Bridging Cultures 1

Bridging Cultures

Kevin Kaiser 88480975

University of British Columbia

ETEC 521 66C

Marianne Justus, Ph.D.

August 3, 2007
 Bridging Cultures 2

Bridging Cultures

The Internet, as it is in 2007 has the capability increase cross-cultural

understanding. If it is true, and the basis of all racism is ignorance, then can technology

aid cross-cultural understanding between First Nations and non-native people?

Introduction

In a multicultural society, like Canada, cross-cultural understanding is a high

priority for a safe and prosperous future. First Nations people are Canada’s first citizens,

and need to be equal partners in mainstream contemporary society. With nearly six

hundred bands across Canada, meeting and understanding all of the diverse cultures

would be daunting. Technology is just one of the ways to allow Native and non-native

people to gain insight into each others cultures. Although technology can mean anything

from a canoe to a computer, technology for this paper will mean the Internet.

Public perception of First Nations people and the contemporary reality of First

Nations are at a divide, and through technology this perception can be cleared. Aspects of

First Nations culture can be understood in an online environment, and contemporary

issues regarding First Nations can be easily understood online. With the First Nations

population on the rise, there will be some changes as to how First Nations are understood

by the "dominant culture."

Understanding the Past

Culture itself does change; this often happens through contact with other

cultures. First Nations culture changed through contact with western culture. Tribes

across North America were forcibly assimilated into western culture since 1492. Since

then, many First Nations people have attempted to protect and revive what was lost of
 Bridging Cultures 3

their culture. The reality is that First Nations culture and western culture need to live

together and understand one another. With over six hundred First Nations bands

(Wikipedia, 2007) across Canada, understanding each culture is not an easy task, but

sharing information and respect for all cultures can happen through technological means.

All parties involved must not only attempt to understand each other, but they must be on

an equal playing field. Understanding each others past, working with technology

together, breaking stereotypes and setting up a successful future for a just society will

help clear understandings. In order to achieve this goal; the Internet must be more than a

repository for information, it must be interactive.

The history books are written by non-native people, and are largely about non-

native people. When students are introduced to First Nations culture, they focus on

historical “facts.” They learn about nomadic people who hunted bison or fishermen who

used nets to get their catch. This is how the youth are introduced to First Nations culture.

With so few First Nations teachers, the message cannot get across from a First Nations

point of view. With technology playing a larger role in the education system, public

perception of First Nations culture can change.

The numerous social issues surrounding First Nations people today are not fully

understood by the rest of the Canadian or the North American society. First Nations

people are continuing to struggle to rebuild their culture, while the rest of the population

struggles with understanding First Nations culture. Since colonization, First Nations

people have struggled to gain equal ground with the non-native population. “These

colonizing schemes include, but are certainly not limited to: dismantling Indigenous

sovereign governments, devaluing Indigenous knowledges, outlawing Indigenous

 Bridging Cultures 4

languages, marginalizing Indigenous cultural practices, demonizing Indigenous religious

and spiritual practices, destroying Indigenous ecosystems and environments, claiming

Indigenous lands and natural resources, undermining sustainable Indigenous economies,

demoralizing Indigenous youth attending Eurocentric schools, and criminalizing

traditional Indigenous activities as well as behaviors that directly result from colonial

structures of oppression. Despite these myriad efforts, the colonizers did not succeed in

truly subduing the Indigenous societies of the North American continent.” (Jenkins, 2007,

p. 8). All aspect of First Nations history needs academic exploration to help clear the

many misunderstandings. Changing the way people think about First Nations people is

needed, and it is needed at all levels of education. First Nations people must also change

the way they interact with the western culture. Technology can help alleviate these issues.

Online Culture

FN people need to understand how to engage in western culture in order for non-

native people to fully understand First Nations culture. There is a need for balances in the

way people interact online in order to achieve this understanding. One culture can

dominate a discussion in an online course, and their point of view is taken as the

dominant point of view. If technology is going to bring cultures together, then all cultures

need to have a say in how technology is used to benefit this understanding.

