Module III - Cultural History

Essential Question: What is culture?  How can it be defined?

To define culture is to take this extremely large idea and try to cram it into a small box.  Its definition is complex, and deserves much more than just a fast and easy answer.  It becomes difficult to define because it is possible for people to identify with more than one culture, based on their environment, family, etc.  Parts of a culture can also change and adapt over time.  In Rosman, Rubel, and Weisgrau’s book, The Tapestry of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, they write that “cultures were ever separate bounded entities…the characterizations of one culture have always spread from one culture to another” (p. 5).

A cultural mosaic

But if I had to define culture I one swift sentence, I believe that it describes the beliefs and values shared by a group of people.  The word culture can be used to describe and incorporate the lifestyles, traditions, language, and even food of that group of people.  Depending on what cultural group we hail from, it can impact how we view the rest of the world and interact with others.

In order to characterize and understand a culture, it is important to know the history of that culture.  In the “Philosophical Foundations” (2004) article on the AK History and Cultures Website, the author addresses the value of history:

The study of Alaska cultures and history is useful and important for helping us to understand how human life has developed in this region, this state.  It’s important for helping us understand what challenges people have faced and how they met them, and how the process shaped their lives and their culture.  Alaska’s various people and their histories affect us today; we did not create the world we live in; it was created for us by those who went before us.

Because history is alive and always changing, so is culture.  Of course, there are traditions and values that are passed from generation to generation.  When a culture faces new challenges or developments, parts of the culture may adapt without completely losing focus of its long-standing history.

Examine Question: What are some examples of cultural contact that represent adaptation, adoption, resistance, assimilation, acculturation?

Adoption: To take as one's own, especially an idea, principle, or a religion and henceforth live with it and by it.  In Native societies, the shaman was viewed as having the healing power that provided the people with good health.  When smallpox was first introduced to Alaska in the 1700’s, shamans were no longer useful in warding off or curing the disease.  A Russian Orthodox clergy was able to provide the smallpox vaccination for anyone who needed it.  Because of the vaccine’s effectiveness, many natives turned to the Orthodox church and adopted many of its values and beliefs.

Saint Michael's Russian Orthodox Church in Sitka, 1887

Resistance: The refusal to accept or comply with something.  One issue that is still a point of contention today is that of Alaska Native’s rights for subsistence.  From a cultural standpoint, Alaska lands had traditionally been used by Native societies as “uses of fish and animals for food, shelter, fuel, clothing, tools, and transportation, implying a continuous dependence on the resources over time” (“The Alaska Natives,” p. 97).  This issue has caused a division of ideas, with some believing that the government should support rural rights, whereas others think the state’s natural resources should be tapped without regard to traditional use.

Assimilation: the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another.  In the early 1900’s, the United States passed the Dawes Act, which divided land into singular units for Native Americans in an order to ‘civilize’ the people.  The American dominant society (Western-European) wanted to assimilate the Native societies into their culture.  Unfortunately, the Native males were often given rights to lands that were not adjacent, thereby breaking up the society’s unit. In “The Alaska Natives” by Fae Korsmo, she writes that the Dawes Act “failed to assimilate Native Americans or to eliminate the tribe as a fundamental unit” (p. 81).  Resistance to the new laws resulted in a repeal of the Act, and turned land rights back over to the Native societies.

Evaluation

Even though the content available for this week’s module was extensive, I found myself seeking other resources that were more specific to topics that I found appealing and wanted to know more about.  I’ve also had a lot of experience researching Native culture in Washington state, and found it interesting that as different as the history and cultures may be of each tribe, the interactions with the Western culture is eerily familiar.

Blog Reviews

Brad discussed the issue of teachers bringing their own culture, experiences, histories, etc. into the classroom and sharing it with their students.  I liked how he addressed that teachers have to be aware that they do in fact share their culture – it is not invisible, and can impact their teaching practices.

