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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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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IATC Update: Athabascan Language Program by Beth Leonard:The Interior Athabascan Tribal College is looking for language instructors who are willing to teach community multi-age classes. If you are interested, please contact me as we can also offer teacher training and support. Conversational Koyukon and Gwich'in Classes, Fairbanks IATC, in cooperation with The Morgan Project/UAF School of Education and the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District After School Program, is offering courses for Gwich'in and Koyukon Athabascan languages this fall from October 1-November 21. The instructor for Gwich'in is Kathy Sikorski and Koyukon instructors are Susan Paskvan, Joe Kwaraceius, Clara Clark, Agnes Moore and Steven Toby. This is an exciting program as it serves parents and children-the Koyukon class accepted students from ages 10 and up (ages 10-13 with parent/guardian) and the Gwich'in class accepted students ages 14 and up. The After School Program is providing classrooms and, because the IATC and Morgan Project are paying instructor salaries, the registration fee is reduced to $5. Students are also able to register for one credit of ANL 121 through UAF for an additional $25. If instructors are available, we are hoping to offer two seven-week sessions during the spring semester for Gwich'in, Koyukon and Iñupiaq. Funding Awarded for Family Language Immersion Program-Athabascan Through the Administration for Native Americans, TCC and IATC were recently awarded three years of funding that focuses on two pilot projects: (1) training in family immersion models and (2) development of family-oriented language immersion/cultural camps. We will begin advertising for regional coordinators and language specialists to assist with development of family immersion curricula and model development for language immersion cultural camps. For more information on the IATC Language Program, please contact Beth Leonard at 452-8251, ext. 3287 (or 1-800-478-6822). | |
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Identity-Creating Camps by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:The following are a few suggestions on how we might approach and design camps for different purposes. Three types of Native cultural camps are described and each may be revised and adapted to suit the local situation and needs. Cultural Immersion Camp For students who have a good command of the Native language or dialect in a particular region and thus can be immersed on all aspects of the local culture. 1. All activities are done utilizing the Native language only and the focus is on in-depth learning of the things one needs to know to make a life and a living. 2. All planning and implementation includes local Native Elders and other knowledgeable Native people explaining what and why things are done the way they are for cultural adaptability and survival. This can include the following topics: a. Use of and relationship to plants and animals: times for harvesting; how and why certain rules are followed to ensure continuation of species; explain the traditional preparation and preservation techniques; how does the process contribute to natural diversity and cultural adaptability? b. Medicinal plants: their use and how they have been preordained by Ellam Yua (Spirit of the Universe) to have power to heal certain diseases; harvesting process-preparation and preservation; how to use them, being mindful of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual inclinations of the person being treated; how do they contribute to natural diversity and cultural adaptability? c. Explore the nature-mediated technology of the Alaska Native people: materials; preparation methods; explanations of why certain parts of materials are used; how the idea for the technology came about; functioning of the various parts; use and care of the item; does it utilize refined or unrefined natural resources and why; is it biodegradable; what are its spiritual aspects; how does it contribute to natural diversity and cultural sustainability and adaptability? d. Explore the natural sense-makers of nature for weather, seasons, flora and fauna. e. Discuss time and its measurement. f. Navigation techniques: finding direction using nature and celestial objects. 3. Use song, dance and drumming for transmission of culture, especially its spiritual aspect; develop a realization that everything a Native person does is a form of prayer and paying homage to Ellam Yua (or whatever name a tribe has for the Creator.) 4. Use mythology and stories for value-creation and teaching what it means to be human; the entire experience should be value-creating and give a cultural orientation, an identity. 5. Live off the land as much as possible, using traditional techniques and technology. 6. The scheduling must be flexible and determined by the Elders to do things when it feels right. Language Development Camp For students who have little or no understanding of the Native language or have little or no speaking ability. Thus the focus is on learning the language itself in a setting where it has inherent meaning. The process is best determined on a day-by-day basis by the Elders and teachers, but it could range from full immersion as outlined above, to gradual immersion starting with the Native language being used with English interpretations, then progressing to an hour or two in which only the Native language is used. In either case, the goal would be to have the last week be all in the Native language. Otherwise, all of the suggestions outlined for immersion camps would apply. Bridging Science Camp Same as above but incorporating aspects of a Eurocentric viewpoint. The bridging camp should include not only the Native language and cultural practices, but also the Eurocentric scientific concepts and practices. 1. Most of the activities outlined above apply, but with the addition of a comparative perspective. All activities are coordinated to best achieve understanding. The traditional activities are not separate activities from Eurocentric mathematics and sciences, but are planned to be compatible and complementary with one another. 2. Identify some of the most used Eurocentric scientific terms and coin corresponding Native words with help from Elders and students. 3. When using Eurocentric science knowledge, concepts or theories, explore how they may add to or detract from one's Nativeness. 4. Examine whether the Eurocentric knowledge is useful and applicable in the place you are situated or is it extraneous knowledge in that context. When and where is it useful? 5. Use traditional estimation and intuitive measurement techniques; explore recognition of pattern and symmetry without mathematical equations to confuse the issue-the universe is not all numbers. 6. Use computers and other technological tools sparingly; explore the implications of the statement, "our memories are becoming obsolete." 7. How does adding Eurocentric knowledge to the traditional ways of knowing enhance or detract from natural diversity and cultural adaptability? 8. Examine ways in which technological tools may add to environmental and mental pollution. 9. Examine ways in which the camp activities foster values of cooperation and harmony or competition and individualism. 10. The camp planners and implementers should always have the local list of Native values in front of them for guidance in determining what to include from the modern world. The bridging science camps are intended to incorporate the Eurocentric mathematics and scientific concepts along with the local knowledge base of the Elders. All daily activities should be coordinated to effectively and efficiently teach and validate both thought worlds. The students should gain a keen understanding of Eurocentric scientific research since many of the findings corroborate Native observations and have helped to identify globally-stressed arenas that explain why Mother Earth is suffering. This makes it absolutely necessary that students learn Eurocentric concepts as well as their own ways of recognizing patterns, utilizing symbols, employing estimation and intuitive measurement and developing a keen observation of place. The Native students have to realize that our ways of knowing are identity-building processes. They can then pursue careers in mathematics and the sciences buttressed with a nature-mediated world view giving them a kind and polite disposition to the world in which they live. | |
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Iditarod Area School District Utilizes E-Mail by Bob Kuhn:Somewhere in the past few years, I began to see beyond the argument of, "where is the human factor in communicating." I have come to see that rather than decreasing this human factor, the use of e-mail in our district has brought our staff and students closer together. Being as large in area as our school district is, having the capability of communicating with peers 200 miles away has allowed staff members and students to work together as if they were in the same building. Staff and students alike are beginning to see that a district-wide e-mail system can enhance not only the instruction in the classroom, it can also help teachers in remote villages feel less isolated. The Iditarod Area School District has been using the software package QuickMail for about five years now. This is our choice but there are numerous others. We chose QuickMail for a number of reasons, not least of which is its very user friendly interface. Functions such as sending, receiving, and grouping e-mail messages and documents from one person anywhere in our district to anyone else within our district can be done with nothing more complicated than the click of a mouse. All teachers and office staff members have desktop access to QuickMail and we are in the process of giving this same access to our students. Staff members use QuickMail to share unit ideas, obtain information from the district office, locate materials that have moved around the district and just to keep in touch. The district office uses QuickMail to communicate with school office personnel. This allows for the easy transferal of attendance reports, food reports and all of the other bits of paperwork that flow within a school district. The most exciting use of a district e-mail system is the way it can be used by students. One student uses it to gather material from other students for the district newsletter she publishes. One teacher runs a math contest by sending math problems to students throughout the district and receives solutions via the same method. Students who have moved to another village in the district can keep in touch with friends on a regular basis. The uses are limited only by the imagination. It must be noted that there are drawbacks to a district e-mail system. First, is the expense. Our messages are transferred over long-distance phone lines, so there are those costs. We have our system set up to send messages at night to take advantage of the lower costs. Second, are the poor phone lines in rural Alaska. Due to lines and equipment that is antiquated, connections are sometimes lost. This can be very frustrating. These are the two major negatives that we have had to deal with. Electronic mail has changed the way we do business in the Iditarod Area School District. And it has been a change for the better. I can't imagine going to work one day and not having it. You might as well take away my blackboard. Setting this system up in your district is not difficult. All it takes is time, commitment, and someone with the minor skill and energy necessary to set it up. I would be happy to assist in anyway I can. Happy E-Mailing, Bob Kuhn Iditarod Area School District McGrath, AK 907-524-3232 ext. 240 rsrck@aurora.alaska.edu | |
