Digital Story on Personal Relationships
What is the Purpose of this Assignment?
The purpose of this assignment is for students to explore and reflect on their relationships (with themselves, others, and their environments) through meaningful engagement with the land.
What are the Assignment Requirements?
Indigenous Peoples are deeply connected to their natural environments; they are not separate from them but a part of them. For some of us, the fast pace of modern life has severed our connection to the land. This creates a sense of detachment from our surroundings that can make us forget how truly important the natural world really is.
“One of the best ways to reconnect is simply by spending time outdoors sitting in quiet awareness… A place to settle down, cultivate present-moment awareness and a quieter mind, and to observe the flow of reality occurring around you… (wildernessawareness.org)” It is instinctual for people to find a particular place in nature that they enjoy visiting over and over again – to some people, this is known as a “sit spot.”
For this assignment, students will establish their own “sit spot,” visit it throughout the semester, and ultimately reflect on their experience in the form of a digital story.
Digital storytelling combines the best of two worlds: the “technological world” of digitized video, photography and art, and the “traditional world” of Indigenous story sharing (examples found below under “Helpful Resources”).
In the context of this assignment, students’ digital stories should be made using a range of audio and visual elements, are required to be 4-6 minutes in length, and should include the following:
- A meaningful self introduction (name, background, relationship with the land, etc.)
- Overview of chosen sit spot (i.e. “What makes this place significant to you?”), including which traditional/treaty territory it exists within
- Acknowledgement of the Indigenous group(s) native to the region
- Personal impressions about Indigenous Peoples’ role in protecting the land
- Reflections (i.e. students’ personal opinions, feelings, lingering questions, and course connections)
Students may use a “script”, however this, nor any other written component, is required for this assignment.
Students are encouraged to get creative and speak from the heart – be your authentic self!
Helpful Resources
- Digital Storytelling:
- Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/view_story.cfm?vid=480&otherid=featured&d_title=Featured%20Digital%20Stories
- Create a Digital Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVKeO5IIR_A
- Digital Storytelling with PowerPoint
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2MbBSc6930
- Sit Spots:
- How to do a Sit Spot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o68hF8JdQV8
- The Sit Spot Initiative
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nje6cc0x6U
- Indigenous Peoples and Treaties:
- Whose Land
- Map of Ontario treaties and reserves
https://www.ontario.ca/page/map-ontario-treaties-and-reserves
- Treaties and Agreements
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100028574/1529354437231#chp3
A meaningful self-introduction
Connection with the natural environment is an awesome feeling that everyone should find time and have such an experience. While various places, sites, and natural features provide this experience, I found that Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada is, besides being the most famous spectacle of the continent, it is also the most amazing and appealing place to visit while visualizing about nature.
At Niagara Falls, about 3,160 tonnes of water flow over the falls every single second. Such makes it the best sit spot, enabling me to connect to Mother Nature, especially during my holidays. However, while this scenery is far from my place of residence, I find it worthwhile paying an air ticket just to visit and experience the natural beauty it portrays regularly. I learnt about the site through google maps after a friend of mine visited the place during the school holidays and dared me to try my experience. Undoubtedly, he really liked the experience from the way he praised the place, and hence, I had no choice but to plan my visit. On this note, I visited the place during one of my summer holidays, and the experience was unexplainably awesome.
Overview of chosen sit spot
Niagara is an interesting place to visit. Firstly, its proximity to Canada’s largest city makes it easily accessible. Noteworthy, Ontario is a quirky and fun city with a carnival-like atmosphere which easily appeals to families who come to enjoy the falls and the activities such as tours, rides, and action-packed amusements make if more fun. Besides, it is among the best places that I can choose for most leisure activities, including honeymoon and holidays. It is also a cheaper place to visit since one can stand on the very edge o the falls separated only by a railing, free of charges. Besides, a different perspective can be seen by taking a boat trip to the base of the falls or behind the falls where one can view the waters pouring from above. One thing that stands out as why the place is significant to me is the various activities that one can engage in while visiting Niagara Falls. In other words, it is a place that one can never get bored or regret visiting owing to its numerous activities. Firstly, the Maid of the Mist is as iconic as the falls themselves and riding on them is an experience I cannot easily forget. It takes around the visitors to capture a full glimpse of the fall. The Niagara Sky wheel is the other attraction that allows you to see the roaring falls. Besides, as one listens to the roaring falls, it provides a relaxation mood which helps to shade off stress and worries about life especially after a while of difficult times.
Acknowledgement of the Indigenous group(s)
Niagara Falls is recognized as a haven for all types of people looking forward to a fantastic vacation. However, it is quite inevitable to recognize that before the place developed into a vacationer’s wonderland, Niagara was populated by America’s first inhabitants. The early settlers where normally the hunters and gatherers who discovered the region around 12,000 years ago when the falls started to develop. The inhabitant’s beloved to the Clovis culture on nomads in North America. The group was initially recognized as the Onguiaahra, which depicts as the inspiration of the modern name ‘Niagara’. Thereafter, the French explorers discovered the region and renamed the place as ‘Neutral’ to include numerous tribes. The inhabitants discovered the soil fertility around this place which attracted them to settle permanently in the place. However, while the place has attracted interests across the world, the neutrals remain the aboriginals of Niagara.
Personal impressions about Indigenous Peoples’ role in protecting the land
Indigenous people of a given place tend to possess a special attachment to the natural features and beauty around them. This is also the case in the region around Niagara falls. On this note, the efforts invested in preserving the falls from risks such as water pollution and preservation as a tourist attraction are commendable. Noteworthy, the indigenous people have made tremendous efforts to ensure the beauty and fame associated with Niagara remains long-lasting and that people will continue admiring to visit the place. Such follows the benefits they have accrued from such visits and hence have an obligation to protect the land. As such, various bodies integrate to enhance this role through various responsibilities. For instance, Plenty Canada is an indigenous non-governmental organisation meant to protect the Mother Earth by promoting cross-cultural awareness of the indigenous approaches to achieving a sustainable environment for future generations. Another agency established to preserve the Niagara Escarpment as a continuous natural landscape is the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC).
Niagara College is another expression of the value of the indigenous place towards the land. Notably, the college offers educational programs that relate to the preservation of the environment, which can be attributed to the enhancement of the regions’ protection goals. I applause the establishment of these institutions owing to the fact that protection and maintenance of the Niagara land is an integral goal. In any case, the ability to attract millions of tourist across the world speaks volumes about how the indigenous have ensured the protection of this region to make it more valuable.
Reflections
Generally, life activities that one engages in can be appealing and awesome. Such include schooling, sporting activities, dancing, singing, and attending religious gatherings. However, there is nothing appealing as taking personal time and explore Mother Nature in a quiet mind when observing the flow of reality. In reality, people have different preferences in choosing the places to visit when they are free or rather during their vacations. The role of this kind of experience cannot be underestimated. Firstly, it enables one to regain a connection with the natural surrounding, which initiates a relaxation mood after days or hours of work. As one watches the natural surroundings, this activates the mind and is a dosage to developing creativity. The course was really educative, and learning the tips on how to establish a ‘sit spot’ and the tactics to experience the best from the exploration was commendable.
Besides, the course activated the interest in exploring natural beauties as the appropriate approach to developing quality stories. Sit spots are crucial in everyone’s life as they enable one to shake off the life burdens or worries and focus on creative things that could be a solution to such worries. Admittedly, through personal time in these sit spots, one realizes that there is more to explore and achieve through the numerous opportunities provided by Mother Nature. Finally, I recommend that everyone who has not visited Niagara Falls to try and experience the feeling and connection with nature.