What this Compendium is About
How the Compendium was Compiled
How the Resources are Classified
How the Compendium is Organized
How to Use the Compendium
Carrying on Your Own Search
for Resources
Resources That Go Out of
Print or Production
Potential Local Solutions to
Resource Gaps
This compendium provides program developers and staff with a starting point for
locating culturally relevant and age-specific resources to further the
educational aims of Aboriginal Head Start programs. The majority of resources
in this compendium would also be useful for other program components of
Aboriginal Head Start, especially culture, language and health promotion.
This compendium includes basic information about more than 800 resources that
could be used to support the education component of Aboriginal Head Start
Programs. Titles, authors, descriptions, and ordering information are provided
for a wide range of books, learning activity kits, educational videos, learning
toys, games, puzzles, alphabet cards, audio tapes, CD-ROMs, posters, and other
types of resources for use by young children. These resources should be used in
conjunction with appropriate educational guidance, support, and interest by
parents and child care practitioners. These resources could be used in centre
or home-based early childhood education programs. These resources have been
created by private and public organizations and individuals, and are available
on the market and through non-profit agencies.
The reason why this compendium has been created is that many program developers
and staff of programs for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children have been
seeking educational resource materials that will further the following
objectives:
-
reinforce Aboriginal children’s cultural identity and pride in their cultural
heritage
-
provide interesting ways to stimulate children’s curiosity and knowledge about
their culture of origin
-
expose Aboriginal children to their traditional language.
Many people working in programs for young Aboriginal children and families are
well aware that culturally relevant educational resources for preschoolers are
few and far between. They surface only occasionally amidst a huge sea of
resources for and about non-Aboriginal children, families, and social
institutions. Also, as yet, there is no single or major distributor or
‘Clearinghouse’ for educational resources that are especially suitable for
Aboriginal children’s programs. This makes it hard to know about and even
harder to obtain appropriate resources that do exist. The purpose of this
compendium, then, is to centralize and classify as many educational resources
specifically for and/or about Aboriginal children, families, and social
institutions as possible. The goal is to help parents and other care givers
engaged in providing educational stimulation and support for Aboriginal
children in Canada.
It is important for children and their caregivers to see themselves, their
families, communities, and natural environments ‘mirrored’ and explored in the
materials and environment of the program in which they are participants. A
careful selection of some of the resources listed in this compendium will help
to ensure that Aboriginal children see themselves reflected in the stories they
hear, pictures they see, objects they play with, and the environments in which
they interact every day.
In a separate section of this compendium, there is a short listing of resources
for use by adults involved in delivering early childhood programs that are
culturally diverse or that have a ‘multicultural’ aspect. This type of ‘professional
development’ material was beyond the scope of this compendium, but some
that were uncovered are included here because of their potential usefulness for
educators.
This compendium is avaiable on the website of the Aboriginal Head Start
Association of BC (www.ahsabc.ca). Also, the compendium may become available as
an Access file distributed on CD-ROM.
Resources that are listed in this compendium were found through an extensive
search of Aboriginal publishers’ and distributors’ websites and resource
catalogues, child care-specific publishers and library collections, resource
lists provided by public and private agencies and organizations, visits to
Aboriginal resources centres, Friendship Centres, band offices, public schools,
craft fairs, Aboriginal Head Start and other preschool training workshops, and
word-of-mouth. Staff members of some Aboriginal Head Start programs provided
some of the best leads on where to find relevant materials, and special thanks
go to Tina Fraser, Coordinator of the Aboriginal Head Start in Prince George,
and to Chester Ashley, Coordinator of the Cedar Road Aboriginal Head Start in
Prince Rupert.
Criteria used to select a resource for inclusion were that the item must:
-
have potential to support the education component of Aboriginal Head Start
programs;
-
be appropriate for use by young children, particularly those from 3 to 5 years
of age;
-
represent Aboriginal cultures, particularly those located on the west coast of
Canada.
This is the first compendium to be created using these criteria. In order to
identify the largest number and widest range of resources for this first
compendium, the project team cast a wide net. The search extended to producers
of resources that were Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, private or public,
Canadian or American, and for-profit or non-for-profit.
