With the launch of the Indigenous digital spaces such as Ahasiw Maskegon-Iskwew's
Isi-pîkiskwêwin-Ayapihkêsîsak (1996) and Skawennati's
CyberPowWow (1996) digital space become a vital new territory for the resurgence of Indigenous storytelling and cultural practice: “We have signed a new treaty,” Cree artist Archer Pechawis wrote of this era, “and it is good. We have the right to hunt, fish, dance and make art at www.CyberPowWow.net, .org and .com for as long as the grass grows and the rivers flow.” Pechawis’s declaration was not only prescient—the world of Indigenous new media would grow exponentially in the 2000s—it also marked the digital as sovereign, self-determined Indigenous space. Via summary and analysis of key article, this wiki explores the theoretical, cultural, socio-political, and gendered dynamics underwriting the histories and futures of Indigenous new media as it develops out of the late 90s and into the present moment. See the index on the right for for articles and summaries written by the students of FNIS 454.
Image credit: Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC). This image, featuring avatars designed by students in FNIS 454, was taken in AbTeC Island (Second Life) as part of the 7th Generation Character Design Workshop.
Thesis
How can Indigenous new media honour the ongoing survivance of Indigenous peoples while simultaneously creating future spaces for Indigenous sovereignty?
