The Work of Indigenous Knowledge in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Some Notes on Relationships

Speaker: Guha Shankar, Library of Congress

This presentation looks at the historical production and contemporary re-reproduction of indigenous cultural expressions through a case study of the Ancestral Voices project, a joint initiative of the Passamaquoddy Indian nation, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and the digital tools, Mukurtu CMS and the Traditional Knowledge attribution labels. The presentation will take a detailed look at the ways in which digital tools and platforms are deployed in the preservation of and access to archival media to assist indigenous peoples in sustaining historical memory and strengthening the use and practice of imperiled lifeways within communities. The presentation also highlights the ways in which personal and professional relationships are critical in determining the shape and structure of such initiatives.

This session is part of the “Stewardship of Indigenous Materials in AV Archives” program stream at AMIA 2019.  This program stream, in collaboration with the Association of Tribal Archives Libraries and Museums offers collaborative methods, technologies, tools, and workflows to ethically preserve and provide access to indigenous audiovisual heritage materials. The programming is funded by a contract with the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), with funds provided by the National Film Preservation Board.

November 16, 2019 | Baltimore, MD