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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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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Gail Pass Moves On:We have been fortunate throughout the life of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative to have highly talented and dedicated staff to breath life into the work we are doing. One who has been with us nearly from the beginning and has provided much of the glue that holds everything together has been Gail Pass, administrative assistant at the AFN office of the AKRSI. Gail has provided critical technical skills essential to keeping track of the many activities sponsored by the project; she has also been a valuable contributor to the thinking that has gone into shaping that work. Evidence of her insightful perspective on the inner workings of the world in which we live is reflected in a poem found on the back page of this newsletter, which she has provided as a gift to all of us on her move to a new position as a financial analyst with Alaska Communications Systems. The staff of AKRSI want to express our appreciation to Gail for her faithful service-with-a-smile over the years and we wish her good fortune as she moves on to new opportunities in her life. We'll be calling on you, Gail . . . ! | |
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Guidelines Adopted for Alaska Public Libraries by David Ongley:We are fortunate on the North Slope to have public libraries in all of our villages. We only have seven villages outside of Barrow though. AVCP in Bethel is working to form libraries in many of the 50 or so villages it serves. I hear of good things coming from Southeast Alaska as well. Sealaska and the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes both recently received grants for library projects, as did Igiugig Village in the Cook Inlet area. Haines public library is working on a large project with the Chilkoot Indian Association. For the most part, however, very little is being done in larger towns and cities. Each year, the Alaska State Library hosts a three-day leadership institute that is fondly referred to as DirLead. Last October the directors of the 10 largest public libraries in the state met to learn ways they could better serve Alaska Natives in their libraries. As this was a significant departure from previous DirLead institutes, much credit needs to go to Karen Crane, the director of the State Library and several other key people, who immediately perceived the value of what was being proposed and provided firm support for the project. Father Michael Oleksa spoke for half a day about communication styles. For the next day and a half, Dr. Lotsee Patterson, a Comanche professor of library science at the University of Oklahoma, a preeminent expert on Native libraries across the country, worked with us to develop a set of guidelines for public libraries. These guidelines were based on those for schools, communities, teachers and parents already developed by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. Immersion in the subject under Dr. Patterson's tutelage provided the intellectual stimulus that propelled the formation of smaller workgroups to consider four aspects of libraries where guidelines could be developed: the environment in which services are delivered, the programs and services offered, the collections that are developed and the staff that is employed in the library. Reassembling, the smaller groups brought proposed wording back. Revisions by the larger group were considerable. Work progressed quickly under Lotsee's direction. Directors took copies of the document to share with their libraries, communities and Native educational organizations. Feedback was sporadic and continued to trickle in through the spring of 2001. The changes that were suggested were forwarded to the entire group through their listserv. Almost every suggestion that came in improved the document and was easily incorporated into the wording. By June the document was completed to almost everyone's satisfaction. That document is now on the ANKN Web site at www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/library.html. I believe several basic truths about libraries. I believe that, while books and libraries may have the appearance and tradition of a fundamental component of a white, European, imperialist institution, their equivalents exist in every culture in some form. I believe that by taking control of libraries and filling them with appropriate information, they can be transformed into institutions that serve people in the villages. In Alaska, we struggle on two fronts: getting libraries established in the villages and convincing the state legislature of the need to support them. Convincing a legislature dominated by representatives from the major urban areas of the importance of rural libraries is an uphill battle. It will probably remain a losing battle without the overwhelming support from the villages. I'm certain that the importance of libraries will eventually prevail and they will emerge as a force for cultural, linguistic, historic and economic independence in the future. On September 21, 2001 at the State Board of Education meeting, it was moved by board member Roy Nageak of Barrow to endorse the Culturally Responsive Guidelines for Alaska Public Libraries. The endorsement was approved unanimously. Those guidelines are included for use in your community. | |
