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Rakaumanga: Maori Immersion School Success Story by Frank J. Keim : My wife Jennifer and I recently returned from a three-month trip Down Under. While in both Australia and New Zealand, we saw a lot of fascinating country and many species of exotic birds and animals. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to a Maori immersion school in New Zealand. In New Zealand we stayed with an old friend, Barbara Harrison, who used to live in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta back in the early 1980s. During one of those years she regularly flew into Hooper Bay to work with students in the Cross-Cultural Education Development program. We were teachers in Hooper Bay then and each time she came in to the village to tend to her students she was our special house guest. So it was natural that when we traveled to New Zealand we became Barb's house guests. Barbara has been living and working since 1986 with the Maori community in Huntly, a small town on the North Island about an hour's drive south of Auckland. More specifically, she has been involved with the Maori immersion school there called Te Wharekura o Rakaumanga. One morning Barbara took us on a tour of the school. What we saw at Rakaumanga, as most people refer to it, prompted this article which I hope will encourage Alaska Native peoples to continue their own efforts to preserve their Native tongues. Let me tell you about it. Rakaumanga is what we in Alaska would call a K-12 school. It has more than 400 students and a Maori language immersion program that is the envy, I believe, of the world. All of the children there speak the Maori language fluently. One of reasons for this is that all of their subjects are taught in Maori by fluent Maori teachers and they are expected to speak in Maori while they are inside the school buildings. The campus is a marvel to wander through with bright murals and carved wood and rock statues representing traditional themes from Maori culture. The children, who range in age from 5-17, have tidy classrooms, a computer suite, a library, a large gym and a meeting house they call Te Hokioi. All of the students we met in the school smiled readily and were eager to chat with us, indicators that this was a happy place of learning for them. But this wonderful school didn't happen overnight. Its existence is the result of a lot of blood, sweat and tears by dedicated Maori parents, teachers and others who didn't want to see the Maori language disappear into oblivion like so many other indigenous languages have all over the world. Here's a little history. Te Wharekura o Rakaumanga School was first established in 1896 to educate the children of Maori parents living in west Huntly, located on the west bank of the Waikato River. After a number of setbacks, including fire, floods and a government attempt to shut the school down in the 1970s, a few determined Maori men and women spearheaded a new movement to change the very nature of the original school. Disillusioned by the academic failure of the graduates of the old school and concerned about the future of the Maori language (te reo Maori), they applied to the New Zealand government for a bilingual program at Rakaumanga. But they saw this as only a half-measure and pressured the government to recognize the need for a total immersion experience for their students. Only in this way, they said, would fluency in the language be gained. By 1987, Rakaumanga had started its first immersion class with 20 kids. At the time, there were only eight levels of school; when the students became 12 years of age and had reached their final grade of schooling, none of their parents wanted them to go elsewhere to a high school where they would be educated in English. So in 1992, the immersion battle resumed. Meanwhile, during the mid 1980s the Maori people had been negotiating on a national level for recognition of their language as an official language of New Zealand. A formal claim was lodged in 1985 with the National Waitangi Tribunal, which considers questions related to the original 1840 Waitangi Treaty that was signed between Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown. In 1986, the Tribunal decided in favor of the Maori, and shortly afterward the Maori Language Act was passed which established te reo Maori as an official language of New Zealand. In the early 1980s, something else had been happening nationwide that added further impetus to the language immersion movement. Preschool programs called Kohanga Reo (literally "language nests") had been established all over the country which provided Maori language immersion for children from infancy to age five. By 1994 more than 13,000 Maori children were enrolled in 819 Kohanga Reo programs. Without the six local Kohanga Reo in Huntly sending kids on to primary school at Rakaumanga, the immersion program could not have operated as it did. So you can see the New Zealand national government was faced with an imperative. Now it had to provide large scale financial support for Maori language programs at several different levels of schooling throughout the country. This included Rakaumanga School, although it took additional hard work to convince the national government to fully fund a Rakaumanga five-year high school. This was finally accomplished by 1994. While this effort at convincing the national government was going on, Rakaumanga School had been educating its original primary graduates for two years in its own locally-generated immersion program, so that by the time the government got around to kicking in five million dollars to fund what had became a five-year full secondary program, the Rakaumanga pupils already had a head start. By 1997 the first crop of six students completed their final year (seventh form) of high school at Rakaumanga. This meant they had not only passed their Maori language exams, but also their national proficiency exams that all New Zealand high school seniors have to pass to qualify for admission to post-secondary institutions. According to Barbara Harrison, who wrote an informative article on Rakaumanga, most of these and subsequent graduates of the high school have gone on to post-secondary studies. In this respect, the school has been a terrific success. And Barbara's research indicates a direct link between this success and the use of the Maori language as the language of instruction in the school. Barbara was recently featured in a story in the Maori magazine, Mana. During the interview she indicated that there are teachers here in Alaska who would like to emulate the Maori formula for success. But she also warned that it wouldn't be an easy process. Success at Rakaumanga was due to devoted Maori leadership, community and parent support, political pressure resulting in legislative changes like making Maori an official language and finally funding for the instruction in Maori language, training of bilingual teachers and the development of curriculum materials. I recently read that Ayaprun Elitnaurviat Yupiik Immersion School in Bethel began its first sixth-grade class. I have also heard of an earnest and ongoing attempt by parents and teachers in Hooper Bay to start their own immersion school there. Perhaps the Maori example at Te Wharekura o Rakaumanga will indeed provide some encouragement for their efforts to preserve the Yup'ik language and culture. Anyone interested in more information about Rakaumanga School or the process of setting up a similar program can contact Barbara Harrison at maor3055@waikato.ac.nz, or contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network for a copy of the Guidelines for Strengthening Indigenous Langauges. But this wonderful school didn't happen overnight. Its existence is the result of a lot of blood, sweat and tears by dedicated Maori parents, teachers and others . . .

Keyword(s): Volume 7, Issue 5

Recognizing Our Elders by Frank Hill : One of the greatest strengths of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and Annenberg Rural Challenge is the reliance we place on the wisdom of Native Elders. It is their knowledge, wisdom, patience, humility, and humor that we depend upon to verify what we do. As we near the end of our third year of the project, we need to make sure that we thank the Native Elders for contributing so much to the success of the project. We appreciate their patience as we attempt to learn what they are teaching us and allowing their knowledge to be shared with others. A common trait all Native Elders share is their good humor. With their humor they teach us not to take ourselves too seriously and not let our egos get in the way of what we should be doing. Native Elders continually remind us that we cannot separate the understanding of natural phenomena from the deeper knowledge that we are all spiritually connected to the earth and earth's creatures. Western knowledge systems validate their work by relying upon the study of behaviors and phenomena by experts with long experience in research and practice. Most of these experts are recognized by the Western system of awarding advanced academic degrees such as doctorates in science and philosophy. Alaska Native Elders represent the same level of expertise for the Native Knowledge System-they are our "doctors" of science and philosophy. As the project progresses through the next few years, we must ensure that Native Elders continue to be the base of knowledge upon which we continue our work. Elders at an AKRSI meeting, l to r: Clarence Irrigoo, St. Lawrence Island Yup'ik; Rachel Craig, Iñupiaq; and Effie Kokrine, Koyukon Athabascan.

Keyword(s): Volume 3, Issue 5

Reflections by Mike Hull : The junior high students of Russian Mission spent most of September at subsistence camps along Tucker Slough, Mountain Creek and other nameless streams. They learned many skills and they gained experiences that will become their stories told again and again in years to come. This is a reflection on the journey back to the village: Max brought down this moose. The students butchered it and packed it back to camp. Pauline shows Solomon and Oxenia how to pluck geese. Richard teaches Charlotte and Maxine how to handle rifles. The village seemed a distant life and all the students wanted to stay in the wild -so did I- but the cold was chasing us out of our camps and said it is time to begin the in-between time as we wait for winter. the canoes were frozen to the grass at the shore line on the morning of our departure and as we moved quietly down the stream the ripple of our passing hissed and crackled-disturbing the fragile ice shelf that had formed along the shore beavers had been out at this time on other days but not today . . . as we turned from the stream into Mountain Creek the sun rose over our shoulder lighting gold and yellow the autumn hillside before us and gold and pink the glassy calm waters of the creek Water slurped into the vortex formed by the motion of each paddle occasionally there was the thud of a paddle against the canoe but mostly . . . we were silent. As the sun climbed it seemed to lift the stillness from around us and the young eagle that we had seen frequently but always close to his nest . . . flew toward us from the west- and, when certain that we had seen him-and he us 5 he circled and soared effortlessly-climbing above the trees . . . into a brightening sky glanced once more our way and drifted south out of sight. this season we had watched him grow-gain confidence in the strength and expanse of his wings he too set out on this morning to measure his stamina on distances unknown three days later, on the final stage of our journey homeward now back on the Yukon we lashed nine canoes together with birch poles to form a raft one boy was growing more impressed as he saw this raft coming together . . . You are about to do something none of your parents have done . . .I said. he replied, "but our ancestors did . . ." At the end of a long day on the river we had to cut across the Yukon across the north wind to land at the beach in front of the village. Groups of six had rotated on the paddles to keep us in the current throughout the day's journey now all eighteen took places along the edge of the raft and grabbed at the Yukon with their paddles pulling their way across the river. Wind whipped the water from raised paddles and sprayed across the lashed canoes waves splashed over the sides soaking everyone one boy, perched at the back of the raft studied the distant bluff-a smile on his face as he deftly pointed the raft where it needed to go. All day long I had pushed from my kayak now I felt the raft lift and pull away from me as these young Yup'iks moved out on their own in harmony with the river, the wind and their ancestors . . . We dare great things when we commit ourselves to sharing in the growth of young people We are sometimes rewarded with great moments. The students from all three camps gathered to begin the last stage of the trip down Tucker Slough.

