#resource review

I will be reporting on ‘5 Steps to Start Writing Lyrics’ by Andrea Stolpe. In her work on Berklee Online, Stolpe gives five very useful pieces on advice for budding songwriters but it her tips are useful for writers of any level.

How easy to read and understand? This article is very easy to read and understand. Stolpe takes her own advice when she says, “Write like you speak.”. The text is also laid out in a helpful format with a four to seven-word brief at the head of each sections which describes the section’s content.

What knowledge is needed to interpret it? Other than knowing which section of a song is which (verse, chorus etc), no specialist knowledge is needed to understand this text. As this is intended to be help guide for beginners, making it unassay to have specialised knowledge is a very good thing.

Something you learned, and could apply to your own song writing. While I am familiar with the song writing process, I have never tried reading another writer’s lyrics without listening to the song first. This is something that I think could be a useful technique.

How relevant is it to your song writing, and why? These tips are useful to me as I have only every considered my own song writing process at a basic level. Reading this made a realise how useful it can to get an insight into some other writer’s process. I will move forward by reading other articles and help guides in order to improve my own writing.

Link to ‘5 Steps to Start Writing Lyrics’ below.

Gurroop Sahota, Denise Sammon, Chanel Stanley, Hervir Dulay

“Totem” is a short story that was written by Thomas King in 1993. In the short story, a totem pole is only noticed due to “strange sounds” it is making in a corner of a Canadian museum, causes both the staff and visitors to be “annoyed” by what “sounds like gargling” (p. 119). As the totem pole does not fit in with the current exhibit, the director of the museum decides that it needs to go. The problem, however, is trying to remove the totem pole and where to put it. This short story addresses issues of colonization faced by Indigenous peoples through metaphorically symbolizing the totem pole as the Indigenous peoples’ culture and land, while the rest of the individuals symbolize people of western society. Furthermore, the fact that the totem pole is found in a corner of the museum symbolizes how Indigenous culture was pushed aside and essentially put out of view. It brings the idea of colonization into a contemporary story revolving around the representation of Indigenous land as the museum. 

This resource was chosen because it not only presents the theme in a manner which is suitable for younger audiences, but also brings to light the theme of colonization and how many different attempts were made to reform Indigenous land in order to suit colonizers/settlers. Another reason this resource was chosen was due to the way it was written, as it presents the story in a conversational form which keeps the reader engaged and able to take in the different perspectives seen throughout. The story provides a visual context through its words, and is able to portray the constant resistance to conforming to societal pressures with regards to assimilation. The story is also concise and to the point, which allows the reader to follow the central theme thoroughly without falling away towards different topics. This short story can be found in Inside Stories II, Kirkland, G., & Davies, R. (2000). King, T. (1993) Totem. In Inside stories II (pp. 119- 124). Toronto, Ont.: Harcourt Brace Canada.

The story “Totem” is written from a western perspective, despite the underlying messages about indigenous culture and history. The author is of Cherokee and Greek descent; although his writing is humorous there is a serious message and commentary about the western viewpoint of indigenous peoples and their cultures. In the story, the totem pole is representative of the history of indigenous people and their connection to the land. King delivers the western perspective through quotes such as: ““It appears… that it goes right through the floor.”... Larue shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said, “because the floor’s concrete. I was here when they built this building, and I don’t remember them pouring the floor around a totem pole”” (p.120). Thus, King comments on the failures of western understanding and disregard of the indigenous peoples. The setting of the story, the Southwest Alberta Art Gallery and Prairie Museum, is also a commentary on the exclusion of indigenous artifacts and artwork in that only “contemporary Canadian artwork” (p. 119) was being displayed. King’s unique perspective and writing style provides a rich resource for study and discussion.

While the incorporation of short stories in teaching English curricula is common practice, when presented through an Indigenous resource like Thomas King’s “Totem”, several meaningful purposes come to surface. Typically, depending on the student’s grade level, it’s expected that they can identify storytelling devices such as metaphor, analogy, allusion, simile, and the like. Other areas of assessment involve demonstration of understanding for short story components such as: plot, character, conflict, theme and setting. However, in addition to the aforementioned, the beauty of using a short story like “Totem” is that it invites both literary skill development and themes of ethnic sensitivity into the English classroom. Older students, in particular, can learn to view the Indigenous reality in a metaphorical sense, as, like the totem pole, their voices, too, have experienced harsh suppression. The feasibility of an in-depth understanding is largely dependent on the group of students. Information on this particular author’s background is also easy to access, mainly because of the popularity of Thomas King’s works.

