Education and Cultural Self-Determination

by Paul Ongtooguk, a son of Tommy Ongtooguk, Presentation to the 2003 AFN Youth and Elders Convention

Tommy Ongtooguk

Thank you for the privilege of sharing in this meeting in which we have all been gathered to consider the great challenges facing us as Alaska Natives. The issue of this conference of the Alaska Federation of Natives is central to the future success of Alaska Native peoples.

Our very existence as distinct peoples within Alaska—the very existence of our communities—rest on how we answer the challenge of this conference: education and cultural self-determination. For the last thirty years we have avoided the heart of the dilemma about being Alaska Natives in this world at this time.

Our political leaders in the 1960s were caught up in the conflicts and threats resulting from federal and state governments and many other people taking Alaska Native lands — lands and waters we had been living on for countless generations. We accepted our life on these lands and waters as blessings with enough hard challenges to press the very best efforts from us as people. Many of the Elders here today are offering to share with us all the lessons of our ancestors and what the land, the waters and the animals have to share with us. The world is more than money and there are lessons we can best learn as a part of the world our cultures have grown up within.

Our schools were originally intended to break the connection we had to our lands and waters and to break the spirit within us that keeps us nurtured as Alaska Native peoples. Schools tried to cut out of our minds our distinct understanding of the world and our place within it. Schools tried to erase Alaska Native cultures from the world. Most tragically, schools tried to erase being Alaska Native from the hearts of our young people. Fortunately for us and for the world, the heart of being Alaska Native could not be erased. In many places our Elders and some very tough parents ignored the falsehoods put forward in schools about Alaska Natives being primitive or savage.

Our young people learned very different lessons at home, at fish camps, at hunting camps, at potlatches, around traditional feasts and during ceremonies. Some of our young learned from the lessons of traditional dances and even from within the folds of some culturally friendly churches.

Most of all our young people learned through the lives of Elders who demonstrated the importance of giving to the community as more important than gathering for oneself. The best Elders taught with their lives the value of sharing as more important than taking. The Elders also taught there was more to life than others would have us learn. The lesson of developing what one Elder, William Oquilluk, called the power of imagination (www.alaskool.org) has been essential in allowing us to exist and grow as Alaska Native peoples. We must learn again to imagine more than what is taught in our schools and on TV. We must again reject the lesson of ignorance about being Alaska Native.

The challenge of cultural self-determination will not be won by the Native corporation with the biggest bank account. A good future for the next generation of Alaska Natives will not be established on winning some lawsuit. A political win will not produce cultural victory. Success in business, in politics and in the courts is important for Alaska Native people to exist with dignity in this world today, but while these are necessary they are not sufficient.

With the creation of Regional Education Attendance Areas (REAAs) Alaska Native peoples won the promise of some measure of self-determination and control over the education of rural Alaska Native young people. This was a new and uncertain task 27 years ago as Alaska Native communities began to take over our schools. We, as Alaska Native communities, were so happy that our young people might not have to leave anymore to acquire an education, we just wanted our young people to be as happy as we were at simply being together.

For years many of our Alaska Native communities had not experienced having young people living within our lives all year round. In some ways we seem to have forgotten how to help young people learn about their responsibility in contributing to the community. I think some of us expected the expert teachers to raise our young people as boarding home schools had raised us. We live in the midst of this challenge today.

It's been 27 years since the REAAs were formed and 37 years since the Alaska Federation of Natives was formed, and finally the issue has been raised about Alaska Native education and cultural self-determination. I think we can put this issue into some direct questions for our communities, our schools, our teachers and most importantly ourselves.

By the time our young people graduate from school what will they be expected to know about our cultures? What will Alaska Native young people learn about us? What should Alaska Native young people learn about us? For schools and teachers and communities that think they are doing pretty well on this issue consider these questions:

As youth and Elder delegates you can stand up and say this is wrong. We must reverse the direction of schools. Schools and communities must come together and ensure the opportunity to learn about our own history, Alaska Native leaders and oral traditions that, in some cases, Alaska Native organizations have spent millions of dollars preserving and yet the lessons of our Elders still remain silent in most of our schools.