Reeder, Macfadyen, Roche & Chase (2004) examined cyberculture values and

interaction patterns of different cultural groups in an online course at UBC. They found

that First Nations people were not only represented with fewer participants, but they did

not interact as often as the other groups. Further, First Nations people were less likely to

start discussions with peers, and never contacted the instructor for any reason.
 Bridging Cultures 5

Interaction is needed for understanding. Technology, particularly the Internet, has

the potential for interaction, but Reeder et al found that the Internet is created by Anglo

Saxons and is better suited to Anglo Saxons. If First Nations people are not comfortable

using this type of technology, they will not interact as much as other cultural groups.

Reeder et al state, “In our study group, non-aboriginal Canadians (individuals born and

educated in Canada, within the predominantly English-speaking Euro-Canadian culture)

posted a significantly higher number of messages than, for example, aboriginal Canadian

participants.” (Reeder et al. 2004. p. 93). The balance of learning online is weighed

heavily on the non-native population. One-sided conversations, even online, blur the

reality and can lead to further misunderstandings.

Reeder et al conclude that there are missing elements, at least in the online study

that would enable First Nations to engage with other cultures in an online environment.

“Missing elements in electronically mediated communication include: context perception,

parallel visual channels, direct eye contact, gestural information, side talk, dynamic real-

time repair mechanisms, avoidance mechanisms, and in general the flexibility we

normally expect to obtain or emerge between conversational partners.” (Reeder et al.

2004. p. 100). In an online educational world, First Nations learners are not breaking any

stereotypes, and are not engaging as much as other cultures. This small study suggests

that First Nations people are not as comfortable online, and they are not enabling cross-

cultural understanding in an online course environment.

One of the main issues regarding cross-cultural understanding is the development

of culture online. First Nations content, that is accessible to everyone online, needs to be

developed by First Nations people and open to the public. There are programs available
 Bridging Cultures 6

to the public, but how they can be accessed and used is unknown to many of the general

public.

One project that involved both Euro-Canadian and First Nations understanding in

the scientific world is Glen S. Aikenhead’s “Toward a First Nations Cross-Cultural

Science and Technology Curriculum.” Aikenhead states, “As a Euro-Canadian, my non-

Aboriginal background disqualifies me from formulating education policies for First

Nations (Native American) students.” (Aikenhead. 1996. p. 218). Instead Aikenhead

directed his project from his point of view, and he had First Nations students understand

western science in terms that they could understand. This meant that he had to understand

their culture as well. Aikenhead entered this project knowing that he was sharing his

knowledge instead of forcing his knowledge on the First Nations students. This is a large

step toward cross-cultural understanding.

Understanding the differences and similarities is the key to understanding each

other. Aikenhead states, “Western science was characterized as being essentially

mechanistic, materialistic, etc. By comparison, Aboriginal knowledge of nature tends to

be thematic, survival-oriented, holistic, empirical, rational, contextualized, specific,

communal, ideological, spiritual, inclusive, cooperative, coexistent, personal, and

peaceful.” (Aikenhead. 1996. p. 221). Understanding these two points goes a long way

toward understanding different cultures and what each culture can offer society. Although

the points listed are generalizing First Nations ways of knowing, they offer insight into

how to connect with First Nations youth.

Technology can aid First Nations understanding of the greater world, and

empower youth to understand the sub-culture of science. It can also aid First Nations
 Bridging Cultures 7

youth to utilize the Internet to allow others to understand their culture. Specifically, the

unknown becomes the known, and misconceptions can become understandings.

Aikenhead states, “Autonomous acculturation and “anthropological” instruction

encourage students to learn Western science and technology without losing their

Aboriginal culture and identity.” (Aikenhead. 1996. p. 232). He concludes by stating,

“The prophecy states that on the initiative of the white people, the four peoples of the

earth will one day combine their knowledge into an integrated whole. Before the white

people can initiate a coming together, however, they need to recognize the border

crossings of First Nations students and be open themselves to experience their own

hazardous border crossings into a First Nations culture.” (Aikenhead. 1996. p. 232).

According to Aikenhead, before these border crossing happen, both cultures need to

understand their own culture fully.

Technology

There is a wide array of technology available to allow for cross-cultural

understanding. One of the more “human” aspects of technology is video conferencing.