Challenges in executing Indigenous pedagogy inevitably exist within the Canadian school system. One of the challenges is often the lack of background knowledge of First Nations culture and tradtions that is expected of educators when introducing Indigenous materials. Given that some students, more than others, find it hard to read beyond the surface level, guiding prompts can be used to evoke discussions around themes, underlying messages etc. It is important, though, that the nature of prompts does not introduce preconceived biases, stereotypes and even unintended racist remarks which can contaminate students’ perspectives of Indigenous culture. Classroom discussion invites the expression of contradictory opinions, potential cultural and emotional discomfort, all of which the facilitator must handle carefully. At the same time, follow-up activities, such as collaborative, small group work, or self-reflection, lead students to critically engage with the material and see how it applies to their own worldviews. Overall, if the wide spectrum of student learning styles, intellectual skills, as well as ethnic backgrounds is taken into consideration, the Indigenous resource, “Totem” can serve a multipurpose use.

“Totem” is one of many choices that English teachers may choose to as a resource for the short stories unit. This story is rich in content and there are many different ways to incorporate indigenous knowledge by using this resource. Some activities that can be used are quotation analysis, roleplay reading, comparison writing, and gallery walks to name a few. A way to use this story effectively is to first have the students decipher and then discuss literary elements such as theme, connotation, setting, and conflict, using quotes from the story to support their answers. Using another resource, such as “I’m Not the Indian You Had in Mind”, by Thomas King (insert link), the students can compare and contrast the two pieces of literature. The initial comparison of the two works could be done using specific questions about the texts for groups to brainstorm ideas before leading into a gallery walk. Throughout the gallery walk, groups would contribute new ideas to each poster. Once groups have reached their original poster, they would read over all comments before presenting their finished product. A following lesson would include a formalized compare and contrast writing activity from which to assess their analytic and writing skills.

Amy Cain, Ash DesLauriers, Brianna Vissers, and Marie Cojocariu

Description and Rationale 

For our resource we have chosen to analyse the band A Tribe Called Red, and specifically, their album called We Are The Halluci Nation. This album can be accessed through sound cloud at https://soundcloud.com/a-tribe-called-red. This album is an example of contemporary Indigenous powwow music featuring John Trudell, Black Bear, Northern Voice and Chippewa Travellers (Kinos-Goodin, 2016). A Tribe Called Red “combines hip-hop music, electronic music with Indigenous drumming and vocals” (PressKit). A Tribe Called Red is telling their stories, through remembering past events and treatment of Aboriginal people, yet moving forward making their voices loud and clear through their music. We chose this resource firstly because we are excited to learn about Aboriginal peoples expressing their voices and inspiring others to support “inclusivity, empathy and acceptance amongst all races and genders” (PressKit). A Tribe Called Red is an Indigenous resource and a culturally relevant resource to share. Furthermore, due to the nature of the contemporary art, we believe that students would enjoy listening to the album and find it engaging. The music is relatable for students and allows for different types of exploration and investigation in the classroom. Finally, this album is a unique way for A Tribe Called Red to engage in storytelling and express their voices and identities. 

Role and Genealogy of Indigenous Knowledges, Content and Perspectives 

The band consists of three members: Ian “DJ NDN” Campeau—an Anishnaabe Ojibwe of the Nipissing First Nation—Tim “2oolman” Hill—of the Mohawk First Nation—and Ehren “Bear Witness” Thomas—of the Cayuga First Nation. The band’s blend of electronic hip-hop and traditional powwow music was a deliberate choice to blend “dance music with dance music” (Many Guns. H., 2017)—traditional Indigenous dance music with modern dance music. They use  the medium of dance music to discuss the hard realities of the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada, as they believe, “what we need to say, and what we need to get out there, is easier to do when you’re dancing. I think that’s something Indigenous people knew a long time ago, and that’s why dancing is such an important part of our everyday life” (Many Guns. H., 2017). The band incorporates Indigenous instruments and vocals into their music—borrowing from their own cultures as well as other Indigenous cultures all over the world—using varied Indigenous drums and “the languages of the drums that [they] sample” (Many Guns. H., 2017). Travelling the world to perform allows the band the opportunity to also “record and sample Indigenous singing, and Indigenous instruments from their home” (Many Guns. H., 2017). In their album We are Halluci Nation, they have sampled numerous artists from other Indigenous communities: “Blackbear, who are Atikamekw [...] from Northern Quebec”, Maxida Marak—a Sami artist from Sweden—performing traditional singing called “Joik”, and the band Oka from Melbourne, Australia (Many Guns. H., 2017). 

The band name is a homage to “A Tribe Called Quest”, a hip hop group which tackled African-American social issues. They are also paying homage to the cultural heritage of hip hop, a genre which has its roots in “consciousness awareness, civil rights awareness, activism awareness, justice, political awareness, and community awareness” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop); true to these cultural roots the band passionately promotes “inclusivity, empathy and acceptance amongst all races and genders in the name of social justice”, and has been actively involved in the Canadian Aboriginal rights movement “Idle No More” (Press Kit).

