Abstract Since the collapse of apartheid and the first democratic elections of 1994, education in South Africa has undergone fundamental transformation and part of this transformation was the reconstruction of the school curriculum. The new curriculum, known as Curriculum 2005 and developed in 1997, introduced Technology as a new learning […]
2010 • culture • education • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous technology • South AfricaMāori Maps: Gateway to Māori world of Marae
“Māori Maps is a gateway to the Māori world of marae. It aims to take visitors to the gateway of marae around Aotearoa/New Zealand; beyond that point, visitors can make their own interactions with the marae community. Māori Maps assembles information about all the traditional, tribal marae. It does not include […]
ancestors • Aotearoa • culture • Māori • mapping • marae • New Zealand • youthTrust and Technology: building an archival system for Indigenous oral memory
An excerpt from the Final Report of the Trust & Technology Project (2004-2006) Project Outline: The Trust & Technology (T&T) Project is an ARC Linkage project, with a partnership between Caulfield School of Information Technology, Monash University, Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies, Monash University, the Public Record Office of Victoria, […]
2006 • archive • Australia • culture | preservation • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • knowledge systems • Koorie • oral tradition • research • western knowledgeThe Impact of Digital Technology on Indigenous Peoples
An excerpt from Ecoliterate Law: Globalization & the Transformation of Cultures & Humanity If indigenously founded Internet resources and technologies are any indication of Indigenous peoples’ willingness to embrace the technological era, the answer is that many Indigenous communities see telecommunication and computer technologies as a way to improve, rather than […]
2009 • culture | preservation • human rights • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • Internet use • representation • WSISOrganization Highlight: International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
A new Ethnos Project feature… highlighting organizations of interest. From the IICD website: “At IICD, people are at the heart of what we do. We believe people need access to information to improve their lives. Particularly in developing countries. Farmers earn more from their produce if they know the current […]
Africa • development • ICTs • IICD • Latin AmericaA question about the effects of ICTs on minority languages and culture
I missed this interview with Ritse Erumi (posted by Watan Vota on ICTWorks web site in February 2011). I invite you to read the whole interview here. Below is an excerpt in which Ms. Erumi responds to this question… In previous conversations, we’ve talked about your interest in the impact […]
culture | preservation • ICT4D • impact of | ICTs • language | preservation • minority language • NigeriaThe Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC) strives to become the foremost international forum for practitioners, teachers, researchers and policy makers to share their knowledge and experience in the design, development, implementation, management and evaluation of information systems and technologies in developing countries. The Journal’s Rationale Contemporary […]
development • ICTs • information system • open accessAppropriate ICT as a Tool to Increase Effectiveness in ICT4D: Theoretical considerations…
Abstract The need to bridge the digital divide is no longer a point of discussion and therefore focus has shifted to the design and implementation of programs that have the potential to close the information and knowledge gap between the developing and developed nations. Unfortunately, the majority of these programs […]
2009 • appropriate technology • community informatics • development • digital divide • ICT4D • ICTs • Papua New GuineaCultural Issues in the Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies by Indigenous Australians
Abstract This paper investigates cultural issues concerning Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Indigenous Australians. Firstly, it examines whether the low adoption of ICTs by Indigenous Australians derives from a rejection of Western values embodied in the technology. A review of the existing literature shows no evidence for this. Instead, […]
2004 • Australia • community resistance • culture • ICTs • indigenous communities • western culture • western valuesTaking Ownership: Strengthening Indigenous Cultures and Languages Through the Use of ICTs
Indigenous peoples make up 5% of the world’s population, occupy over 20% of the earth’s landmass, and pursue self – determination and sovereignty in all 73 countries in which they dwell. [3] Technology is a tool, not just a reward, for growth and development. [4] When ICTs are introduced in […]
2009 • culture • development • globalization • ICTs • indigenous communities • indigenous language • revitalizationBeyond preservation: New directions for technological innovation through intangible cultural heritage
Abstract While many digitization projects are currently underway, to help preserve Indigenous traditions, few explore the full potential of the development of digital media and networked technology through Indigenous cultures. This paper outlines the three phases necessary for a robust digital preservation, promotion and growth project: Straightforward documentation of Indigenous […]
2010 • cultural heritage • culture | preservation • design • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • innovation • traditional cultureA Forum for Indigenous Culture Building and Preservation
Abstract This paper provides a context for a professional forum to consider the roles that can be played by museums, museologists, technologists and Indigenous cultural community members to support and rebuild cultural communities and to preserve Indigenous culture. As such work often does not take place within institutional walls, it […]
2007 • aboriginal • Australia • culture | preservation • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • museum • representationA model for community participation in African libraries to preserve Indigenous Knowledge
