Weaving Knowledge Systems Resource Materials

In November 2014, the lead researcher’s interest in the conceptual development of digital technology and her cultural connection to Indigenous Knowledge Systems created an opportunity to explore a culturally relevant use of technology with urban Indigenous youth: the Indigenous Robotics Prototype Workshop. The workshop achieved a sense of cultural pride and confidence in Indigenous traditional knowledge while inspiring the youth to continue with their engagement in coding and programming through building robots. Yet, the outcomes from the prototype workshop further revealed a need to investigate how Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and particularly Pattern Thinking, might hint toward a possible paradigm shift for the ethical and advanced design of new technologies. This article examines the implications of such a hypothetical shift in autonomous systems in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), using the Indigenous Robotics Prototype Workshop as a case study and springboard. [From Author]

The approach to economic development that is emerging among the First Nations in Canada emphasizes the creation of profitable businesses competing in the global economy. These businesses are usually collectively owned, and often partnerships with non-First Nation corporations. At the same time, my research shows that a growing number of non-Aboriginal corporations are adopting business alliances with aboriginal people as a part of their strategy for long-term corporate survival. Four factors motivate this corporate behavior:
1.(a) society's changing expectations about what constitutes socially responsible corporate behavior,
2.(b) legal and regulatory requirements and restrictions,
3.(c) the growing aboriginal population, and its increasing affluence and level of education, and
4.(d) the rapidly growing pool of natural and financial resources under the control of aboriginal people.
This augurs well for First Nations' economic development in the future. It also has implications for economic development among Indigenous Peoples elsewhere. [From Author]

A Venn diagram with accompanying description developed by Lorna Andrews based on her interpretation of the concepts from the open access BCCampus textbook: Pulling Together: a guide for Curriculum Developers. [From Author]

The University of the Fraser Valley has presented its first-ever Indigenization and Reconciliation Award to Teaching and Learning Specialist Lorna Andrews. Lorna speaks about her work to educate faculty and staff on Indigenous issues in the efforts towards reconciliation in Canada. [From Website]

The Indigenization Committee of the FECHD worked with colleagues from the College of Arts, the FPS, and the Teaching and Learning Office to create this video and we are excited to share it with faculty, staff, and students at UFV. We were hearing a number of concerning stories from Indigenous faculty and students regarding microaggressions they were experiencing in classrooms, meetings, and in the hallways at UFV. These micoagressions are contributing to a lack of cultural safety on our campuses. We wanted to create a video to encourage conversation, share resources, and provide an entry point into considering how to make UFV a more culturally safe environment for everyone.

This video looks specifically at territorial acknowledgements and introductions with guidance from UFV Elders. It includes examples and discussions from interdisciplinary perspectives. It is not a ‘how-to guide,’ nor does it represent the official expectations of UFV. Instead, it provides some guidance around important things to consider when starting to Indigenize and decolonize our work and spaces at UFV. [From Website]

The VALUE rubrics were developed by teams of faculty experts representing colleges and universities across the United States through a process that examined many existing campus rubrics and related documents for each learning outcome and incorporated additional feedback from faculty. The rubrics articulate fundamental criteria for each learning outcome, with performance descriptors demonstrating progressively more sophisticated levels of attainment. The rubrics are intended for institutional-level use in evaluating and discussing student learning, not for grading. The core expectations articulated in all 16 of the VALUE rubrics can and should be translated into the language of individual campuses, disciplines, and even courses. The utility of the VALUE rubrics is to position learning at all undergraduate levels within a basic framework of expectations such that evidence of learning can by shared nationally through a common dialog and understanding of student success. [From Author]

The Environment and Natural Resources Technology program is a two-year diploma program which links opportunities to learn from experience in the field with academic coursework in the classroom and skill training in the laboratory. Graduates of the program will possess the ability needed to succeed as technicians and officers in natural resource and environmental management careers including wildlife, forestry, marine and freshwater fisheries, planning, water resources, environmental protection, parks, land claim resource management, oil and gas, and mining. The program places emphasis on learning through experience. [From Website]

Based in Saskatoon, Canada, Cameco was the world's largest uranium mining company. It had developed its policy for corporate social responsibility in northern Saskatchewan where it had its major mining operations and where there were a large indigenous population of Cree and Dene Indians. The issue centres on whether the same corporate social responsibility policy can be applied to the company's joint venture with the Kyrgyzstan government to operate a gold mine in eastern Kyrgyzstan. Complicating the decision was a chemical spill that had occurred several months before, and relations with citizens in nearby communities were at an all-time low. The joint venture's vice-president of human resources and corporate relations must decide which of the programs might be successfully implemented in Kyrgyzstan, what new programs might need to be developed, and how best to communicate company policy to the local community. [From Website]

This guide provides selected print and online information sources on Indigenous business and economic development topics available to SFU researchers. If you do not find what you need, contact Mark Bodnar, mbodnar@sfu.ca, or Moninder Lalli, moninder_lalli@sfu.ca, the Liaison Librarians for Business.