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Ilisagvik College Receives Grant to Establish Tribal College Consortium:Ilisagvik College has been named recipient of a $510,000 Kellogg Grant for the establishment of a Tribal College Consortium in Alaska. The four-year project will serve to address the higher education needs of Alaska Natives through investigating the feasibility of developing a statewide network of tribal colleges. Although tribal colleges and college networks exist in other parts of the country, Alaska has not yet developed a tribal college network designed specifically to meet the higher education needs of Native students. Four other tribal organizations are collaborating with Ilisagvik College on the formation of the consortium. These include Kawarak, Inc., Sealaska Heritage Foundation, Association of Village Council Presidents and Tanana Chiefs Conference. The Alaska Tribal College Consortium is proposed as a means of lobbying for additional federal funding at a time when state funding for higher education is dwindling. Unlike other states, Alaska does not currently receive federal funding through the Tribally Controlled Community Colleges Act. The Kellogg grant award will facilitate development of the infrastrucure needed to secure this and other sources of funding. "We are honored to be in a position to be able to receive this grant," said Ilisagvik president, Dr. Edna Ahgeak MacLean. "We believe that through a tribal college consortium we will be able to better address the educational needs of Native people throughout the state. We foresee the development of a self-supporting college network working in coordination with other institutions to provide a full range of higher educational programs for Native communities statewide." Under the proposal, the consortium will form an inter-institutional planning committee with representatives from the University of Alaska, Sheldon Jackson College and Alaska Pacific University. The group will work together to prepare a comprehensive long-range plan for Alaska Native higher education, identifying current needs and deficiencies and developing the goals which will prepare Native students for the 21st century. The newly formed Alaska Tribal College Consortium met at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in October 1997 and recently held a retreat in Anchorage. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to "help people help themselves through practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Its programming activities center around the common visions of a world in which each person has sense of worth, accepts responsibility for self, family, community and social well-being and has the capacity to be productive and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions and healthy communities. | |
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In The Maelstrom of Confusion, a Stilling Voice by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:We, as Native peoples, have always known that genotypes of all living things have micro-consciousness or micro-intelligence that enables them to communicate with one another and to work together for the good of the whole. Let me tell you why I think this is so. As a Yupiat, we have many rituals and ceremonies, some of which require special masks. Some of the masks are human masks. A few of these will have a third eye painted on the forehead. This eye we call Ellam iina, the eye of the universe, the eye of consciousness, the eye of awareness, thus intelligence. This says to me that the Great Consciousness, God if you wish, resides in my mind, and my consciousness is in the Great Consciousness. It is there that we find our collective memories and the power of our collective mindfulness. These essences of memory are imbued into the creatures, plants and elements of nature to remind and teach us how to be people that live lives that feel just right. Nature is our textbook as a Native people. In it we find wisdom to make a life and a living. In order to have dialogue with it we must listen for the still small voice within. To ensure growth of wisdom, we recognize that we need to be with those that we consider wise, most often the Elders. We know that we become that which we hold up and respect. How many times have you heard this truth! You and I, as educators, seek through dialogue with those we admire, through reading all sorts of written media, through seeing videotaped media and through learning to read and communicate directly with nature. The information we gather requires that we sift through it to remove the chaff in the form of misdirected, misinformed and useless information which we or others may have interpreted wrongly. Knowledge is merely information, but wisdom requires that we understand, become enlightened or aware and, as we grow, live what we know! This is what we learn from our wise Elders-this is wisdom. This wisdom cannot be separated from the sacred-our Native spirituality. Wisdom is embedded in the sacred, thus we live it. Remember that wisdom also resides in you-look for it. As a Native person, you need your Native language to commune with nature and to describe it in its own terms. A Native friend of mine from the village of Minto told me that our Native languages are living languages and that if you don't use it, you are giving yourself away-relinquishing your identity. As a Yupiaq man, I have to draw on my Yupiaq language and mindset to feel the crispness of the snow, the balminess of a warm wind. I have to draw on my language to fully experience the mountains, the moon, the sun, the river, the spruce tree, the taste of Hudson's Bay tea, the wolf, the eagle and the paramecium-it is a living language! All these experiences with the language, along with the five senses and intuition, are necessary for my growth and my spirituality. To ensure growth of wisdom, we recognize that we need to be with those that we consider wise, most often the Elders. Knowledge is merely information, but wisdom requires that we understand, become enlightened or aware and, as we grow, live what we know! Barriers have to be removed for my continued growth, otherwise staleness follows. This is another reason why we must get the children out of the classrooms as much as possible to be with and in nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Nature becomes (to man) the measure of his attainments. So much of nature as he is ignorant of, so much of his own mind does he not yet possess. And, in fine, the ancient precept 'know thyself' and the modern precept, 'study nature' become at last one maxim." Get the children to see beauty in the flower, tree, butterfly, grass, stream, fish and, yes, the slug. These living things interact and cooperate. This process does not leave out the rocks and other elements of Mother Earth-they are all an integral part it. Let them begin to understand that we are here for a purpose, to contribute to the good of the tribe and be of service to others. This involves goodness of self, morality, joy, cooperation and happiness. We have Christ, Dalai Lama, Ghandi, Chief Peter John, Lyons and others who have the selfless love which is the stabilizer, the balancer of life. They are our role models. Let the children think of all the good traits and skills that they possess. Someone has called these the "inner assets". They have talents and skills inherited from their ancestors with the Great Mystery working the genotypes to fit the place and conditions. This process needs our continued meditation and prayers for the still, small voice to let us know what else needs to be done. Ellanginginartuqut-we are becoming more aware! The inner assets might include ability to interact effectively with others, intuitive perception, athletic skill, ability to observe and make sense of what is being seen, ability for abstract thinking, dexterity combined with mind, leadership skills, mindfulness of place, cooperation, showing love and humility and all the many other positive traits that children may possess. Not only must the children be guided to making a worthwhile living but to making a life that feels good to them as well. This is done through the mythology, stories, singing, dancing, drumming, place names and all the other rituals and ceremonies that have been handed down to us through many thousands of years. They must be guided to living life to the fullest-a good and responsible life working to become the very best they possibly can while making a contribution to their community. Children who want to live a healthy and stable life will be contributors to a healthy, stable and sustainable community. These inner assets of children have to be capitalized on for them to become the very best that they are capable of. They can become the very best hunter, medical doctor, electrician, artist, craftsperson or medicine person, but this has to be infused with liberal amounts of love, humility, compassion and open-mindedness. This means that love has balanced the outer and inner ecologies of the young person. They work and experience place for the good of the community. We have to know place in order to know self, for place is our identity. The last 500 years or so we have seen a maelstrom of confusion, a perfect storm! It is destructive because it is based on self-love, greed, hate and anger, which are in direct conflict with what nature teaches us. We must avoid personal narcissism just as we must avoid spiritual narcissism. We have to work for a balance. Some American Indian people refer to this as "Walking the Red Road", a very narrow path which guides us on that thin line between good and evil. We are gradually emerging from this maelstrom of confusion and getting on a pathway that feels just right! We, as teachers, are not just repositories of knowledge, but serve as a role model and guide for the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual development of these children, our future. May the Ellam Yua, the Spirit of the Universe, give us guidance and direction in this most important role. They (children) must be guided to living life to the fullest-a good and responsible life working to become the very best they possibly can while making a contribution to their community. | |
