CEC (Calista Education and Culture) and ELOKA (Exchange of Local Observations and Knowledge in the Arctic) are hosting a free three-day workshop, February 22-24, at the UAF Kuskokwim Campus.
The workshop will focus on our Yup’ik Atlas, developed over the last three years as a collaboration between CEC and ELOKA. Working with communities, CEC and ELOKA have created a skeleton on the Atlas, including close to 6000 Yup’ik place names (google “Yup’ik Atlas” and take a look). Now it is time to put meat on these bones, which is something only community members can do.
The workshop will be led by Peter Pulsifer, the lead on the ELOKA Project, who will come to Bethel from his home in Montreal. CEC anthropologist Ann Riordan will assist.
The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in learning how the Atlas works, as well as in discussing how we might best use it to share information in the YK delta. We hope the workshop will include students, school district personnel, tribal administrators, and representatives of local organizations.
The College has generously given us the use of a large classroom. We want to fill every seat! Hopefully this will be the first of several workshops in Bethel over the next three years. We hope you can join us!
If you have questions contact Ann Riordan at [email protected] or 907-346-2952. Bring your smart phones!
Workshop Description
This introductory workshop will provide interactive instruction in the collection, display and simple analysis of data of the land and culture. Our definition of “data” is broad and includes place names, photos, audio recording of stories, video, documents and social media feeds. The starting point is the use of simple data collection devices (e.g. smartphones, GPS, cameras etc.) to create resources such as point locations on a map, photographs, digital audio and video clips, simple documents, and social media posts. Participants will then use a variety of desktop and web-based tools to create interactive stories focused on the land. In addition to technical instructions and “hands on” activities, there will be discussion of important topics such as understanding the ethics of creating, using and sharing data.
Throughout the course, there will be discussions about the connection between culture and new technology and how to use technology for the benefit of Yup’ik communities in the YK region and the North as a whole.
