Friday, January 9, 2015

the role of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq in the Great War

Recognizing a gap in the province's written military history.

"A humanities professor hopes to shed some light on the involvement of the Newfoundland Mi'kmaq, the Indigenous First Nations people of the island, in the First World War. The research of Dr. Maura Hanrahan, assistant professor and chair of the humanities program at Grenfell Campus, will inform a detailed database of Newfoundland Mi'kmaq service personnel and provide details on their home communities, families, ages and occupations when they enlisted, the unit they belonged to, whether they were injured or killed, and details of their death."

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Joseph Boyden edits new anthology highlighting plight of First Nations women

Kwe: Standing With Our Sisters
"Sometimes, lamentable and heinous acts bring people together. For author Joseph Boyden, it was yet another violent assault on a First Nations woman that first angered him, but then inspired him to reach out to fellow artists and thinkers. The inspiration led to the new anthology Kwe: Standing With Our Sisters, which features new writing and original artwork by more than 50 contributors, including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Gord Downie, Thomas King, Lee Maracle, and Yann Martel."

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Aeon Magazine - Native American land dispossession

US must not forget its history of dispossession
Claudio Saunt writes about the dispossession of Native American lands in an article for Aeon magazine. (See his time-lapse map!)

"Acre by acre, the dispossession of native peoples made the United States a transcontinental power. To visualise this story, I created 'The Invasion of America', an interactive time-lapse map of the nearly 500 cessions that the United States carved out of native lands on its westward march to the shores of the Pacific."

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Book of Days for the Mi'kmaw Year

Events from the near and distant past
Some important dates to remember!
"The "Book of Days for the Mi'kmaw Year" is an amalgam of events from the near and distant past which might otherwise be forgotten. Though not intended as a history of a people, it is hoped it may serve as a reminder of the important and not-so-important moments that have gone before."

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This Is Mi'kma'ki - on Vimeo

Home of the Mi'kmaq
Watch this video - beautifully done.

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Explore Mi'kmaq Culture: Quillwork Craft

Inspired by traditional porcupine quills art
"The Mi'kmaq were, and are, creative craftspeople. Traditional everyday use items are now considered unique art. Birch bark canoes, beaded clothing and woven baskets are celebrated traditional handicrafts. The Mi'kmaq were especially well known for the unique craft of porcupine quillwork."

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Prominent Mi'kmaq artist's exhibit

Thundermaker Art Exhibit
Alan Syliboy celebrates the discovery of two new Mi'kmaw tales in a new art exhibit.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Last Person on Earth Fluent in Wukchumni

Devoted to preserving her culture

See how Marie Wilcox fights to save her language from disappearing.

"Eighty-two year old Marie Wilcox is the last remaining person on earth fluent in Wukchumni. Tucked away in her San Joaquin Valley home, the determined elder spends her time recording the 3,000-year-old language of her ancestors in her very own dictionary and teaching classes to a handful of tribe members. In the short documentary Marie's Dictionary filmmaker Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee follows Wilcox as she devotes herself to preserving her culture."

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Monday, January 5, 2015

Our Nationhood - NFB documentary

The determination and tenacity of the Listuguj Mi'gmaq people

An eye-opening documentary about the struggle to self-determination.

"In this feature documentary, Aboriginal filmmaker and artist Alanis Obomsawin chronicles the determination and tenacity of the Listuguj Mi'gmaq people to use and manage the natural resources of their traditional lands. Our Nationhood provides a contemporary perspective on the Mi'gmaq people's ongoing struggle and ultimate success, culminating in the community receiving an award for Best Managed River from the same government that had denied their traditional rights."

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