External resources

Chapitre

Negotiating Local Knowledge: An Introduction.

The volume’s focus on how knowledge for development is negotiated through processes of translation demands that we reflect on the nature of what is loosely called ‘local knowledge’. To enable appropriate reflection on how local knowledge is constructed, the volume contains some contributions that are not about development per se. This is par- ticularly true of the early chapters by Marchand (Chapter 2) and Kaur (Chapter 3), where the emphasis is on demonstrating ethnographically that researchers need to be aware of the fact that ‘local knowledge’ may have properties that lie beyond language (Marchand) and even beyond the strictly local (Kaur). The latter are ‘allowed in’ (and transformed) through the mediation of established cultural parameters. Developers need to take heed of these important corrections to the common assumption that all manifestations of ‘local knowledge’ are strictly local and always accessible through verbal communication.

Article scientifique

Nehirowisiw kiskeritamowina : acquisition, utilisation et transmission de savoir-faire et de savoir-être dans un monde de chasseurs.

Le savoir réfère à un ensemble d’éléments que la personne intègre pour interpréter le monde et pour agir au sein de celui-ci (Barth 1995, 2002). Chaque système de savoirs est basé sur des valeurs et des règles de conduite qui sont au fondement d’un complexe culturel particulier. En prenant appui sur ses recherches auprès des Nehirowisiwok de Manawan, l’auteur s’intéresse à certaines des valeurs et règles de conduite qui font partie d’un « savoir commun », d’un savoir culturel cohésif et structurant. En s’attardant aux relations de réciprocité, aux formes d’autorité socialement reconnues, aux processus d’acquisition, d’utilisation et de transmission des savoirs, il tente d’expliciter ici certains fondements sur lesquels repose en partie la socialité nehirowisiw contemporaine et il démontre que ces processus présentent à la fois des aspects d’ordre pratique, éthique et politique.Knowledge refers to a set of elements that a person uses to interpret the world and act within it (Barth 1995, 2002). Each system of knowledge is based on values and rules of conduct that underlie a particular cultural complex. In this paper, based on research among the Nehirowisiwok of Manawan, the author is interested in certain values and rules of conduct that are part of a “common knowledge” – a cultural knowledge which is cohesive and structuring. By focusing on reciprocal relationships, on socially recognized forms of authority, and on the processes of knowledge acquisition, its utilization and transmission, the aim of the author is to explain some of the foundational issues that concern Nehirowisiw contemporary sociality. The author demonstrates the practical, ethical and political aspects of these processes.El saber hace referencia a un conjunto de elementos que la persona integra para interpretar el mundo y para actuar en él (Barth 1995, 2002). Cada sistema de saberes está basado en valores y reglas de conducta que se encuentran en la base de un complejo cultural particular. Apoyándose en investigaciones realizadas entre los Nehirowisiwok de Manawan, el autor se interesa por algunos de los valores y reglas de conducta que son parte de un “saber común”, de un saber cultural cohesivo y estructurante. Ocupándose de las relaciones de reciprocidad, de las formas de autoridad socialmente reconocidas, de los procesos de adquisición, utilización y transmisión de saberes, se trata aquí de explicitar algunos fundamentos sobre los cuales reposa en parte la socialidad nehirowisiw contemporánea y se demuestra que estos procesos presentan a la vez aspectos de orden práctico, ético y político.

Article scientifique

Northern Exposures: Models of Experiential Learning in Indigenous Education.

This research involves the current educational challenges facing First Nation students of northern Canada through examination of two experiential and place-based educational programs presently being applied in both the public school system of the Yukon Territory (Experiential Programs in Whitehorse and surrounding communities) and in two Cree Nation reserve schools in northern Alberta (Community-Based Experiential Education Program in Kehewin and Cold Lake). These programs successfully utilize experiential and placed-based initiatives to address the lack of success and disengagement among Indigenous students by promoting a holistic form of education that values the importance of place and its cultural knowledge. The primary objective of this research is to discover which elements of experiential and place-based education lead to greater engagement of Indigenous students and improved educational outcomes. These two programs are practical applications of experiential education and critical theory as praxis. The programs were chosen as they represent an extensive cross-section of cultural groups (Yukon First Nations, Cree, and Dene), the schools' placement in the educational system (public vs. reserve schools), diversity of geographic location (Yukon and northern Alberta), and scope (diverse pedagogies and epistemologies).

Article scientifique

Northern teachers for northern schools: An Inuit teacher-training program.