This guide was designed to help students better understand specific Indigenous communities in BC to learn how to conduct business in a respectful and mutually beneficial way. For example, it may help students build value cases for development proposals affecting specific Indigenous communities in BC. [From Website]

Inuit have lived in Canada’s north since time immemorial. The Canadian government’s administration of Inuit affairs, however, has been generally shorter and is less well understood than the federal government’s relations with First Nations and Métis. We hope to correct some of this knowledge imbalance by providing an overview of the federal government’s Inuit policy and program development from first contact to 2006. Topics that are covered by this book include the 1939 Re Eskimo decision that gave Canada constitutional responsibility for Inuit, post World War II acculturation and defence projects, law and justice, sovereignty and relocations, the E-number identification system, Inuit political organizations, comprehensive claim agreements, housing, healthcare, education, economic development, self-government, the environment and urban issues. [From Author]

"Students who study business in university are not likely to hear about or discuss examples of indigenous business successes from across the country. Rarely would one see references to indigenous communities, let alone examples of them growing multi-million dollar businesses and partnering to lead innovative economic development projects that positively impact the national economy. Resources are scarce and inadequate, an oversight that is to our detriment. Somewhere between a textbook and a book of collected essays, this collection is an effort to build on and share the research of indigenous practitioners and scholars working in their respective fields. Where possible we share not only concepts, but also the voices of Aboriginal leaders, officials, Elders, and other members of Aboriginal communities. Indigenous Business in Canada addresses contemporary concerns and issues in the doing of Aboriginal business in Canada, reveals some of the challenges and diverse approaches to business in indigenous contexts from coast to coast to coast, and demonstrates the direct impact that history and policy, past and present, have on business and business education." [From Publisher]

Background: Health promotion organizations are increasingly embracing social media technologies to engage end users in a more interactive way and to widely disseminate their messages with the aim of improving health outcomes. However, such technologies are still in their early stages of development and, thus, evidence of their efficacy is limited. Objective: The study aimed to provide a current overview of the evidence surrounding consumer-use social media and mobile software apps for health promotion interventions, with a particular focus on the Australian context and on health promotion targeted toward an Indigenous audience. Specifically, our research questions were: (1) What is the peer-reviewed evidence of benefit for social media and mobile technologies used in health promotion, intervention, self-management, and health service delivery, with regard to smoking cessation, sexual health, and otitis media? and (2) What social media and mobile software have been used in Indigenous-focused health promotion interventions in Australia with respect to smoking cessation, sexual health, or otitis media, and what is the evidence of their effectiveness and benefit? Methods: We conducted a scoping study of peer-reviewed evidence for the effectiveness of social media and mobile technologies in health promotion (globally) with respect to smoking cessation, sexual health, and otitis media. A scoping review was also conducted for Australian uses of social media to reach Indigenous Australians and mobile apps produced by Australian health bodies, again with respect to these three areas. Results: The review identified 17 intervention studies and seven systematic reviews that met inclusion criteria, which showed limited evidence of benefit from these interventions. We also found five Australian projects with significant social media health components targeting the Indigenous Australian population for health promotion purposes, and four mobile software apps that met inclusion criteria. No evidence of benefit was found for these projects. Conclusions: Although social media technologies have the unique capacity to reach Indigenous Australians as well as other underserved populations because of their wide and instant disseminability, evidence of their capacity to do so is limited. Current interventions are neither evidence-based nor widely adopted. Health promotion organizations need to gain a more thorough understanding of their technologies, who engages with them, why they engage with them, and how, in order to be able to create successful social media projects. [From Author]

BDC's Indigenous Banking specializing in loans~ consulting services and tools dedicated specifically for Indigenous businesses. [From Website]

CCAB builds bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples, businesses, and communities through diverse programming, providing tools, training, network building, major business awards, and national events. [From Website]

A variety of different language apps (iTunes and Google Play)

Published jointly by the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (Cando) and Captus Press, the Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development (JAED) is a peer-reviewed journal for practitioners and scholars working and researching in areas relevant to Indigenous economic development. Published yearly, the Journal is a unique resource for anyone interested in Indigenous community economic development. Its intent is to explore ideas and build knowledge in the field of Indigenous economic development theory and practice. The journal prefers a broad interpretation of research and knowledge and encourages a wide variety of contributions in this area. [From Website]

Learning About Walking in Beauty: Placing Aboriginal Perspectives in Canadian Classrooms comes from the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS) with funding support from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF). Walking in Beauty is a term that speaks of conducting oneself in harmony with all of the living world, and is respectfully borrowed from the Navajo People.

In 2000-2001, the CAAS conducted a national Student Awareness Survey, measuring awareness, attitudes and knowledge of facts about Aboriginal Peoples' histories, cultures, worldviews and current concerns. Five hundred and nineteen young adults (460 Canadian, 35 Aboriginal and 24 Newcomer students in first year university and college courses across Canada) responded to this 12-page survey. The survey questionnaire was developed and administered by Aboriginal and Canadian educators, scholars, traditional Elders and advocates within the 300-member CAAS network.

