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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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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A "New" Old Way of Understanding by Joe Slats:The here and now Y/Cup'ik people were brought up in Western schools with Western thought. When we listen to our elders speak, we listen with our Western ears and use our Western analogies to attempt to comprehend what our forefathers did. Stories told to the class by our elder professor Louise Tall, and our responses to them, are an example of how we as Y/Cup'ik people attempt to translate and comprehend these old Native thoughts and customs. In order to understand some of the concepts and ideas behind our ancient traditions and customs, we had to try to set aside Western thought processes. We found this to be difficult. One of the ideas was that of rewards from the gratitude of orphans and elders. This gratitude is said to be strong or to have power. There is a relationship between the decisions one makes when young to help those in need and the rewards one may reap as an older person. This is the power of the gratitude of the orphans and elders one has helped in the past. The linear thinking of the Western world makes this a difficult concept to comprehend. Another story Louise Tall told was about the idea of "pretend husband and wife." She told how some young Yup'ik males and females created a "pretend husband or wife." These young individuals would see a person entering through a window to be with them. They would begin to keep themselves clean and to look forward to the evenings with their pretend spouse. They would carry on conversations with this "imaginary" person and not pay attention to other human beings around them. It is said that one female took off to the tundra with her non-being male mate. She was not seen or heard from again until a young bow-and- arrow hunter found her next to a lake. She had a drying rack with telleqcaraqs (small swimming birds) and augtuaraqs (red water birds) carefully skinned and drying. These birds had been caught by her pretend husband and in her mind they were loons. Therefore she had skinned them and hung them to dry. At one time an individual used ayuq (Labrador tea) to tepkegcaq (smoke herself as perfume) prior to the evening visit of her pretend husband. The male non-being arrived and "Ayurutaanga" (to block the way or entrance). It was learned that smoke was to be used to block the way of non-beings. Other human beings heard the non-being say "Ayurutaanga." After hearing this story, the class attempted to analyze and comprehend it. With our Western ways of thinking we concluded that perhaps the young adults in the story were suffering from some form of mental illness. Louise also discussed shamanism through a number of stories. It became apparent that the shaman played a very important role in the lives of the Yup'ik people long ago. After the arrival of the missionaries, shamanism came to be referred to as "Satan's agent." Western thought has turned what used to be a very important tradition and religion into an unaccepted and evil practice. Here and now Y/Cup'ik people, raised with Western thought, must struggle to make sense of ancient practices and customs. In a short discussion regarding whether shamanism would ever return to the delta, it was felt that perhaps it is too big of a leap for the church community to accept. The elders within the church community are still struggling with the concept of allowing Eskimo dancing to enter their villages. The group felt that a return to some of the shamanistic ways is an important idea and that it will be too late if it must wait for the elder community to accept its reintroduction. The knowledge will be lost or kept from being handed down. As modern day Y/Cup'ik people living in the 1990s, we have been taught Western ways of thinking and looking at things. If we are to truly understand the lives, stories, thoughts and wisdom of our elders, we must relearn the skills of hearing with Y/Cup'ik ears and seeing with Y/Cup'ik eyes. | |
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A Challenge for Rural Education in Alaska by Ray Barnhardt:The Alaska Rural Challenge initiatives will be coupled with the Alaska Rural Systemic initiatives to provide a comprehensive approach to educational reform that incorporates the holistic and integrated nature of indigenous knowledge systems, ways of knowing and world views. In addition to fostering closer linkages between school and community, the combined initiatives will also foster cross-curricular integration of subject matter. Following is a list of the ARC initiatives, the activities associated with each and the cultural region in which each one will be implemented in 1997: Oral Tradition as Education (Southeast region) * Foxfire/Camai oral history projects * Project Jukebox CD-ROMs * Family histories (genealogy) Language/Cultural Immersion Camps (Yup'ik region) * Camp environments (learning in context) * Language nests (Te Kohanga Reo) * Talking circles/Native values ANCSA and the Subsistence Economy (Inupiaq region) * Subsistence way of life * ANCSA and the cash economy * Soft technology Living in Place (Athabascan region) * Sense of place (cultural geography) * It takes a whole village to raise a child * Urban survival school/exchanges Reclaiming Tribal Histories (Aleut/Alutiiq region) * Tribal chronicles * Alaska Native Reawakening Project * Leadership development (youth/elders) In addition to the regional initiatives outlined above, the Alaska Rural Challenge will also implement an indigenous curriculum support unit associated with the Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN). This unit will assist rural communities and school districts in the development of indigenous curriculum resources and Frameworks for their schools. These activities will be supported by the development of a cultural atlas for each region, as well as the posting of curriculum resources and links on the ANKN world wide web site (http://zorba.uafadm.alaska.edu/ankn). All of the above will be guided by an indigenous curriculum working group, which will be made up of representatives from each of the cultural regions. As we have begun to document the cultural resources that are already available to support a curriculum grounded in the indigenous knowledge systems of Alaska, we are finding many excellent localized models already developed and in use. It is our intent to help draw these resources together and build on them, so that changes that are instituted as a result of the Alaska RSI and ARC are initiated from within rural schools and communities, rather than imposed from outside. We invite anyone who has developed or knows of cultural resources that might contribute to this effort to get in touch with any of the staff listed in this newsletter, such information can be shared with others who might find it helpful. We hope this will be a collaborative effort involving all interested parties. It is our intent to help draw these resources together and build on them, so that changes that are instituted as a result of the Alaska RSI and ARC are initiated from within rural schools and communities, rather than imposed from outside. | |
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A Gathering: Growing Strong : | |
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A New Educational System in Russia by Ruslan Hairullin:There are 30 indigenous groups living in Russia, totaling approximately 210,000 people. They are the Aleuts, Dolgans, Itelmens, Kets, Koryaks, Mansi, Nanais, Negidals, Nenets, Nivkhs, Nganasans, Oroks, Orochs, Lapps, Selkups, Tofalars, Udeges, Ulchis, Khanty, Chukchi, Chuvans, Evens, Evenkis, Eskimos, Enets and Yukagirs. Some years ago the Shors, Veps, Kumandins and Teleuts were also added to this list. All these peoples are small in number. The smallest groups are the Enets (350) and Oroks (450). The most numerous are the Nenets (29,894) and Evenkis (27,531). These indigenous nationalities live not only in the Far North, but also in the Far East and Siberia. As a group they are generally referred to as the "Peoples of the Russian North." Most of them lead a nomadic life and engage in traditional forms of subsistence economy. In the twentieth century the indigenous peoples of the Russian North moved from a patriarchal society to modern forms of social, political and cultural life. Along with significant positive results, this process had some negative influence on the Native languages, cultures and traditions that served the northern peoples well for untold ages and ensured their survival in the extremely difficult conditions of the North. The adaptive and regulatory functions of Native languages and traditional cultures assumed more and more decorative features. The language situation in the North in general cannot be characterized as a simple one, but negative trends are dominant. The modern period in the fate of Northern languages and traditional cultures, beginning from the mid-eighties, can be characterized as a period of revitalization of Native languages and traditional cultures. At the same time there is a real danger that today, when Russia is in transition, indigenous peoples of the North will face additional cultural and linguistic degeneration. To improve the situation, in 1998 the concept of reforming of educational systems for indigenous peoples of the Russian North was developed. I was one of the developers of this concept. Goals and Tasks of the Concept Goals and tasks of the Concept are determined by the strategic aim of creating and supporting by means of governmental regulation conditions of self-sustenance and self-development of indigenous peoples of the North. The goals of the Concept are: * protection of cultural space of indigenous peoples of the North from destruction by other cultural systems influence (including the influence of mass media), * assistance for national education systems and local cultural complex development on the basis of revival of traditional spiritual values and elaboration of modern culture of indigenous peoples of the North, * support of cultural exchange between indigenous peoples of the North and other peoples of Russia and the world. Main Positions of the Concept 1. Particular responsibility of the state to protect traditional cultures. 