Keyword(s): Volume 8, Issue 5

Regional Coordinator Roles : o Work with Regional Elders Council * Conduct village cultural inventory * What do people want their children to learn? * What resources are available for this? * Coordinate all activities associated with regional activities * Participate in statewide planning * Assist in development of a regional atlas * Prepare monthly newsletter column * Represent region at statewide/regional meetings * Assist with ARSI data gathering * Implement an individual project * Bring fish strips to meetings

Keyword(s): Volume 1, Issue 2

Remembering Our Heroes by Frank Hill : Since 9-11 we have heard much about the heroism of the policemen and firefighters of New York City. Their actions need to be remembered and celebrated. Their actions remind us of the kind of people we could or should be if we had the same dedication to purpose. Today, if we were to ask our young people who their heroes are, many would say Michael Jordan, Eminem or other sports or entertainment personalities. The heroes of my childhood have endured for my entire life. I grew up in a time and place rich with opportunity to be among heroes. Besides my Finnish seafaring father and my Dena'ina mother and grandmother, my favorite hero is my Uncle Gabriel Trefon, a Dena'ina from Nondalton and the Lake Clark area. I refer to Uncle Gabriel's life for inspiration and an example for myself as I have transitioned from those days of living with the land to earning a living in the modern world. Uncle Gabriel was my mother's brother, who was born at the beginning of the last century. As was customary in those times, his life as a true Dena'ina man required him to become an expert hunter, fisher, provider and leader. And that he did for the remainder of his life. After he became chief of the Nondalton people and I was old enough to be aware of Uncle Gabriel's leadership, I began to pay attention to his activities. Many people regarded Uncle Gabriel as a gruff, stern person. At first, I thought so too. But as the years passed I became aware of his other strong traits. Uncle Gabriel was the local church leader. Active in the church as well as performing the duties of traditional chief, Uncle Gabriel combined Dena'ina cultural values with those of the church. I recall him counseling a young couple who wanted to get married in the church. He admonished the young man for thinking about marriage and family responsibilities without first demonstrating his independence from his parents by having his own house. Another time, Uncle was asked by a couple to plan a funeral for a newborn baby. I recall watching Uncle carefully examine the dead infant and ask the parents questions about how and when the baby died. When we were building the casket for the tiny baby, I remember his tears and the mourning songs he sang to the child. After realizing that the cost of store-bought goods was prohibitive for his people when purchased and transported from the nearest store a day's travel away, Uncle Gabriel established a store in the village. Although he lacked formal schooling, he kept the store accounts accurately. He made arrangements with the cannery employers of his people to sign over a portion of their earnings to the local store to ensure that their families could buy what they needed. Among other firsts, Uncle was the first in his village to own an outboard motor and to bring a washing machine to his home. This demonstrated to me that he was continuously thinking of how life for his people could be made better. Once, when there was a very long cold spell of winter weather, no one could travel in the extreme cold and whiteout blizzards to get needed supplies. Even the younger men were fearful of going out into the weather. As the storm continued and supplies in the village ran low, Uncle Gabriel hitched up his dog team and made the trip by himself. My family was living in the community where the store was located and I remember him returning in that blizzard, to the surprise of everyone. Again he showed the commitment and leadership that a Dena'ina chief should have. Uncle Gabriel passed on while I was away attending high school. I remember one of the last conversations I had with him, telling me it was good that I was going on to get an education and to remember that I was Dena'ina too. One of my grandsons is named after Uncle Gabriel and I am proud that my daughter also remembers my hero every time she calls her son's name. We need to remember and honor the heroes that helped us become who we are-whose memories should not be allowed to die. There are heroes in every Alaska Native culture like my Uncle Gabriel. I hope their children and grandchildren will continue their examples. As they do so, they remind us of the strength, knowledge, honor and wisdom of our cultures; characteristics which are needed even more today.

