Making lasting change through research with Canadian Aboriginal communities

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Growing Elders
Making lasting change through research with
Canadian Aboriginal communities
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(No Transcript)
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• Case Study 1

The Dogrib Tåîchô communities, Northwest
Territories
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We have to act now like we are in
crisis......we have to act now as if it is 25
years from today, as if the people in this room
are now the Dogrib elders ...what will you need
to know in 2031 about who you are, where you have
come from ...so that you can teach your
children...
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Workshop 1 Living Daily as a Dogrib
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The indicators
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Workshop 2 Traditional values for policy
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Song of Nöhtà the Grebe

• As he chanted this song, he began to dance. The
  song Nöhtà came up with lasted until the tea
  dance ended. He had been traveling from a great
  distance and so, he was very tired and very
  sleepy too. After introducing a song for the
  people, he decided to sit down. While the people
  danced, he sat down behind them. As he was
  sitting down, he fell asleep. As he drifted into
  a deep sleep, the people danced and they danced
  on his feet and thats why his feet became flat.
  So that was how Nöhtà came up with this song and
  thats what the old timers say.

Determination
Styles of leadership
Connection to the earth people
Importance of elders knowledge
THEMES
EVIDENCE
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What now?

• Themes

Practice How can we apply the themes we have
found in traditional stories and songs to Tlicho
governance?
Determination Styles of leadership Connection to
the earth people Importance of elders knowledge
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Values/Policies for Environment

• Scheduling or rotating use of land
• Considering quotas for hunting Hunting should be
  only for survival hunting on land
• Regulating use by outsiders on Dogrib lands
• Land use planning

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Values/Policies for Child Protection

• Develop new evaluation criteria to recognize
  culture and lifestyle
• Develop process that reflects community
• Train Dogrib social workers
• Elders involved in teaching traditional values to
  families (re-education)

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Summary Elements of success

• Leadership involvement and commitment
• Culture is central
• Working with Elders
• Planning for the next generations
• The power to implement the results in policy and
  programs

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Case Study 2

• The Métis Settlements of Alberta

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The process

• The invitation
• Leadership commitment
• Data sharing agreement
• Elders Advisory Committee
• Recruitment of Community Researchers

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Training workshop 1 Conducting the survey
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Training workshop 2 Data entry and cleaning
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In August

• Training session 3 analysis
• Strategies for dissemination
• Informing the leadership of findings
• Working through implications
• Planning programs and policies

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Summary Elements of success

• Leadership commitment
• Open process, e.g. data-sharing agreement
• Committed CAs
• 2 CAs from each community
• Multiple communities with common issue
• Incorporation of culture

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Case study 3 When not to do research
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(No Transcript)