The Learning About Walking in Beauty report includes the findings from this survey, together with pedagogical, social and historical analyses. The report offers a pedagogical framework and proposals for learning about "walking in beauty" together. [From Website]

This chapter offers an overview of Indigenous Entrepreneurship (IE) in the national Canadian context and aims to analyze how the diversity among the Aboriginal peoples of Canada in society is managed with regard to entrepreneurship. [From Author]

The book blends discussions of settler colonialism, policing and surveillance, with a detailed exposé of current security practices that targets Indigenous movements. Using the Access to Information Act, the book offers a unique view into the extensive networks of policing and security agencies. While some light has been shed on the surveillance of social movements in Canada, the book shows how policing agencies have been cataloguing Indigenous land defenders and other opponents of extractive capitalism, while also demonstrating how the norms of settler colonialism structure the ways in which police regard Indigenous movements as national security threats. The book examines four prominent case studies: the long-standing conflict involving the Algonquins of Barriere Lake; the struggle against the Northern Gateway Pipeline; the Idle No More movement; and the anti-fracking protests surrounding the Elsipogtog First Nation. Through these case studies, we offer a vivid demonstration of how policing agencies and the criminal justice system are central actors in maintaining settler colonialism. The book raises critical questions regarding the expansion of the security apparatus, the normalization of police surveillance targeting social movements, the relationship between police and energy corporations, and threats to civil liberties and collective action in an era of extractive capitalism and hyper surveillance. [From Publisher]

A “war on terror,” an expanding security state, and a lack of definition of what constitutes terrorist groups or activities has allowed Canadian security agencies to set their sights on a domestic target: Indigenous peoples. So argue Andrew Crosby and Jeffrey Monaghan in their new book, Policing Indigenous Movements, using Access to Information requests to reveal the lengths to which national security and policing agencies — along with their industry, corporate, and public bureaucracy collaborators — are going to surveil Indigenous groups. The authors also expose the low threshold set by these agencies when evaluating Indigenous persons as national security threats: individuals need not engage in any criminal activity, as mere participation in a speaking tour, protest, and even the inquiry into missing and murdered women can be enough for them to be swept up in Canada’s surveillance regime. Crosby and Monaghan call this a “staggering affront to activities protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” The following excerpt is taken from one of their case studies, Northern Gateway, a proposal by Enbridge to run two pipelines from the Alberta tar sands across British Columbia and through the territories of many First Nations. [From Website]

"The histories of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are intertwined with U.S. histories of colonization, and the sovereignty and self-determination of Native peoples. This book examines case studies of tribal governments building out broadband infrastructures--the infrastructures that undergird uses of ICTs such as mobile phones, computers, databases, and streaming radio--to reveal how the processes of network design and deployment embed these information and communication infrastructures within the ongoing exercise of tribal sovereignty in the U.S." [From Publisher]

Times Colonist Like millions of people around the world, Catherine Blackstock is hooked on a game where you try to guess the daily five-letter word.

When she finally got a green square in the Wordle-like game - which gives you six tries to guess the day's pre-determined word and lets you know when you've placed a letter in the correct place by turning that space green - "it was so exciting," she said.

Blackstock, a hereditary chief of the Gitxsan Nation in northwestern B.C., isn't playing in English. She's using a version of the game that's been created for her own language. [From Author]

Coders North is a living, growing library of our journey together. As we learn, as our students teach us and produce incredible and innovative projects, we want to share them with you.

Contained in this website you will find learning modules for classrooms developed by our team of educators in collaboration with students and industry professionals on important topics we are learning about and discovering. You will also find incredible examples of student work as they learn to make films, take professional quality photographs and edit them, produce albums, graphic design, and so much more all using digital tools and lessons provided through this program.

You will find a strong emphasis on work created by Indigenous Youth as well as youth from marginalized and at-risk communities and situations. These are the areas Elephant Thoughts focuses on, doing our best to bring educational opportunities to the most vulnerable. [From Website]

Jon Corbett, one of the presenters at the Elephant Thoughts Indigenization 2019 conference, is a professional computer programmer and Canadian Metis media artist.

He coined the phrase Indigitalization, which refers to bringing an Indigenous perspective to the programming and tech world. He is combining his art and computer programming for the cause. [From Website]

The Ethnos Project is a research initiative that explores the intersection of Indigeneity and information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as:

open source databases for Indigenous Knowledge management

information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) initiatives

new and emerging technologies for intangible cultural heritage

social media used by Indigenous communities for social change

mobile technologies used for language preservation [From Website]

We are an Indigenous-led not-for-profit working to ensure that Indigenous peoples have the tools, education and support to thrive in the digital age. We are mandated by Indigenous peoples in British Columbia to advance digital and connected technologies. [From Website]

The Kuh-ke-nah Network (K-Net) is a community network that currently comprises 60 First Nations communities across Ontario, and Quebec, Canada. K-Net Services is the telecom and ICT arm of Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council (the Northern Chiefs), an organization located in northwestern Ontario that brought the original vision of K-Net to life amongst the Tribal Council’s six member communities in the mid 1990’s. Currently the telecom infrastructure under K-Net control comprises a C-Band Public Benefit transponder, IP video conferencing and telephony, web and email server space, and a variety of terrestrial and wireless links that effectively connect small, scattered First Nations communities with each other as well as the wider world. In the space of less than a decade, these K-Net communities have gone from a situation in which it was common for there to be but a single public payphone in a settlement, to the point where forty of these communities have broadband service to most households. This level of service exceeds that commonly found in large urban centres such as Toronto. [From Author]

