Technology and Social Media

It would be a mistake to think of Indigenous peoples as hermetically sealed in some pre-colonial past or as even resistant to every aspect of modern Western culture. In fact, many First Peoples in Canada have seen the benefits of technology and have used it for a number of different purposes: to mobilize their communities, to help preserve their languages, to connect with younger generations of Indigenous youth.

Below you will find links exploring the role of social media in Indigenous resistance, as well as Indigenous language apps, gaming design, and animation.

1. Point form finding of a study that found a surprisingly large number of First Peoples are using social media.
   
   http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/11/aboriginal-peoples-social-media_n_1665901.html


2. A scholarly article discussing the important role social media plays for Indigenous peoples living in remote communities.
   
   http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/2619


3. A discussion of the key role Twitter played in the resistance to Canada150.
   
   http://canadianart.ca/news/artists-resist-canada150-social-media/


4. Newspaper article discussing the importance of social media in the success of the Idle No More movement.
   
   https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/01/11/social_media_helps_drive_idle_no_more_movement.html


5. An explanation of the #Sealfie campaign launched by Indigenous hunters in Canada to counter negative press surrounding the seal hunt.
   
   http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/03/sealfie-northerners-respond-to-ellens-seal-hunt-views-with-fur-photos.html


6. An excellent overview of Indigenous designed and inspired video games.
   
   http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-video-games-you-should-download-1.3525101


7. An inter-university and inter-community technology project that produces cyber content based around Indigenous content and concerns.
   
   http://abtec.org/iif/


8. An award-winning Indigenous produced animated film retelling a creation story of Tagish First Nation.
   
   https://www.nfb.ca/film/how_people_got_fire/


9. This animated film tells connects the history of Metis, Cree, and Anishnaabe peoples with the specific story of writer/director Amanda Strong's family.
   
   http://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/shorts/four-faces-of-the-moon


10. A link to the website of FirstVoices, a comprehensive and continually updated language application.
    
    http://www.firstvoices.com/en/apps


11. A discussion of FirstVoices by CBC's Roseanna Deerchild.
    
    http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/from-texts-to-texting-traditional-languages-are-taking-over-1.3601727/firstvoices-app-translates-english-to-indigenous-languages-1.3601728


12. CBC article discusses release of language applications in Saskatchewan to help Indigenous youth learn traditional languages.
    
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/first-nations-language-apps-released-by-saskatchewan-tribal-council-1.2684599