Summer Semester 2013 FNST 161 – The Pit House Course Title First Nations Culture: Level 1 Hours 120 hrs. Day/Time July 2nd – 4th, 7th – 11th, 14th – 18th, and 21st – 25th from 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. daily (Lunch Break 12:00 – 1:00) Location behind UNBC (on UNBC/ Lheidli T’enneh Traditional Territory) Instructor Vince Prince Contact: 250-614-4461 or [email protected] Teaching Assistant Jennifer Pighin Contact: 250-552-0826 or [email protected] Description: In this hands-on experiential course instructed by Vince Prince, with Jennifer Pighin and a Lheidli T’enneh Elder as Teaching Assistants, students will engage in the making of a Dakelh style Pit House. Dakelh translates as the “people who travel by boat” and are the indigenous people from the north central interior of British Columbia. A Pit House is a traditional winter dwelling historically used by many indigenous peoples around the world. This class occurs on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh at the Prince George campus of UNBC, with Lheidli T’enneh permission. This location provides a natural setting with the opportunity for authentic cultural experiential enrichment in Dakelh culture through the construction and use of the winter Pit House. Through participating in the Pit House course students will have hands-on experience while developing an understanding of First Nations history, traditions, culture and appreciation for the environment and its traditional and contemporary uses. This First Nations culture course has been made possible through partnership with the Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre (ABCDC) , support for the Lheidli T’enneh and an UNBC Experiential Learning Award. Summary of Goals:  The course will teach students about Dakelh traditions, history and culture and create a culturally aware and culturally sensitive community of students working collaboratively together to produce a Pit House that will fosters pride in the collective accomplishment, regardless of ancestry  The course will empower students to learn more about their own identity and how every person has gifts that are valuable to the communal project  The course will also create an environment in which high school and university undergraduate students will learn from each other while acquiring course credits towards graduation from high school and/or undergraduate programs Course content will include discussion and activities around the concepts of: 1. Making traditional structures from traditional materials 2. Using traditional and contemporary tools and techniques 3. Harvesting processes and techniques 4. Building processes and techniques 5. Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge 6. An introduction to aspects of the Dakelh culture 2 7. Critical reflection though journaling and shared discussions Objectives: 1) By using traditional and contemporary tools and techniques for creating the Pit House students will be able to: • describe traditional and contemporary harvesting techniques • develop an understanding of traditional and contemporary tools and technologies for designing and building a winter Pit House • demonstrate an ability to apply processes and techniques relevant to making a Pit House by collaboratively participating in the creation of one This will be measured through instructor and TA observation of students, attendance, and journals that record the students daily activities and reflections. These will all contribute to the participation mark. Students will be expected to have engaged with each step of production; a participation mark will be assigned for each activity. Thus the goals are measured as achieved if the student has record of having participated in each activity through instructor/TA observation records and/or personal record keeping and by providing documentation demonstrating their awareness and understanding of the process, steps and concepts discussed through entries in their journals. 2) While participating in class lessons, guest presentations, daily activities and engaging in class discussions students will: • develop a greater ability to understand the significance of context and cultural history related to Dakelh life including an experiential process of learning, community responsibility, “seasonal rounds”, holism and individual exploration of self • identify and describe the significance of context and cultural history related to the Dakelh traditional knowledge about the making and use of a Pit House • demonstrate awareness and respect for values- based teachings • acknowledge the importance of and participate in supporting, protecting and preserving Indigenous technologies, techniques, knowledge, and oral traditions This will be measured through observation by instructor(s) while students participate in the course dialogues/circles and shared work with fellow classmates. Observations will take note of activities and behaviors of daily practice and attitudes around the topics identified which will be discussed regularly during daily opening and closing circles as well as throughout the day while students work. Oral traditions will be shared by the instructor and guests during the course and the student's learning from these oral traditions will be observed in noting the students' behavior and in assessing their journals and Final Critical Reflection Paper. Journals will be assessed for critical thinking on these discussion topics and activities. Most notably, the Final Critical Reflection Paper will assess the student's engagement with these issues. Thus the goal will be achieved if all students are fully engaged in the project and/or complete the project, if students have been observed working as a community, if discussions show increased awareness and consideration of these topics and if daily journals and Final Critical Reflection Papers reflect critical thinking and awareness of these topics. 