Benefits and Challenges

The benefits of using We Are the Halluci Nation as a resource that students and more broadly people can become more engaged in the topics discussed because music, particularly music that is contemporary, speaks to the interests and heart of people more than traditional forms of media. While the context for the information is accessible and student-friendly, the album also unapologetically deals with heavy issues such as colonialism and exploitation to help illuminate the truth to students. These themes in the songs could be used as a lead-in to a unit about colonialism, residential schools, or the modern lives of Indigenous people in Canada, or they themselves could be the basis for discussion. In addition, bringing in contemporary music styles reinforces a much-needed concept of the Aboriginal person as living in the present, not just the past. There are aspects of traditional music mixed into the songs as well, bridging two discrete music styles to make a beautiful mix. This resource can also appeal to a large range of ages, especially high school students. 

There are a couple of challenges involved with using this as a resource. First of all, a teacher would want to check the school’s policies on listening to curse words in the classroom. Secondly, it might be harder for students to weigh the gravity of the issues discussed if they are in a song, although with proper scaffolding and instruction, that should not be a problem since the music should accompany a lesson or circle discussion about the themes. In addition, a couple of the songs feature Joseph Boyden, who is a controversial figure within the wider Indigenous community due to his unverifiable Indigenous identity, so any use of the songs that he is featured would need to be prefaced with a discussion of authenticity and the role identity plays within Indigenous work. On that note, with the emphasis placed on identity, it would be a necessity to be mindful of the specific identity of the people in the band and to not generalize their feelings and experiences to all Indigenous people. 

Future Practice

A Tribe Called Red would be a great resource to use in intermediate classrooms. A great way to use this resource would be to have students listen to the album We Are The Halluci Nation, pick a song they connect with and reflect on the deeper meaning through a multimodel project. The project would be summatively assessed through a rubric. Projects could vary from designing an album cover, to Illustrating key scenes from the text and describing their importance, to producing a music video from the lyrics, to even creating an Instagram or Snapchat story from the perspective of one of the characters in the song of choice. 

A specific lesson could include using two specific songs from We Are The Halluci Nation, particularly Before Ft. Joseph Boyden and Soon. In both songs, the lyrics carry powerful meaning, specifically about a boy named Charlie. Charlie, or Chanie Wenjack, was a young boy who had escaped residential school in 1966. He died on his 650 km journey home on the railway tracks. A Tribe Called Red wants to shed light on the atrocities that happened and relay the message that their drums are still beating, they are still here and they will never give up. (Kinos-Goodin. G. 2016) From these two songs, students could create their own music videos, the class could be split into two, or into 4, each picking a song to recreate into a video. Assessment would be done through a rubric to ensure that requirements were met. Students would have numerous classes to work on this; once the project is over, all music videos would be watched and then students would be given the rest of class time to write a reflection on how they felt and what they thought of the different perspectives each video made. Before the project is presented to the students, the class would be spending a lot of class time on residential schools and the political side of injustices that occurred. This context is very important for a well-rounded and supportive lesson. 

Works Cited 

Kinos-Goodin. G. (2016, Sept 14). A Tribe Called Red has never been louder Retrieved from: http://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/12662/first-play-a-tribe-called-red-we-are

Many Guns. H. (2017, March 29). A Interview with a Tribe Called Red’s Ian “DJ NDN” Campeau Retrieved from:http://www.firstnationsdrum.com/2017/03/a-interview-with-a -tribe-called-reds- ian-dj-ndn-campeau/ 

A Tribe Called Red: Retrieved from: http://atribecalledred.com/ 

A Tribe Called Red: Retrieved from: https://soundcloud.com/a-tribe-called-red 

Hip Hop. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop 

Jasroop Singh, Lauren Keen, Leon Lee, Andy Yi

Description and Rationale

In a beautifully illustrated story, Roy Henry Vickers shares a retelling of a story that was told to him in 1974 that was known by the people of the Tsimshian village near Prince Rupert (Vickers and Budd, 2015). In the first pages, Vickers shares how he came to know this story which was told to him by an elder named Ya-a Spencer, who says “the story belongs to your grandmother’s family and has been handed down for generations” (Vickers and Budd, 2015). The Orca Chief is an old story about four men from the village of Kitkatla, who set out to sea on a mission to catch fish to bring back to their village to feed the people (Vickers and Budd, 2015). After a long day, the crew grew tired and carelessly decided to drop their anchor to rest, disregarding what marine life might live below (Vickers and Budd, 2015). The anchor landed on top of the home of the Orca Cheif who asks his strongest warriors to bring the men and their boat down underwater to teach them the values of care and respect (Vickers and Budd, 2015). The men were afraid, but the Orca Chief was wise and kind and wanted to teach them how to respect the ocean and the marine life and the importance of giving thanks for the food that the land and water provides (Vickers and Budd, 2015). We explored the Surrey Public Library and came across the Orca Chief. We chose this specific resource because this story is told by Roy Henry Vickers (2015), a well-known First Nations artist and story teller. We were drawn in by all his beautiful art work and the lessons that the Orca Chief provides the readers. This story has been shared for generations and provides valuable lessons that still need to be learned today. We as humans need to care and respect the land and the Orca Chief shares this message in a beautiful and meaningful way.