2. Responsibility of the state for giving northern children a full-value education appropriate to various career goals. The component approach to organization of the structure of education provides a good opportunity to introduce a wide variety of ethnic culture, both traditional as well as professional, into the whole content of education within the limits of local ethnic component. Introduction of traditional culture into the content of education is a matter of great significance. It is directly connected with traditional northern types of economic activities, such as reindeer breeding, hunting and fishing. Exactly for this reason the people of the North require plant and animal resources, distant camps, migration routes in the tundra and taiga, mountains, rivers and lakes-not only as their place of residence and survival, but also as cultural space. For northern peoples the ecology of their homeland comprises part of their material culture, genetic memory and ethnic traditions. The religious beliefs of these peoples, their rich folklore and traditional songs and dances, are directly connected with the surrounding world and with the group's past and present. Therefore, the curriculum in ethnic schools of the North is being developed in correlation with federal and ethnic-regional components on the "dialog of cultures" principle. The ethnic part must introduce children to the world of their own ethnic culture. Correlating the federal and ethnic-regional components is a serious pedagogical problem. According to the recently approved curriculum for Native schools, the subjects of the ethnic-regional component in elementary school prescribed 15% of school hours, in secondary, 5%. In regional curricula the ethnic component can take up to 25% of school hours. An integral approach to creating the content of education within the limits of the ethnic-regional component permits the development of a number of strategies that can meet varied educational needs and offer to students diverse educational trajectories. All this in turn presupposes a set of interconnected measures capable of reforming educational systems for northerners in the spirit of proposed changes. Guidelines for Federal Actions On Improvement of the Education System for Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North The problem of improving the educational system is considered in specific social-cultural contexts, which is resolutely different from usual management decisions in the sphere of education. In this case the question concerns people's cultural attitudes who, because of their small-numbers, feel a particular tension due to a lack of their own reserves for self-preservation. Legal development of the term "relic culture" comes from recognition of the exclusive social-cultural value of relic cultures and, as an effect, the need for state patronage on the conservation of these cultures and their carriers. In this direction the improvement of a normative legal base on the considered matter is reasonable. Specified federal law could clarify approaches to the conservation of cultures of indigenous peoples of the North through determination of the status of relic cultures, conditions of its granting, and so on. Federal law must stipulate the particularities of educational systems for indigenous peoples of the North with due regard for the priority task of conserving their traditional culture, lifestyle and spiritual revival. Questions of education in light of this task become paramount. Development of the Content of Education It is impossible to consider tasks and problems of northern schools apart from the tasks and problems of the educational system in Russia as a whole and ethnic Russian schools in particular. The most specific amongst different cultural regions is a unique civilization of peoples living in the circumpolar area. Its originality is threatened by new challenges to maintain the balance between ecological and cultural conditions worked out by these peoples during centuries of adaptation to extreme conditions of the North. This requires a specific curriculum that conveys the given culture. Modern textbooks for ethnic minority schools are to be based not only on innovative didactic technologies, but also on the goal of raising the efficiency of educating. They are to be built on the principle of "dialogue of cultures," aimed at mutual coexistence of several cultures combining different goals and tasks of education. For the northern schools this means finding ways of adapting a child to new, changing conditions of life (by means of the obligatory minimum of content of education) under the simultaneous conservation of the values of traditional culture and lifestyle. A. Development of content of Russian language course. A particular part in this process belongs to the teaching of the Russian language alongside the Native language, which in the law on languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation (1991), received the status of national language. B. Development of contents of Native languages course. Native languages instruction forms part of the ethnic-regional component of the base curriculum. Native language is necessary not only as a mean of communication and cognition of surrounding reality, but also as a means of preserving and transmitting ethnic cultural traditions to subsequent generations. A diminution in traditional spheres of economic activity reduces Native language usage sharply, and sometimes leads to its virtual disappearance. Extension of the social functions of Native languages, including increased interest in their study, new orientations in the educational process and consequently several other purposes of educating, require developing new programs which will adequately reflect specific particularities of Native languages, the spheres of their use, and their ethno-cultural significance. C. Development of contents of local lore course. Introducing local lore materials into the curriculum has found a reflection in methodical manuals, special programs and school textbooks. However studying local lore in northern schools involves many unsolved problems. The natural-climatic conditions, history and cultural space of the northern regions are so diverse that studying school subjects without regard for the specifics of the thinking and mentality of northern students is not effective. References to circumpolar cultures of peoples of the North, as well as information about the contribution of northern peoples to world civilization are generally absent from school textbooks. There are no special textbooks where this topic is specifically included. Local lore materials can be introduced to the northern curriculum in the following way: * bright, figurative materials for school children with narration about the whole territory of inhabitancy of peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East and about general regularities and originality of their histories, cultures and lifestyle; * an analysis of particularities of circumpolar culture of northern peoples and their contribution to world civilization; * an analysis of Native mathematical, astronomical, physical, chemical, and medical knowledge of indigenous peoples as a whole, and peculiarities of this knowledge in different regions; * local lore materials should be introduced in school textbooks (for the whole North and for separate regions) for all subjects, including Russian language, literature, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, subjects of aesthetic and labor cycles. Priority should be given to training personnel from among indigenous peoples of the North on different vocational training levels, including the following: a. ecology, environmental protection and forestry; b. fish-breeding, cattle-raising, breading animals for furs; c. hunting and fishing; d. civil and industrial construction; e. complex meat conversion, products sea handicraft industry; f. service of air, auto and river transportation; g. radio and TV broadcasting, communication; h. all types of medical service; i. education, culture, traditional branches of managing; j. consumer services, trade, commercial activity; k. communal services and l. law, economy, administrative control. Vocational and professional training must be organized to prepare specialists in the above-mentioned areas while using the programs for doubled-related or second-addition professions. While developing the unceasing education system, there must be provided teaching of two languages-Native and Russian. Ensuring the Educational Needs of Youth An organization for educating children and teenagers from indigenous peoples of the North is needed to revise principles and organization of the educational process. A more flexible form of organization of the educational process is needed, including trips for teachers to participate in directive seminars, training for assistant teachers (e.g., senior schoolboys along the lines of the Lancaster system of mutual education), using distant education through radio and TV, increased pedagogical monitoring and short-term gatherings. A system of such actions can be provided on the modern stage of development in the Russian regions. We need improvements and new developments in such forms of education as professional-technical education, short-term courses, education by correspondence and distant education. It is necessary to provide refresher courses and improvement of the qualifications of pedagogical staff from northern regions in the light of new tasks for realization of the federal program. Special attention should be paid to providing youth from indigenous peoples of the North with higher education. Expected Results The most important social-cultural consequence of realization of the Concept outlined above will be creation of conditions for preserving relic cultures as living elements in the mosaic of modern life in the world cultural community. The conservation of indigenous peoples and development of a protective action system for them has great political importance for ensuring the unity of the peoples of Russia. Within the Russian Federation, the project's realization will lead to more realistic state support for a certain part of the population connected with the traditional lifestyle. This will reduce unproductive expenses for educational training of children of indigenous peoples of the North because very often the knowledge a student receives at school is of no use for their further life. The project will enable a better correlation of subjects studied with the future occupations of students, leading to a preservation of aboriginal lifestyle. Actions on implementing the project are directed toward realizing, in respect to indigenous peoples of the North, the concept of stable development that expects harmonious expansion of production, improvement of the social sphere and environmental protection. Organizational and financial questions related to reforming education for indigenous peoples of the North are to be developed in accordance with the given Concept and its approval within the framework of the program and realization of the project. | |