Peter addressed the critical need for understanding of Alaskan cultures, past and present.  Without knowledge of the history between Native societies and early explorers and settlers, there can be a misconception about the current state of Native cultures.

Heather looked at the beliefs and values of the Alaska Native groups.  She pointed out that several of them are universal – working hard, showing respect for the land, sharing, etc.  She also mentioned that each culture’s values can be specified due to their Place, and address the particular needs of that tribe.

Module II - Natural History

Essential Question: How does knowledge of natural systems inform our understanding of cultural systems?

As Module II has really stressed, everything is connected!  I think that an understanding of our natural systems helps create and form our cultural systems.  For example, when one lives in Seattle, one begins to realize that it rains more than usual.  Because of this, the Seattle culture has adapted to its natural system – raingear is a number one seller, drivers know to slow down if there is a puddle and a biker in the same vicinity, and the residents still get out to play regardless of the rain.  While this may be a trite example, it still works.

I watched the video on how global warming was affecting the village of Shishmaref.  Located on the west coast, the village sits on the Bering Sea.  During the winter, the sea freezes all the way to Russia; recently, the sea has lost 40% of the ice due to global warming.  Where there should be solid ice, four feet thick, you instead see small glimpses of the sea below the ice.  The greenhouse gases emitted into the ozone has begun to take its toll on village life in Shishmaref, even though they are located far away from the smog-ridden cities such as Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

So understanding the environmental system and changes in Shishmaref can provide us with a bird’s eye view into the village’s culture.  The natural system is affecting their food supply, for one.  Game will not venture onto unstable ice, and the villagers lose opportunities to hunt for sustenance.  Now frequent storms have ruined or destroyed several homes.  Rather than rebuild or move, villagers relocated the house (as much as they could) to higher ground.  By having a glimpse into everyday life of the people of Shishmaref, you can see that it is not an easy answer to just say, “Move, leave, things are changing.”  Instead of eradicating the culture, we have to adapt and look for long-term solutions.

Examine Question: Relative Locations vs. Absolute Locations

Where on Earth is Alaska?

It’s all about context!  In the Alaska History and Cultural Studies website, I read that General Billy Mitchell thought that Alaska was the center of the world.  When I read that, I wondered – did Billy never leave Alaska, and therefore, thought that everything revolved around it (or him?)  But his description of how Alaska is in the center of many major cities does make sense, and in a way, does make Alaska the center of the world.  As I mentioned in Module I, Place is relative.  Alaska is part of the United States, North America, the Northern World, and the North Pacific.  Described on a map, Alaska is connected to the westernmost side of Canada, and extends out into Bering Sea as if to touch Russia.

What are the physical dimensions of Alaska?

My grandparents live in San Antonio and believe that everything’s bigger in Texas.  Well, sorry, but Alaska takes the cake.  The state’s 589,194 square miles makes up 16% of America’s total land mass.  According to the picture below, Alaska is larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined.

Furthest points East, West, North and South?

Alaska’s southernmost point is Amatignak Island, in the Aleutian Islands.  Its northernmost point is Point Barrow.  To the east, there is Cape Point, and to the west, Cape Wrangell on Attu Island.  I found it interesting to note that the Amatignak Island and Cape Wrangell are located closer than I imagined they would be, since they are the southernmost and westernmost points, respectively. 

Evaluate

This week’s assignment really threw a lot of information at us!  Although it was lengthy, there were many pieces of information that I found fascinating, and was surprised by many others.  I was very interested in reading about climate change in Alaska – we know that global warming is affecting our entire globe, but until this module I did not quite understand exactly how Alaska was impacted.

Module I - Place and Pedagogy

Essential Question: Why is an awareness of Place important?

