Ancestral knowledge from the internet

[WhoMe]

Today you can find almost anything you want on the internet including Sun Dance and Sweat videos, Powwow dancing and song videos, and peyote songs, etc. One important part of Native culture involves ways of asking for and receiving ancestral and cultural knowledge. however, lots of people now learn exclusively from youtube and other internet outlets. It is changing Native culture. Is this a good thing? What do you think?

[alumphfres]

Personal opinion - not a good thing... Ancestural and cultural knowledge cannot be truely experienced in a (music) video as seen through the eyes of the producer, director or cinematographer in 3 minutes or more without delving into the background of the person or people participating in a particular event.

[Fang]

I'm in agreement with Alumphfres in that ancestral/cultural knowledge cannot be truly experienced through video. It's receiving third-party information that is skewed in the way of its recorder, and the viewer really may not even know how accurate that video really is. On top of that, watching through a glass window is not the same as experiencing something in person and it lacks many of the learning methods and customs that are withhin our cultures. Learning exclusively from an internet source can be problematic.

On the other hand, these videos can be helpful to those who are away from their particular tribe or lack the means for the moment. It can be a decent starting point that people can use before traveling across the country because they THINK they might want to learn something. The internet can also be used to peak questions that may otherwise not have been thought of... or a way to answer simple questions that almost anyone could answer without wasting a tribal elder's time... like I could call back home to ask whether 11/0, 13/0, or 15/0 beads would be better for a project, but I can easily find that answer online. And it's nice to be able to watch a video of a wacipi when I'm not able to attend. Those moments are like looking through a photo album after all your cousins went on vacation without you. But it's obviously not the same as being there.

But I'd agree that some videos show too much (and sometimes inaccurate) information, and some people use videos as their sole resource for tribal knowledge. There is no substitute for proper education and culture.

[gilisi]

Today you can find almost anything you want on the internet including Sun Dance and Sweat videos, Powwow dancing and song videos, and peyote songs, etc. One important part of Native culture involves ways of asking for and receiving ancestral and cultural knowledge. however, lots of people now learn exclusively from youtube and other internet outlets. It is changing Native culture. Is this a good thing? What do you think?

Thanks for starting this thread. I agree with Alumphres and with Fang.... you can't offer tobacco to youtube.

[Zeke]

I have no issues with the medium, merely the veracity and omnipresent availability of bad information.

1. Be sure that your source has provenance.
2. I wish certain things had more context.
3. I'd prefer that data be available only in steps.

Of course, these are my wishes for any form of instruction and I am less concerned about Native culture changing than most. Such comes with its own bias.

[Grits & Beans]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/X8ZAYpZKRPE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


^^^this is okay.



Anyone misusing ceremonies that result in people dying and being hospitalized is not okay. Using youtube (when spiritual matters are concerned) is not okay, because youtube cannot guarantee that it's viewers will 1)give proper respect to ceremonies and ceremonial protocol, 2)establish responsibility as a priority, and 3)set parameters and communicate them.

Native people have an inherent instinct to guard ceremonial protocol for good reason. It maybe possible to utilize online resources, but youtube is not one of them, apart from language and songs or dances(social in nature).