This can put a face to the person who may live half way around the world. A project in

Prairie View, Texas, Cultural Connection, used video conferencing as one of the

technologies to help bridge cultures together. Most of Trina Davis’s, the creator of

Culture Connection, students are Hispanic, and these students were in contact with

students from various cultural backgrounds. Her curriculum was not very different than

other middle schools, but her delivery was different. It allowed cultures to learn from one

another online.

In a study on Cultural Connections, Cifuentes and Murphy found that “Virtual

 Bridging Cultures 8

communities can provide environments for students to transform into more tolerant and

respectful citizens when they include opportunities to develop relationships with people

from diverse cultures and backgrounds.” (Cifuentes, Murphy. 2000. p. 72). The author’s

study on this program involved two teachers that conducted nine distance-learning units

over the course of a year. They wanted to understand the impact of technology and

cultural understanding.

One of Cifuentes et al findings centered on the advantage of multimedia over

traditional methods and the ability to place pictures and beliefs online to share with other

cultures. The results of this project were found to be “(a) growth, (b) empowerment, (c)

comfort with technology, and (d) mentoring.” (Cifuentes et al. 2000. p. 76). All four

points are needed in order to truly share culture with others online. This program allowed

students to express themselves in ways previously undiscovered, and express themselves

with cultures previously unconnected.

There is a wide array of technological tools available for people to use to connect

cultural understandings. Schools are one of the best and earliest avenues to break

stereotypes and come to an understanding. Wikis, blogs, video conferencing, etc. are

widely available, but need to be utilized in schools to bring cultures closer together.

When Wikis work, they have the power to bring cultures closer together. The people who

use Wikis have similar interests, and they allow people to change what has been written

while adding their point of view. While information is at the heart of a Wiki, thoughts and

ideas are written collaboratively. Ideally, rules and conventions of the “Wiki culture” are

centered in an active voice focusing on the idea rather than the person.

The University of British Columbia has online courses in the Masters of

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Educational Technology. One course, ETEC 521 – Indignity, Technology, and Education,

explores First Nations culture online. One of the learning objectives states, “learn to

recognize stereotypes of Indigenous people and advance a critical understanding of how

decolonization is being enacted by self- determining Indigenous communities.” (ETEC

521. 2007). While this is only one of the courses stated goals, it is an important one. UBC

is on traditional Musqueam land, and it is attempting to help scholars interested in First

Nations culture break stereotypes in an online environment.

Judging from one of the comments made by a student in ETEC 521, there is a

cross-cultural understanding happening in this course. This student states, “What you

mentioned here was the first thing I learned in this course, and it really changed my way

of thinking. I had no idea that "Indians" were a white concept and that there were many

different groups in their eyes. I began to question other things I had been taught growing

up. This certainly has been an eye-opening course.” (Harper. online discussion. 2007).

Breaking Stereotypes

In order for cultures to connect and break stereotypes, there must be an avenue of

understanding. One of these avenues is through simply searching through the Internet.

Unfortunately, there are many sites online that cannot and should not be trusted to deliver

truthful information. NativeWiki (2007) is a site powered by MediaWiki of Wikipedia

fame, and it is growing with a lot of useful information for researchers. This site uses

technology to get a message to the public on who First Nations people are in the present,

and how they lived in the past. There are pictures and documents by Native scholars.

Indirectly, this site is crossing cultures because there are opportunities for many people to

add to the information on this site. At worst, the site is connecting First Nations people
 Bridging Cultures 10

across North America with technology.

Structuring the divide

First Nations students have to “walk in two worlds.” A common saying with First

Nations educators is that First nations youth “need to walk with a drum in one hand and

a computer in the other.” Grounding cultural understanding among First Nations youth

and teaching the youth to use technology to survive in the western world is paramount for

First Nations youth to share their culture with the rest of the world. Sorkness and Gibson

state, “Native American students, who are first grounded in their American Indian

culture, exhibit fewer at-risk behaviors such as academic difficulty and social, emotional,

and psychological problems.” (Sorkness. 2006. p. 3) With this information at hand, it is

vital that First Nations youth take part in their own cultural society and western society at

the same time.