This research examines three American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) participants who registered and completed the “Computer Applications for Indigenous Language Communities” course at the University of Arizona between summer 2003 and summer 2007, at a time when digital technology was emerging, particularly in Indigenous communities. The individual case studies document the training each student received during the course, software they were introduced to, and some of the projects they initiated and/or created at AILDI. Students also reflect on the benefits, challenges, and impact that digital technology has toward local language and cultural revitalization efforts as they each return to their respective communities. In addition, as universities are privileged spaces that afford a particular type of environment that may not mirror the technology and infrastructure in Indigenous communities, a set of recommendations are provided to guide academic institutions that offer technology training courses that serve Indigenous populations. [From Author]

Recent literature on indigenous entrepreneurship has called for the exploration of the relationship between indigenous culture and entrepreneurship as well as the relationship between indigenous identity and entrepreneurship. In this study, we explore how being an entrepreneur effects the identities of Canadian indigenous people. To do so, we interviewed thirty urban British Columbian indigenous entrepreneurs. Drawing on an identity work lens, we illuminate the narratives that entrepreneurs leverage and create during interviews in their attempt to create a coherent and meaningful concept of themselves. Counter to the current focus in the indigenous entrepreneurship
literature which suggests indigenous entrepreneurs may struggle to maintain their indigenous culture and identity while being an entrepreneur, our study
suggests that being an entrepreneur does not necessarily weaken, and in fact can strengthen, the connection indigenous entrepreneurs have to their identities as indigenous people. [From Author]

In this article, I explore the question, “What is the relationship between appropriation of Indigenous thought and what might be called ‘deep learning’ based in years of education in Indigenous contexts.” Beginning with an examination of meanings ascribed to cultural appropriation, I bring texts from Gee on secondary discourses, Foucault on the production of discourse, and Wertsch on the deep structures underpinning discourse into conversation with critical fieldwork experiences extracted from years of research and teaching. Ultimately hopeful, I conclude the article with direction from Indigenous scholars on appropriate cultural protocol in the use of Indigenous knowledges by non‐Aboriginal people in educational contexts. [From Author]

In Canada and elsewhere around the world, Indigenous Peoples are struggling to rebuild their "nations" and improve the socioeconomic circumstances of their people. Many see economic development as the key to success. This is certainly true for Indigenous people in Canada (the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, collectively called Aboriginal or Indigenous people). Among them, participation in the global economy through entrepreneurship and business development is widely accepted as the key to economy building and nation "re-building." As elaborated in the next section, the demand is that this participation must be on their own terms for their own purposes, and traditional lands, history, culture, and values play a critical role. There is an intriguing symmetry between the modernity of the desire for global business competence and competitiveness and the insistence upon the distinctive importance of cultural heritage in developing new enterprise. The way that the two superficially contrasting concepts of innovation and heritage are combined in the field of Indigenous entrepreneurship has been expounded by Hindle and Lansdowne. [From Author]

Decolonization and Indigenous education are at the forefront of Canadian content currently in Academia. Over the last few decades, we have seen some major changes in the way in which we share information. In particular, we have moved into an age of electronically-shared content, and there is an increasing expectation in Canada that this content is both culturally significant and relevant. In this paper, we discuss an ongoing community engagement initiative with First Nations communities in the Western Manitoba region. The initiative involves knowledge-sharing activities that focus on the topic of cybersecurity, and are aimed at a public audience. This initial look into our educational project focuses on the conceptual analysis and planning stage. We are developing a “Cybersecurity 101” mini-curriculum, to be implemented over several one-hour long workshops aimed at diverse groups (these public workshops may include a wide range of participants, from tech-adverse to tech-savvy). Learning assessment tools have been built in to the workshop program. We have created informational and promotional pamphlets, posters, lesson plans, and feedback questionnaires which we believe instill relevance and personal connection to this topic, helping to bridge gaps in accessibility for Indigenous communities while striving to build positive, reciprocal relationships. Our methodology is to approach the subject from a community needs and priorities perspective. Activities are therefore being tailored to fit each community. We hope this will lead to increased awareness and engagement by community members. Two Indigenous student research assistants were hired to assist in this project, which has developed into a blend of community outreach on the topic of security and data protection (most notably with respect to social media and online banking) and a computing education student-led educational research project. [From Author]

Indigenous knowledge and wisdom continue to guide food and land practices, which may be key to lowering high rates of diabetes and obesity among Indigenous communities. The purpose of this paper is to describe how Indigenous, ancestral, and wise practices around food and land can best be reclaimed, revitalized, and reinvented through the use of an online digital platform. Key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to identify digital data needs for food and land practices. Participants included Indigenous key informants, ranging from elders to farmers. Key questions included: (1) How could an online platform be deemed suitable for Indigenous communities to catalogue food wisdom? (2) What types of information would be useful to classify? (3) What other related needs exist? Researchers analyzed field notes, identified themes, and used a consensual qualitative research approach. Three themes were found, including a need for the appropriate use of Indigenous knowledges and sharing such online, a need for community control of Indigenous knowledges, and a need and desire to share wise practices with others online. An online Food Wisdom Repository that contributes to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples through cultural continuity appears appropriate if it follows the outlined needs. [From Author]