I think the Youth and Elders Convention should ask the business and tribal delegates to address the theme of this year's convention first before they get lost for another year in the politics and money issues that so often preoccupy them. We need commitment to change. I suggest a new resolution asking the other delegates to begin answering the questions:

"What should Alaska Native young people learn about us? What organizations, leaders, legends, poetry, stories, oral history, political and social issues should we learn about as young people? No professional educators can answer these questions for us, nor should they. We, as Alaska Natives, together should begin to ask and then answer the questions ourselves. We have young people in Bethel who do not know who Jackson Lomack or Chief Eddie Hoffman was. We have young people from the Interior who do not know who Morris Thompson or Rosemarie Maher were. We have young people from Southeast Alaska who do not know who Elizabeth Peratrovitch was.

We need a resolution to ensure that education does not come up every ten years or so but sits at the core as a central focus of the Alaska Federation of Natives. In this regard I recommend a resolution calling for a vice-president of education within the Alaska Federation of Natives.

We need a resolution asking AFN to seek funding to coordinate the learning opportunities of the Youth and Elder Convention in ways similar to what Close-Up has done for learning about federal and state issues.

We need a resolution coordinating what is taught at cultural camps and after-school programs, changing what is taught in schools and changing what teachers learn about Alaska Natives.

 There are many other parts of this issue that must be addressed. We should have a resolution that supports web sites as places to learn and share about our regional and statewide cultures, organizations and issues. We need a resolution to support Alaska Native young people who live outside the state to learn about us. These young people who live outside the state now number in the thousands. While they may be living out-of-state, they have not left our hearts nor have they left the purpose of the AFN Youth and Elders Convention.

We have too many young Alaska Natives who do not feel nor do they learn any sense of connection to our Alaska Native communities. We must ensure that our young people learn key ideas about being Alaska Native, about our communities, about our issues, about our challenges, about our leaders, about heroes, about the tragic parts of our histories and about things for which we can all be rightfully proud. This is not happening. This must change.

Our Alaska Native young people must know that we want them to learn about our rightful place in this world, about the challenges we have faced as peoples and the opportunities they will share. Most of all, our young people must know we care about who they are as well as what they know. We must love and respect our young people enough to share our greatest riches with each one of them. We must share our heritage so they can contribute to it, as well as to each other's and the world beyond. Education and cultural self-determination are one and the same.

Native American Songs as Literature

by Vivian Martindale

Utilizing the richness and variety of Native American songs is one way to open up the world of Native American literature in the classroom. After all, Native American cultures have a rich oral tradition and many stories are told through the medium of songs. Rhyme, rhythm, drums and dancing have the ability to enhance the memory while simultaneously healing the spirit, mind and body, providing for an enriching classroom experience.

Classrooms don't have to be boring. Literature classes especially can be enhanced through the medium of song. In David Leedom Shaul's article "A Hopi Song-Poem in Context", he claims that the listener is similar to an audience during storytelling, in that the listener is also interacting with the music. The listener, as a participant, is not passive; the listener is hearing rhythms, words, patterns and much more. The listener does not have to understand the Native language in order to appreciate the song. Shaul calls attention to the genre called "song poems." These songs are in a category by themselves, separate from poetry and prose. "The text of song-poems in Hopi culture, like much poetry, seemingly create their own context by virtue of minimalist language" (Shaul 1992:230-31). Therefore it would be interesting to include the concept of song poems or poetry as music into a curriculum.

Poet, songwriter and saxophonist, Joy Harjo, is one such example of an artist/poet whose work could be shared in a class on Native American literature. Other than being a poet, Harjo is in her own band called Poetic Justice. Harjo is from Oklahoma and is an enrolled member of the Creek Tribe. Her work combines music with poetry. According to Harjo, "The term poetic justice is a term of grace, expressing how justice can appear in the world despite forces of confusion and destruction. The band takes its name from this term because all of us have worked for justice in our lives, through any means possible and through music." Harjo's lyrics to her songs are a reflection of her poetry, "a blending of rock, blues and prophecy" (Princeton 2003).