Although the first priority for compiling the compendium was to find resources
for and about Aboriginal people on the Canadian west coast, a decision was made
to be more inclusive and to list relevant resources that were uncovered for a
wider audience. Thus, the compendium includes resources from nations across
Canada and the United States. Some of these resources can be used to teach
about Aboriginal cultures other than the one to which program children and
families belong. The Resource Records describing Aboriginal educational
materials from across the continent provide clues to the kinds of places to
look for culturally appropriate materials. Also, various resources created by
bands and cultural associations often provide good examples of the types of
resources that can be created locally.
Often an indication that a resource was particularly good was that it was found
on many different websites of Aboriginal organizations or catalogues containing
Aboriginal materials. For these ‘high profile’ resources, the records in the
compendium may have reviews and/or descriptions from various sources, all of
which offer more information and viewpoints about the resource. For a small
number of resources, the project team conducted a review of the resource and
included it in the Resource Record.
Some resources were uncovered that are of questionable authenticity (e.g.,
plastic totem poles with the suggestion that children can paint them “based on
native American traditions”). Most resources were excluded from the compendium
if they were judged by the research team as inauthentic or exploitive of
Aboriginal motifs or intellectual property. Some resources of questionable
authenticity have been included in the compendium with a cautionary note.
However, the scope of the compendium project did not extend to obtaining and
reviewing each item. The ‘mandate’ for compiling this first compendium was to
find resources that meet the criteria and provide enough information so that
program providers themselves can further explore the nature of the item and,
potentially, order it for their program. It is recommended that the next step
in the evolution of this compendium is to obtain Aboriginal consultation in
various regions of Canada to review, vet, and add to the Resource Listings.
Overall, although the compendium contains a large number of resources, there is
nevertheless a limited range of resources and many Aboriginal groups are not
represented at all in available resources. It remains the case, and perhaps
will always be the case, that some of the most valuable, culturally appropriate
educational resources for young children can be found right within one’s own
community. For example, at a recent Aboriginal Head Start training workshop,
many directors and staff described or demonstrated program resources that had
been created by community elders or by program parents (e.g., kits for making
locally significant objects such as baskets, button blankets, totems, dream
catchers, bead work, miniature clan houses for playgrounds, canoes for fantasy
play). Some specific strategies for filling the gaps in Aboriginal educational
resources are suggested at the end of this Introduction. Locally created
educational resources can help to promote the parent, elder, and community
involvement components of Aboriginal Head Start programs.
In order to make it easier to search for a particular type of resource for a
specific population of children and a specific educational objective, the
resources have been classified in three ways:
-
Theme
-
Geocultural Focus
-
Resource Type
The primary Directory of Resources is presented in alphabetical order, with
resource titles listed according to Theme. A Supplemental Directory of
Resources towards the end of the compendium provides a listing of all the
resource titles grouped according to Geocultural Focus (i.e., all the Resource
IDs for materials about Ojibway, all the Resource IDs for materials about
Canadian Aboriginal people).
Theme
Each resource has been classified according to the main theme or purpose of the
resource (e.g., Art, Cognitive Skills, Cultural Identity, Legends, Nature,
Reading Readiness, Traditional Language). The Table of Contents shows
that the resources have been organized in the compendium according to an
alphabetical ordering of these Themes.
The Theme of a resource was determined on the basis of the information
available, which was usually only the information provided in the Resource
Record (i.e., not from direct examination of the actual resource). For some
resources, more information or an actual sample of the resource was available
to the compendium project team, and in these cases the theme was determined
based on a more thorough examination of the resource.
In all cases, the Theme is intended to represent the primary focus of the
resource. Many items could easily have been classified according to a number of
different themes.
To search thoroughly for a particular kind of resource, it is best to use the
Indices, and to use a number of different key words to try to locate the
resource needed.
A note about legends: In view of the focus of the compendium on
Aboriginal content, it was decided to distinguish between Stories and
traditional Legends. The books themselves were usually not available for
examination, and time constraints precluded community consultation about the
source of stories. Thus, it was often not possible to establish with certainty
whether a book should be classified as a Story or as a Legend. If available
information did not clarify that a story had a traditional cultural origin, it
has been classified as a Story. The difficulty in this matter may have resulted
in mis-characterizing some stories. Also, since most legends do not have a
specific author, in most cases no author has been indicated for Legends,
although sometimes a band council or cultural association who distributes the
legend was referenced on this line of the Resource Record.