The Role of Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives

Vickers first heard the story from an elder in Kitkala, also known as Tsimshian village that was near Prince Rupert where he grew up (North, 2015). According to the Tsimshian homepage, the Tsimshian Nation is comprised of four major clans: Ganhada (Raven), Gisbutwada (blackfish or killerwhale), the Laxgyibuu (Wolf) and Laxsgiik (Eagle) and the inheritance is known to pass through the mother’s side. This story demonstrates Indigenous knowledge because it passes on the important message of care, respect and appreciation for all animals and spirits, even when hunting and fishing for food (Halpin & Margaret, 1990). Vickers shows great interest in promoting the goal of marine conversation and caring for the environment and shared in an interview his strong opposition to the Northern Gateway project and Keystone XL pipeline projects (Write, 2015). The book Orca Chief looks into the environmental ethic of Indigenous cultures from time immemorial (Write, 2015). Orca Chief is portrayed as a merciful creature, teaching the hunters stewardship to harvesting in the sea to ensure the survival for all, and emphasizing the thoughtful value of respecting the resources around us. For Indigenous peoples, the practice of unifying the ecosystem and appreciating all living things were not only basic to human survival but because of the deep understanding that all living things have a spirit (Write, 2015). Vickers explains that it’s not about catching the biggest fish in the sea, but letting it go and the kindness of such an act could lead the fish to breed and eventually bring greater good in the future (Write, 2015). This story carries the message of how everything is connected and how important it is to be grateful of the resources provided to us by the land and not to abuse them (Write, 2015).

Benefits and Challenges

While exploring and critically analyzing the book Orca Chief, we first wanted to ensure that the story was credited to the family in which the story belongs to and. Additionally, before choosing this as a resource, we wanted to ensure there was no cultural appropriation that occurred with the artwork that was being used. After learning about Roy Henry Vickers we decided to research Robert Budd who is listed as a co-author of the Orca Chief and other known published stories of Roy’s. We learned that he is not Indigenous and the story doesn’t belong to him (Vickers and Budd, 2015). We were concerned about whether Budd’s contribution to the story could take away from the authenticity of the story, but upon further research that was not the case. These are all oral legends from thousands of years ago, thus things get lost in translation, and they are not exactly like the original (Write, 2015). We do not know how Vickers “interpreted” the story. “The story tellers say that they do not change the morals and meaning of the story, but these stories are brought up in a period where the values are the same” (Write, 2015). However, different people can interpret the same story differently. The same goes for the value and message of the story.

We chose to use this resource, because we found the richness of the benefits of using this story. Roy Henry Vicker’s father was a fisherman, who has Tsimshian, Haida, and Heiltsuk ancestry (Artist Biography - Eagle Aerie Gallery, The Art of Roy Henry Vickers, 2017). His mother was from England, and later adopted into the Eagle clan at Kitkatla, B.C. (Artist Biography - Eagle Aerie Gallery, The Art of Roy Henry Vickers, 2017). This makes Vickers part of the Eagle clan as well (Vickers and Budd, 2015). This fusion of heritage offers interesting diversity and perspective to Roy’s artwork and storytelling. Roy is able to share his culture and family history through published books and has his own art gallery in Tofino (Artist Biography - Eagle Aerie Gallery, The Art of Roy Henry Vickers, 2017). The gallery features the totem poles that he made, along with other beautiful art pieces of his (Artist Biography - Eagle Aerie Gallery, The Art of Roy Henry Vickers, 2017). Another benefit that this resource brings is the message of the story that we believe should be understood and practiced by all. The message of love, respect and care for all living thigs. This message strongly aligns with both author’s values, as both Roy and Budd have publicly expressed their opposition to both the Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipeline projects, and have drawn on the power of the moral fable to promote the goal of marine conservation and respect for the environment” (Write, 2015).

Integration into Teaching

“The Orca Chief is just one of the many northwest coast legends that has “layers of learning”, Vickers explains this in his interview with CBC news journalist (North, 2015). This resource has many angles in which students can explore the importance of respecting and caring for the land and all that inhabits it. The Orca Chief can be used in many different subjects and we strongly believe that it would be a great resource for teachers to use in K-12. For instance, the younger students might explore the themes and values that are rooted in the The Orca Chief. Care and love are values shared in this story, which could lead to students exploring and identifying how these values connect to their own lives and on the land that we inhabit today. Land-based learning and getting students to spend time in nature is one of the most impactful ways we can get students to connect to this story on a personal level. We talked about the benefits of taking students on fieldtrips such as beach clean-up. This way, students are learning firsthand the negative impact humans can have on nature when they forget to care for it but also how they themselves can make positive change.