Keyword(s): Volume 7, Issue 5

Report On Native Education Summit : by Frank Hill, Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, Ray Barnhardt, Andy Hope and Merritt Helfferich Dennis Demmert and Jim Walton at the recent Native Education Summit held in Juneau. They are standing next to a statue Jim brought back with him from New Mexico. The statue, "Rainbow Warrior" by Cloud Eagle, symbolizes the unity of all creation. On March 1-3, 2000, over 50 leaders in Native education from across the state gathered in Juneau for a Native Education Summit sponsored by the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development and the Alaska Federation of Natives. A dedicated group of Elders, Native educators and others actively involved in Native education initiatives associated with the Alaska RSI spent three days reviewing current issues impacting schools in Alaska. Given the many new state mandates, school reform initiatives and on-going challenges that school districts are grappling with as we enter a new millennium, it seemed an opportune time to step back and reflect on where we are and where we want to go with Native education. The focus of the summit was to take a look at how education programs and services can best be positioned to address the long-term needs of Native communities in this time of limited resources. We were particularly interested in examining ways in which the Alaska Department of Education, the University of Alaska and rural communities and school districts can work more closely together in the provision of basic education services, as well as in staff development, curriculum enhancement, collaborative research and technical assistance. Reports and discussions focused on the following current statewide programs and initiatives:. * Alaska Quality Schools Initiative/Legislative Mandates-Rick Cross. * Alaska Native Student Learning Action Plan-Bernice Tetpon. * Alaska Federation of Natives Education Initiatives-Frank Hill. * Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools - Ray Barnhardt. * Alaska Onward to Excellence Case Studies-Ray Barnhardt and Oscar Kawagley. * Rural Educator Preparation Partnership (REPP)-John Weise. * Native Administrators for Rural Alaska-Frank Hill and NARA graduates. * Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education-Merritt Helfferich. * APU/RANA Native Teacher Education Program-Christina Reagle. * Citizens for the Educational Advancement of Alaska's Children-Willie Kasayulie In addition to the above presentations, there were reports on many exciting regional curriculum development and language revitalization initiatives from around the state. Following status reports on the various initiatives, the participants turned their attention to developing draft "action plans" around three focal areas. Following is a summary of the recommendations put forward for follow-up actions in each of the focal areas. Group 1: Develop an Alaska Native Education Action Plan for 2000 This group reviewed the issues that were raised in the summit (as well as the 1999 Leadership Retreat recommendations) and developed a preliminary outline of where we would like to be with Native education in Alaska by the year 2010 and the steps that will be taken to get us there. Recommendations of this group included:. * Local cultural values shall be the preamble to all curriculum documents and instructional programs. * Community members and culture bearers must greet and welcome new teaching staff and share local values and traditions. * School districts must support Native educators to participate in the Bilingual and Multicultural Education Equity Conference (BMEEC) and the Native Educators' Conference (NEC). * Native educators should join their regional Native educators' association. * Native corporations should support actions/activities and development of their regional Native educators' associations. * Encourage local school boards and administrators to anticipate worse-case scenarios with regards to the state exam. A local plan must be established. * All secondary subject areas must focus on mastery of academic English. * Develop alternatives (beyond remedial) to enhance academic learning. * Develop peer tutors to work with students who do not pass the test. * Develop local consortia to address FAS/FAE student services. * Develop alternate assessment techniques that address the same skills but in culturally appropriate ways. * Align all formal schooling from early childhood: preschool through high school. * Connect advocacy groups of language immersion with Native educators' associations. * Provide information to local parent advisory groups regarding ways to teach and fund indigenous languages and academic English. * Set up a network for immersion schools for everyone. * Incorporate local culture and heritage throughout the curriculum, interwoven with existing subjects. * Incorporate Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools into all district curriculum review processes. Hold districts accountable for this integration. * Incorporate the social and spiritual meaning of arts as well as the practical applications. * Support the corrected version of the teacher certification process being proposed to legislators. * Recognize aides with certification, increased pay and professional development opportunities. * Incorporate environmental studies as they relate to the use of technology. * Utilize AKRSI's Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools as a part of the state-mandated standards for educators (incorporate it into the evaluation process.) * Take steps to increase the hire of certified Native teachers. * Educate the community at large: What is meant by local control?. * Provide local advisory school boards control over the hire of new teachers in their community. * Revise local teacher hiring practices to include local interviews. * Promote cadet teaching programs. Group 2: Develop an Action Plan for Native Teacher Preparation This group was convened to address issues associated with the preparation of Native teachers for schools in Alaska and to develop a statewide action plan for a coordinated effort to double the number of Native educators by 2005. Recommendations of this group included:. * Teacher preparation "internships" should be completed through a performance assessment process based on the cultural standards for teachers and the Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools so that a candidate can demonstrate their proficiency at any time that they have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to do so (including during, or even before, their undergraduate studies.) * The director of the Rural Educator Preparation Partnership should convene representatives of the Native educator associations by audioconference on a monthly basis to provide guidance on all Native teacher education issues. * Provide incentives for school districts to implement cultural orientation programs for new teachers as part of their annual inservice plan submitted to EED. The orientation program should include an extended camp experience and an "Adopt-a-Teacher" program. * Make available a "cross-cultural specialist" endorsement for teachers built around the criteria outlined in the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools and the Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers. * The UA system should develop a unified approach for the delivery of performance-based elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs and degrees to rural Alaska, with a particular focus on the professional development of the 700-plus teacher aides in rural schools. * All teacher preparation programs should fully incorporate the Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools and prepare teachers who are equipped to implement the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. * The Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools and the cultural standards for educators should serve as the basis for the review and approval of courses to be used to meet the state multicultural education and Alaska studies requirements. * The state school designator criteria should include an assessment of the extent to which the ethnic composition of a schools' professional staff is proportional to the ethnic composition of the students being served and if they are disproportional, the school improvement plan should indicate how such a balance will be achieved. * The Alaska Native Knowledge Network will prepare an online database listing all qualified Native teacher and administrator candidates as identified by the respective Native educator association. * School district career ladder programs should be established to provide incentives and support for aides and associate teachers who are aspiring to be licensed teachers. The AFN Goals 2000 funding should be used to provide additional incentives to the districts. * Provide an option for school districts to employ teacher interns to serve as classroom teachers during their internship year under the supervision of a mentor teacher. * All Native organizations, including tribal councils and Native educator associations, should provide assistance and a supportive environment for qualified Native educators seeking employment. * School boards and districts should take a proactive posture toward local hire of teachers, including financial incentives and providing an induction program for those new to teaching. * The University of Alaska should reinstate experienced rural faculty at all of the rural campuses to provide student support, instruction and supervision for REPP and all other rural teacher education candidates. * Native corporations should take a proactive role in recruitment and financial support for Native teacher education students. * Insure strong Native representation on all professional faculty associated with teacher and administrator preparation programs in Alaska. * Assist schools designated as low-performing in the development of school improvement plans consistent with the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools. * Establish a regular extended PRAXIS Institute to help prepare students for the PRAXIS I exam. * Foster close collaboration between all public and private institutions involved in preparing teachers and administrators for Alaska schools. * Secure financial support and recognition for the regional Native Educator Associations. * Enlist the support of school counselors, NEA-Alaska and Native educator associations to implement "Future Teacher Clubs" in all schools in Alaska. Group 3: Develop an Action Plan for Strengthening the Role of Tribal Colleges/CANHE This group reviewed the current status of the regional tribal college initiatives and outlined ways to strengthen the role of the Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education (CANHE) in bringing Alaska Native educational expertise to bear on the issues identified at the summit. Recommendations of this group included:. * Make a presentation on tribal colleges to the University of Alaska Board of Regents advocating the benefits of the Ilisagvik/University of Alaska Fairbanks memorandum of agreement. Utilize the material in the Native educator's presentation showing the lack of duplication of effort between UA and tribal colleges and demonstrating benefits by use of data showing the success of Natives in tribal colleges. * Call on the University of Alaska, Alaska Pacific University and Sheldon Jackson College to adopt a policy supporting the development of tribal colleges in Alaska and offering provisions of assistance to the new colleges. * Call on the Alaska Intertribal Council (AITC), Alaska Federation of Natives, Alaska Native Health Board, the tribes, Alaska Native Brotherhood/Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANB/ANS) and other Native organizations to support the development of tribal colleges and urge them to express that support to the Alaska congressional delegation. * Seek passage of amendments to the Tribally-Controlled Community College and University Assistance Act which designate Alaska as a special case. * Tribal college trustees and staff should meet with tribal councils and call on clan leaders to participate in such presentations to enlist the councils in college planning. * CANHE should, with the help of the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, publish a brochure on tribal colleges outlining CANHE goals and tasks. * CANHE should consider a tribally-established college accreditation process. * Call on Native educators associations, REPP and CANHE member institutions to develop a collaborative teacher training program that incorporates the cultural standards and Guidelines for Preparing Culturally-Responsive Teachers for Alaska's Schools and the Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge. * Develop transition programs to minimize the barriers between high school and college. * Develop a logo for CANHE (perhaps featuring an iceberg or sealskin.) * Create and implement an inter-regional Elders exchange program. * Identify and tap the human resources and funding to facilitate tribal college development. * Develop and maintain a body of data on Alaska Native higher education enrollment, dropout and graduation. * Organize regional Native education meetings to implement the Alaska Native Education Summit recommendations. The above recommendations can serve as the basis for developing more detailed action plans in each of the three focal areas listed. We wish to express appreciation to all the participants in the Native Education Summit for contributing their valuable time and insights to this effort. We invite everyone with an interest in these issues to offer ideas and suggestions for how the action plans can be further strengthened so that we can move into the millennium with a bright future for education in rural Alaska.

Keyword(s): Volume 5, Issue 3

Report Released on Alaska Rural Systemic Reform in Education : Ray Barnhardt, UAF; Jim Kushman, NWREL; Oscar Kawagley, UAF; Beth Leonard, UAF; Carol Barnhardt, UAF; Jerry Lipka, UAF; Sarah Landis, NWREL; Bruce Miller, NWREL and Seven Community Research Teams Below is an excerpt from an executive summary of the final report from a three-year study of rural school reform conducted by the Northwest Regional Educational Lab (NWREL) and UAF in cooperation with seven rural communities and school districts in Alaska. The balance of the summary will appear in the next issue of Sharing Our Pathways. This report presents the results of a three-year study of educational reform in rural Alaska communities and schools. The research revolves around seven case studies in villages and school districts spanning western, central and southeast Alaska. These are primarily subsistence communities serving Eskimo and Indian students. Each community had embarked on a reform process called Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) that strives to create educational partnerships between schools and the communities they serve. The study examined how educational partnerships are formed and sustained and how they ultimately benefit Alaska Native students. Trying to understand the systemic nature of educational change was a focal point of the study. In rural Alaska, systemic change means fully integrating the indigenous knowledge system and the formal education system. For rural school districts, this means engaging communities in education-fully integrating Native culture, language and ways of knowing into the curriculum and meeting Alaska's state-driven academic standards and benchmarks. Each case study was led by a researcher from NWREL or UAF who worked with a small team of school practitioners and community members who participated fully in the research. The case studies tell what happened as rural schools embarked on a change journey through AOTE and other reform activities, paying attention to educational accomplishments and setbacks, community voice and the experiences and learning of students. The cases include qualitative and quantitative evidence although hard data on student performance was limited and often inappropriate to the educational goals pursued by communities. The following recommendations are offered to educators and policy makers based on the study. While directed to the Alaska audience, these recommendations apply in large part to rural schools and communities anywhere in the country. * Stabilize professional staff in rural schools. * Provide role models and support for creating a positive self-image to which students can aspire. * Parent involvement needs to be treated as a partnership with more shared decision making. * Implement teacher orientation, mentoring and induction programs in rural schools. * Eliminate testing requirements that interfere with language immersion programs. * Strategic planning needs to extend to the next generation or more (20-plus years) at the state and local levels. * Strengthen curriculum support for culturally responsive, place-based approaches that integrate local and global academic and practical learning. * Encourage the development of multiple paths for students to meet the state standards. * Extend the cultural standards and Native ways of knowing and teaching into teacher preparation programs. * Sustainable reform needs to be a bottom up rather than a top down process and has to have a purpose beyond reform for reform's sake. * Alaska Onward to Excellence should be put forward as a means (process) rather than an end in itself (program). * Form a coalition of organizations to sponsor an annual conference on rural education that keeps reform issues up to date and forward reaching. These findings and recommendations are discussed more thoroughly in the body of the report. It may be obtained from NWREL or the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies at UAF as well as the ANKN website: www.ankn.uaf.edu/reform.