Geocultural Focus
In order to assist educators in identifying materials that are personally
relevant to children in Aboriginal Head Start programs, each resource has been
characterized according to the geocultural or linguistic affinity of the
material contained in the resource. In some cases, the cultural or linguistic
group that the resource is about was clearly stated by the producer or
distributor, or was definitely known by the person or group that helped to
identify the resource. In most cases, however, the geocultural target audience
had to be inferred from the description of the resource. This may have resulted
in some over-generalizations or mis-classifications. The team that compiled
this compendium were not ‘experts’ on Aboriginal cultural or linguistic
designations and naming practices.
Many of the resources bring together material from a variety of communities, and
an effort was made to reflect this grouping. For some resources, no specific
affinity with any particular geocultural group could be identified from the
information available, and so these were characterized under more general
headings (e.g., "Canadian Aboriginal"). It is important to find out
more about a resource in order to determine whether it will effectively
represent the cultural group(s), language, geographic circumstances, and other
aspects of the children and families in a particular program. Note that
although a resource may arise out of a particular cultural or linguisitic
group, many resources in this compendium could been viewed as useful to the
broader community of Aboriginal children and families.
A note about Aboriginal authors: For resources produced by an Aboriginal
author(s), it was not assumed that the Geocultural Focus of the resource was
necessarily the same as the author’s cultural affiliation. An Author Index
towards the end of the compendium provides a way to search for resources by
particular authors.
Resource Type
Each resource has been characterized with reference to the type of resource it
is, such as book, learning activity kit, audio tape, CD-ROM, game, learning
toy, map, and so on. While every effort was made to locate a wide range of
types of educational resources, the search yielded many more books (stories and
legends) than any other type of resource. A Supplemental Directory of Resources
towards the end of the compendium shows a listing of all the resources
according to Resource Type (i.e., all the resource titles and IDs for books,
all the resource titles and IDs for learning activity kits, etc.).
A note about Target Age Range: The focus of the search for resources for
this compendium was materials for children ages 3 to 5 years. However, all
resources that were found for children ages 0 to 6 years have been included.
Many publishers/producers used words rather than age ranges to describe the
target audience (e.g., young children, early childhood, Grades K to 2).
Variations in age ranges complicated the task (e.g., 4 to 7 year olds). Using
an inclusive approach, resources were selected for the compendium if they
covered any part of the age range 0 to 6 years. If no information was available
about the target age range for a resource, but the resource met other criteria
for inclusion in the compendium, the Resource Record indicates, for Target Age
Range: “Unspecified.” Program planners should pre-screen these resources to
ensure that they are appropriate or can be adapted for use with young children.
This compendium is a ‘work in progress.’ Resource review information,
descriptive information, and additional resources could always be added.
Hopefully, it will never be complete, but will continue to grow as more people
create, make available, and provide evaluative reviews of educational resources
that are aimed at stimulating the development of specific populations of
Aboriginal children.
Variations in Resource Record Completeness
Each resource is identified in this compendium by its own ‘record’ with a unique
record number. The records do not all have the same amount of information. For
some resources, it was easy for the compendium project team to get all the
information needed to complete the record. For other resources, it was much
more difficult to obtain all the information one might like to have. In
compiling this compendium, it was decided to include resources that might be
useful as long as there was enough information for a reader to be able to
embark upon their own search for more information, including how to order the
resource. All age-appropriate, education-oriented resources have been included
for which there is, minimally: title, author, resource type, and evidence that
the resource is ‘aboriginal’ in focus.
Evaluation of Resources
While many of the records for the resources include descriptions, these
descriptions should not be mistaken as critical reviews or evaluations. For
most resources, the descriptive information was provided by the producer or
distributor of the resource. Thus, it is important for users of this compendium
to ask questions about a resource before purchasing it. Sometimes, other
program providers or parents may be familiar with the resource and can provide
a critical commentary on it. Sometimes the distributor of the resource is
willing to send the resource for ‘examination’ before requiring purchase.
