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Title: Wilps Wats'inaalukw: knowledge from the House of Wats'inaalukw
Contributors: Vanessa Morgan (author), Margaret Anderson (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: No abstract available.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-10T22:06:57.59Z

Title: An Aboriginal approach: what teachers need to know in public education
Contributors: Beverly Kim Isaac (author), Ross Hoffman (thesis advisor), Tina Fraser (thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia College of Arts, Social, and Health Sciences (Degree granting institution), Catherine Whalen (committee member)
Abstract: The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of what British Columbia K-12 teachers require to successfully teach First Nations students, First Nations content and First Nations culture. This thesis brings awareness of the need to prepare teachers to teach with a holistic pedagogical practice in order to close the achievement gap (Auditor General’s Report pg. 3.2015) that presently exists between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students The data collected for the purpose of this thesis was provided through the following; review of the literature, interviews with successful graduates of the University of Northern British Columbia, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program, and Northern British Columbia Aboriginal School District Principals. The data brings awareness to future teacher preparation to meet the needs of K-12 Aboriginal students that, if followed, will lead to more Aboriginal students meeting success and graduating from the K-12 school system. ...
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-05-15T21:14:37.163Z

Title: First Nations women carvers: Celebrating creation and creativity.
Contributors: Catherine Siermacheski (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This thesis represents my journey of discovery to learn about the role of First Nations women carvers in today's First Nations societies in the Northern Northwest-Central region of British Columbia. It is based on learning about the creative world of five First Nations Women carvers: Pauline Allan of the Carrier Nation, Valerie Morgan and her sister Virginia Morgan, born into the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation and Gitxsan on their father's side and by marriage, Dale Campbell of the Tahltan Nation, and Victoria Moody of the Haida Nation. What I learned from these women illuminated the concepts of what is traditional and what is contemporary and taught me that my queries about gender disparity, exhibitions, sales and success were coming from a very Western perspective. I use the words the women told me to show their perception that being a First Nations woman is not about breaking down barriers of gendered roles but a means for them to revitalize their traditions.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T16:59:25.799Z

Title: Whispering the circle back: Participating in the oral transmission of knowledge.
Contributors: Joyce Schneider (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), Wendy Aasen (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: Within the pages of this document you will find the whispers of ways of being that have come to live within my heart as I journeyed towards obtaining a mainstream education through participation in the oral transmission of knowledge. As a member of the Stl'atl'imx Nation, I needed to honour the ways of knowing that are traditional to my people in the fulfillment of the requirements for my Master's degree in First Nations Studies. In doing so, I have recorded on my heart the teachings so gently shared with me ...Through blending the understandings I have gained from both the academic and Indigenous worlds, this thesis represents the possibilities that await us when we seek to honour and value diverse ways of knowing. --P.i.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T17:03:37.55Z

Title: Gitxsan storytelling: the breath of our grandfathers
Contributors: Jane Smith Mowatt (author), Anne Lindsay (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This project examines the role of education !n the attempt to include Gitxsan Storytelling in the Language Arts Program at the elementary level. This project recognizes the importance of including the Gitxsan Elders in outlining the path the project must take. Much attention over the years has focused on the reasons for First Nations children under-achieving in the present school system. The Elders and the literature review stressed the importance of First Nations children learning from their own culture. The project recognizes the support of First Nations groups, public schools and the Ministry of Education as they continue to stress the importance of providing language and culture to the First Nations students. At the same time, there is a lack of funding to provide the required resources. Providing a qualitative content analysis, as well as the practical application of a Gitxsan Storytelling unit and how it can be incorporated into the classroom, this project uses the voice and the perspective of the Gitxsans.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-10T22:15:37.858Z

