Aboriginal Maple Syrup Values Summary

This report examines the values associated with maple syrup practices in Aboriginal contexts. It is based on fifteen interviews conducted with Aboriginal people who have knowledge of maple syrup practices in Ontario. The interviewees included both First Nations and Metis people

How \u27Indians\u27 are read: The representation of aboriginality in films by Native and non-Native directors (Kevin Costner, Bruce McDonald, Alanis Obomsawin, Doug Cuthand, Vicki Covington).

This thesis examines the representation of Aboriginal people in popular film. Using cultural studies concepts, films by non-Native directors were compared to films by Native directors. The films Dances With Wolves and Dance Me Outside were analyzed as non-Native films and compared to the Native-directed Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, and Sentencing Circles: Traditional Justice Reborn. The objective was to explore how the films differed. The thesis makes an original contribution in that there is very little research applying cultural studies concepts specifically to Aboriginals in film. No studies were located that did so from an Anishinaubae perspective. Not surprisingly, it was found that more complex meanings regarding cultural identity are to be found in Native-produced films. Factors enabling these different meanings included the use of contemporary settings and contemporary issues, the use of Native people speaking for themselves and the advantage of having creative control over the finished product. Where several of these factors are missing, a more simplistic portrayal of the First Nations emerges. The thesis concludes that the American domination of film distribution in Canada and the United States limits the choices of Native filmmakers seeking an audience for their work. Thus, the simplistic representation of Aboriginal people will continue to dominate the non-Native public consciousness.Dept. of Communication Studies. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1997 .R47. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 37-01, page: 0013. Adviser: Marlene Cuthbert. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1997

Narratives of resistance: (Re) Telling the story of the HIV/AIDS movement – Because the lives and legacies of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities depend on it

Centering the narratives of the intersectional struggles within the HIV movement for Indigenous sovereignty, Black and People of Colour liberation, and LGBTQ rights tirelessly fought for by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities legitimates their lives and legacies within the movement; and the relevance of a focused response to the HIV epidemic that continues to wreak devastation in these communities. The recent political push for a post-HIV era solely centers the realities of middle-class white, gay men and has genocidal implications for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities

Learning from Place: A Return to Traditional Mushkegowuk Ways of Knowing

This paper details a research project dedicated to honouring Mushkegowuk Creeconcepts of land, environment and life in Fort Albany First Nation. Communityyouth interviewed local Elders to produce an audio documentary about therelations of the people to their traditional territory. These interactions evolved intoa 10-day river trip with youth, adult and elder participants traveling together ontheir traditional waters and lands learning about the meaning of paquataskamik,the Cree word used for traditional territory, all of the environment, nature, andeverything it contains. Bringing generations of community members together onthe land led to reclamation of culture and indigenous knowledge and built greatercommunity resistance to external forms of economic exploitation anddevelopment

Strategies for Teacher Education Programs to Support Indigenous Teacher Employment and Retention in Schools

