instructor then had the students get a feel for the canasuun, or carving tool, by giving them one. He demonstrated how to use it. Then he gave the students scrap wood so they could practice using the tool before they began carving the material for the traps. He explained that it was important for all the strips to be carved down and he told them how many they needed to complete the trap. Once done with the strips, he went on to make the neck of the trap, estimating how big he wanted the trap to be. He made his estimation based on materials at hand. The students carefully observed as he worked on the neck of the trap. He showed them each step of the way how it was to be done. The instructor also had roots of alder trees that he had gathered for tie downs. The roots had been gathered during the summer months from along the river bank. The elder showed in detail the process of putting the trap together, giving the students examples and having them work through the process firsthand step-by-step. With every success he gave them praise, letting them know that they have the ability and skill to make anything that they set out to. The students experienced success with each step they completed and were excited about what they were doing. The trap is considered completed when the apprentices, or students, set the trap and provide a meal for the elder and his family. The apprentice type teaching by the elder works with great success. The next teaching situation I would like to describe is the making of a parka. An elder, in the process of making her own parka, had two young ladies working with her while cutting, measuring and sewing materials. She did not use measuring tape, but rather used herself as a mannequin. She talked her students through the steps, describing how and which cuts and measurements went where. The elder had the students do the actual hands-on as she went about making measurements and cuts. She laid out the materials and explained why certain pieces went where. That is, there are certain patterns on the skins that the maker wants to match up. It is like working a puzzle, by piecing the skins together to get the visual just right. The cutting of the materials has to be just right, so that when the sewing begins the skins will not be lopsided or uneven. The elder got the visual of the pieces together then began the process of cutting. Under her close supervision the students were tasked with helping her cut the materials. As they completed a task, the elder explained the steps to the next one. Parka making involves a number of tasks. The ruff and trimming are added to make the parka complete. Each step involves sewing. The elder continually demonstrated how to do this while explaining the importance of the stitching. With each phase of work, the elder praised each lady's work. The students gained self-confidence as their efforts were acknowledged. The end result was a nice, completed parka for the elder. For the ladies, there was a feeling of accomplishment and a good feeling inside, knowing that the elder would have a parka to keep warm in the cold. The ladies also sensed that they would receive praise from other women about what great skills they possessed for being able to do a good job. In both of the tasks I have described, the teacher/elders showed much patience in working with the students. The frequent encouragement, praise and help they gave along the way kept the students from becoming frustrated, giving up and quitting. Learning the skills became a meaningful, unforgettable and enjoyable experience. In comparing and contrasting these examples to how learning occurs in school, it is to be noted that in the classroom setting this type of teaching and learning very rarely occurs. Why? In the classroom setting, teachers are textbook driven. Lessons are designed in such a way that teachers stick to teaching in a chronological order. Teachers are locked into a method of teaching that goes from addition to calculus, from Columbus to World War II. This method of teaching is very contradictory to the learning and teaching that occurs in our daily lives. The educational system we impose on students is contrary to the methods used by our elders. This puts into perspective why it seems our educational system is not working. In the classroom, our students are not interacting with someone, but rather are taking symbols and numbers and trying to make something of them. In many situations, students get frustrated and angry and as a result, do just enough to get by. In an interactive teaching situation, such as with the elders, students learn what is being taught and they grow through experiencing. The elders gain as they share with and learn from the students with whom they are interacting. In summing up, I would like to say, from the observations made, that we need to step back and look again at the population with whom we are working with. We need to reassess how we can become better educators, using the rich resources available to us, and capitalizing on the elders and what they have to offer. | |
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Southeast Region by Andy Hope:The math book was originally published by Tlingit Readers in 1973. It was written by the late Katherine Mills of Hoonah and her students at Hoonah High School. The revised book is being produced by Jackie Kookesh, currently a graduate student at University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. Jackie is receiving technical support from Nora and Richard Dauenhauer and Michael Travis of Sealaska Heritage Foundation. The book will be made available at no charge to teachers in our three 1997 consortium districts: Chatham, Sitka and Hoonah. For others interested, please contact me at 465-6362. The other publishing project to be completed by the end of March is the Tlingit Country Map and Tribal List. The map will list the traditional tribal territories of the Tlingit. It will be accompanied by a list of traditional Tlingit tribes, clans and clan houses. One of our main 1997 initiatives will be starting work on a regional cultural atlas. This atlas will be funded by the National Science Foundation and will have a math and science orientation. To begin work on this inititative, I will be working with a small design team. The team conducted its first meeting in Sitka on February 21 in conjunction with the Third Annual Native Higher Education Conference at Sheldon Jackson College. I have organized two teleconferences to work on plans for summer programs. A number of possibilities have been discussed including a family history workshop, a curriculum development workshop, an Axe Handle Academy and a Tlingit language workshop. There is general agreement that the programs should take place in Sitka and that the target participants should be teachers from the three consortium districts and members of the Southeast Alaska Native Educators Association (SEANEA). Final decisions have not been made as of this date, pending further consultation with the SEANEA and at least one more planning teleconference. The Southeast Regional Elders Council just finished a very good meeting on February 27-28, 1997 and made a number of recommendations: * To call for a summer SE Native language institute to work on Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida curriculum * To call for a SE tribal charter school and a SE tribal college and to request the SEANEA to investigate * To call for a SE Native archives to be established in Sitka * To call for the next elders council meeting to be held in Sitka the week of August 4, to be held in conjunction with the language institute, a family history workshop and SEANEA officers meeting Members of the council include the following people: Arnold Booth, Metlakatla (Chair); Charles Natkong, Hydaburg; Lydia George, Angoon; Gil Truitt, Sitka; Isabella Brady, Sitka; Marie Olson, Juneau and Joe Hotch, Klukwan. | |