The thing I love when we talk about ‘Place’ is that the ideas and connections change once we start to broaden or restrict the Place’s context. For example, America is a place, and therefore, we are all Americans. Typically to be attached to this Place of America means that you have an awareness of the symbolic meaning of being American: patriotic, free, etc. Let’s narrow it down to Alaska. We’re still American, but now we are aware that our context of being American has changed. Were you born and raised in Alaska? You may identify as native. New to the state? Cheechako. And if we scrutinize this idea of Place further, and concentrate on smaller areas, we start to see how identities change once we look at Anchorage versus Galena, Barrow versus Ketchikan. It’s important to be aware of Place because our outlook alters as we alter views.

When we think of education, being aware of Place is extremely important. My grandpa would always tell me when I was younger that when he was in school, he didn’t get that “fancy learnin’” that I was privileged enough to have. Because he lived in farm country, his education was based around how to raise cattle, and count hay bales quick enough to guesstimate how much money they were going to earn once they sold it. Would his education have been different if he would have been raised in the city? Absolutely. Awareness of Place helps educators understand what the essential need is of their students. Does that mean that we ignore everything else? No, but we can begin to connect with others is we have an understanding or appreciation for their Place.

Understanding our own Place is important as well. What’s the old saying, you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been? I love that I can look back and acknowledge all of the Places that I have been, and how my outlook/personality/education/etc. changed because of the different Place. In the general sense, recognizing all of the different Places you’ve been can help you become more open and willing to learn in and about a new Place. In a literal sense, I am now the expert in everything Seattle-related to my students J


Examine Question: How can educators use new media to better reach and teach Alaska's students?

With the advancements made in today’s technology, many educators and students can have the world at their fingertips. No longer are students viewed as ‘empty vessels, waiting to be filled with knowledge.’ With new media, you can access any information when you want it, and in however form you want it. The big new media is the Internet. Now, students aren’t limited to the information they have in their classroom or home. They can find more resources and in more forms – videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.

To connect back to the idea of Place, one piece of new media that immediately sprung to mind was Skype. Skype is a communication tool similar to video conferencing, but done over the computer with an Internet connection. Learning about your personal Place is important; learning about others’ Places helps students see comparisons, differences, and make connections they may not have gotten before. Skype came to mind again because rather than just viewing a website that could tell you about a Place (let’s choose Washington, D.C. for example), you have the opportunity to talk to someone who is there, and hear their direct perspective. This makes it personal for the students, and seems much more engaging.

Social networking sites can also be used to better reach students. I utilize this tool in my own classroom. Thinking back to my high school days, if you wanted a reminder about your homework, you better write it down in your planner. If you couldn’t remember what pages you had to read, you better call your friend before curfew. With a social networking site, students can connect with both the teacher and their peers with quick results. I have a class Facebook page that I monitor very closely. I post homework reminders, test dates, etc. Students have the opportunity to post questions if needed, and either I or another student can respond. Rather than that student emailing me and hoping that I check my work email, or texting a friend who is maybe busy with something else, they have one place to go that all of my students have access to.


Evaluation

Because I am a Cheechako taking an Alaska studies course, I am intrigued by the idea of Place and how we as educators can utilize it to better reach our students. I myself am going through a transition, so I found it helpful to discuss the contexts of Place, and how it really does help form our identity. I am also still a little mystified by the stories that I hear about teaching in ‘the village,’ so I am interested to hear more about the differences between that and in Anchorage!

A favorite place

One of my favorite places in the world is Cannon Beach, Oregon.  Every summer since I can even remember, my family would make the trek from our hometown in Washington to the Oregon coast for a few days to spend at the beach.  We had close friends that lived nearby that we would visit, and we'd play in a beach volleyball tournament in Seaside.  It was a great summer vacation for a young girl who grew up in a place that was infested with tumbleweeds.

Cannon Beach was always my favorite because it was a peaceful place.  The beach is extremely beautiful, and offers solitude when needed - never overcrowded, never too loud, almost like a hidden paradise.  I often think of the beach if I'm having a stressful day or just need a happy memory.