Title: Strength and resiliency in the narratives of Margaret Gagnon.
Contributors: Evelyn Laurell Crocker (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: Something stirred in me the first moment I heard Margaret Gagnon speak in a Carrier culture class at the University Of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). She told, among many others, a powerful narrative about fifteen children who died from drinking contaminated water. Her narrative was both deeply moving and shocking, especially as the incident, I found, is not recorded as part of the local history. The transcribed narratives are original material from already video and audio taped presentations by Margaret at UNBC and in her home. These narratives provided the impetus for me to investigate what this tragedy reveals. This work looks critically at the colonizers through historical, environmental, and genocidal ethical lenses. In the true spirit of stories, however, these stories have continued unfolding their deep wisdom to me . This body of stories has taken a surprising turn to reveal yet another strand of enduring resiliency and strength woven through the fabric of Margaret words. What I found is that the absence of First Nations narrative in Prince George history, suggests a lack of honouring First Nations people. This is only one aspect of colonization that prevents inclusion into every level of society. Without this acknowledgement of oral histories there is little opportunity to recognize the devastation caused by the consequent silencing of a culture, or the strength of the survivors.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T16:58:51.755Z

Title: Intercultural sharing and learning: providing space for youth's voices
Contributors: Laurel Collins (author), Ross Hoffman (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This is a First Nations Masters Project that utilized Participatory Action Research and Indigenous Methodology to decipher if youth in Prince George are interested in their cultural heritage and if so, what parts of culture are they informed about, and what more would they like to learn. This research was broken into two parts, quantitative surveys and qualitative workshops. During the workshops, youth co-researchers and I hatched out what culture means to us and how we are interculturaly influenced. We looked at the larger context of the Eurocentric and capitalistic culture we are a part of and how we are all affected by it. In the end, we followed Aboriginal pedagogical methods and shared our new found knowledge with the greater community, our friends and family. --P. i.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-10T22:06:04.667Z

Title: Justice and healing for victims of sexual abuse in Canadian Indian residential schools.
Contributors: Shamim Adam Abdulla (author), Margaret Anderson (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This thesis examines the impact of the Canadian criminal and civil justice processes on aboriginal people who are survivors of child sexual abuse in Canadian Indian residential schools. The focus of this thesis is whether legal processes meet the justice and healing needs of aboriginal victims of sexual abuse. In examining the impact of the justice system, an analysis of two court cases, namely the R. v. O'Connor criminal case and the Blackwater et al v. Plint et al (1998) civil case adjudication is presented. The O'Connor criminal case exemplifies the challenges victims face with substantial and procedural justice. In contrast, the Blackwater civil case exemplifies the problems victims face in demonstrating the responsibility or legal liability of the offending party or parties concerned, and in substantiating that they need to be compensated for their trauma and hardships. As the issues confronted by victims may be insurmountable, alternatives to mainstream justice have been sought. The alternatives take the form of aboriginal community justice initiatives. These present their own unique challenges and dilemmas for victims and their communities. However, victims appear to express hope for either community-based initiatives or a renewed justice system that will accommodate their cultural and individual rights. This is indicative of diversity regarding justice and healing needs of aboriginal victims. --Leaf i.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T17:13:47.81Z

Title: Anlagasimdeex : the history of a Gitxsan settlement
Contributors: Erica Ball (author), Margaret Anderson (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: The recent discovery (1995) of a petroglyph located within the traditional territories of the Gitxsan people leads me to an investigation of settlement at this site and the relocation of the residents. Information about the settlement at Anlagasimdeex, located on the Babine River three kilometers west of the village of Gisaga'as, is researched in the ethnographic, historical, and archaeological literature. As well, interviews with Gitxsan and non-Gitxsan informants are conducted, to add to the description of Anlagasimdeex obtained from these secondary sources. Settlement at Anlagasimdeex is shown to have extended over a time period of at least two hundred years, and possibly much longer. The settlement was notable for its excellence as a salmon harvesting site, of which the petroglyph may be a graphic representation. The relocation of Gitxsan people from Anlagasimdeex, and, at a later date, from the village of Gisaga'as, during the period 1880-1950, is found to be result of a number of factors. Finally, village residency is understood to be of secondary importance to the overarching definitions of Gitxsan identity through adaawk, wilp, and wilnaa'tahl.--Page ii.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-10T22:14:12.359Z

Title: How I learned the language: The pedagogical structure of the Taltan language.
Contributors: Oscar Dennis (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This thesis investigates the morphological structure of Tāl̸tān, a northern Athapaskan language. This thesis does not examine the morphemic properties of Tāl̸tān from a linguistic perspective. Instead, this thesis focuses on the pedagogical structure, which has been neglected and misunderstood in the previous research and literature, from a second language learning translation language. This thesis also examines the cultural differences between Tāl̸tān and English, the translation language. Based on the morphemic findings, and observed behavior governing syllable structure, I argue that the Tāl̸tān Language is structured around the pronouns in a way that is patterned into the paradigms with a consistency that simplified the learning process when a second language learner understand how it works. The thesis also points out how deeply the cultural understanding of the universe is embedded in the structure and nature of the language. --Leaf i.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-11T21:13:10.627Z