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In the Presence of Stories by Vivian Martindale:-N. Scott Momaday According to Kiowa author and poet, N. Scott Momaday, the Native person lives "in the presence of stories." He claims the storyteller is many things: magician, artist and creator as well as a holy man. "He is sacred business" (Circle of Stories). Stories are meant to be told. They enrich our lives and for educators they can enrich our classrooms as well. We are humbled and gracious in the presence of storytellers, yet how do we incorporate that knowledge into education, especially higher education? Most students come to the college classroom expecting the standard lecture and the required readings. Long forgotten is the Socratic method, which promotes listening by the students and gentle facilitating by the instructor. This method is similar to many Native American methods of teaching by example. Elders often engage the observer or learner in what they are doing. For example, if a carver is teaching an apprentice, the Elder often sits and carves while telling a story. To the untrained listener the story may not relate to what the apprentice should be learning, but usually the storyteller/carver gets around to bringing the meaning into what they are doing. Eventually the apprentice, when he is ready, picks up the piece of wood provided for him and begins to carve. Also, in Native cultures it is common to give the child or student the tools to learn and let them experiment with their learning. One example is when a child is learning to fillet fish. He may be given a small fish and a small knife and allowed to slice the fish without instruction because the child has observed the women slicing fish at the fish camp. As well, the child learning to carve will be given a piece of wood and the tools to carve without being instructed by reading a book, or a "lecture." Children are allowed to experience life, they are allowed to just "be." We are humbled and gracious in the presence of storytellers ... These methods, translated to learning in the classroom, allow the student to listen to the stories, read the poems or other literature, and then interpret that knowledge without being "wrong" or told how to think. Interpretation and the variations of interpretation of knowledge are viewed according to one's culture, therefore the cultures of individual students must be appreciated. There are similarities between the Socratic method and the methods of teaching in Native American traditions. The Socrates method of teaching, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, is divided into two stages: negative and positive: In the negative stage Socrates, approaching his intended pupil in an attitude of assumed ignorance, would begin to ask a question, apparently for his own information. He would follow this by other questions, until his interlocutor would at last be obliged to confess ignorance of the subject discussed. Because of the pretended deference, which Socrates played to the superior intelligence of his pupil, this stage of the method was called "Socratic Irony". In the positive stage of the method, once the pupil had acknowledged his ignorance, Socrates would proceed to another series of questions, each of which would bring out some phase or aspect of the subject, so that at the end, when all the answers were summed up in a general statement, that statement expressed the concept of the subject, or the definition. Therefore, knowledge through concepts, or knowledge by definition, is the aim of the Socratic method. (Catholic Encyclopedia) Although I would not categorize the two steps into the terms "negative" and "positive" because all learning can be applied to our lives in a positive way. I would re-word the term "negative" to "exploring". In the exploring stage we examine new concepts and learn new things. Often we make mistakes and are very aware of our ignorance. But this is not "negative" so-to-speak, but learning by doing. The Socratic method can bring out concepts and ideas by the questioning of the instructor and allow for the students to explore what they have learned and what that knowledge means to them. It is not enough just to lecture on how the facts are interpreted in the mainstream society, which is usually with a Euro-American twist, but learning in a multi-cultural environment must allow for the students to see through another's worldview whether they are Native or from another ethnic background. . . . in Native American cultures many concepts within those cultures can only be taught through the original native languages, which is why it is important to bring those languages into the classroom through stories, songs, dances and other customs. However, in Native American cultures many concepts within those cultures can only be taught through the original native languages, which is why it is important to bring those languages into the classroom through stories, songs, dances and other customs. The instructor and students can view videos, such as the ones on the "Circle of Stories" website produced by the Public Broadcast System, and use the Socratic method to bring out any ideas or questions that the students may have. "Circle of Stories" is just one such site, among many available on the internet, that promotes listening and interaction by the educator and or student. According to the PBS site, they use documentary film, photography, artwork and music to honor and explore Native American storytelling. The website is divided into five parts: Storytellers, Many Voices, We Are Here, Community and For Educators. As a learning tool, this site can broaden instructional techniques and allow for an increase in listening skills as well as bringing Native culture into the classroom. Because literature is not limited to the written form, in many Native American communities such as those in Alaska, oral traditions are considered literature. This makes sense because poetry is considered literature; short stories are considered literature, yet both are best enjoyed when read aloud. Stories and poetry are meant to be read aloud therefore incorporating the storytelling process into the classroom can be a rewarding experience for both students and teachers. Even if a student doesn't particularly enjoy nor want to tell a story, he or she can participate by listening. Because listening is a valuable part of Native American society it should be honored. Part of the benefit of incorporating storytelling into the curriculum is that some students haven't been taught to listen properly or respect the listener as many people in Native American communities have been. Television, internet, video games and many technologies are geared for the "viewer" and not the "listener." A good website such as "Circle of Stories" can be enjoyed by a listener as well as being used as an interactive visual aid. According to the website: In the basket of Native stories, we find legends and history, maps and poems, the teachings of spirit mentors, instructions for ceremony and ritual, observations of worlds and storehouses of ethno-ecological knowledge. Stories often live in many dimensions, with meanings that reach from the everyday to the divine. Stories imbue places with the power to teach, heal and reflect. Stories are possessed with such power that they have survived for generations despite attempts at repression and assimilation. (Circle of Stories) In Native American communities songs, dances and music are all considered stories. They tell something. There are consistent themes in the stories. Stories tell us about the culture in which they were created and are an excellent way to learn about a particular culture. Students can listen to a story from a specific period in time, comparing an old story to a modern one, or a hero story to one that is intended to teach a lesson. One can also compare stories that are similar or different from region to region. Understanding rituals and ceremonies within the context of a culture is another way of learning about a Native community. The Mojave Creation song is just one example, "Some Native songs are sung in great cycles, containing over 100 songs for a specific ritual. The Mojave Creation songs, which describe cremation rituals in detail, are a collection of 525 songs and must be performed for the deceased to journey to the next world." Stories can be symbolic, teach a lesson, teach how to conduct ceremonies, promote understanding of the natural world, how to survive in the environment, oral maps for travel, transformation stories and stories about love and romance. (Circle of Stories) In "Circle of Stories," the section for educators consists of lessons designed to enable students to examine Native American storytelling, as well as create their own stories. The lessons are also intended to explore indigenous and Native American cultures and the issues within those cultures. Students are encouraged to research and explore their own cultural heritage by recording family stories and heritage. Although these lesson plans are designed for grades 6-12, one could incorporate them into the college curriculum. The section for educators is divided into three lessons. The first, entitled "It's All Part of the Story," is about instructing students on the rich cultural and religious heritage of the generations before us, and it leads us to understand how our past has influenced our present. Use this plan to help students learn to share their story while learning to appreciate stories from others. The second section titled, "Our Small World" examines the contributions of Native cultures to our modern society as well as how to keep the cultures alive and the role of storytelling in that process. The third lesson, "Record and Preserve Your Family Heritage," is about learning how to record stories and the proper protocols involved with gathering stories. (Circle of Stories) Featured under the heading "Storytellers" in the main menu, are three or four storytellers and their stories. Included is a biography of the storyteller, something about their culture and then a story told by that person (Real Player is the software used to listen to the downloaded audio.) Also some of the stories are told in the original language of the storyteller. One featured storyteller is Hoskie Benally, a Dinè (Navajo) spiritual leader, from Shiprock, New Mexico. He tells the story of the Five Sacred Medicines, which is the story of how the Navajo acquired their medicines: sage, tobacco, cedar, yucca and eagle feathers. Another storyteller featured on this site is Tchin from the Narragansett people, who inhabited the area now known as Rhode Island for 30,000 years. Tchin is also part Siksika, more commonly known as the Blackfeet people. Like many Native American cultures, the Narragansett were nearly wiped out by settlers who brought disease and violence. According to Tchin, "In 1880, the state of Rhode Island illegally detribalized the Narragansett, terminating the tribe on paper. The Narragansett lost their remaining 3200 acres of land, leaving them with only a church on a scarce two acres" (Circle of Stories). Eventually with the introduction of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934, the government recognized the Narragansett as a distinct people, but fell short of federal recognition and unfortunately they were unable to acquire back their land. But in 1978, tribal members filed a lawsuit, which resulted in the government returning 2000 acres to their possession. Federal recognition eventually came about in 1983. Tchin uses these facts and his knowledge of storytelling to bring the listener into his story of why rabbit looks like he does today. The stories and information on this site are excellent tools for instruction. Adapting the site to individual instructors need only take a bit of imagination. Whether we are in a grade school, high school or the college classroom, our educational experiences are enhanced by stories. In the presence of stories our knowledge can increase, especially our knowledge of the cultures around us. Many Euro-Americans grow up in regions without knowing the richness of their Native neighbors. Stories are just one way to incorporate knowledge, language and culture within the classroom. In our classrooms as well as our lives, we are enriched by the presence of stories. Works Cited Rogerson, Hand and Jilian Spitzmiller Producers. Electric Shadows Project. Circle of Stories. Public Broadcasting Service, 2002. Philomath Films. http://www.pbs.org/circleofstories. 16 June 2003. Knight, Kevin. Editor. Socrates. Catholic Encyclopedia. Updated April 20, 2003. http://www.newadvent.org. 17 June, 2003. | |
