The goal is to combat stereotypes and give more visibility to Native people and their culture . “ We wanted to center [ youth ] voices to highlight their achievements and their community ,” Ponce says . “ We also wanted to give non-Natives an opportunity to see our Native youth in a contemporary way — to see we are still here , and our youth are doing the same things that other kids do .”
The project involves volunteer Native American teachers who are creating fourth- and eighth-grade curricula that tie in to the state educational standards related to the Indigenous communities of Idaho . The team will also produce videos featuring tribal representatives speaking about storytelling and the history of tribes in Idaho .
“ TRIBES ARE CREATING DIGITAL REPOSITORIES OF LANGUAGE AND ONLINE CULTURAL LEARNING TOOLS . THERE ’ S STARTING TO BE SOME SERIOUSLY AMAZING , INNOVATIVE EXAMPLES .”
— Traci Morris , director , American Indian Policy Institute and member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma
Preserving culture
Digital technology also became vital for culture sharing during the pandemic . When meeting in person was impossible due to social distancing requirements , many tribes turned to digital forums . Facebook groups such as
Social Distance Powwow , which as of September had more than 264,000 members , showcase Indigenous art and culture and bring together tribal communities .
Sites like
Indigikitchen , an online cooking show , are being used to share pre-contact recipes made from traditional ingredients such as corn , squash , and wild rice that are healthier and connect Indigenous people to their culinary culture .
Other projects demonstrate how technology can bridge not only geographic distance but also the past and present .
The Brothertown Indian Nation was relocated from New England and Long Island to central New York , and then to Wisconsin in the 1830s . In 1845 , Thomas Commuck , a citizen of the Brothertown tribe , composed a book of hymns , Indian Melodies . More than 170 years later ,
members of the tribe traveled to Yale University in Connecticut to perform the hymns , which the Yale Blended Reality Laboratory and researcher Seth Wenger captured in a 360-degree video and sound recording . Wenger worked with the Tribal Council to identify the historic New England locations where the music would have been performed . Capturing the acoustic properties of those spaces in the tribe ’ s ancestral home lets listeners hear how the hymns might have sounded at the time they were written .
Tribal Council vice chair Jessica Ryan says the digital sound imprints allow tribal members to be immersed in the experience and make the connection between culturally significant spaces and sound . “ It ’ s amazing to have not just the sound but the power and the energy coming at you from every direction ,” Ryan says .
The recordings not only provide historical understanding about the role of Native Americans in early American music , but they also brought people together to help tell the story of what the music meant to the tribe . “ That ’ s a coming together , a ritual around the music and the history and a retelling of that history from a tribal perspective ,” Wenger says .
Brothertown tribal members have continued to maintain ties to New England , and Ryan says traveling to Yale and New Haven , which are located on Quinnipiac lands , to perform the music represented “ going home ” to her and other members .
But technology is just a tool for tribes , says Christen of Washington State University . “ Technology is really the secondary part of language preservation and broader cultural heritage reclamation ,” she explains . “ It ’ s about those community members on the ground every day doing the work .”
Abigail Cota , a member of the Shoshone , Paiute , and Tlingit tribes and student at the Duck Valley Indian Reservation ’ s Owyhee Combined School , demonstrates Lego robots for the Native Voices in Idaho project .
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