Title: Understanding conceptions of land tenure in the Lake Babine Nation.
Contributors: Corbin Greening (author), Ross Hoffman (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: Understanding Conceptions of Land Tenure in the Lake Babine Nation is about evolving values and the leaders who navigate them. The traditional territory of the Lake Babine Nation (LBN) is situated on Babine Lake, east of Smithers and north of Burns Lake - a community adjacent to the Lake Babine Nation's largest community by population. Ownership and stewardship of land in the LBN has been rapidly evolving since the imposition of the Indian Act and other government legislation in the early 20th century, forcing the Babine to adapt their social and land management techniques. With the prospect of self-governance on the horizon and pressure from the Federal and Provincial governments to adopt a system of land tenure based on private property, the LBN is at a crossroads. In this work, leaders from Chief and Council, the LBN Treaty Office, and the Hereditary Chiefs, expressed their vision for the management of the traditional territories, including traditional and western forms of ownership and stewardship, with an emphasis on collective responsibility. This work is designed to facilitate a discussion about the fundamental land values of the LBN and how they can be represented in the governance structure of a self-governing nation. --Leaf ii.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-11T21:13:13.955Z

Title: Four Lheidli T'enneh families' experiences and expectations of public education
Contributors: Jennifer Annaïs Pighin (author), Margo Greenwood (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia College of Arts, Social, and Health Sciences (Degree granting institution), Antonia Mills (Committee member), Jo-Ann Archibald (Committee member)
Abstract: Initiatives designed to understand the discrepancy in graduation rates and investigate educational possibilities for First Peoples across Canada recognize it is vital to consider the local contexts of Indigenous peoples’ experiences with educational systems and their perspectives on learning. No recent studies have explored the local Lheidli T’enneh First Nations’ (LTFN) context relative to their member’s educational needs and expectations. This study engaged four multi-generational LTFN families’ lived experiences of public education including their expectations of the system. Their stories reflected three topic areas fundamental to this research: (1) relationships within the school, (2) pedagogy, and (3) curriculum. From a decolonizing Indigenous lens and using a qualitative methodology within an Indigenous research paradigm, common themes were identified from the participant narratives and are presented alongside existing literature... .
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-05-15T16:28:28.798Z

Title: Nihl Adagwiy T'gun Adaawaks GalksiGabin (Here Is the Story of GalksiGabin): A modern auto-ethnography of a Nisga'a man.
Contributors: Andrew Robinson (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This thesis is an auto-ethnographic description of my life as GalksiGabin, Andrew Robinson, a proud member of the Nisga'a Nation who has grown up during extremely monumental and influential times for Nisga'a people. Not only have my people been witness to the first Comprehensive Land Claim settlement in British Columbia's history, but we have found the ways and strength to make our traditional lives and Ayuukhl (laws) work with the Canadian State. Within this work, I describe the importance and foundation of our existence as Nisga'a. This includes: geography and culture, social organization and language, and finally, Nisga'a governance. By beginning each of my chapters with a story, I honour the integrity of the oral society I am born from, while placing each of my ethnographical headings in a context that is appropriate to the chapter. In discussing geography and culture, one will find my elaboration on the Nisga'a lands that I come from and the intricate relationship those lands have with dictating much of our social system. In my chapter on social organization and language, the reader will get a glimpse into how the Nisga'a social system is dependent on the sustainability of a society that has been in place for thousands of years. Finally, in regards to governance, I discuss the infamous Nisga'a Treaty and its new-found, interrelated relationship with the Nisga'a Ayuukhl (laws) that have governed our Nation since time immemorial. Throughout the thesis, I have utilized my language where it is necessary and appropriate in order to bring forward that this thesis represents a world view that Nisga'a people call Sayt K'ilim Goot (Of One Heart). Writing this thesis has given me an opportunity to revisit the foundations of my world view and reminded me of the testimony of the Elders I grew up with who taught me their wisdom. For this I am grateful, and even more proud to know the sacredness I have been blessed with in my life. I am honoured to share my story with you. T'yooyak'siy niin. --P.iii.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T17:04:39.946Z