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Teaching and Learning Across Cultures: Strategies For Success by Ray Barnhardt:What do you need to know? Since learning a culture is a lifetime undertaking, where do you, as a newcomer, start and what are the most important aspects to be considered? One of the first things to recognize is that the more you learn about another culture, the more you will find out about yourself. We all carry around our own subconscious culturally conditioned filters for making sense out of the world around us and it isn't until we encounter people with a substantially different set of filters that we have to confront the assumptions, predispositions and beliefs that we take for granted and which make us who we are. To illustrate how those differences can come into play, we've included a chart that summarizes some of the characteristics that tend to distinguish the view of the world as exhibited in many indigenous societies from that embodied in Western scientific tradition. Differences in cultural perspective, such as those outlined in the chart, have enormous implications for all aspects of how we approach the tasks of everyday life, not the least of which is the education of succeeding generations. In most indigenous communities today, it is apparent that aspects of both the indigenous and Western perspectives are present in varying degrees, though neither may be present in a fully cohesive fashion. It is not necessary (nor is it possible) for an outsider to fully comprehend the subtleties and inner workings of another culture (even if it is still fully functional) to be able to perform a useful role in that cultural community. What is necessary, is a recognition that such differences do exist, an understanding of how these potentially conflicting cultural forces can impact peoples lives and a willingness to set aside one's own cultural predispositions long enough to convey respect for the validity of others. The particulars of an unfamiliar cultural system can be effectively attended to without a thorough knowledge of that culture, as long as you know how to make appropriate use of local expertise and community resources. As you come to understand how another cultural system works, you will also be learning more about how culture influences behavior generally. The particulars of the new situation will lead to tentative generalizations in your own understanding which will help you decipher the next set of particulars. This should be a continuing cycle through which you learn as much about yourself as you do about others. Along the way you can expect to face some tough questions, like "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?"-questions that we rarely encounter in our own cultural worlds. Two useful steps a new teacher can take to begin to see beyond the surface features of a new cultural community are getting to know some of the elders or other culture-bearers and becoming familiar with aspects of the local language. By visiting elders in the community, you will be showing respect for the bearers of the local culture, while simultaneously learning about the values, beliefs and rules of cultural behavior that will provide a baseline for your teaching. Showing enough interest in the local language or dialect to pick up even a few phrases and understand some of its structural features will go a long way toward building your credibility in the community and in helping you recognize the basis for local variations on English language use in the classroom. At no point should you assume, however, that you know everything you need to know to fully integrate the local culture into your teaching. When learning about another culture, the more you learn, the more you find that you don't know. Always assume the role of learner, so that each succeeding year you can look back on the preceding year and wonder how you could have been so naive. When you think you know it all, it's time to quit teaching. Indigenous World View Spirituality is imbedded in all elements of the cosmos Humans have responsibility for maintaining harmonious relationship with the natural world Need for reciprocity between human and natural worlds-resources are viewed as gifts Nature is honored routinely through daily spiritual practice Wisdom and ethics are derived from direct experience with the natural world Universe is made up of dynamic, ever-changing natural forces Universe is viewed as a holistic, integrative system with a unifying life force Time is circular with natural cycles that sustain all life Nature will always possess unfathomable mysteries Human thought, feelings and words are inextricably bound to all other aspects of the universe Human role is to participate in the orderly designs of nature Respect for elders is based on their compassion and reconciliation of outer- and inner-directed knowledge Sense of empathy and kinship with other forms of life View proper human relationship with nature as a continuous two-way, transactional dialogue Western World View Spirituality is centered in a single Supreme Being Humans exercise dominion over nature to use it for personal and economic gain Natural resources are available for unilateral human exploitation Spiritual practices are intermittent and set apart from daily life Human reason transcends the natural world and can produce insights independently Universe is made up of an array of static physical objects Universe is compartmentalized in dualistic forms and reduced to progressively smaller conceptual parts Time is a linear chronology of "human progress" Nature is completely decipherable to the rational human mind Human thought, feeling and words are formed apart from the surrounding world Human role is to dissect, analyze and manipulate nature for own ends Respect for others is based on material achievement and chronological old age Sense of separateness from and superiority over other forms of life View relationship of humans to nature as a one-way, hierarchical imperative (Adapted from Wisdom of the Elders, by Knudtson and Suzuki, 1992) | |
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