Achievement gaps between underrepresented minority (URM) students and their white peers in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classrooms are persistent across many white-majority institutions of higher education. Attempts to reduce this phenomenon of underperformance through increasing classroom structure via active learning have been partially successful. In this study, we address the hypothesis that the achievement gap between white and URM students in an undergraduate biology course has a psychological and emotional component arising from stereotype threat. Specifically, we introduced a values affirmation exercise that counters stereotype threat by reinforcing a student’s feelings of integrity and self-worth in three iterations of an intensive active-learning college biology course. On average, this exercise reduced the achievement gap between URM and white students who entered the course with the same incoming grade point average. This result suggests that achievement gaps resulting from the underperformance of URM students could be mitigated by providing students with a learning environment that removes psychological and emotional impediments of performance through short psychosocial interventions. [From Author]

This research is part of a larger three-year study investigating the impact of humanoid robots on students’ learning and engagement. In this case study, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students worked with a humanoid robot to develop, in parallel, both their programming skills and their understanding of the traditional Narungga language and culture. For six months a school engaged students in learning two languages: the coding language required to program the robot and the Narungga language. Qualitative data were collected and triangulated to determine how the humanoid robot was utilised in the classroom and re-occurring themes were identified through the case study. This research drew on questionnaires, interviews and journals from teachers to understand the impact of humanoid robots on student learning. The case study demonstrated how using humanoid robots enhanced pride and interest in Aboriginal language and culture. [From Author]

Based on a review of works by Indigenous educators, this paper suggests a four-domain framework for developing course outcome statements that will serve all students, with a focus on better supporting the educational empowerment of Indigenous students.
The framework expands the three domains of learning, pioneered by Bloom to a four-domain construction based on the four quadrants of the Medicine Wheel , a teaching/learning framework that has widespread use in the Indigenous communities of North America (Native American, First Nation, Metis, Inuit, etc.). This paper expands on the cognitive (mental), psychomotor (physical) and affective (emotional) domains to add the fourth quadrant, spiritual, as being essential for balance in curricular design that supports students in their learning goals. The description of the spiritual quadrant includes a progression of learning outcomes and suggested verbs for developing learning outcome statements. Evaluation and practical implications are also discussed. [From Author]

The Finnish curriculum reform integrates programming in the National Core Curriculum in the fall 2016. Finland is not the first country in Europe to take programming as a part of the National Core Curriculum; However, Finland is the first country in Europe about to teach the Sami, the only indigenous people in Europe, to program in basic education. Teaching programming in comprehensive schools is a challenge for there is no previous knowledge how to teach programming as it is presented in the Core Curriculum. The Sami population in Ohcejohka (Utsjoki) is facing the challenge of programming in a more complex way: the world of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) leaves the indigenous cultures out. When keyboards and programs are lacking the language support for the indigenous people, it is leaving a large amount of information out of the current information society. The programming part of the curriculum reform does not consider that there is an ethnic minority in the North of Finland and they have a constitutional right to use their language. The aim of this study is to find ways to support indigenous languages is the field of computer programming as it is presented in the National Core Curriculum. This study also presents the model of ethnoprogramming. Ethnoprogramming has its roots in ethnosciences, ethnocomputing and indigenous pedagogies. The ethnoprogramming model is based on these theories, the results of case study and the applied traditional knowledge. [From Author]

This article examines teacher preparation and teacher change in engineering and computer science education. We examined culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE), culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy (CRTOE) beliefs, and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) as teachers participated in one of three treatment groups: robotics only, game design only, or blended robotics/game design. Descriptive data revealed that CRTSE gain scores were higher in the robotics only and blended contexts than in the game design only context. However, CRTOE beliefs were consistent across all treatment groups. In regard to CT attitudes, teachers’ gain scores were higher in the game design only and blended contexts than in the robotics only context. In addition, there were differences by treatment group related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) practices, while cultural artifacts were evident in each learning environment. The results of this study reveal some variability by treatment type and inform future research on equitable practices in engineering and computer science education. [From Author]

Manitobah Mukluks makes the original winter boots of Canada. As an Indigenous-owned company, our vision is to build a vibrant, global brand that makes a significant impact in Indigenous communities. Experience the warmest and most comfortable boots and moccasin slippers in the world! [From Website]

Decolonizing Pedagogies Teacher Reference Booklet presents: an overview of what “decolonizing pedagogies” means; how and why educational scholars and Indigenous educators suggest they be used to support learning in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal education environments; examples of decolonizing pedagogies (especially in history education); and, some of the opportunities and challenges identified by educators and scholars in implementing decolonizing pedagogies. [From Author]

Indigenous peoples interact with the emergent network society in diverse ways that reflect the colonialism/self-determination dialectic. One area where this process unfolds is in the bridging of digital divides. I use the concept of the First Mile to show how First Nations and Inuit peoples in Canada’s geographic periphery are asserting their self-determination in the sphere of digital ICTs. While most digital divide literature presumes that a connection to the network society is inherently beneficial, when framed in the context of historic and ongoing processes of colonialism, integration alone is not adequate. An example of a not-for-profit satellite network cooperative demonstrates how three Indigenous organizations shaped the problem of the digital divide into an opportunity to establish a platform for digital self-determination. [From Author]

Dr. Charles Menzies (Gitxaała) gives a talk about his struggles to assert Indigenous rights against the Colonial desire for "strength of claim" and "proof." Part of the SFU Library Open Conference Systems, Sorting Libraries Out: Decolonizing Classification and Indigenizing Description 2019.