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A Road To Self-Determination and Sovereignty: Emmonak Regional Training by Virginia Ned:The Alaska Native Women’s Coalition (ANWC)* in coordination with the staff at the Emmonak Women’s Shelter held a regional training in Emmonak, Alaska on March 23–24, 2004. The overall purpose of the regional training was to address and develop community specific approaches to domestic violence, sexual assault and batterer’s intervention. There were seven members in our resource group who traveled to Emmonak by plane: Eleanor David and Tammy Young, Co-Directors of ANWC, Shirley Moses, Project Specialist, Jacque Actuga—Clan Star Director of Public Policy, Marlin Mousseau—Consultant Batterer’s Intervention Project, Tang Cheam—Technology Specialist and myself—ANWC Member. We arrived on a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining and there was a blanket of fog covering the community when we landed. Arriving at the Emmonak Women’s Shelter, a prepared dinner of moose soup, dried fish, fresh bread, and aqutak (ice cream) was waiting for us. We were treated to such meals as this throughout our stay in Emmonak. Emmonak is the leader of Native communities across Alaska in addressing domestic violence and sexual assault, and in developing culturally specific approaches to addressing these issues. In this collective effort the community demonstrates its self-determination and sovereignty as a People. The Emmonak Women’s Shelter was formed in 1988. It began with conversations in public places such as the store and other community locations. The city eventually donated money and the community people donated household items. The shelter at that time wasn’t much, but it was a safe place for women to go when they had been abused. Currently the Emmonak Women’s Shelter is in the process of receiving funding for renovation and expansion. Lynn Hootch directs the shelter and several Native women in Emmonak, including Martha Gregory, Marlene Waska, JoAnn Horn, Priscilla Kameroff and Elizabeth Redfox help to manage it. Everyone from the youngest person to the eldest person in Emmonak is involved in the process of making their community a healthy, violence free place to live. It can be seen in the way the Elders and community members utilize the Native language, stories, dances and songs in teaching the concept of respect and values. Elders throughout the state have stated that historically violence was not a problem. The traditional values and beliefs prohibited violence. Community leaders were aware of what was happening in the community and had a system in place to deal with problems. The people of Emmonak have a traditional Chief and Elders Council to guide them. I think that this is a big factor in their progress in dealing with violence. Their traditions are intact. An Elder spoke of the time the missionaries came into their community. He said that the people were told to do away with their language, dances, songs and potlatches. At that time, an Elder stood up to the missionaries and explained to them the similarities between the teachings of the Elders and the teaching of the Catholic religion. The people of Emmonak continued speaking their language, singing their songs, dancing and having the potlatches. As a result, they have a strong cultural foundation. Many Elders participated in the conference. We heard stories and words of wisdom from Joe Agathaluk (Traditional Chief), Ben Tucker, Rose Borkowski, Eugenia Yupanik, Alec Bird, Maggie Charles, MaryAnn Andrews and Edward Andrews. They spoke in their language and Billy Charles translated for them. Many spoke of the respect that was given to women. They spoke of the importance of women and of how our survival depends on women. Highlights of the training included; Marlin Mousseau’s presentation on batterer’s intervention and Native men speaking about their road to healing. Other highlights were the Elder’s stories, use of the Yup’ik language, singing and dancing, the hospitality of the community and the commitment shown by the community to address domestic violence, sexual assault and batterer’s intervention in a culturally relevant manner. An outcome of the regional training is a series of monthly teleconferences facilitated by Marlin Mousseau to work with communities throughout the state to begin planning for a community initiated Batterer’s Intervention Project. One of our goals is to encourage the development of community-based curriculum to address domestic violence, sexual assault and batterer’s intervention. The people of Allakaket have drafted a culturally-relevant curriculum which consists of video clips of Elders sharing their traditional knowledge and a written curriculum. Another goal is to hold trainings in each of the regions. A regional training was held in Allakaket, Alaska in February 2003. An article was written about this training in the March 2003 Tanana Chiefs Council Newsletter. The next training will be in Sitka, Alaska in September. For more information on ANWC please contact Eleanor David at (907) 968-2476 or Tammy Young at (907) 747-7689. The website is located at www.aknwc.org * The Alaska Native Women’s Coalition Against Domestice Violence and Sexual Assault is a non-governmental, non-profit organization formed in 2001 to provide for the safety of women and children in rural Alaska. The purpose of the organization is to identify and close gaps in service coordination, engage in systems advocacy to improve institutional responses to domestic violence and sexual assault of Alaska Native women, and to develop and establish an infrastructure in our Native communities to provide for the basic human right to safety. | |
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A Student's View on Subsistence and Leadership by Atchak Desiree Ulroan:On Subsistence We Native Alaskans should keep the right to take animals and plants for food off our own land. This is the land my ancestors used for survival. The government does not have the right to stop subsistence. What would happen if people in other states were told they were not allowed to farm anymore? Farmers live off the crops that they grow and livestock they raise. It's the same with subsistence hunting. There are no boundaries and no fences around the land of my ancestors and the care that is provided for crops and animals comes in a different form. The food from the land helps families stay healthy. I don't know much about farming because my family does not farm. People who don't depend on subsistence don't know much about it either, except they want us to get rid of it. My lack of knowledge about farming doesn't make me want the farmers throughout the United States to stop farming. I am not saying that I am more intelligent than those people who want to end subsistence, but they should really take the time to look at the issue from our Alaskan Native perspective. There are a lot of families in my community and throughout rural Alaska that depend entirely on the land for food. My family is one of those families. How can the government expect so many people, especially Elders, to change their diets and lifestyles? Much of our cultural heritage is woven in with subsistence hunting and fishing. . . . Knowing the land is crucial for survival in this region of the world. Much of our cultural heritage is woven in with subsistence hunting and fishing. If it is taken away there will be no more fish camps along the river and no more families working together to harvest for the winter. Every summer my family goes out fishing to harvest fish for the winter. During fish camp my mother tells us stories of our ancestors and she teaches my sister and me how to cut fish and gather foods. My father teaches my brothers how to set and mend nets. Some of the important lessons that my brothers learn are the location of our ancestral sites and where to hunt and gather wood. Knowing the land is crucial for survival in this region of the world. In the villages there are not as many jobs as the cities. Not very many people have high-paying jobs so they can't afford to lose their subsistence rights. The social and economic impact of subsistence rights is tremendous. I hope that the government will look more into the subsistence rights for Native Alaskans. On Leadership I am a strong leader because I am a hard worker. I volunteered to work for the community cleanup in the summer of 1999. In October of 1999 I also volunteered to help out with the community Halloween contest. Helping in my community is important to me. During my junior year of high school I applied to the Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) in Fairbanks, Alaska. I was accepted to this program which allowed me to take college courses and earn college credit. After six weeks of hard thinking and working, I graduated with a certificate of completion! I am not afraid to face challenges. I am the secretary/treasurer of Chevak's class of 2001. To this job, I bring all of my qualifications and my accomplishments. I do the typical secretary/treasurer duties: take notes, keep track of decisions, count the money we earn, the money we spend and our profit. I keep our class informed of our budget and help guide decisionmaking with budget limitations. But my real strength as a class officer is that I have great determination. I want to succeed and I have the ability to inspire my classmates to set their own goals and realize their own dreams. | |
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Academy of Elders/Native Teachers Cultural Camp by Eleanor Laughlin:The following elders have been selected as the instructors for the Academy of Elders: David Salmon of Chalkyitsik, Catherine Attla of Huslia, Poldine Carlo of Fairbanks, Neil and Geraldine Charlie of Minto and Johnson and Bertha Moses of Allakaket. AINE is in the process of recruiting Native teachers. The goal is to recruit active Native teachers from the various regional and city schools within the Interior of Alaska, including Fairbanks. The Academy of Elders/Native Teachers will be held on July 27 through August 7. Immediately following the academy, AINE will hold its third annual conference in Fairbanks on August 8 and 9. | |