Keyword(s): Volume 5, Issue 1

Report Released on Alaska Rural Systemic Reform in Education : Ray Barnhardt, UAF; Jim Kushman, NWREL; Oscar Kawagley, UAF; Beth Leonard, UAF; Carol Barnhardt, UAF; Jerry Lipka, UAF; Sarah Landis, NWREL; Bruce Miller, NWREL and seven community research teams Below is the balance of an executive summary of the final report from a three-year study of rural school reform conducted by the Northwest Regional Educational Lab (NWREL) and UAF in cooperation with seven rural communities and school districts in Alaska. The first part of this article appeared in the previous issue of Sharing Our Pathways (Volume 5, Issue 1). Through a cross-case analysis, six reform themes emerged: Sustaining Reform It is easy to start new reforms but difficult to keep up the momentum in order to bring about deep changes in teaching and learning. Our case studies show that sustaining educational reform over the long run is difficult but not impossible in rural Alaska. There were a variety of scenarios, including communities that could not successfully launch an Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) reform effort, those which had many starts and stops on a long and winding road towards important community goals and at least one exceptional community (Quinhagak) that has been able to create and sustain a Yup'ik first-language program for more than a decade. The most significant barrier to sustaining reforms is persistent teacher, principal and superintendent turnover. Turnover derails reform efforts and leads to a cycle of reinventing the school every two or three years. A process like AOTE can help alleviate the turnover problem by creating leadership within the community, especially when respected community Elders and other leaders are brought into the process. But to seriously sustain reforms, districts and local communities need to develop talent from within so that teachers have strong roots in the communities where they teach. Shared Leadership Leadership needs to be defined as shared decision-making with the community rather than seeking advice from the community. Strong and consistent superintendent leadership was an important factor in moving reforms forward in these small communities and districts. However, school leaders must believe and act on the principle of shared decision making in order to engage the community through long-term educational changes that benefit students. Shared leadership creates community ownership that will move educational changes through frequent staff turnover. School leaders must view a process like AOTE as a tool for developing community engagement and leadership rather than a program that seeks the community's advice. Building Relationships and Trust Personal relationships and trust are at the heart of successful reform and processes like AOTE are only effective when good relationships exist between school personnel and community members. Strong relationships are based on mutual caring for children and cross-cultural understanding rather than a specific reform agenda. In small communities, personal relationships are more central than formal decision processes as the way to get things done. A key teacher, principal, leadership team member, parent or Elder who is respected in the community can spark the change process. It is these respected people and their relationships with others that help the whole community develop an understanding of and connection to the principles of an external reform model like AOTE. Too much emphasis can be placed on process and procedure from the outside and not enough on building the relationships and trust from the inside. Reformers in rural settings might fare better if they worked to fully understand the local context and build reforms from the inside out rather than relying solely on external reform models. Enacting New Roles Educators and community members are often stuck in old roles while educational partnerships require new behaviors and ways of thinking. While it is easy to talk about creating partnerships, changing traditional roles is a learning process for both school personnel and parents. The mindset that parent and teacher domains are separate-and should remain so-hampers family involvement efforts. Our case studies reveal that without a compelling goal deeply rooted in community values-like preserving language and cultural knowledge-many parents and community members are content to leave education to the educators. Yet in small rural settings there are many avenues for parents, Elders and other community members to be involved in school as volunteers, teacher aides, other paid workers and leadership team members. Rural schools need to create a range of parent involvement strategies appropriate for small communities. Historical divisions between school personnel and Alaska Native parents still need to be overcome. A partnership process like AOTE must strive to rekindle the spirit of a people who feel marginalized by the education system rather than part of it. Creating Coherent Reforms Small rural communities and school districts need help in sorting through many ongoing reforms in order to create a more unified approach to educational and community change. There are many independent reform activities in these communities with few connections. AOTE was a positive force in most communities because it helped set a clear direction and vision for student success and provided opportunities for school personnel and community members to think about and talk about how everyone should work together to educate children in a changing world. AOTE was less successful as a force for substantially changing teaching and learning. Here there was often confusion or lethargy about taking action because there were already so many educational programs in place. How AOTE fit into this picture was unclear to participants. In rural Alaska, there is a boom or bust cycle of programs related to curriculum, instruction, assessment and technology. Yet some cases showed more unity of purpose and were able to progress towards reform goals, make significant changes in educational practice and see students improve. These places often exhibited the enabling characteristics described above including stability of school leaders and teachers, shared decision making which empowers communities while expecting improved student results, a climate of trust and caring and the ability to find the human and material resources to achieve goals like bilingual programs. Many elements have to come together for classroom-level changes to occur, not the least of which are creativity, hard work and time. Creating Healthy Communities Schools in small rural communities cannot achieve their educational goals in isolation from the well-being of the surrounding community. The AOTE visioning process brought out the deeper hopes, dreams and fears of communities that are trying to preserve their identity and ways of life in a global and technological world. AOTE resulted in districts and communities challenging themselves to simultaneously achieve high cultural standards and high academic standards as a means to improved community health. People also expect the education system to help young people respect their Elders, respect themselves, stay sober and drug free and learn self-discipline. There was a clear sense that education and community health are inextricably linked. Education is viewed as more than achieving specific academic standards and benchmarks. While the desire is there to integrate Native knowledge and Western schooling, educators in rural Alaska do not yet have all the tools and know-how to achieve this end. More resources are needed to create culturally-appropriate teacher resources. Proposed funding cuts to Alaska's rural schools could threaten further progress. Nevertheless, our case studies offer many positive examples of bicultural and bilingual education that can create more holistic and healthy communities in rural Alaska with the added benefit of improved student achievement.

Keyword(s): Volume 5, Issue 2

Research and Indigenous Peoples by: Nakut luk Virginia Ned : Johnson Moses and his daughter, Nakut luk Virginia Ned, sit with a model of a soos, created by Virginia. My interest in the issues associated with documenting indigenous knowledge evolved this fall while instructing CCS 601, Documenting Indigenous Knowledge. Research of indigenous peoples has been endured since the first arrival of non-indigenous peoples. Many times the research project and purpose wasn't clearly explained or in some cases not explained at all to individuals or communities involved in the research process. "Informed consent" wasn't a requirement until recently and often there was no sharing or presentation of results to the individual or community studied after completion of the research project. Little attempt was made to engage the people involved in a continuing knowledge sharing process. In the past research was often done by amateur botanists, surveyors, government officials, traders, missionaries or anyone able to write and/or illustrate. The purpose of research then was to gather information on the indigenous people to serve the interests of an audience of non-indigenous people. While the books that were written made for interesting reading, they were usually written from the perspective of authors who spent only a limited amount of time living among the people they describe. Their stories have contributed to the general impressions and the myriad of ideas that have informed non-indigenous peoples about Native life in the past. The studies provide interesting details, much of which is now taken for granted as fact and has become entrenched in the language and attitudes of outsiders towards indigenous peoples. Documenting indigenous knowledge continues to be of interest to many people for a variety of purposes. Indigenous peoples themselves are beginning to contribute to the research, thus providing greater authenticity and control over their own forms of knowledge. Indigenous research today has implications for the survival of peoples, cultures and languages. It is part of the struggle to become self-determining and to take back control of the issues that affect indigenous people. Indigenous knowledge as intellectual property that can be used by others for financial gain is not something that the indigenous peoples have had to deal with before. It contradicts the way we perceive the knowledge of our Elders, our communities and the tribe. Indigenous knowledge was preserved and retained in the oral tradition through stories, language, songs, beliefs, values and respect for all living things, usually shared overtly by example and demonstration. "The quantity and quality of knowledge varied among community members depending upon gender, age, social stature and profession." (Lore, 1992) There continues to be many specialized fields of knowledge that are known by only a few people. There are expert teachers, sled builders, snowshoe builders, storytellers, trappers, dog mushers, hunters, skin sewers, skin tanners, beaders, leaders, orators, singers, knitters and fishermen. There is sacred knowledge that is shared within families, communities and tribes that teaches the local traditions, values and customs. There are many people who are adept in a number of areas, but very few who are experienced in all of the above. The Elders of our communities are the holders of the indigenous knowledge that will show us the way to healing and wellness in our communities. There is sacred knowledge that is shared within families, communities and tribes that teaches the local traditions, values and customs. What is Indigenous Knowledge? Indigenous or traditional knowledge is the knowledge of the local environment that people have developed to sustain themselves and thus it serves as the basis for cultural identity. It is knowledge built up by a group of people through generations of living in close contact with nature. (Lore, 1992) It is knowledge and skills gained through hands-on experience while interacting with the environment. It is knowledge of plants, animal behavior, weather changes, seasons, community interactions, family genealogy, history, language, stories, land and its resources, values, beliefs, traditional leadership, healing and survival. The Elders of our communities are the holders of the indigenous knowledge that will show us the way to healing and wellness in our communities. Indigenous knowledge is the key for our survival and sustenance as indigenous peoples. The Elders present the indigenous knowledge in the actions they take, their stories, their display of respect for all things, their role-modeling and their investment in the community. They are the repositories of the language, wisdom and knowledge of the past that is needed to resolve problems that we have today and in the future. Research Requirements: A Code of Conduct To help guide and encourage culturally-appropriate indigenous-based research, I have put together a preliminary draft of a research "code of conduct" for discussion and review. This draft is only the beginning of an indigenous research process that can be revised and adapted for each community and/or tribe. In conclusion, my investigation of issues surrounding documenting indigenous knowledge has raised more questions than answers. It is a topic that is essential to the survival of indigenous peoples and therefore it is imperative that we pay careful attention to what we do. Even in the 21st century, indigenous peoples will continue to have to defend and protect our indigenous knowledge and cultures. Further information and guidance on documenting indigenous knowledge can be found in the Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge, available through the ANKN web site at www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/CulturalDoc.html. Another excellent resource on the issues outlined above is the book, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples by Linda Tuhiwai Smith. Bibliography Johnson, Martha 1992. Lore: Capturing Traditional Environmental Knowledge, Dene Cultural Institute and the International Development Research Centre, Hay River, NWT, Canada