This paper outlines the role of an Elder working as a full partner in a therapeutic environment with a Western trained mental health team. Research for the article is based on observation and interviews with the Elder and the team mental health staff. This article provides insight into one of the many roles that Elder Vern Harper has within a mainstream hospital setting. Elder Vern Harper participates in counseling sessions with Aboriginal clinicians trained in Western healing intervention. Within these sessions Elder Vern Harper provides traditional teachings and healing. Many clients have indicated that this two-pronged approach gives them the best of both worlds as they are provided insight into their problems both from an Aboriginal perspective as well as from a western clinical perspective. [From Author]

This case study compares two Indigenous approaches to entrepreneurship within the wine industry: Nk‘Mip Cellars (a joint venture between the Osoyoos Indian Band and Vincor Canada) in British Columbia, Canada and Tohu Wines, in Marlborough, New Zealand. The aim was to identify whether differences exist in the approach to entrepreneurship between two different
Indigenous groups competing in non-traditional businesses. The results should assist Indigenous
populations in their understanding of Indigenous entrepreneurship as well as help guide their people towards greater economic development. Substantial differences between the two chosen Indigenous groups were found in their method of achieving collective entrepreneurship. This study has shown that both the Indigenous New Zealand community and the Indigenous Canadian community can be successful in competing entrepreneurially in something outside their
traditional competencies. Furthermore, this study suggests that in order to be successful by competing entrepreneurially in business activities typically considered outside their traditional competencies, Indigenous groups looking to develop their communities economically might want to consider the level of social or psychological acculturation with their non-Indigenous neighbours. [From Author]

The director of corporate responsibility at Cameco Corporation, a global uranium mining company, is debating whether to engage in formal negotiations leading to a partnership with a remote First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan, and if so, how. The director knows that a partnership may be costly upfront but it might also lead to future opportunities. Keenly aware of the need to manage rapidly growing expectations within the First Nations community, while also managing the expectations of long-term partners, the director needs to decide on a way forward that will deliver the best results for all concerned. [From Author]

Atikameksheng Anishnawbek was a First Nations community near Sudbury, Ontario. The reserve, described in the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850, encompassed much of the Sudbury mining camp, which produced an estimated CA$1 trillion of mineral resources. At issue was the boundary of the reserve, which was much smaller than agreed upon, and whether Atikameksheng could claim a share of the value. The reserve had not been surveyed until 34 years after the treaty was signed, which resulted in discrepancies, the most significant being that the surveyed reserve boundaries were much smaller than agreed upon and described in the treaty, thus excluding a great deal of the mineralized land. Atikameksheng did not have any agreements in place, nor was the community receiving compensation from the two largest companies mining the land, despite the high value of extracted minerals. In 2018, in the context of the ongoing boundary and compensation disputes, the chief had to decide how best to focus his energies to facilitate community economic development. [From Author]

This case examines the history of the Lac Seul First Nation from first contact with Europeans through treaty negotiations with the Canadian government, timber trespasses by unscrupulous loggers, flooding by Ontario’s hydroelectric provider, and development of mineral resources in Lac Seul traditional territory. The case provides details of settlements of past logging and flooding claims, and agreements with mining companies. The band’s chief and council are faced with the challenge of determining the direction for economic development of the band and the use of resources from the settlements and agreements to improve the community’s socioeconomic environment. [From Author]

Sagamok First Nation (Sagamok) was one of several First Nations living on land that was a mineral resource. Canada's Indigenous Peoples had an historical claim to swaths of land and their resources; however, as Canada became increasingly colonized, the government negotiated treaties with the First Nations that resulted in smaller boundaries for First Nations lands, but required mining companies that wanted to mine reserved lands to negotiate access with the relevant First Nation.

Sagamok had negotiated access with three mining companies and their relationships with the three companies varied. One relationship left Sagamok with open pit mines and an environmental mess; another resulted in good relations, opportunities for Sagamok, and environmental stewardship; and the third was in early stages and already showing problems. In 2016, the Chief of Sagamok needed to resolve the dispute and to consider how to apply what the community had already learned to build capacity in evaluating opportunities for resource extraction, environmental stewardship, and economic development. [From Author]

This article draws upon research undertaken in partnership with the Toquaht Nation, a Canadian First Nations community, which reveals how guiding principles that reflect Indigenous values, knowledge and heritage shape community-based entrepreneurial opportunity identification. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we leveraged insights across a range of methods, participants and points in time to co-create a decision support and impact evaluation system – grounded in the Toquaht people's vision of well-being and development – that is used by the Toquaht Nation to evaluate the potential and actual impacts of community-based entrepreneurial opportunities across multiple dimensions of well-being. By elaborating a notion of collective effectuation, the research demonstrates how a more explicit consideration of the social and cultural context of entrepreneurship can provide novel insights that enrich existing theories and paradigms, and highlights the complexities of the phenomena we collectively aim to study. [From Author]

Today multimedia platforms are being combined with Indigenous teachings, mythology and stories to bring forth exciting new quests in the form of video games. Even the classic Space Invaders got a makeover! Here are six video games paving the way for Indigenous inspired adventures [From Website]