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Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative:One of the key goals of the University of Saskatchewan's Framework for Planning is "meeting the needs of Aboriginal people." The university has restated on a number of occasions its commitment to pursue this aim through expanding program options which are attractive and relevant for Aboriginal people. The Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative (IPJI) constitutes an effort to further this important goal by providing students with opportunities to explore indigenous knowledge and "ways of knowing" and to build their disciplinary expertise in relation to the justice theme. The IPJI arises out of the need to address issues of justice as they relate to indigenous peoples and what the Supreme Court of Canada has termed a "crisis in the criminal justice system." It evolves from the premise that there are different viewpoints regarding justice and that the indigenous viewpoint, grounded in indigenous knowledge and "ways of knowing," needs to be incorporated into programs and courses at the University of Saskatchewan. It is the hope of the framers of the IPJI that by re-articulating traditional knowledge and teaching regarding justice as framed by its bearers, the Elders of various Aboriginal communities, new partnerships and improved relationships of respect and understanding may form between these communities and the university. The IPJI operates within a framework of values that includes mutual respect, obligation and responsibility. The purpose of the academic programs is to enhance understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples with regard to the requirements of justice in today's world. The failure of Canada's criminal justice system is a critical aspect of the lives of Aboriginal peoples that is addressed by the IPJI. It also examines the social, cultural, economic, political, institutional and organizational features of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities that are the causes of crime, assimilation, exclusion and community breakdown. Indigenous Knowledge: Capstone Courses The IPJI will have a curriculum that focuses on indigenous knowledge relating to justice, incorporating different world views about justice. The curriculum will introduce instruction in indigenous knowledge and teachings into the university setting, and will involve team-teaching. The third year courses are: IK 301.3 Indigenous Knowledge: Methodologies. Examination and de-construction of the existing knowledge base on indigenous peoples. The purpose will be to study indigenous methodologies. IK 302.3 Indigenous Knowledge: Theory and Practice. Students will examine oral traditions and histories and begin to develop an understanding of how to work and think within these traditions and histories. IK 401.6 Indigenous Knowledge: Concepts of Justice. This is the fourth-year capstone course. The study of issues associated with indigenous knowledge with a particular focus on concepts of justice. Students will be introduced to advanced substantive concepts and the process of indigenous justice, social order, freedom and social control. The underlying theme of these capstone courses and academic programs will be built upon, but not confined to, the study and remedying of the application and enforcement of criminal justice system rules, "law" and justice on the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members of society. What can the Indigenous Peoples and Justice Initiative offer me? The IPJI provides an opportunity for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students to study in a chosen discipline, while focusing on issues surrounding indigenous peoples and justice. It establishes three new degree programs in law, public administration and sociology. These programs will draw upon the teachings, values and traditions available through the ethical sharing of indigenous knowledge, experiences and expertise. The programs will be conducted in a way that affirms the values of mutual obligation, mutual respect and responsibility. For more information, contact: Administrative Coordinator, IPJI Native Law Centre University of Saskatchewan 101 Diefenbaker Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B8 Phone: (306) 966-6246 Fax: (306) 966-6207 E-mail: masuskapoe@skyway.usask.ca | |
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Influences Learned in Behavior by Martha Stackhouse:My aaka (grandmother), Pamiilaq Lucy Aiken, was a widow. Her husband Johnny had long been dead before I was born. My aaka Lucy would sew Eskimo yo-yo's to make some money and send me out to sell her goods to the tourists. If I was successful in selling them, she would pay me my commission for each item. Like the whalers who whale for their shares, I received a share of the commission that was just for my efforts. She was deeply religious and was very active in church. She would tell us to be kind to each other, especially to be compassionate to those who are less fortunate than we are. We should not join in with the crowd who make fun of them. Instead, we should talk to them and try to be friends. The one thing I remember her for is her robust laughter as the extended family gathered around to eat Sunday lunches of maktak and frozen whale and fish after church. She died when I was in the third grade. My grandparents from my mother's side lived in Wainwright. I would go see them every summer after whaling celebrations. My aaka Kunnaan was extremely patient with her "city granddaughter from Barrow" who did not know much about washing clothes by hand (because we had electricity and washers), whose sewing was never tight like hers as I attempted to sew with her, and did not know how to cut up meat or skins-all of which she was required to know about since she had become an orphan at a very young age. She was taken in by the Charles Brower family when she was about seven years old and they raised her until she was of marrying age. Patience is what she taught me. I was a tomboy and had better luck with my aapa (grandfather), Michael Kayutak. Qayutak was his Inupiaq name and he was given a Westernized last name of Kayutak. Because of the Western concept of last names, each of my grandfather's brothers carry different last names since they used their own Inupiaq names. My aapa and I would walk up inland to hunt for caribou or go egg hunting from ducks or geese. We were successful most of the time. We would struggle with loads of meat on our backs whenever we were successful. We made numerous trips all day to the village and back until every single part was taken. He would talk to me as we walked. He would tell me that we should only hunt what we need. If we over hunt, there might not be enough the following year. He said that even the small birds have to be taken to the elderly. Not only that, but we should pluck them first. The elders have to be respected. The way to show that respect was to ascertain that they had enough food, as they were unable to hunt for themselves. Another Inupiaq value I learned from him was that we should not boast about how much game we have taken or our accomplishments. The people will judge us by our actions, not what we say. The concept of not boasting was so imbedded in me that I had problems when I interviewed for jobs. I found out that in the Western world, I had to talk about my accomplishments in order to land jobs. This was not regarded as being boastful. In addition, I had to practice speaking up as I was extremely shy around those whom I did not know very well. Today I require my students to give oral reports after accomplishing their research papers. I also talk to them about job interviews. Another thing I had to practice was to say "no" as I found that too many people were starting to take advantage of me because they knew that I would get the task done. I was starting to bum out. I was thinking of the community rather than myself. We are taught that we should better ourselves to serve the community. However, I realized that I needed to take care of myself and my family in order to serve the community better. Lastly, I was taught by two Native teachers. My first teacher was Flossie Panigeo Connery in the kindergarten class. She would interpret Inupiaq into English and vice versa. Whenever I look back to those days, I am amazed at her accomplishments. We were students who did not know a word of English and by the end of the year, she had us reading the Dick, Jane and Sally books. The only reason I remember this accomplishment is because when we entered the first grade, the newly hired teacher was absolutely amazed that we could read. Her husband, who was the principal, came down to hear us read. All of her students stood up to read orally, one right after the other. The other Native teacher I had was Fred Ipalook in the second grade. He would have math up front on the board that we had to do first thing in the morning while we ate our government subsidized breakfast of peanut butter and honey on crackers with powdered milk. He also taught us how to read music and play the plastic flutes. Both teachers had taught for many, many years. My father had both of them as teachers when he went to school. Both teachers were extremely strict and demanded our attention as they taught. I do not profess to say we should be selective in hiring only Native teachers. However, Alaska Natives have been through a tremendous change in a short period of time. They say we have gone through two hundred years of change within a twenty-year span. I believe that the Native teachers or those non-Natives who have grown up in the rural areas of Alaska would know how to communicate with the students better. There is a desperate need to hire certified Inupiaq teachers as there are only a handful of them who teach in the villages. They are capable of teaching Inupiaq values since these values were taught to them by their parents and grandparents. We need to start graduating our young with efficient skills to succeed in the working world. The students need to learn about modern living as well as living their cultural heritage. They need to learn their cultural values to survive in the modern world. Martha Stackhouse was born in Barrow, Alaska. Ikayuaq is her Inupiaq name. She grew up knowing how to run dog teams since there were no cars. She went to Wrangel Institute when she was in the seventh grade and then to Mt. Edgecumbe High School-both of which are located in Southeast Alaska, hundreds of miles away from Barrow. She went to college but left before acquiring a degree. She and her husband became interested in counseling and worked as homeparents in the group homes and receiving homes for a total of five years. The turning point in her life to become a teacher was when she witnessed a school play offered by a reading enrichment program which was geared for above average readers. All of the participants were non-Inupiaq students who had lead roles such as doctors and lawyers. The only Inupiaq student was given the role as a patient. She has taught for twelve years in the North Slope Borough School District and encourages her students to become leaders. The last two of those years were spent teaching Alaska Studies and Inupiaq Studies through Distance Delivery-a satellite communications class from Barrow to the outlying villages. Ikayuaq is currently on sabbatical leave to work on her masters in education in the field of curriculum development for secondary education in Inupiaq studies. | |