Keyword(s): Volume 6, Issue 1

Respecting Elder's Knowledge by Negaltdenlebedze Amy Van Hatten : About three years ago Peggy Cowan helped me understand the word "contextualize" for curriculum development. Now I think I have a fair understanding of the word and it has inspired me about the wonders of how we can use Elders' knowledge to improve what we teach in rural schools. How do we learn about what is in front of us already? Native Elders and local community members can be considered an important resource for the curriculum. Elders have gathered data in the back of their minds that just needs a little stimulation in an appropriate context to be shared with the students. Think of this as part of "being out there" as you help students do detailed documentation of what you are learning from the Elders. By focusing on the appropriate context, the strategy can be adapted to take advantage of Elder expertise in whatever communities it is implemented. How about research ethics and protocol? Indigenous people worldwide have taken steps to help define their own cultural and intellectual property rights. It is becoming less difficult for indigenous people to speak up for their rights, but at the same time it is still taking a lot of time for funding sources to understand or respect that. Help in this area can be obtained from the new Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge available through the ANKN web site at www.ankn.uaf.edu. How much should we worry about the accuracy of the new information? Although it is difficult to develop a sensitivity to the fact that no form of measurement is neutral, we can at least try by asking, "What is the relationship between how things appear and the environment in which they are situated?" How can we know what is the right information to look for? Choosing a theme is helpful in keeping everyone focused. In addition, we can develop a glossary of key words used in teaching a particular topic and then go over them together with the Elders and community members so everyone is understanding the same thing. You affirm the ideas in words and gradually those words begin to develop into concrete community-based data. How should we analyze the information? Have a pre- and post-meeting with Elders to review key words and concepts for teaching in a particular area. The Elders can help focus on the appropriate interpretation and meaning of the information that has been gathered. I hope this list will help in using Elders' knowledge in respectful and useful ways.

Keyword(s): Volume 5, Issue 5

Revisiting Action-Oriented, Multi-Reality Research by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley : Alaska Native people have often thought of the white man as having capabilities that go far beyond our own abilities as creators and inventors, forgetting to consider some of the long-term side-effects of our infatuation with the Eurocentric ways. That feeling of awe and wonder is fast changing as we see our world deteriorate, driving us to action for a change in consciousness and returning to our own eco-centric worldview. For the last several centuries, native/tribal people have been inundated with the products of a materialistic and techno-mechanistic society. We have marveled at the power of the rational mind and ingenuity at producing many and varied gadgets that are getting more complex and thus more difficult to understand and operate. The Euro-Americans have used the scientific method, objectivity and reductionism to produce these wonders. They have made gadgets galore and produced boundless knowledge of the physical universe. But we should pay heed to the words of Gregory Peck in the movie, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, when he said, "Just because the airplane goes faster than the horse does not mean that we are better off now than we were then." We now suffer from overpopulation, erosion of natural resources, violence and a loss of faith and trust in our clergymen, politicians and other institutional leaders. The Euro-American scientists are coming to the North in droves to do research in places that they know little or nothing about, and often fumble around in the dark, almost blindly. Yet the indigenous people who have lived on this land for millennia are left out of the research projects in many instances. These original people who know the history and how to keep their place sustainable are ignored and seen as being primitive, having only anecdotal and place-specific knowledge. Native people are led to believe that they will find the problem and fix it with some form of new technology. However, there are seldom technological solutions to biological, mental or spiritual problems. Western science seeks to identify symptoms of problems and then develop treatments, whether it involves physical, intellectual, emotional or spiritual phenomena. This is well and good to a limited extent, but it has a obvious weakness. These generalized inclinations have thrust insights drawn from the physical world into a world of abstractions1. The phenomena studied becomes absorbed by the generalized approach to solving problems. This outmoded notion of reductionism and objectivity gets in the way of compassion and cooperation and denies emotional and spiritual connection between the human, other creatures, plants and elements of Mother Earth. However, indigenous people can only be understood as part of their environment, part of their place. Early in our heritage as we experienced change, our Elders recognized that this technical world produced much to purportedly make life easier, but they also warned that there is a danger in this trend. Too much of the resources are being used and wasted and the refining and manufacturing processes involved require excessive use of energy. In extracting minerals and timber, much land is laid to waste and it takes a long time for it to recover. These processes do not take into consideration the needs of the seventh generation. Will our descendants be able to enjoy the resources in a similar state of abundance and savor the beauty of Mother Earth as our ancestors did? 1. Berry, Wendell. (2000) Life is a Miracle: An essay against modern superstition. Washington, D. C.: Counterpoint Psychologist Carl Jung has written of the "collective consciousness" and other scientists have used a holographic metaphor to convey the complexity of our relationship to our past and to each other. I can readily appreciate this as it lends itself to explaining our ancestral memory and ways of knowing. During gestation in the mother's womb, a chord is struck which resonates in the universal holographic mind. Early in life, certain notes in this chord vibrate stronger than others, such as for suckling, crying when hungry or hurting, smiling to show love and joy and so forth. As the child gets older these early notes become weaker as others become stronger, from which emerges an outgoing personality, a spiritual attitude, a love of music, a mathematical or scientific interest and so forth. These will continue to grow while others begin to shrink as we mature. There is a story of a hunter about to cross a newly frozen body of water. He remembers his Elders telling him that he should test the strength of the newly formed ice by dropping his ice pick. If it penetrates and does not stop, don't try crossing because the ice will be too weak. If the pick stops where the wooden handle and bone point intersect, the hunter can try to cross. To do so, he has to gather energy by looking at the sky, the sun, currents, wind, moon and stars from which he gains a feeling of lightness in his mind. He starts across the ice establishing a rhythmic gait, and he makes it to the other side. The energy chord produced from his observations has struck a resonant chord in the holographic mind bringing his body in rhythm with the surrounding environment. It behooves us, as Native researchers, to redesign research methodologies that go beyond those we have learned in the Euro-American universities. We must first try to find balance in our own lives before we attempt to establish a meaningful and dynamic relationship with those we are seeking to understand. In some instances we may have to rely on spiritual methods altogether. This will allow us to truly interpret data that we have gathered by asking questions, observing and directly participating in an experience. We, as Native people, thrive on first-hand experience as the primary source of knowledge. We have heard stories about tuberculosis being healed by drinking juice of the spruce needle, or the remission of cancer by drinking stinkweed juice. These treatments require belief and faith from one's own worldview, using the whole mind and body to try to explain and understand. If no rational explanation is found, then one has to accept this on belief and faith of something greater than you and I. In using this method of knowing it presents a new frontier of research methods using the whole self. The self is consciousness without knowing. It has been said that mysticism is a dialectic of feeling, while science is a dialectic of reason. We must work toward the integration of the intellectual with the mystical for the healing process to be complete. Albert Einstein noted that spirituality is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research and as such is a philosophical/psychological prerequisite for research. Most research methodologies in vogue today require that we only use a part of our self. However, the modern scientific method combined with Native ways has the potential to produce a new breed of scientists and engineers who are able to exercise all their capabilities with compassion and a sense of greater purpose as they strive to build a technology kinder to the human, the environment and the spirit that resides within all of us. These scientists will work for restoring balance, healing and living a life that feels just right. This is action-oriented, multi-reality research which will put Alaska Native people on a pathway to greater control of our past, present and future.

