Northern Alberta Institute of Technology High Tech Aboriginal Program

In this paper, I will discuss the possible uses of computers and the Internet is bringing northern isolated communities together to preserve the language and culture of the Chipewyan people. During the 1970’s and 80’s I had the privilege of travelling to a majority of these Chipewyan communities in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. The Chipewyan or Denesuline are part of the Dene tribal group of Athapascan Indians and are the most widespread tribe in all of Canada. As a Dene language consultant, I traveled to these villages mainly by small plane such as the Otter and Beaver; many communities were only accessible by air or by river.

The vast distances I covered to visit the Denesuline people were sometimes hampered by inclement weather, muddy or snowbound runways and sometimes even by stray animals. It was certainly an adventurous time for me.

During my visits to these isolated communities, I discussed a variety of topics with the educators, leaders, students and elders in the villages including the preservation their history, lifestyle and issues of major concern to their survival and development. Other issues included local government control, health and education, small business development, tourism and the pursuit of their traditional hunting lifestyle.

Several years have passed since this informative fact finding mission among my people. As a Denesuline, I was interested in researching the history and the life of our widespread tribe. There are approximately thirty Chipewyan communities in northern Canada and a majority of these hamlets are quite isolated. The Dene traditionally traveled in small family groups, a nomadic people who followed the migrating caribou herds. Each community I researched expressed similar concerns for the maintenance of the Chipewyan language, traditional stories and legends, historical information and factual data regarding treaty negotiations and agreements and community profiles. How could all this information be compiled stored and shared with other Denesuline people considering the great distances from one community to the other? It occurred to me that the only viable solution for addressing these questions that was the use of the Internet.

By using the Internet to connect the Denesuline communities, they would be able to take advantage of several computer applications to preserve their language, stories and history, develop educational curriculum materials, exchange information and communicate with each other in real time. My vision of a widespread tribe connected by the Internet is a dream that, with today’s technology, is a realistic and practical approach to addressing common concerns and will serve to unite a tribe that is fragmented alone by distance.

At the present time, most if not all the Community offices have computers and all the schools are connected to the Internet. The challenge up to now has been the relatively high cost of long distance telephone lines that is required to connect the Internet services. As time progresses and the use of satellites become more prevalent and the technology becomes cheaper to use, more individuals, businesses and Band Offices will become wired and accessible to other Chipewyan communities and indeed the outside world.

In my dream world, my vision would have each village complete a detailed network within the community itself. This includes all the schools, Band Offices, Health Centres, Public Works and Communications offices. Each community would maintain a hub or network server to tie in all the offices and service organizations to the net. Once the network is established within the community, the network would expand, connecting to all the other Chipewyan communities.

Here is how I would envision them operating: Each Band Office would have direct communications with other Band Offices, thereby connecting the Chief and Councils and Band Administrators together. All would communicate as a large tribal Council with the inclusion of all the Bands, regardless of size or location of their community. All Health Centres would be tied in so they could share statistics, traditional medicines and training techniques. The schools would

develop and share curriculum material, particularly the language texts, exercises and dictionaries. They could also have employment notices for teaching or other available positions where the Chipewyan language is an essential qualification.

All Band Administration personnel would have access to community development ideas and proposals. This is particularly important because some provincial jurisdictions deal with issues in different ways. For example, the First Nations in the Northwest Territories have much more say in Renewable Resource development of traditional lands, in comparison to their Alberta counterparts. The Saskatchewan government has reached co-management agreements with their Bands, whereas the Alberta government has not done so with Alberta Bands. How do these differences affect their Band members and what benefits and/or compromises result? Until now, the Chipewyan communities have not had the technology to coordinate a common approach to the discussion of these and other vital issues that affect them.

A further innovation that may be considered as part of this unification process, is the development of CD ROM disks that contain the vital information about the Chipewyan people. In a series of virtual rooms, the language and culture of the Denesuline will be revealed. As you enter the first virtual room, a Chief or Elder would welcome the visitor to the virtual site. As one moves to the language room, an instructor is teaching the Chipewyan language, from beginner to advances lessons, using a Chipewyan dictionary that is acceptable to all the 30 Canadian Denesuline communities. In the next room, an elder will be teaching you how to set beaver traps or how to hunt moose using traditional methods. Then in another room, a lady will be teaching you how to make hand-tanned hides. Yet another virtual room would have artisans demonstrating the fine art of quill beading or moose-hair tufting. One could learn traditional tea dance songs in a separate cultural learning room. Another room would perhaps feature an historian speaking of the Canadian treaties made with the Denesuline and the vital role they played in the early development of Canada as a nation; such contributions as the canoe, snowshoes and basic survival skills were vital to the whiteman’s transition to this new and harsh land.

In conclusion, the use of computers and the Internet are the solution to the question of bringing communities closer together to share information and common concerns, address vital issues and to preserve the language and culture of the Chipewyan people of Canada. No longer should physical distance be a deterrent to providing communications to Canada’s northern communities and certainly the cost of implementing such worthwhile endeavors should be examined to create a level playing field for all Aboriginal communities, regardless of their size or where they are located in Canada.