This article seeks to contribute to the knowledge base regarding efforts to increase the supply of employed Indigenous teachers. In addition to supporting the learning and well-being of Indigenous students, increasing Indigenous teachers is critical for remote Indigenous communities with chronically understaffed schools. This study was conducted as a scoping review of 50 Teacher Education Programs (TEPs) across Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States that have enacted efforts to increase Indigenous teachers. The study found a range of effective strategies, and this article will depict three strategies that can be enacted by TEPs to support Indigenous teacher graduates as they transition to employment. The strategies are: (1) creating employment opportunities, (2) identifying community needs and collaborating over practicum placements, and (3) providing ongoing support. The article concludes with a call for collaboration, funding, and data collection for the continued evaluation and improvement of strategies to increase Indigenous teachers. Keywords: teacher retention, teacher support, teacher employment, Indigenous teacher education, job transition, Indigenous teachers, Indigenous education, teacher education programsCe document cherche à contribuer à la base de connaissances sur les efforts visant à accroître l’offre d’enseignants autochtones en activité. En plus de soutenir l’apprentissage et le bien-être des élèves autochtones, il est essentiel d’augmenter le nombre d’enseignants autochtones pour les communautés autochtones éloignées dont les écoles sont en sous-effectif chronique. Cette étude a été menée dans le cadre d’un examen de la portée de 50 programmes de formation des enseignants (TEP) à travers le Canada, l’Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande et les États-Unis qui ont mis en œuvre des efforts pour augmenter le nombre d’enseignants autochtones. L’étude a trouvé une gamme de stratégies efficaces et cet article décrit trois stratégies qui peuvent être mises en œuvre par les TEP pour aider les enseignants diplômés autochtones dans leur transition vers l’emploi. Ces stratégies sont : (1) de créer des possibilités d’emploi, (2) d’identifier les besoins de la collectivité et de collaborer à leur placement en stage, et (3) de leur fournir un soutien continu. Le document se termine par un appel à la collaboration, au financement et à la collecte de données pour l’évaluation continue et l’amélioration des stratégies visant à accroître le nombre d’enseignants autochtones. Mots-clés : rétention des enseignants, soutien aux enseignants, embauche d’enseignants, formation d’enseignants autochtones, transition vers l’emploi, enseignant autochtone, éducation autochtone, formation des enseignant

“Because we have really unique art”: Decolonizing Research with Indigenous Youth Using the Arts

Indigenous communities in Canada share a common history of colonial oppression. As a result, many Indigenous populations are disproportionately burdened with poor health outcomes, including HIV. Conventional public health approaches have not yet been successful in reversing this trend. For this study, a team of community- and university-based researchers came together to imagine new possibilities for health promotion with Indigenous youth. A strengths-based approach was taken that relied on using the energies and talents of Indigenous youth as a leadership resource. Art-making workshops were held in six different Indigenous communities across Canada in which youth could explore the links between community, culture, colonization, and HIV. Twenty artists and more than 85 youth participated in the workshops. Afterwards, youth participants reflected on their experiences in individual in-depth interviews. Youth participants viewed the process of making art as fun, participatory, and empowering; they felt that their art pieces instilled pride, conveyed information, raised awareness, and constituted a tangible achievement. Youth participants found that both the process and products of arts-based methods were important. Findings from this project support the notion that arts-based approaches to the development of HIV-prevention knowledge and Indigenous youth leadership are helping to involve a diverse cross-section of youth in a critical dialogue about health. Arts-based approaches represent one way to assist with decolonization for future generations

'Culture' as HIV prevention: Indigenous youth speak up!

This article explores the ways in which (a) Indigenous youth involved in an HIV intervention took up and reclaimed their cultures as a project of defining ‘self’, and (b) how Indigenous ‘culture’ can be used as a tool for resistance, HIV prevention and health promotion. Data were drawn from the Taking Action Project: Using arts-based approaches to develop Aboriginal youth leadership in HIV prevention. ‘By youth, for youth’ HIV education and awareness workshops were facilitated in six Indigenous communities across Canada, incorporating traditional and contemporary art forms to explore how youth perceived the links between structural inequality and HIV vulnerability. Over 100 youth participated, with 70 partaking in individual interviews to reflect on their experiences at the workshops. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using NVivo software. Indigenous youth understood culture as a complex construct that included reconnecting to land, body, history, community and ceremony. For many youth, being Aboriginal and participating in cultural activities was seen as important for intergenerational healing, empowerment, health and combatting HIV. Youth spoke excitedly of their attempts to reclaim their languages and cultures despite barriers. They also understood art as a medium for self-expression and as an important site of cultural evolution.Our project demonstrates that the incorporation of culture within health strategies is important for effective HIV prevention amongst Indigenous youth. Reclaiming Indigenous cultures, languages and ceremonies may help to nurture future generations, diminish cycles of victimisation and combat hopelessness by reconnecting youth to stories of resistance and survival.Keywords: Indigenous youth, culture, HIV prevention, arts-based researc

