Transcript FNS 2901G: First Nations and Canadian History

FNS 1020: INTRODUCTION
TO FIRST NATIONS STUDIES
Dan Sich, First Nations Studies Librarian
Overview




Primary and secondary sources
Finding journal articles (hands-on)
Search tips
Evaluating sources
Primary vs. secondary sources
Primary vs. secondary sources
Generally speaking…
 Primary = created at time of event
 Secondary = created later, looking back on event
Primary or secondary?
Primary
Secondary
A journal (diary) from 1942
Someone’s diary entries about their experiences
as a soldier
Letters from 1942
A soldier’s letters to his parents
A newspaper article from 1942
An article about WWII
A book about WWII
A history book about WWII, written in 1990
A journal article…
A 2004 journal article framing the debate
between Jesuit priests and Indigenous chiefs as a
debate between Western and Indigenous ideas
and knowledge.
Transcripts…
The transcripts of the Ojibwa-Jesuit debate at
Walpole Island, 1844
Journal article with transcripts…
A 1994 journal article discussing, and
reproducing the transcripts of, The Ojibwa-Jesuit
debate at Walpole Island, 1844
Interview…
An interview (recorded today), about a battle in
WWII, with a veteran who was involved
Why does it matter?
Primary sources are strong ‘evidence’
Secondary sources provide interpretation
You can use both
Know what you’re using, and why
Where are the journal articles?
Databases and journal articles
All of these are linked from the course library guide:
 Google Scholar
 Summon
 iPortal (Indigenous Studies Portal)
 Bibliography of Native North Americans
Points for hands-on and live demos
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Demonstrate a search
What types of things are you finding?
Does the database have a subject focus?
Are there descriptions/abstracts of search results?
Can you see links to full text?
Do you think the results are relevant?
What do you like about this search engine?
What don’t you like about this search engine?
Would you use it for your own research?
Searching
(blind date example)
Ideas for a topic





Traditional ecological knowledge
Indigenous knowledge
Colonization
Indigenous environmental thought
Native speeches
Research topic & question


General research topic: traditional indigenous
ecological knowledge
Specific research question: How is traditional
indigenous ecological knowledge transmitted?
Specific search strategy
Tradition*
AND
(indigenous OR native OR indian OR aboriginal)
AND
(ecolog* OR environment*)
AND
(knowledge OR thought)
AND
(transmi* OR teach* OR learn*)
Is this article any good?
How do you know?
Evaluating sources: the CRAAP test*





Currency: Is it up-to-date?
Relevance [after next slide]
Authority: Who wrote it? [next slide]
Accuracy: Can you verify it?
Purpose: Why was it written? Bias?
*see link to video tutorial on library course page
Authority (for this particular topic)







Deborah McGregor
Gregory Cajete
Vine Deloria
Leroy Little Bear
Jim Dumont
Winona LaDuke
Joe Couture





Marlete Brant
Castellano
Marie Battiste
James Sa’ke’j
Youngblood
Henderson
Linda Smith
Graham Smith
Relevance





Where (i.e. in what journal) was it published?
(How) Does it relate to your topic?
Read book table of contents
Read article abstract/description
Skim the article
How to read/skim an article
1.
2.
3.
4.
Abstract (menu)
Intro
Conclusion
Middle
image source: http://www.drivinganddining.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/0_61_hamburger1.jpg
Summary




Primary and secondary sources
Finding journal articles: hands-on
Searching tips
Evaluating sources
Questions?



Dan Sich, First Nations Studies Librarian
[email protected]
ext. 82740