I include here an excerpt from Poetic Justices' song "My House is the Red Earth," words and music by Joy Harjo and John L. Williams:

Poetic Justice is just one example of how contemporary musicians use poetry to express issues facing Native Americans today. Song poems, in themselves, hold a unique element of language and culture.

In a more traditional manner, songs from around Native America could be included, not just for listening enjoyment, but also could include students' input on the lyrics; afterward asking how the students thought the poet/artist expressed themselves and how they felt when listening to the songs. Traditional singers could be invited into the classroom to perform. But of course permission to perform the songs and dances must be given by the owners of the song so educators need to be aware that there is an aspect of ownership as well as some songs and dances are only to be performed at certain times of the year and by specific persons. Usually dancing and other forms of expression accompany songs. Students could be encouraged to close their eyes briefly and afterward record what they heard as a participant compared to what they saw as a participant. Also ask the students if they felt as if they were participants on some other level or were simply an observer or listener. In many of the contexts, songs may not have to be translated if they are performed in their Native languages. One can simply enjoy the language, how it sounds, how it feels to the soul.

For further studies on Native American song poems a good source is by author and editor Brian Swann called Song of the Sky: Native American Songpoems. Although adding music and song in a literary context may seem like a revolutionary idea, Native Americans have been using songs to educate since time immemorial. According to an article on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, "Singing and dancing were very important to the Athabascan people. People often made up songs about events, love songs, war songs or about relatives who had died for the death potlatch. The children at potlatches and community events observed the adults as a means to learn how to dance and sing. Children learned to sing very early as it was very important to the Athabascan way to carry on their teachings through oral languages" (ANKN 2003). And yes, even college students enjoy learning through the medium of music and song, especially when it opens up the world of literature from other cultures.

Another resource for educators comes from Canyon Records called Traditional Voices, which includes recordings made in the 1950s and 60s. These rare songs were recorded by "historically important singers from all over United States and Canada." This collection offers a glimpse into the rich and varied tribal cultures of twenty different Native American tribes. Samples from the works include songs such as the Navajo " Yei-Be-Chai Chant," Northern Cheyenne "Sun Dance Song," and the Tohono O'odham, "Song Of The Green Rainbow." Through traditional songs and dances this recording would be an excellent tool to introduce students to Native American literary forms.

Songs or song poems, whether traditional or contemporary, can be one instrument for educators to utilize in order to explore various Native cultures. Involving local singers and dancers is also important as well as any students who are willing to share their songs and dances with their classmates. Dance and songs are a means to understanding Native American cultures. To appreciate other cultures, it is good to immerse ourselves in each other's songs.

References

Translations of Native American Literature

by Vivian Martindale

"The fact that Indians were human took some time to sink in.
The fact that their languages had value took longer."

—From On the Translations of Native American Literature, ed. by Brian Swann

"The fact that Indians were human took some time to sink in. The fact that their languages had value took longer" From On the Translations of Native American Literature, ed. by Brian Swann).

When offering translations of Native American texts in the classroom, an educator ought to be aware of the background of the translated material that is offered. The written text is simply not enough as discussions must include information about the author if available, background information about the culture and demographics, information about the translator and, most importantly, the implications of translation from oral traditions to the written form. Only then can an educator offer an honest examination of the Native American text.

Brian Swann's On the Translation of Native American Literatures is one such resource for educators. Published in 1992 by the Smithsonian Institution, this book is divided into four sections. The book opens with a brief introduction by Swann, followed by a second section providing an overview of the translation of Native American literature. In section three, Swann organizes the contributing essays by language and geography. Finally, section four concerns itself with the translations of Central and South American Indian literature.

When offering translated texts in the classroom an educator must consider a very important point: "The very problematic relationship between the academics who study this material and become its interpreters to American society at large, and the people who live in it" (Swann 1992). One should realize that the Western worldview provides a different context for interpreting material that is originally performed in a Native American context. The translator, considered the author (especially in older published texts), is often Euro-American. So therefore when reading poetry or songs from as far back as the early seventeenth century through the 1800s and early 1900s, no value was placed upon accurate translation of Native literature. In the essay "Tokens of Literary Faculty" by William M. Clements, he claims translating the songs, poems and oratory of Native Americans was done simply to control them and ultimately eliminate their culture.