For the older students, teachers may choose to get students to explore current events involving environmental issues such as climate change, marine conservation and respect for the environment. We also discussed having students work on inquiry based projects, where students would identify areas of environmental issues that they are passionate about how they are going to go about to make positive change. From a creative standpoint, students can interpret the story by creating a series of tableaus or reflect by writing a poem or a visual art piece. This story connects seamlessly to the First People's Principles of Learning embodying that “Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions” and “Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors” (First People’s Learning Resources, 2017). The beauty of using story in education is that there are a number of ways in which storytelling can enhance intercultural understanding and communication. As explained by Roy Henry Vickers, the Orca Chief provides many layers of learning and “at the core of the teaching is love and respect for all” (North, 2015).

References

Artist Biography - Eagle Aerie Gallery, The Art of Roy Henry Vickers.

(2017). Royhenryvickers.com. Retrieved 29 June 2017, from

http://www.royhenryvickers.com/artist

Campbell, K, & Armstrong C. (n.d). Tsimshian Home Page. Retrieved July 11 2017, from http://sd52.bc.ca/abed/tsimshian/tsim_index.html

For First Peoples Classroom Resources. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp- content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples- poster-11x17.pdf

North. (2015). Best selling aboriginal artist's new book teaches respect for the environment. CBC News. Retrieved 28 June 2017, from

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/roy-henry-vickers-brings-tale-of-orca-

chief-to-life-1.3067956

Orca Chief Book - Eagle Aerie Gallery, The Art of Roy Henry Vickers. (2015). Royhenryvickers.com. Retrieved 28 June 2017, from

http://www.royhenryvickers.com/gift_shop/product/689

Vickers, R., & Budd, R. (2015). Orca Chief. Madeira Park, British Columbia: Harbour Publishing.

Lara Deglan, Nicole Paccagnan, Christoph Schaub, and Elisha Smirfitt

Resource summary and rationale 

Nuyem Weaver is a collection of 11 personal short stories written by Joe Starr, from the Haisla Nation (Salmon Clan). Joe Starr is a Haisla Hereditary Chief who taught for many years at the Bella Bella Community School. In addition to writing, he is a non-traditional Haisla artist who makes quilts. Joe Starr’s collection of stories in Nuyem Weaver was inspired by both personal stories and the traditional Haisla stories he heard while growing up in Kitamaat, BC. This book interweaves traditional storytelling with modern themes, while drawing on personal narratives about Haisla and Heiltsuk characters. We chose this resource because we wanted to highlight a local indigenous book that is geared towards secondary students. Currently, Nuyem Weaver can be ordered through Strong Nations, a local Nanaimo bookstore and publishing company as well as by directly contacting the author at jstarr501@gmail. 

Indigenous knowledge, content, perspectives, and genealogy 

The collection of 11 personal stories in Nuyem Weaver share multiple, rich perspectives regarding Indigenous knowledge, ways of learning, culture, and tradition. Each story uniquely touches on many of the First People's Principles of Learning, allowing the reader to feel immersed. They also engender a deeper understanding as to the meaning and importance of these principles to Indigenous people on the West Coast of British Columbia; primarily, how these principles are lived by our Indigenous communities. The stories are abundant with descriptions of traditional West Coast food and the sustainable ways in which it is harvested and prepared. Generational roles are illuminated as the knowledge surrounding these food sources are passed down through generations. These generational roles of Indigenous peoples are uniquely highlighted as each story is told from a different perspective, from child to Elder, and within the various stories the relationships between the different generational roles are highlighted through genuine interaction and teachings. 

A strong connection to the land is felt as the reader experiences the stories with descriptive writing that allows one to feel fully immersed in the experience. The significance of traditions such as potlatches, pole raisings, and the construction of big house are touched upon and explained in great detail throughout the stories. In addition, many of the cultural practises that accompany such events and how they have transformed with time, are described to the reader allowing for a deeper connection and understanding of Indigenous traditions. A particular emphasis is placed on the clash that seemingly sometimes can surface between traditional ways of doing things and how the modernized world is changing these ways. As the author shares the story of a two-spirited potlatch, the emphasis on the modern is balanced with the traditional methods implemented in bringing together the community to share in the potlatch. The great descriptive detail used as the characters in the stories explore their own identities, and define their relationships within their families, and their communities, becomes captivating. Throughout the stories, the author emphasizes the many characters’ strong connection to the lands they inhabit, and the connection shared with the spirits and the ancestors. The stories in Neyum Weaver truly are a journey through the traditional ways of British Columbia's West Coast Indigenous Nations. As all the stories are set in traditional West Coast British Columbian territories, it is easy to map exactly where the stories are taking place; thus, the reader can even further immerse themselves within the experience, as he/she is invited to explore these traditional societies seemingly built on reciprocity.

