Description:
This project has three goals:
The first goal is to digitize a group of 173 audiocassettes and 22 VHS tapes containing recordings of Blackfoot ceremonies, songs, worldview stories, and history. Most of the recordings are in Blackfoot, with the remainder in English. The collection, recorded in Alberta and Montana in the early 1960s and the 1980s, contains approximately 90 hours of invaluable audiovisual material. After digitizing the Crowshoe collection, we will work with the United Way of Calgary and Area (UWCA) to produce copies for archival purposes and share among local Elders.
The project’s second goal will be to train a Blackfoot cultural consultant to index, archive and organize the digitized collection.
The project's third goal is to distribute copies to Elders working with the UWCA, enabling them to study the stories and histories held in the collection.
Together, these three goals will lay the foundation for the work of the Elders Knowledge Circle (EKC). This project, led by a group of Treaty Seven Elders, is dedicated to protecting, revitalizing and sharing the stories, language, oral knowledge and practices from Treaty Seven Nations; helping reconciliation efforts; transferring knowledge to future generations; and serving as a centralized resource for Western organizations—public, private and non-profit—to consult with Elders and Indigenous communities using appropriate protocols.
Expected Results:
Creation of a digital copy of the Crowshoe collection of Blackfoot language recordings
Elders provide Blackfoot consultant guidance about what themes, ideas, and keywords to focus on when organizing and indexing collection
Digitized Crowshoe collection, along with index and interpretive guide, is available to Elders
Knowledge Circle and broader Treaty Seven community
Organized collection of digitized tapes that is formatted to maximize accessibility for Elders and community members