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Active Reality Research, Part I by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:For the Yupiaq people, culture, knowing and living are intricately interrelated. Living in a harsh environment requires a vast array of precise empirical knowledge to survive the many risks due to conditions such as unpredictable weather and marginal food availability. To avoid starvation they must employ a variety of survival strategies, including appropriate storage of foodstuffs that they can fall back on during the time of need. Their food gathering and storage must be efficient as well as effective. If this were not so, how could they possibly hope to survive? To help them achieve this balance, they have developed an outlook of nature as metaphysic. The Alaska Native world views and technologies are conducive to living in harmony with the universe. Their lives, subsistence methods and technology were devised to edify their world view. After all, the Alaska Native creator is the raven. So, how could the human being be superior to the creatures of Mother Earth? How could their hunting and trapping implements be made of offensive materials to animals that they have to kill in order to live? Thus, their tools were fashioned from resources which were not refined, but formed and shaped using the natural materials. Their tools, housing and household utensils had to be with and of nature. Harmony was the key idea behind this practice. They believed all plants, creatures, winds, mountains, rivers, lakes and all things of the earth possessed a spirit, therefore had consciousness and life. Everything was alive and aware, requiring relationships in a respectful way so as not to upset the balance. The four values of honor, respect, reciprocity and cooperation are conducive to adaptation, survival and harmony. The Native people honored the integrity of the universe. It is a whole living being. As it is living, all things of the earth must be respected because they also have life. The Native people had the ability to communicate with all things of the universe. This is called reciprocity. From observing nature, the Alaska Native people learned that the earth and the universe are built upon the premise of cooperation. Researchers must implement these tour values to advance knowledge and expand consciousness. The constructs and understandings of the Alaska Native people must be honored for their integrity on the level of the modern scientific holographic image. The holographic image does not lend itself to reductionism nor fragmentation. Reductionism tries to break reality into parts in order to understand the whole without realizing that the parts are merely patterns extant in a total web of relationships. The Native world views do not allow separation of its parts as each part must be understood in its relationships to all other parts of the whole. Respect for the Native people who formalized this view must be practiced. The Native people have transcended the three-dimensional, quantifying and sensory constricted studies of nature practiced by the modern world. It behooves that there be cooperation between the researcher and Native people. The researchers must forget about human superiority to things of the universe and to people considered primitive and backward. The Native people must be treated as equal human beings with powers of observation, critical analysis and a gift of intuition and the magical. Following are some examples that make the practice of the four values difficult or impossible from the perspective of the modern world for doing research in a Native world. The tools of mathematics have given us some ideas about patterns and forms as well as abstract and esoteric formulae that sometimes leave us confused and questioning the use to which they will be put. For example, when will the hunter need to know the exact distance across a river using trigonometric functions? However we agree with a lot of mathematical and scientific theories and concepts, such as the shortest distance between two points is a straight line; that a circle is a line that keeps falling in toward the center; that the radii in a circle are equal length; that the circle has no beginning and no end; and so forth. These are common sense ideas that indigenous people can readily subscribe to. Part two of this article will appear in the fall issue of Sharing Our Pathways. | |
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Active Reality Research, Part II by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:With infringements of new people from other parts of the world, came a weakening of the self with all its strengths of what to be and how to live. At first the circle remained strong. However, with the encroachment of missionaries from various Christian religions, traders, trappers, miners and explorers came diseases unknown to the Native people. Following this came a calamity surmounting any experience that the Native people have ever had. Many elders, shamans, parents, community members and children died as a result of these unknown diseases. With the loss of so many people, especially the shamans who until this time were the healers, left the Native people questioning their own spirituality. Was it really the work of the devil and his evil allies that the Native people subscribed to and believed in as the missionaries pointed out? This dealt a crushing blow to a people who had direct access and communications with the natural and spiritual worlds through their shamans. The first rent to the circle of life was in the spiritual realm (Fig. 2), and we have been suffering from a spiritual depression ever since. Alaska Native spirituality can in no way be wholly replaced by orthodox Christian religions, Eastern or other ways of knowing about a spiritual life. Where the break occurs, one side of the curved line becomes more linear to reflect confusion. Through this break occur leaks for new ideas, values and ways of life that cause much doubt about their own world and beliefs. A maelstrom of values, beliefs and traditions result causing a confusion of what to be and what to do. The sense of self becomes weakened, thus its drawing force is weakened causing some original and traditional ideas of life to be lost. The turmoil, like that of a tornado, continues. The amalgamation of Western and other cultures from throughout the world are mixed with Native traditions. Although the Alaska Native people did not readily accept modern education and religions and gave initial resistance, breaks eventually occurred. If conditions had been different, the Alaska Native people could have controlled what was allowed into their world view. But such was not the case. The encroachment of various peoples and their cultures overwhelmed the Native people. Not only did these new people come with new ideas, but with new species of dogs, plants, domesticated animals, bacteria and viruses. This not only caused turmoil for the human beings but also caused ecological havoc. Armed with their new technological tools-hunting, trapping and fishing devices-along with the need to make money to buy these "needed" items, the newcomers battered down sacred ideas of harmony in many Native people. The next onslaught was in the emotional realm (Fig. 3). Not feeling good about themselves because of the message being told them by the missionaries, teachers, miners, trappers, traders, federal agents and so forth, they became emotionally depressed. They had been told that their languages and cultures were primitive and had no place in the Western or modern world. The educational system was established to dissipate and destroy their languages, spirituality and cultures. The barrage came in many forms from institutions of the colonial hegemonic force. The once proud hunter/provider and successful homemaker now felt little worth living for in their ravaged world. There was nothing promising left to allow them to feel good about themselves, have confidence for self-governance or self-reliance. Only despair was left. The intellectual arena was the next rupture to occur in this circle of life (Fig. 4). Rationality and empiricism coupled with intuition had been the Native peoples' forte´. Nature was their metaphysic and thus they lived in reality. They had successfully devised their world view to allow them to live life with all its difficulties but developed coping tools and skills to deal with the hard times. Now with their spirituality and emotions on a downward spiral, the people became intellectually dysfunctional. They became docile and robot-like, expecting everything to be done for them. Their original clear consciousness or awareness was now unclear, as if being viewed through a stigmatized and scarred corneal lens. Things were dim, shaded, with some channels opaque and confusion followed. A framework for assimilating new experiences no longer existed. The last fissure occurred in the physical well-being whereby the Native people in their demoralized state became susceptible to diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, cancer and many nutritional deficiencies and psychosocial maladies (Fig. 5). The foundations upon which a whole person was produced by the culture was now broken asunder with a new fragmented culture, a mix of many cultures represented by newcomers, producing fragmented Native youngsters susceptible to new ideas, diseases and yearnings. The ruptures allowed some aspects of Native characteristics to flow out or become modified by allowing new fragmented ideas, ways of being, thinking, behaving and doing to seep in. This has caused much confusion among the Native people. The Native ways of science have always been multi-dimensional to include the human, natural and spiritual worlds. This was a conscious effort to keep in balance. Everything on earth, including earth and self, was endowed with a spirit, therefore life. And because of this spirit or energy from the Spirit of the Universe (Ellam Yua), the Native people must do things in ways that no harm nor disrespect happen to life on earth. It then required that the Native people come up with elaborate rituals and ceremonies to pay homage to all, to maintain or at times to regain balance in one's life or that of the community. They had transcended the need for quantifying and establishing laws of nature. Much of the subject matter in the schools' curricula is one-dimensional because it is linear. The vaunted mathematical and scientific disciplines and their offspring, the technologies, are often one-dimensional. These tools have the wonderful capacity for new discoveries in other worlds but because of the Western society's need to learn to control nature they lead to confusion and a feeling of being weaned from the life force and its inherit relationships. They are bereft of the values extant in the indigenous societies which open doors for new world discoveries. Western mathematics, sciences and technologies have values, however, they are proscribed to ambition to learn in depth and greed to use this knowledge for gain. This is arrogance, a senseless and meaningless ambition, leading to the disintegration of the human experience. Through them, the more we know, the less we know about life. This says to me that Western mathematics, sciences and technologies have been superficial, never getting to the meat of things. What has been missing from the great potential of these and the other disciplines? Part III of this article will appear in the next issue of Sharing Our Pathways. | |