Archeological and historical evidence show the Inuit of the circumpolar world had a deep, conservative, and extremely effective system of education which was attacked and nearly destroyed by a system of schooling imposed from the south. As a result of recent agreements and legislation in Arctic Quebec and the Northwest Territories, this Inuit centred education has enjoyed a resurgence, and has become more and more a part of modern northern schooling. Leading this resurgence is a strong demand for and movement towards the training of Inuit teachers to teach in their native language. The history and present status of McGill's response to this demand is described in some detail.RÉSUMÉ On possède des preuves archéologiques et historiques que les Inuit du monde circumpolaire possédaient un système d'éducation solidement enraciné, conservateur et efficace qui a été attaqué et pratiquement détruit par la scolarité imposée par le sud. Suite aux récents accords et législations adoptées dans l'Arctique québécois et dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, cet enseignement typiquement inuit connaît une renaissance et fait de plus en plus partie de la scolarité nordique contemporaine. A la base de cette renaissance, il faut citer le désir manifesté par beaucoup de voir les professeurs inuit enseigner dans leur langue maternelle. L'historique de ce qu'a fait McGill pour répondre à cette demande est ici décrit en détail.

Livre

Nunavik : Inuit-controlled education in Arctic Quebec.

As a history of the development of self-government in education, Nunavik provides Indigenous perspectives on formal education in Nunavik while offering readers a unique view into contemporary Inuit society. This book documents the development of education from the arrival of the first traders and missionaries in the mid-nineteenth century through the creation of the Kativik School Board and the evaluation of its operations by the Nunavik Education Task Force in the 1990s.Nunavik takes a detailed look at the complex debate of the Inuit of Northern Quebec about the purposes, achievements, and failures of the public schools in their communities, the first Inuit-controlled school district in Canada. Participants in these debates included elders who were educated traditionally, their children with a few years of education in mission and government schools, their grandchildren who attended southern high schools or residential schools, and current students and recent graduates of the Kativik schools. Qallunaat (non-Inuit) were also participants, as residents of Nunavik communities, parents of Inuit children, teachers, administrators, and expert consultants.Illustrated with rich historical photographs (many in colour) and maps from the collections of the Avataq Cultural Institute and the Makivik Corporation, Nunavik provides a uniquely Indigenous perspective on school change in Indigenous communities.

Thèse

Orocowewin notcimik itatcihowin : ontologie politique et contemporanéité des responsabilités et des droits territoriaux chez les atikamekw nehirowisiwok (haute-mauricie, québec) dans le contexte des négociations territoriales globales.

Cette recherche doctorale s’inscrit dans les champs des études autochtones, de l’anthropologie juridique et de, l’ontologie politique. À partir d’une analyse du processus d’élaboration du code de pratiques chez les Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok, cette étude s’intéresse à l’articulation et à la traduction de pratiques, de processus et de principes normatifs nehirowisiwok dans un contexte de négociations territoriales et de dialogue avec les institutions étatiques. Cette recherche s’intéresse au phénomène du pluralisme juridique – à la description empirique et à l’analyse des processus de négociations, de traductions et de reformulations qui se produisent, dans un rapport souvent asymétrique, entre, par exemple, les ordres normatifs autochtones et le droit étatique. À l’instar d’autres Premières Nations, les Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok sont engagés, depuis les dernières décennies, dans des revendications d’autodétermination visant à faire reconnaître à la fois leurs droits et leurs propres pratiques politiques et de gestion territoriale. Contrairement toutefois à d’autres Premières Nations, comme les Cris (Eeyouch / Eenouch) de la Baie James ou les Nisgaa’ de la CôteOuest canadienne, les Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok n’ont, à ce jour, signé aucun traité, historique ou moderne, avec les gouvernements du Québec et du Canada. Les Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok sont pleinement conscients du risque de négocier et d’utiliser les systèmes et instances politiques et juridiques de l’État pour faire reconnaître leur droit à l’autodétermination. Ils sont aussi pleinement conscients qu’ils sont confrontés à la présence inévitable de conflits ontologiques et épistémologiques. Toutefois, et en dépit des nombreux obstacles, ils demeurent mobilisés et engagés dans ces négociations inévitables avec les institutions étatiques. Dans cette mobilisation, les Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok maintiennent l’espoir de faire reconnaître leurs propres visions du politique, manières d’êtres-aumonde et aspirations. Pour reprendre le terme de Blaser (2004), ces démarches articulent et présentent des « projets de vie » autochtones fondés sur des rapports particuliers aux territoires et aux non-humains, sur des mémoires, des attentes et des désirs. Ces « projets de vie » se mobilisent concrètement dans les pratiques quotidiennes, les relations aux territoires familiaux, les activités de chasse et dans les mobilisations des Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok autour de la reconnaissance de leurs droits. This doctoral research encompasses the fields of Indigenous studies, legal anthropology and political ontology. Through an analysis of the elaboration of the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok code of practices, this study examines the articulation and translation of Nehirowisiwok normative practices, processes and principles in a context of territorial negotiations and dialogue with state institutions. This research focuses on the phenomenon of legal pluralism – the empirical description and analysis of the processes of negotiations, translations and reformulations that often take place, in asymmetrical relationship, notably between indigenous normative orders and state law. Like other First Nations, the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok have, over the past few decades, been involved in self-determination claims for the recognition of their rights, as well as their political and territorial management practices. Unlike other First Nations, however, such as the James Bay Cree (Eeyouch / Eenouch) or the Nisgaa' of the Canadian West Coast, the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok have not so far signed any treaty, historical or modern, with the governments of Quebec and Canada. The Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok are fully aware of the risk involved in such negotiations and of using the political and legal systems of the State in order to have their right to self-determination recognized. They are also conscious of the unavoidable ontological and epistemological conflicts they face. However, in spite of these obstacles, they remain mobilized and engaged in these inevitable negotiations with state institutions. In this mobilization, the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok remain hopeful that their own political visions, as well as their ways of being-in-the-world and aspirations will be recognized. These efforts articulate and exhibit what Blaser (2004) defines as indigenous “life projects”, based on specific relations to the land and non-human agencies, on memory, expectations and desires. These “life projects” are mobilized concretely in daily practices, relationships to family territories, hunting activities and through the various mobilizations enacted by the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok around the recognition of their rights.

