Aboriginal Medicine and Health

Project Description: In this interdisciplinary, seminar-based virtual training, we will critically examine key determinants of Indigenous health as we engage with various concepts, theories, methods, historical and ethical issues. Based on a review of the contemporary literature, we will explore differences between the health and social status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, and identify processes leading to these gaps. We will discuss case studies from Canada to examine ongoing health and healing measures that are being led by Aboriginal communities. Students will be able to learn the critical review of a scholarly paper, critically measure the health status of Aboriginal people in Canada in contemporary time, and produce a research paper at the end of the project. Project Learning Outcome:Upon successful completion of this project, students will be able to:Identify cultural and theoretical frameworks for understanding traditional knowledge systems and medicines as they relate to Indigenous health and wellness;Examine how colonialism, and its related processes, have disrupted Indigenous health and wellness;Describe and critique the range of methods and methodologies used in Indigenous health scholarship;Think critically and innovatively about how Indigenous research can be most beneficial for supporting Indigenous health and wellness, across varying places and environments.Technical guideline: The research needs to be grounded on Indigenous research paradigm. Based on the objectives of the study, we have tentatively chosen the following methods to conduct research. If a student intends to use a different methods, she/ he needs to consult the research supervisor and discuss the feasibility of the technique. The methods might change according to project need. The project will be guided by OCAP principles. The project recommends a mixed method approach by using both Indigenous and non-indigenous techniques. A student can follow both or any one of them.Open ended interview: We will have project virtual gathering and after each gathering, only the Elders participants from the gathering can be interviewed. The interview questions will be open-ended and will focus on the history, practice and benefits of cultural and traditional knowledge.Story telling: During the gathering the Elders will be requested to share cultural stories related to the particular skill. Data on significance of cultural practices should be analyzed and thematized and correlated with participants’ response.Pre-requisite: Students must have foundational knowledge of aboriginal history, politics and culture. They should also have some basic knowledge on conducting research with Aboriginal Elders and community protocols on connecting with Elders. Priorities will be given to students who has completed UCN's research methodology course with Aboriginal and Northern Studies Program.

Transcribing interviews and organizing qualitative data

Objective:The overall objective of this proposed project is to integrate Indigenous Knowledge and Western science in order to explore the promise of value-added fish products in Northern Manitoba.As part of this project we would require students to participate in:Transcribing Indigenous fishers' interview to word documents using Otter.ai platform Organizing the final word documentsAssist in importing and organizing data into Dedoose software (qualitative analysis)For additional information see summary of the projects' objective below:Objective 1: To determine which fish species have been traditionally caught and used in Cree (Ininew/Inniniwak) communities in Northern Manitoba and to document Indigenous knowledge surrounding fish species with high potential value within these communities and to the South.Activities: Individual interviews have been conducted with total of 30 Elders and fishers in Misipawistik Cree Nation and the Métis community of Grand Rapids Interviews: The intent of these interviews were to identify and characterize: 1) the species and common names of fish caught by local fishers; 2) differences in fish species and quantity in summer and winter and how these numbers have changed over time and how they vary among communities; 3) the current appeal of these species and their cultural and likely nutritional value; 4) processing, preservation, and recipes for each species and associated value-added products; 5) changes experienced in local dietary habits around fish consumption, as well as, preferences and impacts on traditional livelihoods, notably changes in the quality of country foods; and 6) species and products that participants feel have high potential to be consumed by local Indigenous residents if given the opportunity.Quantitative data analysis: The interview transcripts will be coded into Dedoose software and any emergent themes will be identified and matched .