Nunavut Arctic College will be recognized as the post-secondary institution of choice for the people of Nunavut by offering a wide range of pathways to culturally relevant programs of the highest national standard. The College will promote opportunities, innovation and leadership while enhancing knowledge of Inuit language and culture to permit all learners to proudly take their place in Nunavut and beyond. [From Author]

The concept of entrepreneurship is a long-standing pillar of economic theory. From the beginning, the entrepreneurial notion represented forces of economic change that introduce new energy into systems of exchange and al- lowed these systems to produce the surpluses that contribute to one important aspect of human well-being. [From Author]

This paper will explore how Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) can be ethically merged with Northwest Coast Sculpture Manufacturing. Additional emphasis will be focused on resolving issues encountered while Integrating CAD/CAM technology with Native Design. The basics of digitizing designs through various scanning techniques, such as the point probe and point cloud method will be discussed along with obstacles encountered during the scanning of existing sculptures. Several approaches to computer modeling will be outlines focusing on MasterCAM’s Surface, Solid, and Art modeling features, as well as Zbrush’s organic tool-based digital sculpting program. The issues of integrating these technologies with Indigenous Northwest Coast design will be sewn through this discussion. The paper will further elaborate on the market potential of sculpted cultural wood products, along with resulting intellectual property issues, focusing on current legislative protection and areas of interest for artists pursuing computer aided manufacturing of their designs. Finally, a case study will be presented discussing ways in which Native communities, such as the Nisga’a Village of Laxgalts’asp, might benefit from CAD/CAM manufacturing. Furthermore it explores the computer aided manufacturing of a specific Northwest Coast design in wood. From this inquiry, directions forward are highlighted, focusing on how the Native Community might approach the issue of integrating this growing technology with existing design capabilities in a modern cultural context. [From Author]

The historical and ongoing struggles for Indigenous communities in settler-designed school systems across what is now named the United States call for radical educational reform that includes a decolonized curriculum model for Indigenous children. These efforts must first acknowledge that Indigenous education existed prior to European contact and that settler-designed schools were and are detrimental to the well-being of Indigenous children and communities. Radical reform efforts must also recognize the continued systemic racism ingrained in school structures that privilege the dominant, whitestream communities and disadvantage communities of color, including Indigenous communities. [From Author]

Globally, neoliberal education policy touts youth entrepreneurship education as a solution for staggering youth unemployment, a means to bolster economically depressed regions, and solution to the ill-defined changing marketplace. Many jurisdictions have emphasized a need for K-12 entrepreneurial education for the general population, and targeted to youth labeled ‘at risk’. The Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative’s Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program (AYEP) has been enacted across Canada. This paper applies critical discourse analysis to a corpus of texts, exposing how colonial practices, deficit discourse, and discursive neoliberalism are embedded and perpetuated though entrepreneurial education targeted at Aboriginal students via AYEP. [From Author]

The project involves travel to Indigenous rural communities to facilitate discussions surrounding online privacy, through broad-interest workshops that fit the needs of the communities (e.g. workshops at schools aimed at young children or youth, or workshops aimed at whole communities, including parents, community leaders, etc). The workshops will explore everyday issues surrounding cybersecurity. [From Website]

Case Studies in Aboriginal Business
The Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies produces a series of business cases that focus on Aboriginal businesses and entrepreneurs across Canada. Currently, there are 59 case studies available for use in business programs.

Case studies are available free of charge for educational purposes by accessing CBU Scholar, and navigating to Graduate Works. From there, you may select the Case Study filter to see all 59 case studies. [From Website]

The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has just released a new research paper, Indigenous Entrepreneurship In Canada. This research paper is authored by Joseph Quesnel, a research fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. This paper shares the stories of 6 successful Indigenous entrepreneurs from Canada and how they advanced in the business world.

Increasingly, Indigenous entrepreneurship is growing in Canada, especially among women. These entrepreneurs have become successful business leaders overcoming legal, political and community-level obstacles that face many Indigenous people today. This research paper profiles 6 Indigenous entrepreneurs, and examines commonalities in their experiences, challenges, and provides teachable lessons about how these entrepreneurs were able to achieve success. More and more companies and investors are looking to bring opportunities and support to Indigenous entrepreneurs. [From Website]

In September 2008, the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs (APC) through its Atlantic Aboriginal Economic Development Integrated Research Program
(AAEDIRP) commissioned Lori Ann Roness Consulting to examine 10 partnerships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal companies in an Atlantic context as case studies. This study is consistent with its goal to improve the Aboriginal economic development knowledge base in the region and strengthen the Aboriginal workforce.
The purpose of the study is to provide insight into the types of joint Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal business partnerships emerging in Atlantic Canada and the factors that led (or are leading) to their success and to understand the elements of successful relationships and practices and to make available information and tools that others in Atlantic Canada may use to pursue their own initiatives and build successful Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal businesses. [From Author]

The relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian government has been characterized by conflict and change. Although the Conservative government seemed to support Aboriginal objectives when it issued an historic apology in 2007 for the abuses suffered under the residential schools program and signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in 2008, it included changes to the Indian Act in its 2012 omnibus Bill C-45 that put economic development ahead of environmental protection and violated numerous First Nations treaties. In response, a group of First Nations activists initiated the Idle No More movement, which used social media to organize demonstrations around the country, including teach-ins, flash mob round dances and blockades of major transportation routes. Although supported by many non-Aboriginal environmental and human rights groups both in Canada and abroad, the movement appeared to lose steam after the prime minister met Aboriginal leaders to outline eight key items of consensus for action to address Aboriginal and treaty rights, health care, education and employment issues and Chief Theresa Spence suspended the hunger strike that had galvanized support. How could Idle No More organizers maintain the momentum and awareness they had worked so hard to achieve? [From Author]