Keyword(s): Volume 7, Issue 4

Revitalizing Harmony in Village and School Relationships by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley and Dixie Dayo : The relationships between Alaska Native people and the schools have often been adversarial. This may be due to Alaska Natives' mistrust of the outside educational system and its practitioners. For too many years the schools did not acknowledge the different ways of knowing and ways of making sense of this world extant in the villages. Instead, another way of making a life and living was espoused by the newcomers. After making a visit to Alaska in the 1880s, Sheldon Jackson approached the United States Congress for money to educate Alaska Native people. The money he received for this purpose was very limited so he approached religious organizations to establish schools, many of which were associated with the church-run orphanages that sprung up after the viral epidemics. In their minds they were doing God's work, with the very best of intentions. However, they were also carrying out the assimilation policies of the times, in which Alaska Native students were to lose their Native language and ways of making a living. After many years of experiencing this type of education (under both church- and government-run schools), Alaska Native people began to recognize that schooling in pursuit of the American Dream was a largely unattainable goal made up of empty promises. As a result of this bifurcation of purpose, many of the teachers who served as the purveyors of the new knowledge through the schools never became a part of the community in which they taught. This split has contributed to the debilitation of the villages to the point where many villagers have abdicated their educational responsibilities with an attitude of "Let's leave things alone, they know better." In this way, the educational system has failed Alaska Natives and, in turn, Alaska Native people have contributed to that failure. So, what can be done to overcome this legacy of adversarial relations between school and community? In the not-too-distant past, when newcomers came into Alaska Native communities, they were welcomed as visitors and made comfortable. The Alaska Native people shared their food, homes and knowledge about the surrounding flora and fauna. They shared the arts and skills of hunting, trapping and survival in a sometimes harsh environment. They found some of the early newcomers had left behind their individualistic and competitive world in search of another way of making a life and a living-one compatible with Alaska Native peoples' inclinations. These newcomers grafted themselves to the lifeways of the community in which they settled and became a part of it. They allowed any feelings of superiority to dissipate in the wind. However, they were followed by another group of people some of whose goals and motivation were driven by a different mindset-that of ambition and greed to gain land and take natural resources for attaining riches. The original host-visitor relationship was broken asunder and the Alaska Native people found themselves thrust into smaller and smaller pockets of land differientiated by artificial boundaries and restrictions. This was now a conqueror and conquered relationship. The Native people found themselves struggling for survival in their own land. They found themselves subjected to new laws, values and institutions. They experienced new diseases and poverty, as well as the language, arts and skills that were now being taught to them. The Native peoples' perception of harmony in life practices which upheld the recognition that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts was disrupted. This is a sad commentary for a people who were once self-sufficient and practiced a spirituality that edified this harmonious way of life and making a living. More than a century has elapsed and it is time to reexamine the relationship between community and school in rural Alaska. This recognition was brought about by a recent trip to New Zealand of Alaska Native educators and our subsequent participation in the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) held in Hilo, Hawaii in August. At every Maori marae (meeting house) that we visited in New Zealand, the protocol of welcoming the visitors was performed. On the first day WIPCE, the Hawaiian people performed a traditional welcoming ceremony for the 2000 guests who came to the Islands to attend the conference. All of these were awe-inspiring experiences that engendered a feeling of being a part of the host community and confidence in knowing what would be expected of you as a visitor. The Maori marae and many of the Hawaiian settlements have become bastions of indigenous spirituality, philosophy, identity, language and values. Because these ceremonies are so steeped in spirituality, there is a feeling of respect for place, people and all that they have and stand for. These are places where real teaching and learning can take place because they are working for the good of the community with spirit and feeling. Why don't Alaska's villages do the same for incoming administrators and teachers? It is time we take the initiative and get involved in providing a more holistic education for our children. This can only happen when we change the adversarial relationship between the village and school. We must realize that we cannot expect the school to raise our children. This has been happening for too long and the result has been a school that is too often a battleground between teachers and students, as well as with the parents and villagers. The time is ripe for putting the statement, "It takes a whole village to raise a child" into practice. Let us briefly suggest how a process like this might begin. It is up to each of you to do the rest. No matter where Alaska Native people come from, they have had a way of welcoming the allanret-the visitors. We should revive these practices, starting with welcoming the principals and teachers who come to the village to help in the education of the children. They are with us the greater part of the year and spend much of their waking hours with our children. So it is only fair that we make them feel welcome. These welcoming ceremonies must include local speech makers. The Alaska Native speakers should include (in general terms) what is expected of the administrators and the teachers. The principal and teachers can respond by briefly stating what their philosophy of education is, what and how they meet the expectations of the villagers and to ask where they may need help themselves. It is important that everyone come to mutual terms on what can be done to improve the education of the village children. The same appreciation should be accorded those Native educators who have chosen to obtain a higher education to acquire a teaching certificate. Those who return to the village should be treated with a similar welcome, in a manner that is well endowed with love, care and nurturing to help them become successful teachers. There should be no expressions of jealousy or alienation shown toward these individuals. Villagers should allow the spirit to act as the mediator to elevate these Alaska Native people who have taken the risk of failure, suffered through times of depression or bewilderment, confronting insensitive administrators and faculty and experience financial hardship to gain access to the profession of teaching. Alaska Native educators have a willingness to excel and they know the village situation well-thereby earning our support. These acts of harmony and compassion contribute to the healing process on all sides. Villagers need to participate in board meetings to clarify any questions that arise, let the participants know what is being accomplished to meet village expectations and what needs further work. This must be done with honesty and in accord with Alaska Native values. Compassion, cooperation and teamwork have always been the hallmark of Alaska Native hospitality. This must be resurrected to function as an organism with all its parts working together for the good of the whole village. It is admirable to note that this is already being done in some villages. This is where synergy really begins to kick in with each part working for the good of the community and thus making it stronger than its individual parts. The ways of Alaska Native people may become the model for the future. Tuaii, piurci. . . . appreciation should be accorded those Native educators who have chosen to obtain a higher education to acquire a teaching certificate. Those who return to the village should be treated with a similar welcome, in a manner that is well endowed with love, care and nurturing to help them become successful teachers.

Keyword(s): Volume 4, Issue 5

Revival of Unangax/Aleut Hatmaking: In Memory of Andrew Gronholdt by Jerah Chadwick : In 1791, an Unangaˆx man named Chagudaan Qagadusanax, Being-Happy-For-His-Hat, lived in Unalaska. Perhaps he was a child when the Russians first came or was born during the tumultuous early contact period. In his lifetime, he may well have seen the number of his people halved, with approximately 20% surviving at the time of Seward's purchase. We know Being-Happy-For-His-Hat's name because he survived long enough to be counted in an early Russian census. We also know that the beautifully painted and adorned, full-crown bentwood hats were in great demand as trade items. Many such hats are prized possessions of museums throughout the world. However, no old, full-crown hats or open-crown visors remain in their Aleutian homeland. Much of the knowledge of how to make and decorate them had been lost, and only a few had been made in the last 50 years. Today, bentwood hats and visors are again being made, the result of a resurgence in Unangax culture and of individual artists reclaiming traditions. This process has been assisted by the contributions of scholars, such as Dr. Lydia Black, whose books Aleut Art and Glory Remembered offer examples and insight into the bentwood art. Andrew Gronholdt with one of his visors. Prominent among contemporary bentwood artists was Andrew Gronholdt, who died in March, 1998 at the age of 82. A Qagan Tayagux (Man of the Eastern Aleutians) from the Shumagin Islands, Gronholdt is largely responsible for the revival of hatmaking in the Aleutians. Gronholdt began researching construction methods in 1985, after the death of his wife, Elizabeth. This process involved extensive reading, consultations with experts such as Northwest Coast Art specialist Bill Holm, and hands-on examinations of visors and hats in museum collections. Drawing upon his background as a wooden boat builder, Gronholdt worked out the varying degrees of thinness required to bend flat boards into visors or full-crown hats. He also designed jigs and molds for forming short and long visors. Gronholdt's visors are featured in numerous collections, including those at the Anchorage International Airport, the Unalaska City School Percent for Art, the Shumagin Corporation and the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association. Gronholdt regularly shared his expertise. He was a featured presenter at the 1988 Bentwood II Symposium held at UAF. He demonstrated and displayed his work at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, and he taught high school and university classes in St. Paul, Sand Point, King Cove and Unalaska, as well as elsewhere in the state. Since Gronholdt's death, classes have been held in Akutan and Unalaska, taught by his former students, and in each class a picture of Gronholdt was placed to overlook the bending station. As a result of Gronholdt's work, a new generation of Unangax people have been inspired to create their own visors and hats. What was once an important badge of identity is making a comeback; and surely, Being-Happy-For-His-Hat would be pleased that, this time, many hats will remain in their Aleutian homeland. Some of the many visors and hats made by Gronholdt's students in Unalaska.

