REVIEWS ONLINE MAAWANJI'IDING- Gathering Together Ojibwe Histories and Narratives Brain-Box Digital Archives Project
John Holt Senior Lecturer in Art and Design - Bretton Hall College of the University of Leeds, England. Maawanji'iding - Gathering Together The issue of how we engage with other cultures within education is a significant if not vital aspect of modern educational requirements. That a student's engagement with the "other" increases sensitivity towards and deepens an understanding of cultures other than one's own, establishes the basis of future engagement and relationships with others. In the past there has been a rather superficial and reductionist attitude in much of what we can call cultural education. The denial of context, both historical and political, the tendency to reduce complex cultures to simple formula is clearly in evidence in much of the curriculum materials available. This is especially true of cultures that are very much alive, their contemporary experience is so often denied and is often interpreted by academics and writers who have only a superficial understanding of the culture they seek to represent, and so often the people of the cultural group have no say in their own representation. This cannot be said for a CD-ROM recently published by hup!multimedia and the Brain-Box Digital Archives Project. For six years, project director Alex Smith worked on a remarkable CD-ROM entitled "Maawanji'iding", which means "Gathering Together" in the language of the Ojibwe, the Native American people who are the focus of this audio-visual archive of the cultural life of a distinct tribal group. This rich exploration of a cultural group is not merely a culturally specific study, but opens up implications of race and identity that go beyond the specific focus of the "Ojibwe" themselves. In many ways this publication can be seen as relevant in opening an educational debate into the history and status of a distinct cultural group and their cultural survival. That said, the CD-ROM is a work of great sensitivity and insight into the people themselves, their history and contemporary life. Throughout the making of this modern archive Alex Smith and co-workers collaborated with Ojibwa community members who participated in the program, consulting with them at every stage of its production. Suitable for a wide age range, from top Primary to College students, the multi layering of the work allows creative and interactive engagement with the oral and visual history of this remarkable Native American People. The work has a wonderful aesthetic, the design of both audio and visual elements is exceptional and offers the voices of the Ojibwa People themselves as the guides through the history and present day experience of their tribal group. The CD-ROM is constructed on four themes that are essential to native life, families, language, ceremony and the land. Each area presents a visual and oral narrative of the life and history of the Ojibwe People; stories about the struggle for survival of their traditional life ways, and of the history and places in which they locate themselves as a people. The construction of the CD-ROM is such that one is not offered a linear experience of issues, but more a paring back of levels, of the strata of Ojibwe life and history. This interactive element offers the student a sense of exploration, of discovery. Coupled with the highest quality of sound, image and design, the CD-ROM is a pleasure to use. The other elements of the work include the Seasons, which holds historical archive photographs from the Milwaukee Public Museum. Each image is explained by Ojibwe speakers, giving insights into their spiritual relationship with the land as time and seasons pass. The Timeline gives an interactive overview of historic events, placing the Great Lakes from which the Ojibwe come, into a larger geographical and historical context. The Speakers section is an opportunity to hear the testimonies of Ojibwe people themselves, introducing themselves and their roles and aspirations as tribal people. There is also an online links and resources, which takes you into the Internet where you can explore current developments or visit www. Brain-Box.com for more links and information. (Brain Box is derived from the Ojibwe word for laptop computer!). Maawanji'iding is unique in its presentation of the rich and complex life and history of a tribal people. This CD-ROM provides a framework within which a gathering of Ojibwe people speak directly to the listener. This has enormous educational significance in a cross curricular way and with a trans-cultural implication. Considered as historical, geographical, artistic or humanitarian, this CD-ROM breaks new ground in its format and its capacity to hear the voices of a cultural group, the Ojibwe who have much to teach us. As Sitting Bull, the great Lakota Sioux chief once said: "Let us put our minds together and see what we can build for our children." "Maawanji'iding - Gathering Together" is a good example of people working together to build the resources for education which we need now, and for future generations.
back to BRAIN-BOX main page hup! multimedia is the funder and publisher of the Brain-Box Digital Archives Project and has established a working group dedicated to a collaborative design and editorial production process. Our long term goal is to enable and support local initiatives in developing new media projects. For more information contact: info@Brain-Box.com.