This article seeks to understand Indigenous social enterprise in a “current state snapshot” and in a complex historical context. Specifically, the authors begin by placing into theoretical context social enterprises serving Indigenous communities. The framework for Indigenous social enterprise is related to theories of Indigenous entrepreneurship and “quadruple bottom line” organizations. The authors explain the role of culture as an under-researched element and as a critical component of Indigenous social enterprise. The article also highlights gender leadership of social enterprise in Indigenous communities. Finally, the article provides three case studies that exemplify Indigenous social enterprise in Canada. [From Author]

The current generation of students live and learn within a pedagogical milieu saturated by digital technologies. Curriculum scholars have not ignored this, theorizing and critiquing the ways that technology both affords and limits opportunities for students. Notably absent from this conversation, however, is a consideration of how the technologies themselves are designed and the implications that this design process has on the role and use of technology in our classroom spaces. In this article, I use the development of a decolonizing mobile application designed to teach students and educators about the history of residential schools in Canada, as an example, offering a nascent theorization of computer code. In particular, I argue that the exploration of computer code is an important avenue for critical scholarship. In so doing, I suggest that there are three important considerations—obfuscated representation, translation, and the engendering of technocracy—that need to be considered when doing curriculum work about/with computer technologies. While I do not argue that curriculum scholars need to become proficient in the programming languages central to the design of computer applications, I provide this exploration as a means of gesturing toward that which is often not considered but is central to the 21st century classroom. [From Author]

Spirit Bear Coffee Company is a locally owned & operated, First Nations business. We support the health of our coffee bean farmers through organic farming methods & ensuring that they are paid fairly via Fair Trade premiums. We love working with companies & organizations who share our values. [From Website]

There are are plenty of incredible local Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs around Vancouver to support today and every day. [From Website]

List of federal and provincial resources.

The Stó:lō Business Association is membership based organization, driven by Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs, and is the voice for Indigenous businesses in the Stó:lō Territory.

The Stó:lō Business Association will promote Indigenous business growth, and advocates and supports Indigenous businesses through networking, communications, Member Benefits, educational programs and resources. [From Website]

Stó:lō Community Futures offers business counseling, and business loans for small to medium-sized Indigenous businesses that are either just starting out, need to expand or are maintaining their business. SCF works collaboratively with the 24 Stó:lō communities within S'ólh Téméxw, the Stó:lō Traditional Territory, on initiatives to improve community business and economic development.

Our Business Services include Business Loan Programs, Business Support Services, Training and Workshops, and After-Care. [From Website]

Indigenous organizations are advancing the economic self-determination and success of Indigenous people throughout B.C. with a range of strategies. See how economic reconciliation is moving forward through ingenuity and collaboration. [From Website]

On the Pow Wow Pitch Podcast, host Sunshine Tenasco speaks with Indigenous entrepreneurs to share stories and lessons of creating, building, healing, impact and reconciliation through entrepreneurship. [From Website]

Ara Irititja exemplifies how Indigenous ontologies are reshaping the technologies of information and cultural heritage management. A project that began in 1994 with the digital repatriation of photographs, oral histories, film recordings, and documents to remote communities in Central Australia, Ara Irititja is transitioning from an object-based FileMaker Pro database into a multimedia knowledge management system. In this article, I build on two years of anthropological fieldwork to interrogate three tools of knowledge preservation and transmission often taken for granted and/or presumed neutral — databases, archives, and the Internet—to argue that they can and must be actively re-worked as contemporary Aboriginal people imagine, produce, and safeguard their own cultural futures. [From Author]

Indigenous Peoples are the original inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs on the lands now known to settlers as Canada, and they provide unique solutions and perspectives to present-day challenges and opportunities.

Jeff is a father, husband, entrepreneur, proud Ojibwe, and Founder of Animikii, a digital agency empowering Indigenous-focused organizations to leverage technology for cultural, economic and social impact. Jeff is passionate about building a business that affects positive change for Indigenous Peoples, and the world. Jeff is a father, husband, entrepreneur, proud Ojibwe and Founder of Animikii, a digital agency empowering Indigenous-focused organizations to leverage technology for cultural, economic and social impact. Jeff is passionate about building a business that affects positive change for Indigenous Peoples, and the world. [From YouTube]

Learning Bird was founded on the principle that students learn best when the content they are engaging with is interesting and relevant to them. This is why we work in collaboration with schools and communities to integrate local Indigenous culture, language, history, and teachings into the content. We help communities infuse their voices into classrooms across Canada, to the benefit of all students. [From Website]

The Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies produces a series of business cases that focus on Aboriginal businesses and entrepreneurs across Canada. Currently, there are 59 case studies available for use in business programs. Case studies are available free of charge for educational purposes. If you are an instructor and would like access to teaching notes, please contact Mary Beth Doucette. [From Website]

A Word document list of Ivey publishing business case studies. Click on "view record in Zotero" to download attachment.