“We stand apart, living together in an increasingly hostile and distrustful social reality in which land, sovereignty and self-determination are ever more urgent in the lived experience of native people. We stand opposed, unaware that we are all rooted to each other in the construction and the appropriation of the contradictory Indian social imaginaries which make native sovereignty and self-determination so important to understand and so difficult to achieve” (Valaskakis, G. G., 1993, p.167)
During this course, I have thought a lot about how technology can benefit the Aboriginal communities in positive ways for: self determination, collaboration, and to promote sovereignty. For a culture that is so grounded through spatial, social, spiritual, and experiential dimensions, and a mainstream society with completely different values and perspective on life, can there be a balance between their traditional way of life and all the benefits the technological world has to offer? Indigenous values and beliefs are so connected to their natural world, while “mainstream” communities are so caught up in a virtual world, and the reality is that these “two worlds” are so far apart. Technology has changed the “western way of life” and I can only imagine the battle these communities are having against such a powerful force, especially for the elders. But does it have to be a battle? In this website, I analyze the ways in which two cultures can work collaboratively and learn from the strengths of their diversity harmoniously. I will also explore the possibilities for Indigenous communities to still preserve their culture while embracing technology to promote it.