One of the longest standing success stories regarding First Nations education and

technology is the forty-year history of the Native Education Centre (NEC). It is the

largest private First Nations College in British Columbia offering vocational and

academic learning to First Nations adult learners. Two of their seven goals for the centre

are, “To develop programs, facilities and methodologies that provide access to skills,

knowledge and technology appropriate to the future well-being of Aboriginal peoples in

cooperation with agencies of government and non-governmental organizations; To

improve understanding between Aboriginal groups, to inform the general public of

Aboriginal issues, and to inform the Aboriginal communities of the purpose of education

and the programs and services of the Society.” (NEC. 2007). Two of their goals can be

achieved through the use of technology. The NEC is training First Nations people to
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utilize technology to not only participate in western culture, but to strengthen First

Nations culture.

“American Indians were being left behind in the changeover to the information

age that the world had begun moving into for the new millennium. They also found that

when TCUs (including SKC) offered courses in SMET programs students enrolled in and

filled those classes to capacity. It was clear that the TCUs were the best venue for

reservation-based students to begin a career in one of the SMET disciplines.” (Stein,

Jetty. 2002. p. 22). Understanding historical issue First Nations students faced can help

understand why there is reluctance for First Nations students to take part in online

courses. Further, the issue regarding connection speed on many remote reserves can

hinder the enrolment numbers.

The First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) wrote a guide for First Nations

communities to connect to the Internet. The FNTC state,

In the 21st century, the world is going to experience remarkable change and

realize great benefit as nations and communities learn how to take fullest

advantage from living in the Information Age and using technology to improve

the quality of life for all members of the community. The global knowledge

economy will continue to grow. New technologies will continue to be developed.

These changes will make it easier for individuals and communities to do more, do

it faster, and do it more cost-effectively. Even the most remote First Nations

communities will be able to use technology to access better health care, to provide

a wider variety of quality educational materials to learners of all ages in the

community, to access global markets for community-based businesses, easily stay

 Bridging Cultures 12

in touch with members who have left the community, forge more collaborative

relationships with their government and industry partners, and improve data

gathering and accountability. (FNTC, 2006. p. 1)

Organizations like the FNTC understand the economic importance of connecting all First

Nations communities. They also understand the need for community members to thrive in

the western world. For this to happen, First Nations communities need to engage with the

non-native population in an online environment. Technology has to play a part in

recognizing that stereotypes of First Nations people and romanticized views of First

Nations people as nomadic people need to be broken.

Conclusion

While it is true that much of First Nations culture was lost because of contact with

European settlers, First Nations youth are now walking in two worlds. One world is

grounding them in what their extended family would like them to understand. The other

world is forcing them to understand themselves in a more mainstream society. The non-

native population continues to struggle making sense of First Nations history from a First

Nations perspective, and most of the non-native population does not comprehend

contemporary issues regarding social and legal matters. In order for cross-cultural

understanding to happen, all cultures involved must be ready to share what they know

about themselves and accept different ways of knowing from other people.

Technology is not a magic bullet that will allow a non-discriminatory society to

suddenly flourish from the Internet. Rather, technology is a new tool to utilize to allow

the youth to gain cultural awareness.

Stereotypical viewpoints of First Nations people will continue as long as society

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allows it to flourish in mainstream media. The unknown will always be the unknown. The

Internet, specifically wikis, blogs and informative sites, are fantastic tools to break

stereotypes for those that would like to see them come to an end.

Pride in ones culture is the key to cross-cultural understanding. First Nations

youth that read history books and realize that they are being represented in a negative

light tend to shy away from education. Fortunately, the youth are the people driving the

Internets popularity. They frequent sites such as MySpace and Facebook. The youth are

the ones that will re-write the history books, and they will be using technology to

accomplish this goal.

Ignorance is only an excuse for racial divide, but in the information age the

ignorant cannot survive.

References
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Aikenhead, Glen S. (1996). “Toward a First Nations Cross-Cultural Science and

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http://www.usask.ca/education/people/aikenhead/firstnat.pdf

Cifuentes, Lauren., Murphy, Karen. (2000). “Promoting multicultural

understanding and positive self-concept through a distance learning

community: Cultural Connections.” Educational Technology Research and

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First Nations Education Council. (2003). First Nations Schoolnet. Report on the

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 Bridging Cultures 15

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