Benefits and challenges of using this resource 

Currently, teachers may purchase copies of Nuyem Weaver directly from Strong Nations, a publishing house and retail supplier of Indigenous books. While available online at Strong Nations’ website for a reasonable price, inaccessibility presents a minor challenge. It should be mentioned, however, that the book is also available directly through the author whose email is printed on the inside of the first page and mentioned above. This also makes it very easy to contact and communicate with the author directly. Personal communication with friends of the author speak to his approachability and willingness to engage when reached out to. 

Overall, as a collection of short fiction, Nuyem Weaver is a particularly useful resource. While acquiring a class set would be difficult, the individual stories are short enough to read aloud and/or photocopy for students. Each story told within this resource provides a unique multi-layered message that students would be able to not only gain an Indigenous understanding from, but also explore the cultural perspectives of West Coast British Columbia Indigenous peoples. One story, The “Bracelet”, involves Two-Spirited characters and speaks a message that “culture is always changing and evolving” (Starr, 2015 p. 81). Another extraordinary benefit of using Nuyem Weaver in the classroom is how easily, and naturally, the First People Principles and practices are brought to life throughout the stories. Because the perspectives from which the different stories are told switch between vastly different characters, the reader is able to realize and explore these principles from a multitude of perspectives.

In the classroom 

We feel that Nuyem Weaver is a great resource that has numerous uses within the classroom, particularly in Languages Arts and Social Studies. Because of the content and explicit language, this resource would be best incorporated into grade 11 and 12 classrooms. Within a Language Arts class, Nuyem Weaver is an excellent resource for Literature Circles, where groups of students can pick different short stories from the book and then spend time discussing and asking questions about literary elements, such as theme, metaphor, and symbolism within the stories. Once discussed fully in their circle, students could then spend time in new, mixed circles where they can discuss and summarize their short story to their new group members. In addition to their discussion, groups can find connections between the stories they read, in regards to theme, content, and/or tone. Likewise, within a Social Studies or History class, students could pick a short story within Nuyem Weaver and research the setting of the story and the history of the land between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in that area. From there, students could also research treaties that were created and/or broken in regards to the Haisla and Heiltsuk Nations, as well as the most prominent issues that affect their nations. An extension of this exercise would be to have the students then write a reconciliation letter to the Haisla Nation or Heiltsuk Nation from the perspective of the Canadian Government or the non-Indigenous people in the area.

Jas, Marcus, Laurent

Description and Rationale:

After years of research and interviews, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has concluded that Canada’s treatment of aboriginals at residential schools not only disenfranchised generations from their heritage, but also, due to the physical and emotional abuse amounted to ‘cultural genocide’ (Curry & Galloway, 2015). The commission released 94 recommendations as part of a summary that entails concrete steps to improve the lives of aboriginal people in Canada. Educational reform is part of the reconciliation process and is calling on provincial education ministers to ensure the history of aboriginal Peoples, the residential school system and its legacy become part of the kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012). Never Alone, also known as Kisima Inŋitchuŋa, "I am not alone," is a puzzle-platfomer video game constructed around the tales found in the folklore of the Indigenous Alaskan people. The interactive, student-centered game is targeted towards elementary school-aged children and progresses student learning of Indigenous cultures as they master each level of difficulty. This is a valuable resource for educators because it engages school-aged children with creative visuals, embedded feedback and a powerful narrative that makes learning an authentic experience.

A platform game, or platformer, is a video game which involves guiding an avatar, the user’s graphical representation, to jump between suspended platforms and over obstacles to advance the game. These challenges are known as jumping puzzles and the goal is to avoid letting the avatar fall from platforms or miss necessary jumps.

Research studies support the constructivist view of learning, which emphasizes the active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information; learning is more than just receiving and processing information, students participate in their own personal construction of knowledge (Woolfolk, Winnie and Perry 2012).

The player-character is an Iñupiaq (Inuit) girl, Nuna and her Arctic fox. The player must be able swap control between Nuna and the fox when facing environmental and physical obstacles. While the fox is fast, Nuna can pick up things and open new areas using her bola; a bola is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs.

Along their journey to the source of the blizzard, Nuna and her fox encounter Indigenous folklore characters: Blizzard Man, the Little People (In Inuit mythology, the Ishigaq are little people, similar to fairies), Manslayer, the Rolling Heads, and the Sky People. The game is based on the intergenerational transference of wisdom and takes place on traditional territorial grounds of the Inupiaq people.

Never Alone is developed by Upper One Games in conjunction with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit organization that works with Indigenous groups living in Alaska's urban areas. The Council’s objective in developing this interactive video game was to “promote, share, celebrate, and extend Indigenous culture" (Matos, 2014). Furthermore, the development of an Indigenous perspective in video gaming is the First Indigenous-owned video game developer and publisher in US history"(Matos, 2014). The premise of the game is to expose Indigenous knowledge and oral histories, with a key emphasis on the importance of intergenerational story-telling. It is intended both to share the stories of Native culture as entertainment, and to revitalize interest in Alaskan Indigenous folklore. Proceeds from the game will fund the Council's education mission to funnel proceeds back into local communities for development of Indigenous resources within classrooms (Matos,2014).