Title: What do Inuit drawings mean to Nisga'a children?
Contributors: Yuka Izu (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: No abstract available.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T16:57:21.307Z

Title: Spirituality in helping others: Learning from First Nations elders and counselors' alcohol related experience.
Contributors: Maki Umeda (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: No abstract available.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T17:01:55.763Z

Title: Gyetim Gan: faces in the forest
Contributors: Michael D. Blackstock (author), Antonia Mills (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This thesis examines the history and meanings of Gitxsan Gyetim Gan, or face carved in a [living] tree , or tree art. In this work the author tries to answer an number of questions about this art form, such as, What are the purposes of tree art? who is the audience? why has tree art been so invisible to the colonizer? how can tree art be protected? and why were faces a common image carved in trees? To find answers to these questions, the author called upon adaawk (a Gitxsan term for oral history and stories).
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-11T21:15:16.551Z

Title: Don't call me crazy: Re-envisioning mental health services for Aboriginal peoples in Prince George.
Contributors: Sarah Elizabeth Nelson (author), Jos~e Lavoie (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: This study explored Aboriginal clients', Elders', and health care providers' perspectives on mental health to see how mental health services might better serve Aboriginal populations. The study used phenomenology and principles of Indigenous research, in partnership with the Central Interior Native Health Society, a primary health care clinic in Prince George. The Aboriginal Caucus, a cultural advisory board for the clinic, acted in an advisory capacity. Two talking circles and twelve semi-structured qualitative interviews provided the information the study draws on. Findings support the literature in saying that a broad approach to mental health, with attention to the whole person and the formation of healthy, supportive relationships, is most appropriate for Aboriginal peoples also that decolonization will enhance the mental health of Aboriginal peoples and communities. The study also introduces the idea of mental health as energy, which may be a useful alternative way of framing mental health discourse. --P. 2.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T17:10:44.142Z

Title: Community-based knowledge capture: Tsay Keh Dene develop an online archival system
Contributors: Derek Ingram (author), Alyce Johnson (Thesis advisor), Tina Fraser (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: Indigenous peoples have differing perceptions of what constitutes data, including how to collect, preserve, and interpret information. A data management system has the potential to embrace community knowledge, which will have long-term benefits for the preservation of a culture. Designing a database platform for an Indigenous community requires researchers to be cognizant of the history and current position of distinct Aboriginal Nations. The focus of this Master's research project is the methodology and process of data capture to build a data management system sensitive to the needs of the Tsay Keh Dene in northern British Columbia. This qualitative research project examined how the Tsay Keh Dene perceive their cultural, historic, environmental and geographic landscapes. It describes methods to determine how the database interface should function and develop with Tsay Keh participation. With this data management system, the Tsay Keh have an efficient and powerful tool specifically created to their needs. --Leaf ii.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-04-10T22:06:43.606Z

Title: Art, identity and culture: The politicization of contemporary Northwest Coast First Nations art.
Contributors: Barbara E. Milmine (author), Jim McDonald (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: No abstract available.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-30T17:01:14.329Z

Title: Stellakoh talook: the importance of salmon to Stellat'en
Contributors: Tannis Reynolds (author), Ross Hoffman (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
Abstract: There have been many stories written about First Nations from British Columbia and their relationship with salmon. Stellakoh talook means salmon from the Stellakoh River in the Stellat'en language and this research takes a closer look at the past, present and future of Stellat'en (people from Stellaquo) and talook (salmon). I am from the community of Stellaquo where my grandmother instilled a secure knowledge in me that talook are to be respected. Being exposed to other cultures, I understood that many people were not raised with the same respect for talook as I was. In the past, I never really had the words to explain it, but I longed for the words to explain the importance of talook. In this thesis, stores from people knowledgeable about Stellat'en and talook are brought together to create a story about Stellakoh Tallok: The Importance of Salmon to Stellat'en. --Leaf ii.
Discipline: First Nations Studies
Date added: 2017-03-29T17:30:40.476Z

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