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Integrating Elders in Northern School Programs by Cathy McGregor:"Our Elders were the keepers of knowledge. Without them, each generation would have learned everything there was to know by discovering it themselves." -From Inuuqatigiit Curriculum, Department of Education, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, 1996, p. 46 Additional references and notes can be found on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network web site at http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/SOP/sopv6i4.html. It turned out that the question was very real. Thanks to the efforts of a territorial administrator and a federal official who wanted to make a difference and had program funds to support their ideas, this conversation began a five-year partnership with the Canadian federal government to support the hiring of Elders in Baffin schools. For the first several years the funding came directly from the federal government. When the federal and territorial governments, in partnership with the Inuit land claim organization, Nunavut Tunngavik, established the Nunavut Human Resource Development Strategy, funding came through their auspices (Working Group on Human Resources and Training, 1996) . The Baffin Divisional Board supported the project as well, so that for the five-year period of the federal funding, $200,000 was made available to schools each year. Elders as Cultural Inclusion or Cultural Integration? When Elders first started coming into schools in northern Canada in the 1970s, their work with students was often considered an add-on to the regular program. Lessons frequently took place on Friday afternoon when the teacher and students were tired of the weekly routine. Activities often involved a whole class of students in their regular classroom. Teachers did little preparation of the students or the Elders for their time together. Teachers sometimes viewed the lessons by Elders as "spares" for themselves and left the room. Viewed from the advantage of today, these "cultural inclusion" programs appear as token gestures by the school system to the teaching of traditional knowledge and skills. It is difficult to imagine that either the students or the Elders got much satisfaction from these encounters. Today, the work of Elders is seen as integral to the success of school programs. In most communities in the Baffin region, schools have a dual mandate from the Local Education Authority, as well as the territorial government, to teach both traditional Inuit knowledge and skills and contemporary Western knowledge and skills. A survey of all Baffin communities in 1986 and direction-setting work with individual communities from 1993-96 confirmed this dual agenda. Thus the work that Elders do is part of the regular school program today. In the late 80s and early 90s, the Baffin Piniaqtavut Program of Studies provided topics for teachers to use to connect the work of Elders with the rest of the school program. The Inuuqatigiit curriculum from K-12, mandated by the government in 1996, outlines traditional Inuit knowledge and skills students should learn within various school divisions (K-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12). This provides the basis for integrating culture and the work of Elders into the regular curriculum. It is within this context that the work of Elders with students should be viewed. Ways to Fund Elders For many years, the Baffin Board had requested that the government fund positions for Elders in schools similar to the way in which they funded positions for teachers and language specialists (para-professionals). At that time, this had not happened (nor has it yet). There were a number of ways in which schools obtained funds to hire Elders to teach traditional knowledge: * Each school received funds as part of their base budget to support cultural programming. A per pupil allocation determined the specific amount each school received. (This of course, gave an advantage to larger schools in terms of flexibility in using the funds.) Schools could use these funds to hire Elders and to purchase the materials (skins, gas, ammunition, etc.) required to carry out traditional activities. * If the Local Education Authority (the elected school council) who had authority to determine the budget chose to do so, they could also allocate funds from other parts of the school budget for this purpose. * The board had a regional Spring Camp Fund to which schools could submit a proposal to access additional funds for resource people such as Elders, as well as equipment and materials to hold this important annual event. * The board had a regional Orientation Fund to which schools could submit proposals to access additional funds to involve community members and Elders in annual orientation activities for new staff. * Schools could raise third party funds from foundations and other organizations. Often guidelines for grants for other purposes allowed schools to include funding for Elders as part of the budget for such projects. * Schools could access funds from regional Inuit organizations through the local settlement/village council, who controlled the funding for specific programs from other departments of the federal government. For example, the federal Healthy Children initiative allowed activities which involved Elders. * Schools could partner with community groups such as the Hunters and Trappers Organization to get in-kind support for land-based activities. * Schools could use full time staff positions intended for language specialists or teachers. While these options provided funding for Elder involvement in schools, the additional funding enabled schools to increase the numbers of Elders present, extend the length of time they were involved with students and/or add new activities. Ways to Involve Elders The Baffin Board made funds available to schools through a grant system. The total money available was divided into school allocations, which each school could apply to access. Individual school allocations were determined by setting a base amount for all schools and then adding a per-pupil amount to achieve the total allocation available. Schools had to submit a brief proposal outlining how the Elders would be involved with students. The Local Education Authority chairperson, the principal and the staff member coordinating the project had to sign the proposal. For the first several years, the grants focused just on Elder involvement with students. In 1996, with the implementation of the government-mandated Inuuqatigiit curriculum, which outlined the traditional knowledge, skills and attitudes from an Inuit perspective that students should learn in school, the focus of the grants shifted somewhat to involving Elders in implementing the new curriculum (see appendix). In fact, this shift did not really change the nature of Elder involvement-they still taught traditional knowledge and skills. It did provide school staff with a guide of topics, an outline of what students should learn and a description of key experiences they might ask Elders to organize. In other words, it provided an organizational framework for traditional knowledge instruction. Using a combination of funds available, schools hired Elders in a number of different ways, to do a variety of things: * As full time cultural instructors-regular staff members along with teachers and language specialists-usually with scheduled times each week for work with different classes or groups of students. The topics and skills they taught varied depending on the age and interests of the students and the interests of the Elder. * As part-time instructors who came in several days or afternoons a week during the year to do a variety of activities with different groups of students, depending on the class and Elder's interests. As with full time instructors, these activities could include storytelling, teaching string and other Inuit games, skin preparation, sewing, cooking, tool construction, specific skills instruction, carving, drum dancing, researching specific topics, helping with community histories, telling their life stories, etc. * As part-time instructors who taught a "unit" or specific topic or activity every day to the same students for several weeks at a time. * As part-time instructors who were involved in specific activities such as Spring Camp or, for example, once-a-week on-the-land programs with at-risk students for the duration of the program. * As part-time research sources to narrate information on a specific topic to be developed into a teaching unit or a learning resource. * As part-time program developers to assist teachers and language specialists with creating materials which teach aspects of traditional knowledge. For example: iglu building, small tool construction, sewing with caribou skins, how to make igunaaq (fermented seal or whale meat), how to read the weather, etc. * As full or part-time Inuktitut language instructors in addition to, or instead of, language specialists. * As part-time counselors, mainly for students, but also sometimes for staff members. Some staffs have found it particularly helpful to have Elders in the school after difficult or tragic community events. * As an Elders' council for the principal (in addition to the Local Education Authority) to assist with solving particularly thorny problems, community liaison, planning cultural programs and hosting special events and activities. Ensuring Success with Elders There are many reasons to involve Elders in schools: * To meet goals set by Local Education Authorities (and the government) which identify traditional knowledge and skills as a major component of school programs. * To maintain, strengthen and enhance Inuit language and culture. * To create links between the past and the present. * To build links between the school and the community. * To encourage links between students and their parents and grandparents. * To build positive relationships between Elders and younger generations. * To