Keyword(s): Volume 3, Issue 4

Reviving Our Cultures and Languages: A Cup'ik Perspective by John F. Pingayak : The anchor for any healthy society is culture: it determines behavior through traditional beliefs and observances; it also governs the life of the people. The foundation for any culture is language, the means of communication which ties the society together. For Alaska Natives, the last 95 years have been such an erosion of culture, cultural institutions and languages that the basis for Alaska Native societies has been undermined resulting in confusion, especially among the young. Simplicity vs. Complexity Our ancestors knew exactly what they wanted because they formed and communicated around the circle of life. This is why our Elders are knowledgeable in survival today. They acquired the knowledge by starving and experiencing hunger when the food was scarce. For us to analyze our cultures and our languages, whether they may be simple or complex, will open a thought system that will require high-level cognitive thinking skills. The documentation of our way of life has primarily been written by the outside educators and anthropologists. Where are the Cup'ik interpretations of what has been going on with our people? With that in mind, I will explain my concerns and aspirations for our own Native people of Alaska. John Pingayak plays the drum in a classroom. We usually try to make our immediate tasks simple so we can complete our goals one step at a time. We do not try to take on too many objectives at once that will lead to failure. In our Native ways we try to make things as simple as possible which may be why we do less talking and more nonverbal communications. Our way of life may look simple, but it is really complicated within our own philosophies of living. Following our traditional values is simple when they are reinforced based on the training we have received at a very young age. Our language is simple when we are talked to in the same language from the time we're born. Our Elders practice repeating lessons and stories over and over again, yet they never say "It's boring." It is very important that we develop an outlook on life based on learning about our own ways and traditions. Respect and honor are used to acquire knowledge and wisdom. Nothing comes to us free-we have to work hard for everything. Just as our Elders tell us, laziness and sleepiness will become a poor way of living. Influence of Dominant Society I remember when I was a boy, I only knew Cup'ik and heard about all that my parents went through. My parents and their extended family used to spend all of their time trying to survive. The families spent their time in spring, summer and fall camps. I have experienced everything they went through, especially their subsistence way of life. Although men went to canneries in Bristol Bay, the influence of Western culture was not too great in those days. As a boy I used to wonder if we were the only race in the whole world. I would look to the horizon and wonder who would be alive, like me, beyond that horizon. Of course, I did not have aspirations like Columbus, but my frame of thought was on the same track. Since then, I have seen many other cultures way beyond my expectations. I have traveled to the Soviet Union twice, Brisbane, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Today, my saddest experience is seeing my culture dying without enough effort and adequate solutions to revive it. I'm sorry to say, but most of the programs that deal with our own Native people are not working. Please let me explain. I have been like a broken record, telling everyone that programs are not working because we, the real people, are being overlooked to plan, administer and teach in those programs. Too many of our people are relying on state and federal government for welfare, health care, food stamps and energy assistance. Because of these kinds of outside assistance, our people are forgetting how to work for their own needs. Self-Determination and Governance We have not been allowed the chance to determine our own destiny. Most often, when self-determination and self-governance comes into play for our people, many of the federal and state leaders become uptight and do everything they can to block the efforts of our people through courts and legislation. We have not been allowed full power to take care of our own needs. When will that time come? Many of our problems exist because we appear helpless in acquiring the funds to run the programs. In order to run these programs that are vital to the existence of our people we need funding, but when we ask for funds we have to categorize our people as "high risk." How can our people heal if we are not considered fit to live and be like everybody else and have control over our own destiny? Many years ago we never knew how to be business or corporate leaders or that we could be legislators, teachers, doctors and managers. Now we have awakened from a deep sleep and are beginning to realize that we can take care of it all. We have learned that we can determine our own way of life. We learned we can take over our schools. We learned we can govern ourselves without influence from the outside world. It is up to us to take our future into our own hands. In this journey of our lives, we all need to start learning from each other. I have given you some of the negative aspects of our Cup'ik lives. Our way of life was a subsistence economy and now much of it has changed to a cash economy. Although our way of life has been influenced by the Western world, we still possess our traditional values, many of which are intended for all races. My Grandpa told me that no matter where we are, we are talking about the same concerns. We still teach about our traditional tools and some of the traditional clothing in our schools. We are maintaining some of our physical cultural elements but the losing battle in maintaining our language. The only way it's going to survive is for our families to start speaking Cup'ik in our homes. The school can only provide supplementary support for language retention but it alone cannot take on the task to retain our language. Some villages are not too late to save their languages, though others have lost it completely. Our hope lies in those villages with strong Native languages that are being practiced by the young. It is up to us to take over some of these programs and practice being providers for our own people. We are slowly taking responsibility for our mistakes and reshaping the future for our younger generation. I feel we have a lot to offer to the Western world-all we need is recognition that we are existing and struggling to survive as Cup'ik people in this modern era. I thank you for your support and may the force be with you!

Keyword(s): Volume 8, Issue 1

Rural Alaska School Districts: Who is in Control? : by Frank Hill, AKRSI co-director and retired superintendent Most of rural Alaska's schools and districts are populated by Alaska Native students. School boards are elected by and from residents of the district, resulting in mostly Alaska Native-majority boards. With this fact one would assume that the Alaska Natives of the region would have little to worry about concerning whether their local culture and language would be a strong, if not dominant, facet of the local schools' curriculum and instruction. Given the fact that few licensed administrators and teachers are Alaska Native, or even Alaskan-born, the assumption above is not a safe one to make. At the present time there is not one Alaska Native school superintendent in Alaska, only a handful of Alaska Native school principals and less than six percent of all teachers are Alaska Native. Over 80% of Alaska's newly-hired teachers continue to come from out of state. Since so few school district superintendents and administrators are from Alaska, or are Alaska Native, they are often unfamiliar with the cultural and environmental conditions of the districts they administer. To the extent that we tend to teach and administer the way we were taught, in most cases rural Alaska school districts with Alaska Native school boards and student populations are run just like Anywhere, USA. Add to this situation the extremely high turnover rate of teachers and administrators in rural schools, where in some cases you literally have to start all over again every year or two, we often end up repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I don't fault these professional educators alone because lacking strong direction from the local school boards they will do what they think best, even when they know it is not, because they have only their own experience to draw upon. Recent State of Alaska improvements in professional educators' licensure requirements begin to address the cultural relevancy issues noted above. However, the full effect of these improvements will not be realized until all teachers and administrators have been re-licensed under the new system. If the local school boards do not have definite and strong policy statements concerning budget development and approval processes, relevant curricula, teaching practices and materials, school calendar considerations, teacher/personnel hiring/performance effectiveness reviews and staff development preferences, the administration will often carry out and operate the district with little if any input from the governing body of the district-the school board. It is the professional duty of the administration to make sure that at least the letter of the law is met in school operations. There are few, if any, school laws or regulations that require school administrators to pay attention to the local culture, language or environment in the administration of schools and districts. State laws are designed to allow for variation to take place on the local level. Schools and professional educators have a technical language and jargon of their own that is often confusing and mysterious to the general public. Alaska education laws and regulations are no less technical or confusing. Many Alaska Native school board members will not dispute policy or personnel recommendations made by their administration, assuming that the administrators are the professionals in these matters. In addition, members of many Alaska Native cultures do not, or will not, publicly disagree with others even if they have other opinions. Yet the school board is ultimately responsible for the academic success of their district's students. Perhaps one of the causes of the lingering fact of low academic achievement of Alaska Native students is due to the lack of assertiveness of local school boards regarding budget, policy, instructional program and personnel matters. Who knows the most about local needs: local members of the school board or the administrator from Outside? Perhaps a program to train Alaska Native school board members to more fully realize their legal responsibilities and to actually take policy control of their districts should be developed. Of course, not all school boards would need this training. It is my understanding that the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB) has developed an accountability model for school boards, but I am not sure what level of training or participation rural Alaska Native school boards have had in this accountability model. Maybe a supplementary funding program could be developed to assist AASB and the local boards in implementing this school board accountability program? As a facet of Alaska Native self-governance, I believe that control of education matters is an area that lends itself well to developing a locally-relevant program of instruction with Alaska Native Educators in the classrooms as well as district offices. The long-term effect would reach into many other areas of Alaska Native self-determination. Also, if most of the teachers and administrators in rural schools were Alaska Native, the employment picture of rural Alaska would change considerably. In many villages, the highest paying jobs are held by non-Native, non-Alaskan teachers and administrators. Too often the money earned from those positions goes outside the state with little secondary benefit to the rural economy. A program could be developed that would train and sensitize new-to-Alaska teachers and administrators to teach and work in Alaska Native villages and schools. Such a program once existed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where participants were sponsored by their districts to learn about Alaska Native cultures and living and working in small, often remote schools where they would be in the minority. This program was discontinued but I believe that many school districts would pay for their new-to-the-state teachers and administrators to participate in such a program, especially if it were offered on a regional level. Here is another area that could have positive long-term effect on the stability and improved academic performance of Alaska Native students. Two promising programs are the Rural Educators Preparation Partnerships (REPP) and Native Administrators for Rural Alaska (NARA). These programs sponsored by the University of Alaska have a goal to significantly increase the number of Alaska Native classroom teachers and school administrators. However, they are both small in scope, with limited budget capacity. These are efforts that should be significantly increased with more funds made available. Without the elected Alaska Native school board members exercising their responsibilities as policy-making bodies, not many of the initiatives discussed here will significantly improve the academic performance of Alaska Native students.