Clements strongly stresses the opinions of the times: "The songs, stories and orations of the Indians had so little literary merit that they deserved the same fate as the cultures in general. Since they could be consigned to oblivion with no esthetic loss, translating them served at most the purposes of those who sought to understand Native Americans for the sake of efficiently subjugating them."

When translated, oral traditions were written to fit the popular forms of poetry and songs of the times. Euro-American translators thought there was an infancy in the language that would eventually mature with the Natives becoming civilized (Clements 1992:35-37). Therefore, offering students who study and appreciate Native American literature these thoughts could profoundly change how they interpret the material.

These reasons could account for the stereotypes and prejudices about Native Americans that evolved into our American culture. For example, from books and other literature we read about the stoic Indian, the savage, the vanishing Indian, the child-like Indian and the drunken Indian. All are images that began with translators who came from a different worldview than the Native peoples themselves. This insight, however, should not dissuade the educator from offering older texts in the classroom or other valuable interpretations of Native literature by non-Natives, but the educator should definitely discuss with students the background of the translator and the views of the times. Also discussed should be how much time the translator spent in the community and what, if any, knowledge the translator had about the community or people. The question should also be asked "Does the translator have a reliable person from the Native community who they consulted on the translated material?"

For many Euro-American translators the goal is to be aesthetically pleasing to the market for which the translator is working. In regions where the languages are non-existent and the translator only has anthro-pologist's and ethnologist's documents to work from, with no local speakers available, the translator is in danger of taking excessive creative license. Fortunately in Alaska there are Native language speakers still available for consultation.

The culture and demographics of the material being examined is also important. Since reading literature from a particular culture is an excellent way to learn about that culture, it would be valuable if students looked up terms they didn't understand and were presented with an overview of the culture. Items to consider are the location of the community and a bit of historical perspective about the region from which the literature comes. For example, if one would be studying Velma Wallis' Two Old Women, it would enhance the readers experience if they knew where Velma lived and where the story took place. In Wallis' case, she is an Alaska Native and she herself is the translator of the story from the oral tradition to the written form. Wallis also used some creative license to re-tell the story for publication with editing help from others. In this case, Wallis' book is probably a more accurate style of the retelling of an oral tradition than many earlier works in Alaska that were done by non-Natives (Wallis 1993).

Lastly, the implications of translating an oral tradition into the written form must be considered when exploring Native American literature in the classroom. Many older literary works from the 1800s aren't up to modern standards of translative criteria (Clements 1992). A good technique to introduce into the classroom would be to invite a Native American orator to tell a story using the oral traditions prior to the students reading a written version and then, at another time, have them read the story first prior to hearing and watching it performed. Knowing the difference and identifying the possible places where interpretation could differ is a valuable lesson when reading material that is based upon oral traditions.

An educator must be aware when offering material that are translations from oral traditions that not all translators come from the same worldview as the Native peoples they are writing about. But despite this, Native American literature, whether a translation or by the original author, offers wonderful ways to explore the beauty and uniqueness of America's numerous Native American cultures.

References

Swann, Brian, ed. 1992 On the Translation of Native American Literatures Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

Wallis, Velma. 1993 Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival. New York: Harper Collins.

Clements, William. 1992 "Tokens of Literary Faculty," In On the Translation of Native American Literatures. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

ANKN Curriculum Corner: Forests for the Future

by Dawn Wiseman, dawn@encs.concordia.ca

Forests for the Future is a research project run out of University of British Columbia (UBC) that is focused on integrating local ecological knowledge with natural resource management. Working with members of the Tsimshian people, the Forests of the Future team has developed seven curriculum units.

The key focus of these materials has been inspired by the experiences of students and community members living within the Tsimshian territory of the province of British Columbia. The extension material in this package include curriculum material designed for use in the Province of British Columbia's K-12 education system. In addition, the material can be easily adapted to function as reference resources for community members and other interested resource stakeholders.

Units are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download) for viewing and download.

The units can be found at: http://www.ecoknow.ca/activities.html.