3) Emphasizing respect for the environment through the duration of the course students will be expected to conduct their business in such a way as to ensure the construction of the Pit 3 House has minimal impact upon the environment. This will be measured through student participation in using and arranging natural materials in order to successfully complete construction of the Pit House while having minimal impact on the environment (i.e. no litter, low impact disturbance). Photo and video documentation of the process from beginning to end will also provide a starting point and end point for measuring environmental impact on the surrounding area. Thusly, we will know if respect for the environment is achieved if the environment remains in a condition like that prior to the building of the Pit House but with a Pit House completed. General Requirements/Expectations: Attendance - Regular and punctual Participation – must be a respectful, consistently attentive observer, active participant, and contributor to discussions Material Preparation - must follow appropriate procedures to demonstrate an understanding of the safe use of space, tools, materials and processes so as not to endanger themselves or others Project completion – must make all possible efforts to complete the project within the time specified Journal - submission of a journal of daily entries recording the process, observations and reflections on the experience with evidence of critical thinking and personal inquiry as described below Reflection – completion of a 3 to 5-page critical reflection paper as described below Grading Format: Participation Journal Final Critical Reflection Paper 50% 30% 20% The Journal: You are evaluated on your contribution to the project as well as through your personal learning journey throughout the project. The benefit of journaling is that it liberates you from formal writing and enables you to explore and develop connections between thoughts and experiences through creativity and problem solving. Journal entries should include the following: 1. Documentation of the process - daily notes on instruction, discussions, demonstrations, guest speakers, and project work. Documentation can occur through diagrams, photographs, narration, lists, etc. 2. Observations – record other observations during the class such as mood, atmosphere, sounds, the weather, guests, discussions, the actions and feelings of yourself and others. These observations can reveal new information and provide insight as to how things were going for yourself and others at a particular moment and may be of use when reflecting on the experience later 3. Critical Reflections – at various points in the day pause to describe your feelings, thoughts and how this experience affects you. Analyze these records to examine yourself and consider why this is so: individual exploration of self is crucial to this step. Critically examine your interpretations to consider new interpretations and identify the significance of your understanding. Identify what you might do with any new knowledge and understandings resulting from this practice. 4 Your journal should be descriptive, creative and reflective. Daily entries do not need to be lengthy or artistic but should cover all parts mentioned above. It can include sketches, poetry, narratives, artwork, newspaper clippings, collages, photos etc. You will hand in the journal for evaluation. Submission and return process will be flexible and discussed with class. Final Critical Reflection Paper: A 3 to 5-page reflection paper may be completed on word processor or within your journal at or near the end of the course. Your personal reflection paper will be confidential unless you choose to share it. It should present your overall critical reflections about your journey through this course. Again, the submission and return process will be flexible and discussed with class. Readings will be made available: Resources available in UNBC Library/periodically brought to class: Hayden, Brian. 1997. The Pithouses of Keatley Creek: Complex hunter-gatherers of the Northwest Plateau. Fort Worth, TX : Harcourt Brace. Morice, Father Adrian. Depiction and description of the Pit House in The Great Dene Race, 1924 Sherwood, J. (2010). Return to Northern British Columbia: A Photojournal of Frank Swannell 1929 - 1939. Royal BC Museum. Victoria. Steward, J. Investigations among the Carrier Indians of British Columbia’. Source: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Mar., 1941), pp. 280-283 Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/17243 .Accessed: 30/10/2012 19:36 Materials to bring:  work gloves  steel toed boots  Bug repellant  appropriate outdoor wear  Plenty of fresh water  snacks/lunch  a journal, notebook or sketchbook  writing/drawing utensils (optional: camera, scissors, glue and whatever you choose to bring for your journaling) Course Schedule: see next page 5 Course Schedule (subject to changes): Week 1 Wednesday July 2 *** Meet at Rotunda Gallery 9:00am*** Thurs. July 3 Friday. July 4 Bring: cameras, journals, lunch etc. AM PM 9am Morning Circle: LUNCH 12:00 -1pm Daily • Individual Introductions Meet and head to site: • Course Outline • On-site tour • The context • Safety - Safety - Safety - Why a pit house? - local and cultural history of • Site Preparation begins Pit Houses and other dwellings 4:00 - 4:15 Journaling/Reflections - What exactly are we doing 4:15 - 4:45 Wrap-up Circle/Daily and how? Discussion 9am Morning Circle: • Safety: Travel, any medical conditions, First Aid • Schedule of tasks for the day • Questions and Concerns Embark on Tour of Nu Yiz Pit-house near Fort St. James Return to UNBC for Wrap-up Circle 9am Morning Circle: (topics included daily) • Safety: Axe, Shovel, Draw-knives, Chainsaws and Felling, First Aid etc. • Schedule of tasks for the day • Questions, Comments and Concerns Start of Project: • Preparing the site • Planning the structure, mapping it out • Stripping Bark using Traditional and Contemporary methods and tools 4:00 – 4:15 clean-up and journaling reflections 4:15 – 1:45 Wrap-up Circle / Daily Discussions Week 2: Daily Schedule • 9am Morning Circle • Digging, Harvesting, Preparing, Building, Sharing, Discussing, Journaling (Lunch 12 – 1pm) • 4:15 Wrap-up Circle / Daily Discussions Week 3: Daily Schedule • 9am Morning Circle • Digging, Harvesting, Preparing, Building, Sharing, Discussing, Journaling (Lunch 12 – 1pm) • 4:15 Wrap-up Circle / Daily Discussions Week 4: Daily Schedule • 9am Morning Circle • Building and Refining Structure, Sharing, Discussing, Journaling (Lunch 12 – 1pm) • 4:15 Wrap-up Circle / Daily Discussions Friday July Celebration Potluck! th 25 Journals and Reflection Papers Due (accepted until July 31st) 6 7