The game is available on multiple platforms, including: Macintosh and PC computers, iPhone and iPad, PS3, PS4, XBoxOne, WiiU, and Nvidia Shield. The website for the game is

http://neveralonegame.com/ 

On the website one can find information about the game, how to download it, blog postings (including everything from game updates to origami fox ideas), tech support, as well as press releases.

Indigenous Knowledge:

The narrative of the game follows a story of bringing balance, restoring balance, to the environment that is mired in an “eternal blizzard.” It’s story is based around Alaskan Indigenous folklore that believes balance is restored by visiting its source. The Inupiat (Inuit) girl, and her Arctic fox companion navigate physical and geographical challenges to reach the source of the blizzard. During the obstacles, the player is exposed to the territorial and spiritual components of the Alaskan Indigenous communities; traditional territories that span Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the Canada-United States border. Their current communities include seven Alaskan villages in the North Slope Borough, eleven villages in the Northwest Arctic Borough, and sixteen villages affiliated with the Bering Straits Regional Corporation (Craig & Taha, 1999). The Bering Straits Native Corporation, or BSNC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Bering Straits Native Corporation is a for-profit corporation with about 7,300 Alaska Native Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Inupiat, Siberian and Yupik descent (Craig & Taha, 1999). Culturally, Iñupiat are divided into two regional hunter-gatherer groups: the Tagiugmiut, "sea people," living on or near the north Alaska coast, and the Nunamiut, "land people," living in interior Alaska (Craig & Taha, 1999).

Benefits and Challenges:

The Game’s stake-holders have made a behind the scenes the making of video, you may watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yefBjvyTYM. Never Alone delivers innovative approaches to reinvigorating the teaching of aboriginal culture and celebrating the stories and mythologies of the Inupiaq people (Alaskan Inuit). Having purchased a copy from Steam, which is supporting aboriginal artists and culture, the game proved to be quite challenging at times and the experience was touching, thoughtful and beautiful to behold and really enjoyable to play. Never Alone is easily recommendable to teacher colleagues, and young people most importantly. This side-scroller adventure story follows a familiar format for those of us that grew up in the post Super Mario Brothers era (circa 1985), but it adds the more recent achievement and reward systems of more recent video games. The documentaries called rewards are cleverly labelled as Cultural Achievements, and unlocking all 24 of them provides a roughly 35 minute series of short stories / Inupiaq Culture Documentaries that instruct the player on a broad cultural survey of Inupiaq cultural practices and beliefs. These cultural insight video segments can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Iqq4_hoxk.

The decision of choosing a videogame as the vehicle for storytelling as a participant observation platform for Cultural Instruction is also rather novel and speaks to a more outside the box method of reaching today’s youth. Having played Never Alone on a wall-sized screen making use of an HD projector, the visuals from both the game and the documentaries (amazing imagery of the Alaskan continent and of the Arctic) were that much more eye-popping. As for the interactivity of a game as a playable story telling experience adds depth the told and shown stories invoked in the normally only oral stories. The artistic design, the look specifically, is also unique to the Inupiaq culture and the bonus footage documentary shows the extent to which the cultural stake holders influenced the game design as well as the look and feel of the game, it should be pointed out the communities youth help test and craft the game and so too did the elders!

While reaching the next generation can be challenging for educators in general, Never Alone delivers a thoughtful hybrid of traditional cultural relevance via the dynamic stories embracing a modern flare that captivates the viewer/listener perspective. With regards to the difficulties of resisting potentially negative western cultural influence (thinking of popular music, television and motion pictures), using a video game with embedded documentaries is subtle and brilliant and really thusly, really engaging. This dimension of using modern multimedia mechanisms to get back to traditional teachings could be seen as problematic by some I suppose, however we’d ideally see the successes of this project as a collective effort to make a contemporary story vehicle that is made by the Inupiaq/Inuit people for a larger audience than a solely Inuit market.

In a Canadian Pedagogical perspective with regards to doing a better job of teaching Aboriginal Content, embodied in the aims and language of Truth and Reconciliation Recommendations, Never Alone is a monumental cultural achievement for teaching aboriginal culture. Inuit Culture whether in Alaska or here in Canada is generally not really given enough thematic primacy as we tend to study the First Nations more central to our geographic proximity along the 49th parallel, and so Never Alone is teaching Inuit Culture in a way that could potentially have strong appeal to the larger cultures in both the US and Canada. Never Alone speaks to larger themes in the over-arching Pan-Aboriginal Discourse, of course conceding the polemics of the single narrative that SFU’s PDP mandate warns against. The obvious points covered are a care for the harmonious balance of the various stake-holders in an ecosystem for one (human, animal, plants and minerals etc.), human and animal symbiosis (Nuna and her arctic fox), mindfulness of the real and symbolic sacrifices involved in subsistence hunting and trapping, the importance of respecting the subsistence / hunting rights of Indigenous Peoples who wish to practice and maintain traditional diet, seeing the interdependence in the ecosystem and in one’s community as a guide to living well, whether in Alaska or more in general.