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Active Reality Research, Part III by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:From all indications, nature thrives on diversity. Look at the permutations of weather during a day, month or year. Climates differ from one part of the earth to another. Flora and fauna differ from one region to another. Continents and their geography differ. No two snowflakes are exactly alike. The stars, constellations and other heavenly bodies seem to be unchanging, yet our learned astronomers tell us that many changes are taking place. According to them, novae, supernovae, black holes, stars dying and being born and so forth are happening in the universe. The science of chaos and complexity shows us a diversity of patterns we never thought existed in nature. These all point to diversity-the balance that makes nature thrive. The Alaska Native people knew this and strove for harmony with all of life. Alaska Native people have come full circle and are seeking to heal the breeches that have put life asunder. Seggangukut, we are awakening, we are being energized, is what the Yupiaq say. They have nature as their metaphysic and have drawn energy from earth whereby things in times past were often quite clear and thus could be attended to or a resolution reached. One aspect of energy exchange that has often been spoken of by Native people who are ill is that of being visited by various people from the community to show care and love for the ill person. They have expressed the feeling that some people will cause the person to feel worse while another person will make the person stronger and clearer of mind. It is said that in the former case, a person who does not have the right mind or balance in life will draw energy from the ill person thereby making the ill person worse than before the visit. On the other, there will come a person who is kind, upright and is with a mind of making you better. Instead of drawing energy from the ill person, this person shares some of his/her energy with the sick person. The ailing one feels better. Another example of energy exchange is the story of a man out on the ocean. He gets caught on an iceberg that gets cut off from shore and drifts out. He has no choice but to try to keep warm and survive the night. The next day, he finds that the iceberg is stationary but is not attached to the shore ice. New ice has formed overnight in the water between. He remembers the advice of his elders that to test the newly formed ice and its ability to hold up a person, he must raise his ice pick about two feet above the ice and let it drop. If the weight of the ice pick allows the point to penetrate but stops where it is attached to the wooden handle, he can try crossing on the ice. If, on the other hand, it does not stop at the point of intersection, then it will not hold up the man. In this case, the former happened. The man looked around him at the beauty, the might of nature, and realizing the energies that abound, he gets onto the ice. He must maintain a steady pace for if he stops or begins to run he will fall through because he has broken the rhythm and concentration. The story goes that when he began his journey across, there was a lightness and buoyancy in his mind. This feeling was conveyed to his physical being. Although the ice crackled and waved, he made it to the other side. He drew energy from nature and was in rhythm with the sea and ice and, coupled with lightness and buoyancy, made it safely to the other side. In the another story, two youngsters come into being and they find themselves in an abandoned village. It has been some time since the people disappeared by indications from the decay of semi-subterranean houses and artifacts in the village. One possible explanation of why the people were gone might be that these Yupiaq people may have reached the apex of spirituality which is pure consciousness. Their bodies became the universe and their pair of eyes became part of Ellam iinga, the eye of the universe, the eye of awareness. This could explain how some communities became mysteriously deserted. Western physics with its quantum and relativity theories say that we are mostly energy. Why then should not our spirit or soul be energy? Scientific technology has given proof of energy fields, personal aura, findings from near death experiences and many other human experiences. Theory of relativity tells us that matter is condensed energy and also conveys that the world is made up of relationships. Can we not then say that our spirit is made up of energy? If this is true, the Alaska Native must be able to draw energy from earth because we are a part of it. All life comes from earth. Alaska Native peoples' metaphysic as nature becomes corroborated by the Western theories. This also strengthens the argument that the laboratory for teaching and learning should be placed where one lives. Being outdoors in nature enjoying its beauty and energy, and becoming a part of it, energizes the youngsters. This could bring back the respect of personal self, and if one respects oneself then certainly one would be able to respect others, nature and the spirits that dwell in and amongst all things of nature. The students will be able to whet their observational skills while learning from nature and drawing energy to themselves. They can again attain love and care with all its concomitant values and attitudes that give life. It is imperative that the students from all walks of life begin to experience and get close to nature. There is a vast difference in learning about the tundra in the classroom and being out in it. Being in and with it the whole year round, they can experience the vicissitudes of seasons, flora, fauna, sunlight, freezing, thawing, wind, weather permutations, gaining intimate knowing about place and using their five senses and intuitions to learn about themselves and the world around them. It is this drawing of energy from nature that will allow the self to again become strong so that the breaks in the circle of life become closed. Then the individual and community can allow chosen outside values and traditions to filter in which they think will strengthen their minds, bodies and spirits. The Alaska Native people will again become whole people and know what to be and what to do to make a life and a living. They will have reached into the profound silence of self to attain happiness and harmony in a world of their own making. Quyana! | |
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Advocating for Our Educational Priorities by Senator Georgianna Lincoln:In Senate District C, there are 25 school districts and 16 different Native languages. School districts are unique and depend on administrators, teachers, parents and students to bring their individual talents and qualities toward a successful education. We must be careful in our drive to assess achievement that we do not devalue those qualities students possess that may, in fact, be indicators of success later in life—qualities no standardized test can accurately measure. Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in the 2004 session to address the impact of the high stakes graduation exam. The graduation exam is high stakes because without a diploma a student will not be able to get into the military service, many vocational education programs or trade schools; therefore these are bills you may want to follow-up on: HB 457 Allows for three types of diplomas. The basic diploma for those who meet the local schools graduation requirements, but fail the exit exam. The enhanced diploma for those students who meet the local schools graduation requirements and pass the exit exam. The advanced diploma for those students who meet the local schools requirements and pass the exit exam, plus have additional advance placement classes that are consistent with academic excellence and count toward their college degree. SB 248 Ensures we have a high stakes exam minimizing the “false negatives” and clarify the legislative intent regarding severe cognitively disabled students. It requires severe cognitively disabled students (as defined by the state) to be waived from the HSQE. Attracting and retaining quality Alaskan teachers is an issue I have supported over the years. SB 101, which I introduced, is the Teacher Cadet program whereby we can recruit and retain quality teachers who are dedicated to rural schools and communities. There continues to be a 50% turnover rate in many rural districts. We must hire Alaskans first, as our homegrown teachers don’t need the same level of cultural training and can begin teaching effectively in our villages. Our Alaska Native languages are not thriving and healthy. We must ensure funding is sufficient for Native languages to be taught in our schools that want it. In 2000, my Native language curriculum bill (SB 103) became law. This legislation mandated school districts with over 50% Alaska Native students to form a Native language curriculum advisory board. If that board deems it appropriate, then the school district may implement a Native language curriculum. With 98 schools in Senate District C, school construction and maintenance dollars have been critical. Since 2002 there has been success in rural and bush Alaska with eight new schools, planning and design costs for five more new schools and 39 schools receiving major maintenance projects. Though I am retiring from the Senate this next year, I will continue to advocate for our children in every opportunity possible. Ana basee’. Georgianna Lincoln was born to Kathryn “Kitty” Evans Harwood of Rampart and Theodore “Rex” Harwood of Michigan. She has two children: Gidget Beach and Sean Lincoln. Georgianna is also the proud grandmother to Acey Jay Beach. In 1990 she was elected to the State of Alaska House of Representatives. She has been an Alaska state senator representing District C, since 1992. The 2004 Alaska State Legislative Session marks her last legislative session since Senator Lincoln will be retiring. For all your support and hard work, on behalf of rural and Alaska Native education, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative extends a sincere, Ana Basee’ (thank you). | |