help students learn to respect Elders, the lives they have lived and the knowledge and skills they have to share. * To acknowledge and provide opportunities for Elders to share the wisdom, skills and experiences they have accumulated with younger generations. * To reflect, promote and teach Inuit values and beliefs. * To foster student and staff pride in their Inuit identity and enhance self-esteem and personal identity. * To promote respect for animals and other elements of the natural environment which are intimately linked with Inuit culture. * To ensure younger generations are knowledgeable about and can practice traditional/contemporary survival skills. To achieve these goals, both Elders and students need to enjoy their experiences together. To enable this to happen, careful thought needs to be given to how and where the Elders work with students. We have found the following suggestions to be helpful in ensuring positive experiences: * It is an unfortunate aspect of modern life that Elders may be requested in some districts to have criminal record checks completed prior to working in the school. If so, the school needs to expedite the process in any way possible. * It is usually helpful if there is one staff member in the school who coordinates the Elder resource program. Ideally it should be someone from the community who speaks the language and knows community members well. Ideally this should be a responsibility that is part of the staff member's normal workload, not added to a full time teaching job. Having such a person minimizes potential communication and cross-cultural misunderstandings. * It is important to clarify ahead of time what the Elder would like to do with the students and what materials and equipment will be needed. Will the Elder provide these (at the school's expense if there is any cost) or will the school provide them? * Elders may require transportation to and from the school. The school should arrange this and cover any costs involved. * Elders should be made aware of how much the school pays them (by the hour or the day or whatever is normal practice). There should be a standard fee for Elders' work. They should know how and when they will receive their money. If possible, it is preferable to pay them the same day. This is not always possible, but it usually is much appreciated if it can be arranged. (It is also important to note that Elders may lose social security benefits if they earn a certain amount of other income, so this needs to be taken into consideration in the remuneration arrangements.) * Many Elders prefer to work with students in the afternoon, but it is important to check with each individual to determine the best time for them. * The school needs to be flexible in scheduling Elders. They may not feel well on the particular day they are scheduled or something else may prevent them from coming. It is important to be sensitive to and adapt to their needs rather than to ask them to fit within the rigid timetable of many school programs. * Students should be prepared for working with Elders. What kind of behaviour is expected of students? Why should they respect the Elder? What will the Elder expect of the students? What should students expect from the Elder? How is working with Elders different from formal school instruction? * Ask Elders to work with small groups of students or in one-on-one situations. Requiring Elders to take a whole class of 25 students to do an activity is not usually conducive to the Elder teaching or the students learning. * Provide a specific space for the Elder to work with students if the activity is done in the school. Depending on the nature of the activity, they could work in the school shop or the home economics room. Some schools have special skin rooms for processing animal furs. Some schools have provided an Elders' room in which small group activities such as sewing, story telling, researching topics, or playing Inuit games can take place. These rooms are usually equipped with comfortable seating and some means to make tea and have bannock-for both Elders and students. They are more like a living room than a classroom. * Some Elders might prefer to take a few students to work in their own home or in the community Elders' centre. (You may want to provide additional supervision assistance in these contexts.) * If the school has a qammaq (traditional sod house) or tents nearby, depending on the season, these often provide the best environment from both the Elder's and the students' perspective. They provide an appropriate context for teaching traditional skills. We have found that students who are restless and aggressive in the classroom often calm down in the presence of the Elder in this setting. * If the activity involves a land trip, nature provides the "environment" for the activity. As much as possible, it is preferable to take the students out of the school setting for work with Elders. Teaching and learning traditional knowledge is most effective when it takes place within the environmental context in which it is needed and used. * Whenever possible, teachers should participate in activities with Elders and students. This is not always possible, especially when Elders take small groups of students, as the teacher may need to stay with the other students. What this does mean is that Elders should not be used to give teachers a "spare" period. Paying attention to these details will ensure that both students and Elders have a meaningful experience working together. This will encourage Elders to continue to want to work with students and will help students give Elders the respect they deserve. This is essential if teaching traditional knowledge and skills is to be an integral part of the northern school program. | |
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Integrating Native Ideas through Axax (Dance):Tumin Tanam Awaa is a term in the language of the Aleutian/Pribilof Islanders that translates as "Our Country's Work." This term was used in place of the modern idea of authorship and "owning" what one expresses. It was used most readily in traditional storytelling to remind listeners that the story following this term was a product of the country. This is a wonderful example of indigenous perspective. Dance, a favorite pastime of the Aleuts, is another method of traditional storytelling of a country through its people. Stories of days gone by are passed down through generations by dance. Many times a dance would tell a story better than a song or a narration. Some dances were only for men, some for women, and some for everyone. Passing on a story by dancing was enjoyable and memorable. The expressions of the dance made it easier for stories to stay with the people. The following is a delightful example. Tumin Tanam Awaa One evening some Aleut friends sat chatting before a driftwood fire. The long, Bering Sea twilight faded and though the day had been tiring and all the salmon were not cleaned and hung to dry, the group lingered, fighting off sleep and hoping for a story and a song. The men began teasing young Alex who had fallen out of his iqyax (Aleut kayak) trying to remove a log from a salmon net. Alex always smoked a pipe and had a habit of twitching one eye. As the friends elaborated the incident, accompanied by bursts of laughter, Alex sat gazing into the embers with a broad smile on his face. Suddenly, as if inspired by the need for entertainment, one of the men grabbed Alex's short-stemmed pipe and stood before the group, puffing it and twitching his eyes. "Here's Alex!", he exclaimed and began to dance. The men before the fire laughed in delight. Hearing them, the women and children tumbled out of the ulax (semi-subterranean dwelling) which must have been filled to bursting. They all joined the circle, clapping their hands to the rhythm of the dance steps and shouting the familiar chant: Ayang, ayax! Ayang, Ayax! Back and forth went the dancer, his boots beating the earth. In untaught, but brilliant movement, he told his story with broad comical actions. First, he bent over, pretending to pull a seine. Next, he portrayed the discovering of the log that was in the way. He runs from side to side to show Alex's uncertainty as to what to do. Then he seems to climb into an iqyax and shove off. He paddles furiously, every motion in rhythm with the chant coming from the audience, never forgetting to twitch his eyes and puff on his pipe. The entire happening was portrayed well-the struggle with the log, the grunts, the slow toppling fall into a net full of slippery, fighting salmon, and finally the disgusted wade to shore. Actually the dancer was wringing wet from perspiration which topped off the dance and left the audience falling over with fits of laughter. | |
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Integrating Native Ways of : | |
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Integrating the Tlingit Language Across the Curriculum:Seven years ago Pauline took an active interest in learning the Tlingit language. As her fluency and her interest increased, she started looking for ways to bring it into her classroom. Pauline has created a curriculum that uses the Tlingit language on a regular basis. She has been especially innovative in using items available in the Sitka environment and in the daily lives of the children to make learning the Tlingit language and culture meaningful and exciting. She has developed books, lesson plans, calendars, parent involvement activities and many other ideas that she has shared unselfishly throughout the Sitka School District (some Southeast school districts and Southeast Headstart) and beyond. The following is a sample of only one of these creative activities-an herbal gift basket. The dedicated and genuine caring it must take to follow such a curriculum is awe-inspiring. What a wonderful learning experience she has created for her children and what a wonderful gift they have received to perpetrate the culture and language. The gift basket activity was a unit that took months to complete and in order to gain the knowledge for it, Pauline attended an herbal-plant class and adapted what she learned to a first grade level curriculum. The elements that were covered were plants, the five senses, math, health, cooperative learning, language arts, technology and art. Following are the steps it took in order to complete the basket and the benefits the children gained from the experience. September Class expedition collecting leaves and pine cones that were then categorized by size and color and dried by the students. October Class trip to muskeg to pick Hudson Bay tea leaves. Taught how to identify leaves by color and smell. The historical use of the tea to the Native community was shared and discussed. When the leaves were dried, the class had an opportunity to taste the tea. Late October The class went to pick the rose hips from the Senior Center in downtown Sitka. A class discussion was shared on the high content of Vitamin * in the rose hips and its benefits. The rose hips were picked and the kids helped to pick out the seeds. Some seeds were placed under a magnifying glass so they could see why it was so important to remove the seeds. Jam was made in the classroom enabling them to smell and taste the jam. Also in October The class had an outing to pick yarrow, a medicinal plant that is also in the basket. It is used for healing tea or to clot blood. Sitka is rich with the yarrow plant. They were shown how to identify it and how to dry it for tea. The red clover in the basket was brought to class for them to observe the drying and the making of medicinal ointment from the dried leaves. Pauline honors the culture and heritage through integrated instructional planning. Sitka is their textbook for science and social studies. Included in her curriculum are basic classroom commands, counting, subsistence foods, nursery rhymes, a daily lunch count, colors, songs, posters with matching tapes and a calendar that translates well-known rhymes into the Tlingit language. If you would like more information regarding her program, feel free to contact her at 305 Baranof School, Sitka, Alaska 99835. | |