Article scientifique

Orocowewin notcimik itatcihowin : the Atikamekw Nehirowisiw code of practices and the issues involved in its writing.

The Atikamekw Nehirowisiw Nation has for several years been developing a code of practice (orocowewin notcimik itatcihowin) to regulate hunting, fishing and plant harvesting activities in Nitaskinan, its ancestral territory. The Atikamekw Nehirowisiw code of practice is a collective project that sets out to put its territorial regulations in writing. The project's objective is threefold: to ensure the transmission of territorial knowledge and of rules relating to forest activities; to adapt these rules, passed on by ancestors, to the contemporary context; and to have them recognised by non-natives and the governments of other nations, including the governments of Canada and Quebec. This article presents some of the issues related to the process of writing and coding orocowewin notcimik itatcihowin, the Atikamekw Nehirowisiw code of practice; in particular, the importance of the oral tradition as a means of transmitting knowledge is emphasised. In our language, we say "atisokana ki atisokan" – we are infused and transformed by the narratives transmitted orally. This mode of transmission is politically, philosophically and emotionally significant. It is a unique way for us to let the heart speak, through direct contact, without interference.

Article scientifique

Other knowledge and other ways of knowing.

Article scientifique

Our Sacred Waters : Theorizing Kuuyam as a Decolonial Possibility.

This essay evaluates the conditions of the desecrated Santa Ana River in southern California, historicizes its destruction, assesses what is being done to clean it up, and provides tradition as theory to offer an approach to a solution that re-centers a Native view of land. The essay provides a tribal specific, Acjachemen and Tongva, understanding of lands and waters in contradiction to the Western dynamic of submission central to the dual logic of heteropatriarchy and environmental dispossession. It also provides a historical analysis of the monjerio and traces the colonial logic of domesticating Native women. The Santa Ana River is the largest riparian ecosystem in southern California. The river has been domesticated and desecrated through channelizing and entombing sections in concrete. This essay theorizes that the Western understanding of nature separated from humans produced the heteropatriarchal system the Spanish brought with them to California. This structure was meant to naturalize patriarchy and have Indians submit to the nuclear family arrangement. These logics continue into the present, in contrast to Indigenous traditional ways of life that accepted plural partnerships, and various sexual orientations. It also attempted to disconnect California Mission Indians from their creation stories and the sacredness of water. Kuuyam, the Tongva word for guests, is offered as a decolonial possibility based on culture and tradition in which settler relations to land can be reformed and settler colonialism can eventually be abolished

Thèse

Our Stories: Inuit Teachers Create Counter Narratives and Disrupt the Status Quo.

Canada has a reputation for diversity and acceptance and of late has made significant strides in formalizing apologies for the maltreatment of Aboriginal populations (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 2010). The purpose of this study was to investigate Inuit educators’ perceptions of education in Nunavik. While multiple studies consider concerns regarding Inuit education and low graduation rates (Brady, 1996; Walton, 2012), few studies consider the role that Inuit educators can play in assuring the optimal success of Inuit students. This study, situated in Nunavik, the Inuit homeland located within Northern Quebec, fills that gap. Using qualitative methodology and a decolonizing framework, 36 Inuit educators were interviewed. To ensure balanced data collection both an interview guide and conversational interview approach were utilized. Critical theories, including critical race theory, transformative multiliteracies pedagogies, and a focus on linguicism, were used to support the data analysis. With the transcripts, and using the above mentioned theories, four significant themes were defined: caring in education, relationships, racism, and language choice. The research suggests that Inuit educators have suffered from a “master narrative” that frames them in a deficit perspective; additionally, a Eurocentric focus on education (bound within a goal of English or French competence in Canada) has eroded the educational, cultural, and linguistic roles that Inuit educators play within the schooling of Inuit students in Nunavik. These factors, coupled with pervasive systemic racism, create a challenging environment for Inuit educators. The results of this study suggest that shifting leadership practices, creating more equity between Inuit and Qallunaat (non-Inuit) educators, and adjusting language policies may support both Inuit educators and students. By constructing their own counter narratives, the Inuit educators within this study take significant steps towards disrupting the status quo and creating a new story.