Before you begin reading the essay, you may wish to listen to Betsie Greyling talk about the Ulwazi Programme in this video: Abstract Africa and African libraries and information centres are poorly equipped to make a meaningful contribution to the current global digital knowledge economy. The lack of management systems […]
Africa • database management • Durban | South Africa • eThekwini • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge sharing / exchange • library database • participatory • Ulwazi Programme • virtual libraryDiscourse, ‘Development’ & the ‘Digital Divide’: ICT & the World Bank
Abstract Information and communication technology(ies) (ICT) is tipped to play an increasingly enabling role in the inclusion and exclusion of groups from participation in the discourse of ‘development’, with material consequences. In affecting how ‘development’ is framed, discussed and practised, the conception and use of such technologies itself thus becomes […]
2004 • development • development discourse • digital divide • discursive analysis • ICTs • World BankETEC 521: Indigeneity, Technology and Education
One of my guilty pleasures is reading the class blog for ETEC 521: Indigeneity, Technology and Education, a course taught at the University of British Columbia in their Master of Educational Technology program. Here’s a bit about the blog (from the About page): “These weblogs provide information on the collective […]
education • indigenous / traditional knowledge • researchBuilding Indigenous social capital in an online world
Abstract This paper examines the nexus between social relations of mutual benefit, information communication technology (ICT) access and social inclusion. More specifically, a case study methodology is used to examine the role of ICT in facilitating the social capital of Indigenous communities. A remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory […]
2010 • Australia • development • ICTs • indigenous communities • literature review • social capital • social changeHAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory
The world didn’t end on May 21st. Don’t be sad. There’s a cool new journal to check out… From their website: HAU, Journal of Ethnographic Theory, is an international peer-reviewed, open-access online journal which aims to situate ethnography as the prime heuristic of anthropology, and return it to the forefront […]
anthropology • ethnography • indigenous / traditional knowledge • open accessViTu: a system to help the Mexican people to preserve and celebrate their culture
This paper (excerpted below) by Mónica Isabel González Arribas, Emilio Sánchez Sánchez, and Edgar de los Santos Ramírez was presented at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2011) in Vancouver, BC. Abstract ViTu is the entire development of a system focused on appreciating and highlighting […]
2011 • culture | preservation • ethnography • indigenous communities • kiosk • Oaxaca | MexicoRe-framing HCI through local and indigenous perspectives
This post provides information about “Re-framing HCI through local and indigenous perspectives,” one of several workshops that will be held at this year’s Interact2011 Conference on Human-Computer Interaction in Lisbon, Portugal. Interact2011 Workshop on Indigenous HCI Monday, 5 September 2011 Workshop organizers Jose Abdelnour-Nocera, University of West London Masaaki Kurosu, […]
2011 • conference • design • human computer interaction • indigenous / traditional knowledge • Malaysia • SarawakTime Machine 1997: The Internet and Indigenous Groups
Fourteen years ago, Cultural Survival Quarterly published an issue focused on the Internet and Indigenous groups. The pieces are introduced below with links to the articles in full. It is interesting to see how many of the concerns and issues explored still persist. If you haven’t heard of Cultural Survival, […]
Cultural Survival • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • Internet use • traditional cultureDesign, Development and Research 2011
Inaugural Conference on Design, Development and Research 2011 Bellville, Cape Town September 23, 2011 – September 27, 2011 Design is integral to the IT discipline, e.g. it is an important component of the software development process. There is also much activity in ICT4D; health & community informatics; business; and other […]
2011 • Cape Town | South Africa • community informatics • conference • design • development • ICT4DTen Canoes: too much to fit…
“From almost the beginning, there were too many things that too many people wanted for them all to fit in just one feature film.” This is not so much a sell for the movie (released in 2006), but a brief introduction the possibilities Indigenous film can have within a given […]
Arnhem Land • elder • indigenous / traditional knowledge • Media: Film • Ramingining • Ten Canoes • tribal law • YolnguManaging Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions: Is Technology the Solution?
Abstract This paper discusses current issues surrounding the management of indigenous knowledge (IK) and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) in libraries, archives and other cultural institutions. It addresses the need for: (1) ethical policies for the management of these knowledge systems, (2) critical approaches to the dominant library paradigm of information […]
2009 • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • intellectual property • knowledge systemsIndigenous Tweets
Indigenous Tweets is a website and accompanying blog by Kevin Scannell, a professor of Computer Science at Saint Louis University. To explain the project, I quote from the Indigenous Tweets blog: Project Background Speakers of indigenous and minority languages around the world are struggling to keep their languages and cultures […]
endangered language • language | preservation • revitalization • TwitterIndigenous Language Revitalization and Technology: From Traditional to Contemporary Domains
This paper describes critical areas in which technology plays a role in language and culture revitalization and explores efforts made by Indigenous communities to preserve, maintain and revitalize their Indigenous language with the help of computer technology. People are interested in both traditional and contemporary culture and are finding new […]
2009 • cultural heritage • indigenous communities • language | preservation • revitalization