Research Assistant: Indigenous Language Documentation and Resource Development

Indigenous language documentation and allyship, teaching methodologies and resource development for learners

Aboriginal Oral History Methodology

Project Description: Emphasis will be placed on the cultural, practical and critical issues involved when using oral history methods. Topics include interview techniques, data collection and analysis, appropriation, ethics, protocol and global and regional examples of oral historical projects. Central to the course is the fact that Aboriginal oral histories continue to be told, retold, validated and interpreted within Aboriginal communities and also within cross-cultural contexts such as academic communities, the courts and in curriculum development. Students are given the opportunity to carry out a small-scale oral history project. At the end of the project students will be able to independently complete a research project.Project Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:1. Demonstrate critical thinking, observational and analytical skills;2. Demonstrate written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills by actively participating seminars and engaging in critical discussion;3. Demonstrate an understanding of interview techniques, data collection and analysis, ethics, protocol and global and regional examples of oral historical projects;4. Identify issues related to oral history methodologies, particularly as it relates to Aboriginal peoples and communities.Project Pre-requisite: There are some pre-requisite for this project. Students much have basic knowledge on Aboriginal history and politics and also foundational knowledge on conducting research with Aboriginal communities and interviewing Elders. Priorities will be given to students who have taken Introduction to Aboriginal Studies and Research Methodology in Aboriginal and Northern Studies Program courses with UCN. Students must have basic knowledge on Interview outlines and questions, OCAP principles, effective interviewing techniques, legal and ethical concerns of research.Objectives: To acquire skills on oral history methodology, students will write a research proposal, complete the research ethics protocol, complete REB CORE tutorial, prepare interview questions, conduct one interview, analyze interview data and write the final research report. They can choose any topic related to Aboriginal history culture politics from the past and can interview one Elder.Deliverable: Students will produce one paper at the end of the project.

Research Assistant: Indigenous Language

Research and report on Indigenous language teaching best practices, examples and methodologies internationally.

Aboriginal Oral History Methodology 2023

Project Description: Emphasis will be placed on the cultural, practical and critical issues involved when using oral history methods. Topics include interview techniques, data collection and analysis, appropriation, ethics, protocol and global and regional examples of oral historical projects. Students are given the opportunity to carry out a small-scale oral history project and interview Elders and knowledge keepers.Students are given the opportunity to carry out a small-scale oral history project and interview Elders and knowledge keepers.Project Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:1. Demonstrate critical thinking, observational and analytical skills;2. Demonstrate written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills 3. Demonstrate an understanding of interview techniques, data collection and analysis, ethics, Aboriginal research protocols 4. Identify issues related to Aboriginal oral history methodologies.

Indigenous language and culture grant writer

We are looking for assistance in finding and completing grant applications that support our mission and vision for UCN's Centre for Aboriginal Languages and Culture.We believe this project will include:· Develop a needs statement that characterizes the community problem and justifies the need for our project and funding.· Identify potential sponsors and funding opportunities that are a good fit for our organization and project.· Interpret a request for proposal (RFP).· Research, plan, write, edit, and revise a persuasive proposal narrative

Promotional Content Creation

We are looking for students to help us with creating content for campaigns and events that are aligned with our mission.The Centre for Aboriginal Languages and Culture at UCN works to promote, preserve and revitalize Aboriginal languages in Northern Manitoba through community-driven process that celebrates and recognizes the importance of language and culture for the benefit of children, communities, students and future generations.This will include:Content creation for our organization including written collateral and promotional assets.

Land-Based Camp Event Coordinator

Work with team to coordinate and plan a 3-day land-based camp to teach Indigenous youth Indigenous language and share culture. The event will be located in Northern Manitoba.This project should focus on:Event planning and coordination including pre-event preparation ( amenities and logistics)Promotion (including community outreach)Successful implementation (including assisting with the development of an event evaluation questionnaire)

