Blog Profile / FieldNotes
| URL : | http://www.anthroblog.tadmcilwraith.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Academics / Anthropology | |
| Posts on Regator: | 123 | |
| Posts / Week: | 0.5 | |
| Archived Since: | March 13, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Report Posted: Role of RCMP in Residential School System
The RCMP has released a major report on its role in the Canadian Residential School System. The RCMP website posts the executive summary of the report, but you must request the full pdf version of the report from the RCMP via email. The introduction indicates that the document is a public document and that it [...]
Splatsin First Nation – Douglas College Field School
My students and I will be blogging about our field school experiences at the Field School Blog between May 1 and June 23, 2011. Follow us on Twitter too (#dcfieldschool).
Maa-Nulth Treaty (Vancouver Island) Implemented
The First Nations comprising the Maa-Nulth Treaty Group implemented their treaty with BC and Canada. It is the second BC Treaty Process Treaty to be implemented after the Tsawwassen Treaty in 2009. Here’s a round-up of the news: B.C. first nations celebrate self-government (Globe and Mail); note the reader comments and the pervasive public misunderstanding [...]
Talking Anthropology With Grade 1s
I’m back from talking with my son’s grade one class about what a cultural anthropologist is and what a cultural anthropologist does. My invitation to speak to the class came as part of a classroom unit on jobs and the tools people use to do their jobs. As many of you helped me think through [...]
Tahltan Declaration is 100 Years Old
The Tahltan people of northwestern British Columbia are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Tahltan Tribe. The Declaration was signed on October 18, 1910. It asserts Tahltan sovereignty over traditional lands....Show More Summary
‘Cry Rock’: An Indigenous Perspective on Storytelling
Dear Douglas College Librarians: I saw a wonderful film at the Vancouver International Film Festival tonight. The film is called Cry Rock and it was written, produced, and directed by Nuxalk (Coast Salish; BC Central Coast) filmmaker Banchi Hanuse. It is a story of storytelling, as Ms. Hanuse wonders if she should record for posterity [...]
First Issue: Canadian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences is Live
Open access is a hot topic for academics. Recently, SavageMinds has raised questions about the ethical use of pdfs. Jason Baird Jackson has pleaded passionately (and frequently) for more open access books and journals. And, Quentin Mackie has reminded us of the utility of a great regional journal like BC Studies, which has recently open [...]
Are Ethnographies Novels?
One of my class assignments is to ask students to provide a short review of chapters in the ethnographies they read. Students are to include the following in the reviews: 1) a concise summary of the chapter; 2) a point or two noting the relevance of the chapter to the course and/or anthropology in general; [...]
Canadian Ethnographies About Non-indigenous People?
My request for help finding an ethnography to teach in a First Nations of British Columbia anthropology class has generated more than a dozen comments on the blog, via email and through facebook. Since I wasn’t entirely clear that I was looking for an ethnography of an indigenous group or community — but the list [...]
I’m Looking for Suggestions for BC Ethnographies
It’s that time early in the semester when I am required to submit my book requests for next semester. I will be teaching a first year course called British Columbia Native Cultures during the Winter of 2011. For years, I have required that students read Hugh Brody’s Maps and Dreams: Indians and the British Columbia [...]
Film ‘Local Hero’ (1983) Resonates with the Land and Resource Disputes of Today
I saw an incredible film called Local Hero during a trip away from home in August. It is the story of a man from a Texas oil company sent to Scotland to buy up all of the property on an ocean bay for the construction of an oil refinery. It is presumed by the company [...]
New Moose Hunting Regulations in Northwest BC
On the heels of last fall’s Tahltan aboriginal protests of the open moose hunt in the Klappan and elsewhere in northwestern BC, Tahltan Wildlife Committee and the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment have revised the rules for moose hunting. From the press release: The Agreement develops a collaborative moose management program, including a moose [...]
Sea-to-sky Cultural Tour: Audio Edition
As you know, I am a huge fan of the new Skwxw?7mesh (Squamish) and/or Li?wat7ul (Lilwat) Cultural Tour up the Sea-to-sky Highway. I’ve blogged previously about the tour and the Skwxw?7mesh Li?wat7ul Cultural Centre in Whistler. I now see on the SLCC website an audio accompaniment to the drive up the highway. The downloadable zip [...]
Splatsin-Douglas College Field School
Since I lasted posted about the field school I am putting together, I’ve made two trips out to the indigenous host community. Last week, I participated in a information meeting in which community members were introduced to the idea of having students living on their reserve next summer. The assembled group – small but supportive [...]
Double Ended, No Headed Moose and More from Congress
I had a great time at Congress10 in Montreal last week. More properly, I attended the meetings of the Canadian Anthropology Association (CASCA) which happened to be meeting with Congress. As previously noted, I was part of a round-table discussion of applied anthropology. Our panel discussed the following, pre-distributed questions:
1) What questions [...]
Canadian Anthropology Meetings (CASCA)
I’ll be attending the Canadian Anthropology Society meetings (CASCA) next week. I am part of a round-table discussion on practicing (applied) anthropology. From the session abstract: This roundtable is aimed at sparking a dialogue with/between anthropologists who are practising largely outside academia or within academia but within a largely applied context … The roundtable [...]
Capilano U Archaeology Field School
I had the pleasure of visiting the Capilano University Archaeology Field School at one of their sites in the Seymour watershed (North Vancouver) this morning. In its twelfth year, and always under the direction of Bob Muckle, the Field School is unearthing a Japanese history in the forests of Vancouver’s north shore. The [...]
Public Discussions of Hunting Protests in Northern BC
One of my summer projects is to learn more about public attitudes towards indigenous rights in British Columbia. I am also looking for current examples of the stigmas and stereotypes associated with indigenous hunting by non-native people (Figure 2, in which foraging is confused with pastoralism, for example). Conveniently, events surrounding a blockade [...]
Skwxwū7mesh Liĺwat7ul Cultural Centre
“Through the tour, workshops, film, and hearing the Skwxw?7mesh language I was left with the sense that the Squamish and Lilwat peoples and their cultures are vibrant and thriving.”
The Skwxw?7mesh Li?wat7ul Cultural Centre (Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre) in Whistler is a fantastic culmination to the Sea-to-sky Cultural Journey (related post). I arrived at the [...]
Sea-to-Sky Cultural Journey
“The highway signs look official and authentic and, as such, present the Skwxwū7mesh (Squamish) and/or Liĺwat7ul (Lilwat) languages on equal footing with English all along the route.”
Inspired by Quentin Mackie’s recent blog post, rave reviews from friends of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, and several recent drives to Whistler, I set out to explore the [...]