Community-based screening and triage connecting First Nations children and youth to local supports: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: First Nations children in Canada experience health inequities. We aimed to determine whether a self-report health app identified children's needs for support earlier in their illness than would typically occur. METHODS: Children (aged 8 to 18 yr) were recruited from a rural First Nation community. Children completed the Aaniish Naa Gegii: the Children's Health and Well-being Measure (ACHWM) and then met with a local mental health worker who determined their risk status. ACHWM Emotional Quadrant Scores (EQS) were compared between 3 groups of children: healthy peers (HP) who were not at risk, those with newly identified needs (NIN) who were at risk and not previously identified, and a typical treatment (TT) group who were at risk and already receiving support. RESULTS: We included 227 children (57.1% girls), and the mean age was 12.9 (standard deviation [SD] 2.9) years. The 134 children in the HP group had a mean EQS of 80.1 (SD 11.25), the 35 children in the NIN group had a mean EQS of 67.2 (SD 13.27) and the 58 children in the TT group had a mean EQS of 66.2 (SD 16.30). The HP group had significantly better EQS than the NIN and TT groups (p < 0.001). The EQS did not differ between the NIN and TT groups (p = 0.8). INTERPRETATION: The ACHWM screening process identified needs for support among 35 children, and the associated triage process connected them to local services; the similarity of EQS in the NIN and TT groups highlights the value of community screening to optimize access to services. Future research will examine the impact of this process over the subsequent year in these groups

Creating Equity Education for First Nation, Métis and Inuit Students in Ontario Provincial Classrooms

There is an education gap in the achievement of Indigenous students today linked to the colonial domination era. Due to inequities in provincial education systems, Indigenous students have not been performing and succeeding academically like non-Indigenous students. Since 2015, strategies and solutions have emerged to correct this ongoing Canadian issue. 94 Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) were posted to help repair the harm caused by residential schools and move forward with reconciliation. This Organizational Plan (OIP) will focus on École secondaire catholique Entourage (ESCEntourage) (a pseudonym) to improve instruction for Indigenous students\u27 academic, social, and emotional achievement. This plan aims to help FNMI students succeed academically like their dominant counterparts, graduate, and be able to move on to post-secondary studies to contribute fully to society as active citizens. This OIP offers teaching practices aimed at helping instruction become more culturally relevant and inclusive and to create challenges for students as part of equity-driven work. Given its roots in assisting underprivileged and oppressed communities towards more equitable solutions, a critical social justice lens is used as the underpinning framework. I draw on transformational and culturally relevant leadership (CRL) approaches to persuade and inspire early adopter teachers to recognize and grasp the significance of integrating Indigenous viewpoints and adopting cultural practices in their classrooms

Pathways Taken by One Canadian College to Advance Reconciliation and the Creation of a New Reconciliation Engagement Program with Indigenous Peoples

Canada-wide efforts are being made to close the gaps that exist in the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples besieged by a past of cultural genocide, oppression, and exploitation. The purpose of this essay is to provide members of Colleges and Institutes of Canada (CICan) access to a proposed program to engage in reconciliation, with the objective of facilitating Indigenous community engagement through social innovation, training, and applied research. The proposed program is exemplified through the relationship built between Collège Boréal and Dokis First Nation located in northern Ontario. The proposed Reconciliation Engagement Program consists of two streams that encourage CICan members to utilize, among other possible decolonizing methods, the tenets of a Critical Indigenous Methodology to value and foreground local Indigenous voices. The first stream would consist of networking activities to establish relationships, understand Chief and Council’s vision, and seek opportunities for capacity building within an Indigenous community. The second stream would be project-based so that capital costs and human resources can be accessed to complete each project. While proposing the new program is important, the present essay can also be used to exemplify how Canadian colleges and polytechnics can adopt a decolonizing approach during their engagement with Indigenous communities