Indigenous food and health sovereignty in time of Covid 19

Project Description: Aboriginal food and health sovereignty refers to people’s right to acquire and celebrate traditional food and collective wellbeing which involves cultural, spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional security of individual and community. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown methods, this time of survival preparation—and practicing customary, land-based knowledge and focusing on mental health and self-care—became all the more urgent in many Aboriginal families and communities. This claim raises two questions. The first is about what type(s) of community programs are likely to achieve benefits for Aboriginal people. The second is how community members are sharing the impact of the program activities with others. Based on these questions this research project will focus on community resiliency and the diverse ways health and food sovereignty are being practiced and perceived at the community and individual level in the time of the Covid 19 pandemic. The project will work with First Nation communities in northern Manitoba and give participants opportunities to do qualitative interviews to gather knowledge from community narratives.Project Scope: The mission of UCN’s strategic plan is to serve northern communities and people with education, training, teaching, learning, and research while being inclusive and respectful of diverse Indigenous and northern values (UCN Strategic plan, 2021). This research intends to initiate a knowledge-sharing process between northern communities and UCN students, support groups, and researchers. Aboriginal communities in northern Manitoba have been resilient since time immemorial and people in these communities have been fighting colonialism, environmental racism, and many other systemic oppressions for centuries while holding on to their insights and wisdom of traditional knowledge which are the foundation of their resiliency. There is much to learn from them and this research will create a respectful knowledge-sharing process and will contribute to UCN’s strategic plan. The learning process will be created through the following activities: a) documenting local interventions towards health and food sovereignty; b) creating educational resources for community programs and; c) generating online discussions amongst students, academicians and support groups, and community members through webinars and social media communication to understands the relationship between health and food sovereignty with Indigenous self-determinationProject Skill Development Opportunity for Students and Deliverables:The project will teach participants diverse skills such asIndigenous research methodsCommunity-based participatory researchConversational Interview MethodsQualitative data analysisLiterature reviewDesigning and publishing academic postersThe supervisor will provide weekly guidance and lectures to the team. Each student can choose their own project topic and can decide to produce different types of deliverables, it could be either academic report or paper or academic poster.Project Objectives: Community-led understanding of knowledge has been recognized as a way of decolonizing research. However, highlighting community narratives as a key source of knowledge is not systematically addressed in health and food sovereignty research involving Indigenous peoples in the world. Our objective will be to· Do a systematic literature review of health and food sovereignty knowledge gathered from community narratives.· Conduct a comparative analysis of the Aboriginal health and food sovereignty looking at past, present, and future state of knowledge.· Gather community perspectives of food, health, and community well being in the time of Covid· Share community stories with students and academicians through webinars and online gatherings.· Invite community supportive philanthropy and academic research organizations to support the project and help create educational resources

Indigenous Language Resource Development

We are looking for students to transcribe interviews with knowledge keepers for digital and traditional media use.We believe this will include:· Transcription for short videos· Website content· Resource content

Truth and Reconciliation Goal: Aboriginal Health, Food and Cultural Empowerment

Project Description: Following the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the project aims to educate students on recognizing the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and the need to promote healing, equity, and respect for/of Indigenous cultures and values in Canadian Society. Students will do research in separate project related topic through community engagement. At the end of the project each participants will submit a final research report of project deliverable decided by the supervisor.Project scope: The mission of UCN’s strategic plan is to serve northern Aboriginal communities and people with education, training, teaching, learning and research, while being inclusive and respectful of diverse Indigenous and northern values (UCN Strategic plan, 2021). This research project intends to initiate a knowledge sharing process in between northern communities and UCN students. Aboriginal communities in the northern Manitoba projects resiliency since time immemorial and people in these communities have been fighting colonialism, environmental racism and many other systemic oppressions for centuries while holding on to their insights and wisdom of traditional knowledge which are the foundation to their resiliency. There is much to learn from them and this research will create respectful the knowledge sharing process and will contribute to UCN’s strategic plan.Project Goal: Goal of the project will be to gather knowledge about the current status of health, land based food and cultural activities organized by the communities and community based organizations.Project Objectives: To achieve these goals students can take the following objectives1. Conducting literature review on a chosen topic2. Conduct interview with an Elder on a chosen topic3. Collect health or food related traditional knowledge on a chosen topic.Students will have to discuss the scope of their topic with the supervisor before they outline their task. Each students much have basic knowledge on conducting research with Aboriginal communities. Priorities will be given to those who has taken UCN's Research Methodologies in Aboriginal and Northern Studies Program (ANS 2100)Potential deliverables: At the end of the project each participants will submit a final research report/paper/assignment.