Iñupiaq Region: Discovery, Native Science After-School Activites

by Katie Bourdon

Elder Esther Bourdon sitting on the right and Zachary Bourdon cutting fish to hang. Watching from left to right are Maggie Ahkvaluk, Cody Sherman and Rachel Pomrenke in the front. L to R: Maggie Ahkvaluk, Darla Swann, Emma Outwater; teachers Josie Bourdon, Joel Bachelder and Jenny Bachelder. Teachers Miss Bourdon and Mrs. Bachelder both picked the campfire coffee. Darla Swann packs tomcod with baking soda to begin the mummifying process.

Kawerak's Eskimo Heritage Program has recently begun an after-school activity for fourth through sixth graders in Nome called "Discovery" or "Native Science". Our small group has six devoted young scientists who come every Thursday for one hour to learn together. Experiments involve using materials, food or animals that are common in our community such as tomcods, salmon, homemade bread and coffee.

Paula Herzner and Katie Bourdon, EHP staff, have been using Alan Dick's Village Science and the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website as resources for class ideas. Barbara Pungowiyi, Nome Public Schools Native Programs Director, has provided Native science fair exhibits from her junior high and high school students. These exhibits have served as examples for the young students in the Discovery class.

Elder Esther Bourdon joined the group on the first day to talk about harvesting salmon and the various ways to preserve it. The students were willing and eager to begin cutting fish for hanging, smoking and salting. An experiment was done on frozen fish, dry fish and fish left out at room temperature for a few days. The youth learned about bacteria, the importance of weather and keeping blow flies away and about surface area.

Recently, the kids did an experiment with coffee. Local Elder Frank Okleasik regularly gets his tea water from Glacier Creek and donated the creek water for an experiment. The kids made percolated "campfire" coffee using the Glacier Creek water. Filtered coffee was also made using regular tap water. The students went around to 6 different teachers to find out which coffee was preferred. "Old-timers say that campfire coffee is the best" (Alan Dick's Village Science). Students hypothesized about the outcome of the experiment; most guessed that three out of six would know the difference. Zachary Bourdon's hypothesis was correct: five out of six preferred the campfire coffee. The students had fun making the coffee, presenting their experiment to the teachers and documenting their results.

Another fun (and in the kids' words, "cool") activity was mummifying tomcods. Paula Herzner's family had fished for the tomcods prior to class so the students were able to gut them in class, weigh them and document their observations of the fish before the mummifying process. Loads of baking soda filled and encapsulated the tomcods. The following week, the students again weighed and documented their findings. They cleaned out the old baking soda and repacked the tomcods with enthusiasm. After two weeks of dehydrating, the results were mummified tomcods!

We want to share our experience to encourage other communities to have their own after-school Native science class. The resources are available, as long as there are volunteers in your community who are willing to plan and work with the youth.

Please contact Kawerak Eskimo Heritage Program at (907) 443-4386 or at ehp.pd@kawerak.org for more information about having your own Native Science after-school activities. Visit the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at www.ankn.uaf.edu for class ideas and activities and to find Alan Dick's Village Science. Go Native Science!

Editors Note:

Village Science by Alan Dick, is available online at ankn.uaf.edu/VS. An interactive version for the computer is also available online or on CD free-of-charge from the ANKN offices.

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Inupiaq Region: Annie Blue, Elicarai—Her Teachings

by Yaayuk Alvanna

Elder Annie Blue sitting with John Mark, a retired Yup'ik principal from the village of Quinhagak.

Always teaching
Always learning
An Elder speaks
While listeners
observe intently Learning from brain to heart

Lessons given
Lessons learned
Through oral speech
Knowledge passed
Knowledge gained
Through listening carefully

Stories told
Stories hold
Such treasured wisdom
That can only be passed
From an Elder to younger ones
In the Native language

Quiet settles as she speaks
A world created
In the minds
Of each individual
Always learning
Always teaching

—yaayuk alvanna

 

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Alaska Native Knowledge Network University of Alaska Fairbanks PO Box 756730 Fairbanks  AK 99775-6730 Phone (907) 474.1902 Fax (907) 474.1957 Questions or comments? Contact ANKN

Last modified August 16, 2006