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AIPA Culture Camp by Linda Green:We arrived on Sunday and began setting up the tents that would be our homes for the week. As we finished, we got acquainted with each other. The camp theme was "Caribou". Monday morning started with breakfast and a gathering led with a prayer from one of the Elders, followed by a review of the agenda. After that we took three caribou skins to the lake, about an eighth of a mile away from the camp, to be soaked for approximately 24 hours before working on them. As we did this the Elders went over each part of the caribou. Then we started working with the leggings. Under the direction of the Elders, we made two different toys and a tanning tool. As the teachers finished their projects they went to another area and started cutting white fish that were caught in the net that day. After dinner we were very tired from working all day so we all slept very nicely. Tuesday began with breakfast and a prayer and the Elders started telling stories about how the Gwich'in people were totally dependent on the caribou herd. There were always camps around the herd. There were no nets, so people built fish traps and used spears made from willows. Bows were made from caribou skin and arrows were made from the antlers. Flints were used to make the arrowhead. It wasn't important to have a clock because each day was filled with trying to survive. People walked more, because that was the only mode of transportation. We went over uses of the caribou skin, stomach and bones. Each use was intertwined with a traditional value. In the evening the teachers went over different strategies to use in integrating what we were learning into school curriculum and standards. Wednesday we rose and had breakfast and a prayer. Then we started working on the skins that we had put into the water on Monday. It was 80 degrees out when we hung the skins on a tree and started cutting the hair off with sharp knives. Others were scraping the skins that had the hair already removed. After dinner we made babiche from previously prepared skin, as well as fish hooks from the bones. We also playing string games the Elders showed us. Thursday we continued fleshing and cutting hair off of the eight skins we had. That evening we discussed values students should know-things such as who they are and where they came from. Each morning should be started with a prayer for strength. Teachers also talked about the units they would write, how each would be different from the standard curriculum, the importance of teaching from a traditional perspective and how this learning could be brought into the classroom. Units should be started with a story by an Elder and last a minimum of two weeks. Another idea was to start a unit explaining the seasons. We ended with Joel Tritt, second tribal chief of Arctic Village, talking to the group about learning and how it is important for students to learn about the old ways in order to survive. Friday we began to cut the caribou skin for a sack. Patterns were made and the skin was sewn with sinew from the caribou. Since some were finished before others, so they went to the fish cutting table or made more things from the caribou hooves. We also included a field trip five miles up the river to an ancient caribou fence. Most of the group went, though some stayed behind and spent the day making snowshoes with the babiche from the caribou. Upon their return, the group expressed a deep spiritual experience in walking around and looking at the remains of the old caribou fence and the slaughter house. They talked about how clean the environment was and that very little was disturbed. They also talked about the way the fence was made so that caribou would go in and because of the mountain on one side, they would be trapped. Saturday we finished our projects and started packing up the camp. We left on Sunday and spent the night in Arctic Village in order to catch the mail plane to Fairbanks Monday. The teachers spent two days in Fairbanks writing and working on the units that they developed in camp, which needed to be completed by July 31 so they could be showcased at the AINE conference that weekend. I brought eight draft copies of the units made from the camp to present in a workshop at the Sixth World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education that was held near Calgary, Alberta, Canada on the Nakoda Nation Reserve from August 3-10. I also displayed videos made from the culture camps, along with camp booklets with lots of digital photos. Florence Newman, an Elder at the Arctic Village camp, also attended the conference. Her presentation, along with the booklets and videos, gave the workshop participants a strong, positive feeling about the culture camps sponsored by the Alaska Indigenous Peoples Academy and the Association of Interior Native Educators. Further information and curriculum resources are available on the AINE and ANKN web sites. | |
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AISES Corner:American Indian Science and Engineering Society School is starting for 1996-97 and AISES secondary and elementary chapters will be starting in the schools of North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic, Bering Straits and Nome Public Schools. School districts in Interior Alaska will begin planning the introduction of new AISES chapters. Students will plan Village Science Application projects to enter in district and regional science fairs. AISES in Alaska has a busy calendar: The AISES Chapter Liaison teachers will meet in Kotzebue, September 6-8, 1996. The teachers will represent the North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic, Bering Straits and Nome Public Schools school districts. They will meet with two Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (Alaska RSI) directors, the Alaska RSI/AISES coordinator, the Inupiaq regional coordinator and three Village Science Application coordinators. AISES Chapter activities, Village Science Application projects and science fair criteria at state and national levels will be topics for discussion. Plans for the Arctic Regional Science Fair will be finalized. Alaska RSI is sponsoring an Arctic Regional Science Fair sometime during the end of November or the beginning of December 1996. Students (K-12) in North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic, Bering Straits and Nome Public Schools will be invited to enter and participate in all activities. The best projects from the fair will be entered in the AISES National Fair in Albuquerque, New Mexico April 3-5, 1997. UAF/AISES students are preparing to raise funds for travel money to attend the AISES National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 14-17, 1996. Some Alaska RSI staff and village teachers are planning to attend the AISES National Conference, also. AISES Region I includes AISES college and university chapters in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, Canada and Alaska. The UAF Chapter of AISES is planning to host the Region I conference on the UAF Campus in conjunction with the Festival of Native Arts, March 6-8, 1997. If you need more information or would like to be included in any of the events listed above, contact Claudette Bradley-Kawagley, Associate Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756720, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775. | |
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AISES Corner:The Village Science Initiative enters the Kodiak/Aleutians/Pribilof Region in 1998. Plans are to establish AISES precollege chapter/clubs in village schools, operate two summer camps (in Kodiak and St. Paul Island) and to have a regional science fair for students in Kodiak, the Aleutian Chain and the Pribilofs. Teachers in Kodiak will meet in Port Lions with AKRSI staff to develop plans for the chapter/clubs and the summer camp. Monthly audioconferences with teachers and educators will commence March 18, 1998, to continue the development of the chapter/clubs and recruitment of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students for the camp. The Annual AISES National Science Fair in Rapid City, South Dakota is scheduled for April 2-4, 1998. Debra Webber-Werle of Noatak, George Olanna of Shismaref, Rita O'Brien of Nenana and Eddie Gavin of Buckland will chaperone. The following students have been invited to attend with their projects: Sarah Monroe of Nenana. Project: A Comparison of Arctic Grayling and Burbot Anatomy and Fishing Practices Allison Huntington & Brianna Evans of Galena. Project: Which (Fur) is Warmer? Mary Burns of Noatak. Project: Alcohol and You Sheila Washington, Sherry Ballot of Buckland. Project: Storing Berries the Traditional Ways William Birsemeier, Tirrell Thomas of Kotzebue. Project: Furs that Keep Us Warm Katy Miller, Brandon Romane, Puyuk Joule of Kotzebue. Project: Alder Willow Bark Dye EJ Howarth of Noatak. Project: Caribou Antlers Brandon Olanna, Norman Kokeok, Donnie Pootoogooluk of Shishmaref. Project: Uses of Low Wattage Electric Bulb by Using an Inverter The Alaska State Science Fair will take place March 27-29, 1998 in Anchorage at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Casey Skinner of McGrath will present her project Spruce Bark Beetle Habitat. Casey's project received first place in both the Elders' Awards and the Teacher/Scientist Awards. The Alaska Federation of Natives and the AKRSI are proud of the hard work and efforts of these young scientists. We look forward to continued progress in the development of their research. AKRSI is seeking articles from Alaska rural students (K-12) for a student newsletter. If you have any essays, poems, short stories or reports on any scientific or cultural event in the village, please send them to Ursula Graham, UAF Interior-Aleutians Campus, PO Box 756720, Fairbanks, AK 99775 or fax to 907-474-5208. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley:by Claudette Bradley The AISES Initiative concluded its fifth year with eight summer science-culture camps held on Afognak Island, Haines (vicinity of), St. Paul, Kwethluk, Kisaralik river, St. Mary's, Chevak and Fairbanks. Each camp had Elders teaching activities specific to the culture of the region and engaged students in science projects. The Fairbanks, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Society (ANSES) Science Camp 2000 ran on a slim budget, which we hope to rectify next summer. Twelve middle-school students attended the camp held at the Gaaleeya Spirit Camp from July 11 to July 25. They were Britta Kallman of Anchorage; Roberta Allen, Amanda Tritt and Donald Tritt of Arctic Village; Qaqsu Bodfish, Alicia Kanayurak, Eunice Kippi, Ronald Kippi and Harriet Nungasak of Atqasuk; Mathew Shewfelt of Fort Yukon; and Kimberly Rychnovsky of Newhalen. These students arose at 7:00 a.m. each morning to work with Elders and teachers. They cleaned and tanned caribou skins and made porcupine quill and beaded necklaces under the guidance of Margaret Tritt-an Elder from Arctic Village. They beaded pouches with Elizabeth Nictune Fleagle from Alatna. They learned Indian games and stories from Kenneth Frank of Arctic Village. Kenneth also helped students carve and polish caribou bone and wood to make an Athabascan "toss and catch the hole" game piece. Students picked medicinal plants and berries with Rita O'Brien, a certified teacher from Beaver. In Rita's class the students made cranberry leather, that was like candy to eat. With Todd Kelsey, an IBM consultant, the students constructed a weather station with a rain gauge, wind socket, barometer and thermometer. Students checked the weather each day and kept data on spreadsheets. They were able to compare the Elders' way of predicting the weather with the information from the weather station. One evening we met with the Elders to discuss the traditional ways of knowing the weather. In the afternoon class students developed a research project and did their experiments in the camp. Rita O'Brien, Todd Kelsey, George Olanna of Shismaref and Claudette Bradley of UAF assisted students. The computer lab had four ThinkPads and a color printer that were donated by IBM and powered by two solar panels and batteries. This enabled students to type up their information, make data sheets and construct graphs for their display boards. Students attended field trips to the Fort Knox Gold Mine and to the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO). Bradley Weyiounna is a WEIO high kick champion; he can jump eight feet to kick the ball. Bradley and Josh Rutman visited our camp one evening with the high-kick stand and demonstrated the high kick for the students. The students enjoyed the experience and attempted to kick the ball. The ball was lowered to four, five and six feet. The students enjoyed trying the high kick. Bradley showed the students how to wrestle with just arms or legs. This entertained the students and they loved trying to wrestle with each other. The camp ended with a potlatch for parents and Fairbanks' education community members. After dinner, awards and gifts were given to students, staff and other support people. It was followed by a poster session of the student display boards on their science projects. Students explained their research to the guests. Following the poster session everyone participated in Athabascan fiddle dancing. Staff and students want to extend a heart felt thank you to Howard Luke for allowing us to be at his camp which is also his home. We deeply appreciate his facilities and the care he has given to the land that was left to him by his mother. We cherish his advice and knowledge of Alaska Native ways that he generously shares with camp participants. We look forward to future camps at Howard Luke's. Youth Science Festival Claudette Bradley, the director of the Fairbanks ANSES Science Camp 2000, was one of six chaperones in the USA delegation of 20 teenage students attending the Singapore Youth Science Festival 2000, July 27 to August 2, 2000. The festival was attended by delegates from 21 countries of the Asian Pacific Economies Cooperation (APEC). The events included an international science fair and student summit science seminars on globalization, global warming, diseases, new endeavors, genetic engineering and clean environments. These are key issues for international science and technology research. The festival had 600 students and 200 educators/chaperones. Educators and chaperones were asked to present papers on science education in their economy. Dr. Bradley reported on the ANSES Initiative of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative which included science camps and fairs for rural students in Alaska. Participating educators/chaperones showed great interest in our culture-based science camps and fairs. They expressed interest in developing a student exchange program with the culture-based camps in Alaska and summer programs in their countries. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:October 10, 1996 was the birth of the Arctic Region AISES Professional Chapter. The members are educators in the Nome Public Schools, Northwest Arctic Borough School District, Bering Straits School District and North Slope Borough School District. They plan to meet monthly by audioconference. They will share plans for AISES precollege activities in the four arctic regions village schools. Debra Webber-Werle was voted president. Debra is a kindergarten and first grade teacher in Noatak. She received a special National Science Foundation grant to build science activities for students and interface activities with the community of Noatak. Congratulations Debra! We have confidence that you will be an excellent president. Members of UAF AISES Chapter continue their fundraising efforts to send students to the AISES National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 14-17. The chapter is sending five students and three additional students are being funded by the Institute of Marine Science. The UAF AISES Chapter will host the Region I AISES College Chapter Conference in Fairbanks March 6-8. The conference will feature speakers, workshops, a career fair and a high school session. High school students from Fairbanks and rural villages will be invited. School districts in the Interior have invited Claudette Bradley-Kawagley to present and discuss AISES and AISES precollege chapter/clubs with teachers in village schools. Claudette has presented at the Yukon Flats Teacher in-service, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District's Alaska Native Education Home-School Coordinators meeting and plans have been made to discuss AISES precollege chapter/clubs with teachers and students in the Yukon-Koyukuk School District. There is a lot of enthusiasm in rural Alaska for establishing AISES precollege chapters in village schools. Keep informed by continuing to read "AISES Corner" in each issue of Sharing Our Pathways. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:Congratulations! The University of Alaska Fairbanks AISES Chapter has won the Zanin Award for the Most Outstanding Chapter of the Year 1996 at the 18th National AISES Conference in Salt Lake City, November 14-17, 1996. Ten UAF students attended: Sasha Atuk, Fairbanks Mark Blair, Kotzebue/Detroit John Henry, Stebbins Jason Huffman, Huslia Shay Huntington-McEwen, Galena Kim Ivie, Fairbanks Carleen Jack, Stebbins Patience Merculief, St. Paul Mike Orr, Bethel Stefan Rearden, Bethel Oscar Kawagley spoke about the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative on the Traditional Knowledge and Science Panel during the concurrent sessions at the conference. He attended a book signing at the career fair for his book, A Yupiaq Worldview: A Pathway to Ecology and Spirit. During the precollege teacher meetings Oscar gave a talk on Native ways of knowing and Claudette Bradley-Kawagley spoke on tessellation patterns in mathematics. In addition, four teachers from the Arctic Region AISES Professional Chapter attended the conference: Bernadette Alvanna-Stimpfle, Nome Edna Apatiki, Gambell Arva Carlson, Barrow Debra Webber-Werle, Noatak Everyone enjoyed the conference with its informational workshops, large banquet dinners and many inspirational speeches. The Arctic Regional AISES liaison teachers attended a workshop in Nome, November 8-10, 1996. Teachers wrote lesson plans for AISES precollege chapter/clubs. Chip McMillan of UAF School of Education will write a manual with the lesson plans and summary of the talks on Native Science. This manual will be distributed to every school in the Inupiaq region. The teachers planned for the science fair projects to begin in the spring. The data collection will occur during the summer months and students will assemble their display boards in the fall. The science fair will take place in a village of the Northwest Arctic School District November 20-22, 1997. The science fair will have an opening ceremony with Native dancing. The elders council will judge the projects as well as the teachers and scientists. Students will have two sets of awards: one given by the elders and one given by teachers and/or scientists. We hope students will have many projects dealing with issues of Native science and village science application. | |
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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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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:On November 20, 1997 thirty-two students from Interior Alaska villages entered 21 projects into the First Annual Interior AISES Science Fair '97 held at Howard Luke Academy in Fairbanks, Alaska. The fair was sponsored by the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Annenberg Rural Challenge. Peter Aloysius, Jr. and Mathew Chadbourne proudly display their science fair project "Swimming Electricity". In the evening Rita Alexander of Minto led the opening prayer while all participants stood in a circle. It is an AISES tradition to begin every event with a blessing from our elders. Oscar Kawagley was the keynote speaker; Clara Johnson, director of the Interior-Aleutians campus, welcomed students to Fairbanks; and Amy Van Hattan gave a update on the activities of the Alaska RSI in the Interior. After the refreshments, Rita Alexander and Travis Cole of Allakaket led all participants in Athabascan dancing and singing. We were really proud of the science fair participants who had also attended the Fairbanks AISES Science Camp '97: Kristopher John of Fort Yukon, Sarah Monroe of Nenana, Alvina Petruska of Beaver, Barbara Solari of Beaver and Andrew Runkle of Nickolai. Rita and Travis had taught these students to dance and sing during the camp this summer. They have become very fine Athabascan dancers. The opening session was closed with a blessing by Robert Charlie of Minto. The outstanding feature of this fair was the balance of science inquiry with Alaska Native culture. Students were asked to develop experiments or demonstration projects following the guidelines of the scientific method outlined in the handbook. Prior to coming to Fairbanks they were required to have three persons review their project using a checklist of Athabascan values. During the fair their projects were evaluated by two sets of judges: elders of the Interior region and teacher/scientists. Many of the teacher/scientists were graduate students from the Natural Science areas of study; they were selected by Professor Larry Duffy, department head of the Biochemistry Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. November 