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Interior Cultural Orientation Seminar by Linda Green:The first Interior Cultural Orientation Seminar on "Community Empowerment" was held in Fairbanks at the David Salmon Tribal Hall on June 16 and 17, 2003. Twenty-five people from the Interior region were invited to participate. The focus of the seminar was on what local residents, teachers, leaders and Elders of a village could offer on a tentative plan to involve new school personnel in their community's events and activities throughout the school year. Participants in the seminar discussed ideas on empowering communities to be more involved in the local schools' curriculum and in the education of their children. Discussion included the high percentage of teacher turnover in communities and how that affects the education of students; how educators are trying to deal with the benchmark exams; the exit exam and the No Child Left Behind Act; and effective programs in the state such as the immersion schools, indigenous curriculum examples and the Native Educator Association's involvement in education. The keynote address was given by Dr. Bernice Tetpon, an Iñupiaq, who is the director of the Teacher Leadership Development Program for AKRSI through University of Alaska Southeast. Dr. Tetpon said "We, the Native educators, Elders and local residents are capable of determining the education for our future Native generations." She spoke about newspaper articles showing the low test scores of Alaska Native children in small communities and talked about how the labeling of the failures impacts our children statewide. We as educators need to help our children and grandchildren connect with education by making sure they know our history, culture and tradition. These aspects should be a part of the educational process. Esther Ilutsik who is an instructor at the University of Alaska at the Bristol Bay campus in Dillingham, reported on her work in developing indigenous curriculum and training facilitators in the Yupik region to culturally orient new school personnel. Esther thanked the Elders present for sharing and for giving us strength to continue our educational endeavors. She spoke about training facilitators in each village to work with new school staff and that each community had an individual way of communicating their values. She stated, "It wouldn't be feasible to bring all the facilitators to the hub center of the region to train them. Each teacher has to be assisted in their individual community." Esther asked the participants to look at the Athabascan Values poster and discuss how they would teach each value to a new person in their community. The participants broke into groups and were assigned five values to consider and come up with ideas to teach these values to new school personnel. Virginia Ned, program assistant for the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, started with the comment, "Always remember that our Elders are our professors." We have always learned our values, customs and traditions and we always will. She spoke about "Education in a Rural Community," and asked the group to think about traditional education, the introduction of Western educational practices and education now. She asked the participants to think about the successes and failures of each. What would be the best approach to improving education in rural Alaska? What strategies could be used to improve education in your community? Who would implement these strategies? How would they be implemented? Who would be responsible? Bob Maguire, director for Alaska's Indigenous Peoples Academy (Project AIPA), a program developed by the Association of Interior Native Educators, talked about the curriculum units that were created by teachers who spent a week in the culture camps under the tutelage of a group of Elders from the area the camp was held in. This was the ninth year of the culture camps. Ten curriculum units have been drafted and will be ready for use in schools by the beginning of the 2003 school year. Mr. Maguire noted that the units included the Content and Cultural Standards. These are valuable resources for new teachers. The Association of Interior Native Educators also has video tapes for sale of previous camps held in the Interior region. Previous camps were held in Minto, Stevens Village, Gaalee'ya Spirit Camp, Chalkyitsik, Arctic Village, Nulato, Huslia and Northway, Also, every year for the past nine years AINE has held a conference after the camp to showcase curriculum units created by teachers attending these camps, to thank Elders for sharing their knowledge and to thank community members for welcoming the camps. The newest booklet Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs was introduced by Virginia Ned and Lenora Carpluk. They went over the "Guidelines for Culturally Responsive Communities, Tribes and Native Organizations." Each presentation was followed by a question and answer session. This helped participants to focus on a tentative plan to culturally orient new school personnel when they return to their communities. Follow-up activities have started with a recent grant from the State Department of Education and Early Development Recruitment and Retention Program, community section. The seminar was a great success and another is planned for May, 2004. For additional information please contact Linda E. Green at (907) 474-5814 or linda@mail.ankn.uaf.edu. | |
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Inuit Studies: Some Reflections by Maricia Ahmasuk:The Inuit, "The People" of the world are one of the more studied people in recent history. This timeless research and documentation seeks to capture the essence of what it was like in a time when all one had was oneself and those immediately surrounding to sustain life itself. It is observed that since contact, Inuit have adapted to new ways brought on by outsiders, thereby changing the way Inuit operate in their daily activities and even in their mode of thought. Barrow's George Ahmaogak, Sr., mayor of North Slope Borough, put it interestingly in his keynote address at the 13th Inuit Studies Conference, titled, Science, Politics and the Bottom Line: the North Slope Experience: " Your conversations can help to interpret what's happening in the cracks where Native culture and the mainstream culture rub against each other. It's a constant and silent and powerful movement, like the shifting of the earth's continental plates under our feet." Ahmaogak commented that these fault lines are not necessarily hostile or incompatible, but are simply hot spots that if taken so far as to interrupt the heritage of a people, such as banning the age-old practice of whaling, there are sure to be upheavals, or earthquakes. The whole subsistence issue is a prime example of how differing cultures tend to clash. It is certain that we as Inuit have felt the ripple effect of two or more cultures coming together, as all cultures of the world continue to undergo, as we are drawn into this global village through modern technology. I view our current experience as a melding, an evolution. We are living in a time where the very existence of every single human being on earth depends to a certain extent on a network of governments and countries in globally negotiated positions. As Inuit, playing an active role in what is being documented even today is crucial in terms of preserving the accuracy of the image being portrayed. Faulty past records since outside contact have proven to haunt Natives with negative connotations and misinterpretations. It is certain that we as Inuit have felt the ripple effect of two or more cultures coming together, as all cultures of the world continue to undergo, as we are drawn into this global village through modern technology. An important trend for Native peoples in the world of research is where the ownership of the surveys and their outcomes lie. Being involved from square one when the surveys are being developed is a must if they are to capture the essence of what Natives consider important information to relay to a public or agency reviewing the results. For example, the Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic, headed out of the Institute of Social & Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage has organized a group of Alaska Natives to form the Alaska Native Management Board (ANMB), which basically steers the project. This board ensures that the information gathered for this project follows the concept of informed consent, as well as making sure that the survey is culturally sensitive. Respecting the whole process of including Native guidance on research projects brings useful information to light while at the same time defends a Native peoples' dignity and right to own what is really theirs. After two-and-a-half days of listening to intelligent speakers such as Father Michael Oleksa and Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley and visiting with Elder and author, Lela Oman of Nome, among other distinguished individuals, I was boiling with ideas, theories and a willingness to share my story with the group. I managed to offer my views with humor despite all seriousness of the issues at hand. I spoke of topics that ranged from language retention (or theory of retrieval through hypnosis in this case) to racism within our own Native society. The key point that I hoped to portray to the group was how important it is to find a balance between our modern lifestyle and the inner voice that constantly reminds us of where we came from. Coming to terms with our identity as a Native person, or just as a human being in modern society, should be an area of concern and deserves some dedicated time and research on our behalf. Coming to terms with the small, still voice inside is key to our well being and long-range health. Perhaps some of the research that shows our people to be among the most devastated statistically is a result of overlooking our important role in a societal situation that is fairly new compared to where even our parents came from. Cultural adjustments do not happen over night, and we are not all naturally compatible with the modern Western values and mannerisms. Our whole life is a research project as we gather data and interpret its meaning as it applies to our selfhood. Finding meaning and truth is a universal, yet very individual concept and delves deep into the spiritual realm. If we think about it, just being outside doing activities such as berry picking, fishing or gathering wood for a fire grounds us, bringing us back to who we are as human beings, which is a spiritual experience-being one with the land and our natural surroundings. It is the simple things in life that make an individual or society feel grounded in a culture or heritage. Finding meaning or purpose in life may mean putting the communal good over personal pain, as it was traditionally. It is important to honor our heritage by practicing our values, so as to discover their true significance and intent. Discovering past morals and ways of living an honest life may lead us to a broader understanding of where we stand in today's world of individualism, even as we fight for a co-dependant relationship with the world-at-large. As we continue to adapt to the changing times, it is a comfort to know that there exists a wide collection of materials representing a time past when life appeared simpler. We have a big picture to work with in respect to the Native way of life as we move forward in progression toward an understanding of where we have been and where we are going. It is time to take authority over our own lives through our Native organizations. Respecting the whole process of including Native guidance on research projects brings useful information to light while at the same time defends a Native peoples' dignity and right to own what is really theirs. | |