Finally, other than the potential challenges already mentioned, the 2 main detractors are the material costs required to participate in Never Alone, it costs money to play. If all the pieces are not already owned, it therefore costs a fair bit to purchase a game system to then buy a copy of the videogame, not including the television device and electricity that would not be required in the sitting down around a fire and listening to an elder share stories. As to the book being better than the movie paradigm, good story telling in a solely oral mode, is mentioned to be the intellectual blockbuster movie experience of old, and perhaps the videogame is not doing that justice in a certain traditional perspective, this is the oral versus written conundrum. Educationally, the lessons being taught around the usage of Never Alone in a school setting should be carefully scaffolded to really do justice to the game and the documentary clips, the hidden curriculum of Never Alone. It’s worth pondering whether or not a child or youth playing the game at home might willingly watch an educational documentary in all fairness also if not prompted by a parent, teacher or elder. Nevertheless, here’s hoping that wonderful short documentaries would be watched and enjoyed for the deeper understandings the elder teachings provide.

Use in Future Teaching Practice:

Never Alone has a wide potential for incorporating Aboriginal Culture Education into one’s teaching practice, however, in order to effectively and authentically utilize the game as a teaching resource it requires a significant amount of front loading on the part of the teacher. Indigenous epistemologies and aboriginal education should be a part of the classroom culture in ways that ensure students are respecting this resource and are not simply viewing it as an opportunity to play a video game at school. Possibly one of the best ways to utilize the game would be to, as a class, take turns playing the game in a location where all students can view the game. The game provides cultural insight video segments throughout the game, which provide a great springboard or theme to base class discussions or units of study around. Cultural insights are gained as one progresses through the game, and because each one must be ‘unlocked’ as players reach certain benchmarks, they act as rewards for the player. Each cultural insight video provides a broad survey of Alaskan Inuit culture and opens up opportunities for discussion and reflection.

One way a teacher could organize game play is by video segments (for example: 3 students each take turns playing a section of the game, each concluding their section when they get to a video segment. After each video segment the class engages in a discussion around that theme. AlterNatively, the three discussions can be saved until the end of gameplay for that day). The entire game length is realistic to complete within 5-10 classes, depending on the students gaming ability.

Other Ideas for Teaching Include:

Writing a story with subtitles (in English or other language) and have voice over (again, in another language or English); good software/app may be AdobeVoice or PowToon.

Have students focus on oral language traditions by choosing an object or an event and have a story teller start, and take turns adding elements to the story. Don’t write it down intentionally. Start the story again with the same objective but allow the group to change the story if they please (or keep elements the same that they really liked).

Create a visual story through only images (e.g. events in a student’s life, perhaps just in black and white such as using black marker on paper to make connections to the Inuit carving art). Depending on age students could also potentially do carving, such as soap carving.

Have students keep a journal that includes questions, connections, predictions about the game/cultural elements and all other experiences to do with using this in the classroom. Possible prompts for journal entries may include the AEIOU method:

A = Adjective: A word or two that describes something they saw or learned

E = Emotion: Describe how a particular part of the segment made you feel

I = Interesting: Write something you found interesting about the content/topic

O = Oh!: Describe something that caused you say Oh!

U = Um?: Write a question about something you learned or want to learn more about

Have students come up with possible open ended math questions that could go along with the game/elements, and then create a book of those questions with some possible discussions/answer keys. For example, about what speed does Nuna run at? How high can the fox jump, compared to Nuna?

The game could be used to supplement, or give context to, a science unit about extreme environments and survival tools/technologies or a social studies unit about cultural practices. Many of the cultural insight videos speak to the harsh climate of the north and how the Inuit have adapted to these climates. The videos also highlight the important role that storytelling plays in this culture.

References:

Bill Curry & Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail, June 02, 2015 –

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-report-calls-for-broad-recommendations/article24761778/

Craig, Rachel & Taha, Chholing P (1999). National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Retrieved from https://nnlm.gov/archive/20061109155450/inupiaq.html

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012

Woolfolk, A., Winnie, P., & Perry, N. (2012). Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Xav de Matos, 2014. Sharing legends with the world in Never Alone, a game inspired by Alaskan Native communities. Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/sharing-legends-with-the-world-in-never-alone-a-game-inspired-b/

Video Footage from the Game, (ALL in HD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exls0Y8FSI8 Game Footage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Iqq4_hoxk Never Alone - Cultural Insights (All 24 Pieces)