Keyword(s): Volume 5, Issue 1

Rural Education Looks to a Bright Future in the New Millennium : A Report on the Alaska Rural Education Leadership Retreat On January 25-27, over 60 leaders in rural education from across the state gathered in Wasilla for an Alaska Rural Education Leadership Retreat sponsored by the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Education and the Alaska Federation of Natives. Along with Commissioner Shirley Holloway, AFN President Julie Kitka and UA President Mark Hamilton, a group of superintendents, Elders, Native educators and others actively involved in rural education initiatives associated with the Alaska RSI, spent three days reviewing current issues impacting schools in rural Alaska. Given the many new state mandates, school reform initiatives and ongoing challenges that rural school districts are grappling with as we enter the final year of this millennium, it seemed an opportune time to step back and reflect on where we are and where we want to go with rural education. The focus of the retreat was to take a look at how education programs and services can best be positioned to address the long-term needs of rural communities in this time of limited resources. We were particularly interested in examining ways in which the Alaska Department of Education, the University of Alaska, rural communities and school districts can work more closely together in the provision of basic education services, as well as in staff development, curriculum enhancement, collaborative research and technical assistance. Reports and discussions focused on the following current programs and initiatives: * Alaska Quality Schools Initiative/Legislative Mandates-Shirley Holloway * Alaska Native Student Learning Action Plan-Bernice Tetpon * Alaska Federation of Natives Education Initiatives-Frank Hill * Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative/Alaska Rural Challenge-Frank Hill/Oscar Kawagley * Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools-Ray Barnhardt * Alaska Onward to Excellence-Bob Blum/Jim Kushman, NWREL * Rural School Access to Telecommunications-Martin Cary, GCI * Rural Educator Preparation Partnership-John Weise * Native Administrators for Rural Alaska-John Monahan * Consortium for Alaska Native Higher Education-Edna MacLean * UA Rural Education Initiatives-Mark Hamilton/Nanne Myers * Citizens for the Educational Advancement of Alaska's Children-Ed Gonion * Survey of Alaska High School Students-Carole Seyfrit Following status reports on the various initiatives, the participants turned their attention to developing draft "action plans" around three focal areas. Following is a summary of the recommendations put forward for follow-up actions in each of the focal areas: Develop an Alaska Rural Education Action Plan for the Next Millennium This group addressed issues raised in the earlier discussions and developed a preliminary outline of where we would like to be with rural education in Alaska by the year 2020, and some of the steps that will need to be taken to get us there. Recommendations of this group included: 1. Encourage all educational organizations in the state to adopt and implement the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. 2. Develop a clear definition of "local control" and identify the bureaucratic roadblocks that need to be eliminated and the support systems that need to be in place to achieve it. 3. Develop a clearinghouse to network and synergize all the reform initiatives impacting rural Alaska. 4. Encourage interagency cooperation in addressing the unique needs of rural Alaska. 5. Foster partnerships with colleges to insure the quality of the high school diploma and what it means. 6. Engage Elders, families, parents, homes and communities as critical components in the educational future of rural Alaska. 7. Stabilize the work force with a viable economic base in rural Alaska, with support from private business, corporations, government, etc. 8. Keep the villages alive by keeping the schools open through multiple forms of educational delivery, regardless of size. 9. Develop a strong, well-articulated vision and definition of community, education, schooling and local control as they relate to rural community health and well-being. 10. Insure equity and adequacy in the future of education for rural Alaska, so as to provide equal lifetime opportunities for all Alaskan children and communities. 11. Build on the successes of what we are doing well and continue those efforts. 12. Continue ongoing review and revision of the content standards to insure they address the needs of all students and communities in Alaska. Develop a Rural Teacher Preparation Action Plan for HEA, Title II Funds This group addressed issues associated with the preparation of teachers for schools in rural Alaska and developed a preliminary outline of components for a cooperative proposal for funding a comprehensive statewide rural teacher preparation initiative for rural Alaska. Recommendations of this group included: 1. Designate the regional Native Educators Associations as key players in shaping and governing rural teacher education initiatives, including those of the DOE and the university. 2. Take all steps necessary to increase the number of Alaska Native teachers and administrators in rural schools, including increased support for the Rural Educator Preparation Partnership and Native Administrators for Rural Alaska. 3. Establish school district career ladders to provide incentives and support for aides and associate teachers who are aspiring to be licensed teachers. 4. Provide an option for school districts to employ teacher interns at a partial salary to serve as classroom teachers during their internship year under the supervision of a nearby mentor teacher. 5. Provide incentives for school districts to implement cultural orientation programs (including an extended camp experience) for new teachers as part of their annual inservice plan submitted to DOE. 6. Make available a "cross-cultural specialist" endorsement for teachers, built around the criteria outlined in the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. 7. Allocate .5% of the annual appropriation for education to be made available for research, evaluation and data tracking regarding issues critical to education in Alaska. 8. Develop and disseminate a set of "Guidelines for Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers" aimed at the preparation of teachers qualified to implement the Alaska Cultural Standards. 9. Implement "Future Teacher Clubs" in all schools in Alaska. Develop an Agenda for a Statewide Conference on Rural Education in 2000 This group reviewed the current status of school and curricular reform initiatives in rural Alaska and mapped out the parameters for a statewide conference on rural education in 2000 that showcases the most promising curriculum models/materials and teaching/schooling practices leading us into the new millennium. Recommendations of this group included: 1. Purposes of conference: review status of school and current reform initiatives in rural Alaska, showcasing promising models based on school curriculum reform; provide participants with strategies to apply/adapt practices in their schools; and develop support network to continue work on conference tasks. 2. Who participates: representative team from regions, communities, districts/schools-all stakeholders, including parents (PTA, IEA Comm), students (FTA), policy makers (AASB, legislature, tribal councils, IRA), practitioners (teachers/associate teachers, aides), Elders/young Elders, Native Educator Associations, higher education (teacher educators, REPP, NARA), administrators (ACSA) and media. 3. Substance: extend learning beyond classroom walls; partnership theme-open access to education; assessment-practices for success; consolidation/closure; technology & distance education; transition beyond high school; adapting curriculum to cultural and physical regions-place; healthy community and family; barriers to achievement; role models; and student, parent and community involvement in school change. 4. When and where: January-March 2000, early spring, possibly in place of BMEEC & NEC, or regionally in 1999 and Anchorage in 2000. 5. Outcomes: edit and broadcast one-hour video; document and distribute "proceedings"; send participants back with DVD for immediate use with students; and incorporate teacher/student produced products for dissemination. The recommendations outlined above are preliminary ideas for developing more detailed action plans in each of the three focal areas listed. We wish to express appreciation to all the participants in the Alaska Rural Education Leadership Retreat for contributing their valuable time and insights to this effort. We invite everyone with an interest in these issues to offer additional ideas and suggestions for how the action plans can be further strengthened so that we can move into the next millennium with a bright future for education in rural Alaska.

Keyword(s): Volume 4, Issue 2

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