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Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge:Special attention is given to the educational implications for the integration of indigenous knowledge and practices in schools throughout Alaska. The guidance offered by the guidelines is intended to encourage the incorporation of traditional knowledge and teaching practices in schools by minimizing the potential for misuse and misunderstanding in the process. It is hoped that these guidelines will facilitate the coming together of the many cultural traditions that coexist in Alaska in constructive, respectful and mutually beneficial ways. Along with the guidelines are general recommendations aimed at stipulating the steps that need to be taken to achieve the goals for which the guidelines are intended. State and federal agencies, universities, school districts, textbook publishers and Native communities are encouraged to review their policies, programs and practices and to adopt the guidelines and recommendations where appropriate. In so doing, the educational experiences of students throughout Alaska will be enriched and the future well-being of the communities being served will be enhanced. Responsibilities for Respecting Cultural Knowledge Following is a summary of the areas of responsibility around which the guidelines for respecting cultural knowledge are organized. The details for each area, to be published in a booklet form as well as on the ANKN website, provide specific suggestions on the steps to be taken by persons in each of the respective roles. NATIVE ELDERS, as one of the primary sources of traditional cultural knowledge, bear the responsibility to share and pass on that knowledge in ways that are compatible with traditional teachings and practices. AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS should take all steps necessary to insure that any representation of cultural content is accurate, contextually appropriate and explicitly acknowledged. CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS AND ADMINISTRATORS should provide multiple avenues for the incorporation of locally-recognized expertise in all actions related to the use and interpretation of local cultural knowledge and practices. CLASSROOM TEACHERS are responsible for drawing upon Elders and other cultural experts in the surrounding community to make sure all resource materials and learning activities are culturally accurate and appropriate. EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS should utilize culturally-knowledgeable authors and establish multiple levels of review to insure that all publications are culturally accurate and appropriate. REVIEWERS should give informed consideration to the cultural perspectives of all groups represented in documents subjected to review. RESEARCHERS are ethically responsible for obtaining informed consent, accurately representing the cultural perspective and protecting the cultural integrity and rights of all participants in a research endeavor. NATIVE LANGUAGE SPECIALISTS are responsible for taking all steps possible to accurately convey the meaning associated with cultural knowledge that has been shared in a traditional language. NATIVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS should establish a process for review and authorization of activities involving the gathering, documentation and use of local cultural knowledge. As the users and audience for cultural knowledge, THE GENERAL PUBLIC has a responsibility to exercise informed critical judgement about the cultural authenticity and appropriateness of the materials they utilize. General Recommendations The following recommendations were put forward to support the effective implementation of the guidelines for documenting, representing and utilizing cultural knowledge outlined above. The Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools should be used as a general guide for any educational activity involving cultural documentation, representation or review. A statewide "Alaska Indigenous Literary Review Board" should be established with representation from each of the regional Native educator associations to oversee the implementation of the recommendations that follow. A statewide "Alaska Indigenous Knowledge Multimedia Working Group" should be established to examine the applicability of the above guidelines to the production of electronic media and the publication and utilization of cultural knowledge via the internet. Criteria for product certification of materials with cultural content should be established and implemented by regional literary review committees formed through the regional Native educator associations. The raven images from the ANKN logo could be used as a "stamp of approval" for each cultural region. Each regional literary review committee should develop a list of authorized reviewers for publications reflecting cultural content related to the respective region. An annotated bibliography of the best materials representing local cultures should be compiled by each regional literary review committee and published on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website for use by teachers and curriculum developers throughout the state. The Alaska Indigenous Literary Review Board should establish prestigious awards to honor Native Elders, authors, illustrators and others who make a significant contribution to the documentation and representation of cultural knowledge. Incentives, resources and opportunities should be provided to encourage and support Native authors, illustrators and storytellers who bring a strong Native voice to the documentation and representation of Native cultural knowledge and traditions. The guidelines outlined above should be incorporated in university courses and made an integral part of all teacher preparation and cultural orientation programs. An annotated bibliography of resource materials that address issues associated with documenting, representing and utilizing cultural knowledge should be maintained on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website. Further information on issues related to the implementation of these guidelines, as well as copies of the complete guidelines may be obtained from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6730 (http://www.ankn.uaf.edu). | |
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Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Languages:This booklet offers suggestions for Elders, parents, children and educators to use in strengthing their heritage language with support from the Native community, schools, linguists and education agencies. 28 pages, free. For more information on obtaining copies of these and other cultural guidelines, call the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at 907-474-5086 or e-mail dixie.dayo@uaf.edu. | |
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