Authenticity
It was beyond the scope of compiling this first compendium to take the steps
that would be needed to ensure the authenticity of the resources with respect
to their Aboriginal representativeness or the rights of the producer to use and
distribute Aboriginal ideas or objects. Again, it is important to find out more
about a resource and, when possible, to inspect it, before purchasing it for
program use.
The Table of Contents shows the various parts of this compendium, and
where to find each part according to page number.
The information for each educational resource is contained in a format called a Resource
Record. Each resource has its own ‘record’ and a unique Resource ID
number, which appears on the first line of the Resource Record. The
Resource Directory in the front portion of the compendium, the two Supplemental
Directories appearing after the Resource Listing, and the two Indices at the
end of the compendium direct you to record numbers, not page numbers.
A standardized format is used for each RESOURCE RECORD, as follows:
| RESOURCE ID: |
Unique number assigned to each Resource
|
| TITLE: |
Resource Title
|
| Author: |
Author(s), or Organization that produced Resource
|
| Theme: |
Main focus of the resource
|
| Geocultural Focus: |
Who the resource is mainly about or for, in terms of cultural or
linguistic group |
| Age Range: |
Based on publishers/distributors information
|
| Resource Type: |
e.g., book, video, kit, game
|
| Fiction/Non-fiction: |
For stories
|
| For Child or Educator: |
Nearly all of the resources are for children. However, a few
resources are to support educators in facilitating a learning activity.
|
| Description: |
What the resource is about, what it is for, where it originates
|
| Review: |
Critical commentary, evaluation
|
| Companion Material: |
e.g., manuals for how to use the resource to promote learning
|
| Cost: |
In Canadian funds unless otherwise noted
|
| Ordering Information: |
When possible, Canadian rather than American ordering information is
provided.
|
| Reference/Catalogue: |
When possible, bibliographic information and call numbers are
provided to enable ordering from local bookstores and borrowing from local
libraries.
|
| Borrowing Information: |
This is especially useful for materials that may be out of print but
may be accessible via lending services
|
| Website:
|
Website URL
|
| |
|
NOTE: Some Resource Records provide only partial information.
There are many different ways for you to search for relevant materials for
specific educational purposes. In all the listings of resources, including the
Directory, Appendices, and Indices, the numbers refer to Record IDs and not to
page numbers.
Searching by Theme
The Resource Directory in the front part of the compendium and the
complete Resource Listing are organized by Theme. The Themes have
been presented in alphabetical order. Resources listed under each Theme are
listed alphabetically as well.
In addition to searching for relevant resources by Theme, the Supplemental
Directories and the Indices towards the end of the compendium provide other
ways to conduct your search.
Searching by Geocultural Focus
Supplemental Directory I lists Resource Titles grouped according to their Geocultural
Focus (e.g., all Northwest Coast, all Metis).
Searching by Resource Type
Supplemental Directory II lists Resource Titles grouped according to
their Resource Type (e.g., all books, all videos, all audio tapes).
The Author Index and the Subject Index provide listings of
Resource IDs WITHOUT the accompanying resource title.
Searching by Author
The Author Index lists Resource IDs according to their author (i.e., you
could find all Resource IDs for works in the compendium produced or co-produced
by a particular author). In some cases where an organization produced a
resource and no author has been named, the organization is listed as the author
and could be searched for using the Author Index.
Searching by Subject (Key Word Search)
The Subject Index lists Resources IDs according to key words and phrases
that are found in the title, description, or review of the resource. So, for
example, you could find all Resource IDs for works in the compendium that
relate in some way to whales, or to masks, or to legendary figures such as
Nanabasho, or to respect.
Combining the use of the Resource Directories and the Indices will produce the
most thorough search for exactly the type of resource needed.
Appendix 1: Listing of Websites used to Locate Resources - Appendix 1
lists the websites where some resources in the compendium were found and where
other relevant resources may be found in future.
Appendix 2: Listing of Publishers and Distributors used to Locate Resources
-Appendix 2 lists publishers and distributors whose catalogues,
bibliographies, order information sheets and hard copies of books were used to
source items for the compendium. These are likely sources of relevant resources
in future.