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Iñuksuk: Northern Koyukon, Gwich'in and Lower Tanana, 1800-1901 by Adeline Peter Raboff:Subject headings: Ethnohistory, Anthropology, History, Native Americans Inuksuk is an ethnohistory of the Northern Koyukon, Gwich'in and Lower Tanana Indians of Interior Alaska between 1800 and 1901. This book is rich with new ethnonyms, place names and personal names of the area and the cultures involved. It is a detailed and fascinating account of pre-contact and post-contact Interior group dynamics that could only be gathered with the aide of the oral tradition of the numerous Iñupiat accounts, Gwich'in, Koyukon and Lower Tanana informants and the author's intimate knowledge of her culture. This ethnohistory is set in a time frame where every written source from missionaries, explorers and military personnel were coordinated with the events which are recounted in the oral tradition. In most cases the oral account deepened and expanded upon the written record. A must read for students of Alaska Native history and anthropology. | |
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Inupiaq and Bering Strait Yup’ik Region Education Summit by Katie Bourdon:Alvanna-Stimpfle, Inupiaq lead teacher; Rich Toymil, Bering Straits School District bilingual/bicultural director and Katie Bourdon, Inupiaq regional coordinator/Eskimo Heritage program director. Funding came from respective programs to bring representatives from all school districts—North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Bering Straits Schools District and Nome Public Schools. Tom Okleasik, Northwest Planning and Grants Development, facilitated the gathering; his skills in eliciting information from participants, encouraging group participation and honing a group’s ideas are excellent—he is also an Inupiaq and local. Facilitator, Tom Okleasik, with large group The summit took place at the Nome Eskimo Community Hall in January 2004 with 58 registered Native educators. The presence of this many Native educators was energizing. The theme of the gathering was “Education: Building Strong Ties” that embraced the idea of sharing across districts to help all of our children succeed. The theme of the gathering was “Education: Building Strong Ties” that embraced the idea of sharing across districts to help all of our children succeed. A great deal of stories, ideas, resources and information were exchanged. Elder Jacob Ahwinona shared his experience with education and gave encouraging words for Native education today. Frank Hill, co-director of AKRSI, reported on the status of the AKRSI project. Dr. Bernice Tetpon, University of Alaska Southeast reviewed the Alaska Department of Education Native Student Learning Action Plan. Linda Green had everyone laughing and at ease during her presentation on the Association of Interior Native Educators curriculum development project. Esther Ilutsik, AKRSI lead teacher, shared her activities in ensuring cultural accuracy in books for education. Finally, each school district had an opportunity to share curriculum materials they had developed and used within their district, instruction practices that integrate Native ways of knowing and cultural awareness and future Native education plans for their districts. Brainstorming and strategic planning in mixed groups (representatives from different districts) and in same groups (members from one district) took place to address the goal of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. The goals are to improve the quality of education in Alaska by providing support for the Native voice (students, parents, teachers), developing workshops or curriculum to enhance cultural responsiveness in schools and collaborating with MOA partners, Native educators, parents and students to further Native education. Some of the major outcomes and strategies developed by the participants include: Better Communication and Sharing • Create a web page that everyone can use to ask questions or share ideas. • Work on a regional Inupiaq/Bering Strait Yup’ik newsletter. • Create a resource list, e.g. cultural books for classrooms, etc. Networking • Native education association meetings via teleconference. • More meetings like this summit. • Create a listserv of Native educators in the regions to disperse information on educational issues. Strengthening Ties and Similarities • Cultural exchanges through classroom visits to other schools. • Gather data from each school to compare strength and weaknesses. Stronger Unity • Need Inupiaq summer institute (like Yup’ik area) to develop curriculum. • Create a vision for Inupiaq/Bering Strait Yup’ik education. Needless to say, the summit was very exciting. Comments were made to me after the gathering that teachers “don’t feel so alone now.” We don’t have enough Native educators in our schools and often times they feel alone in the issues that face our students and parents. The summit helped connect us together providing stronger support to validate and perpetuate our unity. We need to continue these gatherings. Please contact me at ehp.pd@kawerak.org if you would like a complete report on the Inupiaq and Bering Strait Yup’ik Native Education summit. Quyanna! Yummm . . . Native food potluck! | |
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Iñupiaq Education Conference Coming in November:The North Slope Iñupiat Educators' Association announces the Iñupiaq Education Conference November 18-19, 1998 in the North Slope Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska. The theme of the conference is "Realizing the Vision for Iñupiaq Education," focusing on the vision set forth by the North Slope Borough's first mayor, the late Honorable Eben Hopson, Sr. The conference is sponsored by NSIEA, Ilisagvik College, NSBSD, and the NSB IHLC Commission. Workshops and presentations will be on culturally responsive schools, teacher preparation, recruitment efforts for prospective teachers, Iñupiaq language immersion, curriculum development, technology and the Iñupiaq language, and Iñupiat language initiatives. For information contact: Kathy Ahgeak Ilisagvik College P.O. Box 749 Barrow, Alaska 99723 Phone: (907) 852-1720 Internet: kahgeak@co.northslope.ak.us | |
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Iñupiaq Region by Branson Tungiyan:First, the Eskimo Heritage Project, for which I am the program director: We are in the process of putting 403 individual Elder interview (transcribed and translated) documents, 339 Elders conference documents and 249 Elder Advisory Committee tapes into a computerized database, so we can create our own website. This has been a long painstaking process because the Bering Strait region works with three language groups in the region: Iñupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik and Central Yup'ik. Also in our archival collection, we have approximately 125 video tapes of Elders' conferences, 1500 old photographs and approximately 7000 slides. AKRSI hired me to be the regional coordinator for the entire Iñupiaq region-from Unalakleet to St. Lawrence Island and up to Barrow. I have the privilege to work with Nome Public Schools, Bering Strait School District, Northwest Arctic Borough School District, North Slope Borough School District, Ilisagvik College at Barrow and Northwest Campus here in Nome. This is a very large area where, besides the three languages in our region, the Iñupiaq language has sub-dialects within the Iñupiaq language group. I have also been involved with the Arctic Studies Center's Alaska Collections Project in which the Arctic Studies Center is doing a three-year project to bring Elders from each region to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC to name and identify objects. I followed the first group in May from Unalakleet and the second group in September. We were there during the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Our hotel was only a mile away from the Pentagon at Rosslyn, Virginia. It was quite an experience that we will never forget and very scary. We have also worked with Igor Krupnik, an anthropologist from the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Department. He had co-authored the Sourcebook on St. Lawrence Island from the Smithsonian's archival collections. It is now in the process of being printed. Photos in the book, "Our Words Put On Paper" were taken in the late 1800s of Gambell people, all in a traditional background setting. We are also in the process of preparing and planning for the Bering Strait Region 2002 Elders & Youth Conference. The theme, "Uniting Two Worlds Through Education For A Healthy Tomorrow" was selected by the Kawerak Elders Advisory Committee. This fits very well with all of the AKRSI staff meetings and the recent First Native Education Summit's expectations regarding Native education in Alaska. We are expecting approximately 1,000-plus Elders and youth to gather in Nome from the Bering Strait region, along with speakers, presenters and panelists from other regions and cities like Anchorage, Fairbanks, Bethel and Juneau. Three tracks will be focused on education, community wellness/healthy choices and visions/dreams/prophecies. It is our hope that these tracks will help with the problems of alcohol and substance abuse in our region. Elders & youth conferences have been held in the region since 1979. As we begin a new year, we reflect back to the unforgettable time Marie Saclamana, Estelle Oozevaseuk, Jacob Ahwinona, Aron Crowell, Suzi Jones and myself spent at Washington, DC during the attacks; the MOA Partners meeting in August; all the AKRSI meetings we attended; the Leonid meteor showers and of both Gambell and Savoonga landing a whale in each community in December. And we, at Kawerak, wish you A HAPPY NEW YEAR! | |
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