21 was the day of judging. Elders spent lots of time interviewing students about their projects. They evaluated projects on how well the student maintained Native values, understood the project, presented the project to the judges, and time spent on the project. They also evaluated the projects usefulness to Native culture, village life and Native corporations. The teacher/scientist judges talked with students in depth about their scientific method and procedure. They evaluated projects on creative ability, scientific thought/engineering goals, thoroughness, presentation to the judges and skill. These judges spent time writing valuable recommendations to students that will improve the project, when students revise it for the next fair. Both sets of judges caucused together and selected four grand prize winners. These winners will be encouraged to revise their projects in preparation to submit to other science fairs during the winter/spring '98. The judges worked very hard at their job. We are most grateful for their integrity and sincerity to help students realize the importance of their scientific inquiry. November 22 was the award dinner. The participants stood in a circle as Catherine Attla of Huslia led the blessing. Everyone gathered around the potluck dinner. After dinner several speakers talked to students: Susan Jones of Doyon Limited, Eleanor Laughlin of FNSBSD Alaska Native Education and John Regitano of Fairbanks Native Education Amy Van Hattan and Claudette Bradley-Kawagley assisted the elders in handing out the elder awards. The elders selected seven projects for first place: * Spruce Bark Beetles Habitat by Casey Skinner of McGrath, * Athabascan Medicine by Candice Nathaniel of Chalkyitsik, * How do you Trap Wolves? By Roy Wholecheese of Galena, * Arctic Grayling & Burbot by Sarah Monroe of Nenana, * Which (Fur) is Warmer? by Allison Huntington and Brianna Evans of Galena, * Oil Spills by Elizabeth Folger, Tyson Brown and Frederick Joseph of Tanana and * Moss Absorbency by Cindy John and Amber John of Shageluk. Elders gave second and third place awards as well. After everyone received their award the elders talked to students and everyone present about the meaning of their work and study to the Athabascan culture and people. The elders were Rita Alexander of Minto, Fred Alexander of Minto, Catherine Attla of Huslia, Jonathan David of Minto, Howard Luke of Howard Luke Camp and Margaret Tritt of Arctic Village. Elsie Eckman, math teacher at Eielson High School and a former AISES student at UAF, announced the winners of the teacher/scientist judges. They selected six projects for the first place, blue ribbon awards: * Spruce Bark Beetle Habitat by Casey Skinner of McGrath, * Bridges by Patrick Gringrich of Galena, * Insulating Values of Furs by Grace Sommer of Galena, * Acid Rain by Andrew Marks, Charlene Vanderpool, and Courtney Moore of Tanana, * Catching Snowshoe Hares: Trap or a Snare? by Andrew Runkle of Nikolai and * Fingerprints by Mandy Vosloh of Galena. The second place, red ribbon awards and third place, white ribbon awards were announced as well. Oscar Kawagley announced the Grand Prize winners. The winners were: * Spruce Bark Beetle Habitat by Casey Skinner of McGrath, * Arctic Grayling and Burbot by Sarah Monroe of Nenana, * Which (Fur) is Warmer? by Allison Huntington and Brianna Evans of Galena and * Catching Snowshoe Hares: Trap or a Snare? by Andrew Runkle of Nikolai. These students will be encouraged to enter their projects in other fairs, such as the statewide fair in Anchorage and the AISES National Fair in Rapid City, South Dakota. The presentation of awards was followed by Athabascan singing and dancing led by Rita Alexander and Travis Cole with David Ingles of Minto as an invited dancer. The fair ended with a prayer led by Robert Charlie. The First Annual Interior AISES Science Fair '97 was a melding of Western science with Native culture and village science application. | |
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AISES Corner by Claudette Bradley-Kawagley:In the summer of 1997, 36 students entered a three-week program in Fairbanks, Alaska. The students spent eight days on the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus and 13 days at Howard Luke's Gaalee'ya Spirit Camp along the Tanana River. In the summer of 1998, 15 students entered a two-week program at Howard Luke Camp and 28 students entered a one-week program at Afognak Campsite in Kodiak, Alaska. Camp Objectives * Stimulate interest in mathematics, sciences and engineering fields among Alaska Native students. * Increase student's confidence and knowledge in mathematics and science. * Prepare students for cultural challenges away from their traditional environment. * Incorporate Native values with Western mathematics and science. * Encourage parents to support the academic pursuits of their children. * Spend 14 days in an Athabascan camp located on the Tanana River just outside of Fairbanks. * Learn from Native Elders hands-on projects relative to rural survival. * Learn from UAF professors and the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative staff. * Work in teams of two or three students on a science project researching the natural environment. Fairbanks AISES Camp 98 The staff at Howard Luke's Gaalee'ya Spirit Camp included six Elders, four resident advisors, one artist-in-resident, one UAF professor, one IBM computer consultant, two teachers, one graduate student and one AKRSI staff scientist, plus two cooks and one boat captain. There were seventh, eighth and ninth grade Alaska Native students from Allakaket, Beaver, Fort Yukon, Nenana, Nulato, Shageluk, Noatak, Barrow and Anchorage. Each day students had two sessions in the morning; a project class after lunch followed by two sessions in the afternoon. Each day, 45 minutes prior to dinner was allowed for family chores and 45 minutes after dinner was allowed for cleaning the dishes. Evenings were for more social gatherings, traditional Athabascan dancing, Elders' storytelling, talking circles, volleyball, jump rope and Indian/Eskimo games. During the four sessions the students worked in small groups of five or six students. They had a computing and mathematics class with Todd Kelsey, the IBM computer consultant; beadwork and yoyo making with Elizabeth Fleagle and Elizabeth Frantz; cleaning and tanning caribou skin and tanning seal skin and beaver skins with Margaret Tritt; storytelling with Fred Alexander; and wood carving with Jonathan David. The groups of students rotated among these classes at the start of each session. The computer lab had six Thinkpads (laptop computers) and one color inkjet printer donated by IBM. The camp purchased a solar panel powered battery generator to supply electrical power to the computers and printer. Todd Kelsey taught the students and staff how to use and care for the computers and printer. He also taught some mathematics topics like fractal triangles and fibonnacci sequence. Margret Tritt and Claudia Demientieff tanning a caribou hide. During the project class the teachers worked with students in small groups on their science projects. Students learned to turn their scientific questions into hypothesis. They wrote a procedure and selected the materials they needed with the guidance of the instructor. All students were asked to write questions about their projects for an interview with the Elders. Most of the students were able to do their experiments during the camp and a few will have to continue their research in their home village. Each student received a display board and used the computers to write their hypothesis, materials and procedure and to make labels and data sheets. Students used a spreadsheet to record their data. Some students used the paint software to make drawings of their experiment. Students had to write a summary of their Elders' interviews and include the summary as part of their background information on their display boards. All students completed their display board for the poster session held during the potlatch at the end of the camp. Many invited guests enjoyed seeing the hard work of the students. Titles of student projects are: River Eddies: Kristopher John, Fort Yukon Heat Waves: Charlene Kallman, Anchorage Why People Smoke: Mary Burns, Noatak Caribou Teeth: Elmer Howarth, Jr., Noatak Which Skin is Warmer: Jesse Darling, Nulato Wolves: Cindy John, Shageluk Clouds and Condensation: Sarah Monroe, Nenana Antibacterial Effect of Arctic Plants: Crystal Gross, Barrow True North vs. the Magnetic North: Adam Adams, Noatak Fish Wheel vs. Fish Net: Natalie George, Nenana High Kick: Claudia Demientieff, Allakaket Bird Activity: Jedda Sherman, Noatak What Do Camp Robbers Eat?: Mary Ann Juneby, Beaver Fish Wheel: Liz Yatlin, Beaver Reflections and Snowblindness: Patuk Glenn, Barrow Students attended field trips in Fairbanks and at the university. They had a tour of the Geophysical building, which included the volcano and earthquake laboratory. They attended the Annual World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO). They saw the movie "Mulan" in town and visited the shopping mall. Prior to attending WEIO, an athlete, Melissa Evans, visited our camp and demonstrated how to do the high kick, leg wrestles and arm pulls. Students enjoyed doing them under her guidance. Kodiak AISES Science Camp 98 The Kodiak Camp included nine classroom teachers of the Kodiak School District, three Elders and three teachers from the AKRSI teaching staff. The camp was located on the ocean front with lots of sea life. The teachers worked with students one-to-one on science projects, providing guidance and understanding of the scientific method. The students were in the fourth grade through ninth grade. There was more representation from the fourth and fifth grades. We transported the computer lab to the Kodiak Camp and the teachers were very instrumental in getting the students to use the computers. All students wrote a title, hypothesis, materials and procedure for their projects. Some were able to use the spreadsheet to record data. Students toured an abandoned village that had been ruined by a large tidal wave in 1964. Many of the Elders had relatives who had lived in that village. The campsite had an archeological dig near by. An anthropologist lived in the camp with the staff and conducted tours of their digs for all camp members. The digs included homes of Native people in the early 1800s. Both camps were successful and had valuable experiences for the students. We successfully merged Native culture with explorations in science. Many students expressed a desire to attend the 1999 AISES summer camps. | |
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