Appendix 3: Sources in British Columbia for Borrowing Resources - Appendix
3 lists the names and contact information of organizations in British Columbia
that may lend resources relevant to educational goals for Aboriginal Head Start
programs, including some of the resources listed in the compendium.
Website and publisher information has been provided because many companies and
other organizations create new materials on an ongoing basis. Program
developers and staff may wish to search for new resources periodically.
The websites and publishing/distribution houses cited in the Appendices also
list resources that were not included in this compendium because they did not
meet the specific criteria for inclusion, but they may still be useful to
Aboriginal Head Start programs. For example, resources for older children can
sometimes be adapted for younger children. There are many resources for adults
working in child care programs (e.g., reference material, curriculum planning
materials, instructional guides for working with children with special needs).
Resources for parents and guardians are also listed on many of the websites and
by many publishers/distributors cited in the Appendices.
One example of a website with a broad focus that was a useful starting point for
compiling this compendium is Turtle Island Native Network (www.turtleisland.org).
While this website does not list resources that could be used for this
compendium, it provides links to many other websites that do. This and other
websites in Appendix 1 would also be good starting points for searching for
other types of Aboriginal Head Start program resources.
Two organizations with websites that are rich sources of educational and other
resources for Aboriginal preschool programs, and that include both Canadian and
American Aboriginal materials, are worth noting. They are both based in the
United States.
1. Oyate (www.oyate.org) is a
Native-run organization that focuses on evaluation and recommendations of
resource materials for children and teachers with regards to their accuracy and
authenticity in representing Aboriginal history and contemporary culture. They
also conduct workshops on how to evaluate children’s materials in terms of
anti-bias criteria, how to administer a small resource centre and library, and
how to distribute material produced by Aboriginal people.
2. Native Child (www.nativechild.com)
lists and distributes resources and curriculum designs to affirm Aboriginal
children’s culture, identity, self-confidence, and sense of belonging. As key
providers of curriculum and resources for Native American Head Start
Preschools, their focus is children aged 3 – 5 years. Ideas for creating
resources for Aboriginal Head Start programs in Canada may be obtained from
this website.
Some resources in this compendium have ceased to be available (e.g., have gone
out of print or production or a distributor has run out of stock) even during
the four months that the compendium was compiled. Since these are potentially
excellent resources, they have not been deleted from the compendium. It may be
possible to borrow them from a local library, find them second-hand, or find
them through an alternate distributor. Even in rural communities, it may be
possible to request an inter-library loan if the resource is not in the
collection of a local library.
The most appropriate tools and resources often come from within one’s own
community. As with all community development projects, the challenge is to tap
into the wealth of local knowledge and talent and make it accessible to
children and families through the creation of stories, activity kits, toys,
games, and other resources. Many Aboriginal child care staff have innovated
ways to create, adapt, and access resources. Following are a few suggestions
offered by community-based program staff.
-
Translating English storybooks
Some centres use storybooks written in English and translated into their
traditional language. Books can be translated in advance by a local elder or
community member who speaks and writes the language, or by the child care
worker as he/she reads it to the children.
-
Language audio card reader
Another example of a way to adapt a currently available resource (listed in
this compendium) for traditional language acquisition is the Audio Language
Card machine. An elder or other community member who speaks the language can
record various words and sentences on the blank cards, and then children can
practice traditional language skills on their own.
-
Community created resources
It is sometimes more cost-effective and satisfying to order toys, games,
puzzles to be created by a local craftsperson than to order more generic, and
often culturally inappropriate, resources from mainstream catalogues.
-
Establishing connections with local school districts
Virtually all school districts in British Columbia, and perhaps in other
provinces and territories, have a First Nations liaison or resource person. In
conjunction with local First Nations communities, many school districts are
producing excellent, locally relevant and culturally appropriate curriculum
materials, especially in the area of traditional language. These can be adapted
for use with preschool-aged children. Some school districts have small First
Nations library collections from which Aboriginal Head Start Centres may be
able to borrow resources.
These examples reinforce the potential for local initiative and community
involvement in gathering culturally appropriate educational resources for
Aboriginal Head Start programs.
|
