COVID-19 Daily News Digest – September 1, 2020
Feds earmark more money for Inuit mental health during pandemic
“Community-driven, culturally appropriate and timely mental health supports are critical during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Marc Miller, the minister of Indigenous Services, when he announced on Aug. 25 that $82.5 million had been earmarked for mental health services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Elders on FaceTime, virtual feast help First Nations students during pandemic
“We’re seeing how the two worlds are colliding,” Tookenay said of the way that technology and traditions are meeting.
There was the surge in interest in the institute’s online language courses, called nests, that “grew and grew” in the early days of the pandemic shut-downs when people had more time on their hands. Or the way the institute can now employ an Anishinaabemowin teacher, who happens to live across a closed border in Minnesota, to provide online classes.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/seven-generations-language-1.5706647
Children ‘completely overlooked’ in funding for First Nations schools: MP
“The $2 billion the federal government gives to the provincial system is very surprising and I’m sure the province and the provincial schools will enjoy it,” he said. “But reserve schools are under the mandate of the federal government, and the federal government has done nothing so far to help First Nations schools that are already badly underfunded compared to the province.”
Indigenous residents in Central Australia train to become coronavirus contact tracers
There were also other cultural factors that needed to be considered when contact tracing in Indigenous communities, Dr Wright said.
“There are rules around who can talk to who in Aboriginal culture. It wouldn’t be culturally appropriate, say, for a young woman to speak to a male elder,” she said
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-02/covid-contact-tracing-in-indigenous-communities/12617682
New report shows adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic on children
“Meeting information needs in areas such as children’s health is key to addressing the challenges our children are facing today. Statistics Canada has a long history of producing data in this area and we look forward to partnerships such as this one to support policies and programs that contribute to the well-being of children in Canada,” says Lynn Barr-Telford, assistant chief statistician, social, health and labour statistics field.
Okanagan Indian Band gets innovative with virtual and outdoor classes this fall
“Speaking with my teachers, they did find it very difficult, challenging to do online teaching. They can’t see themselves doing both at the same time, and it’s almost like needing to [do] two jobs.”
So the staff got innovative, with the Cultural Immersion School partially moving to outdoor learning – as much as the weather will allow. This will offer a more traditional setting for Indigenous learning.
“We have restrictive things we have to put in place for them, their safety, as well as the staff’s safety inside the school, because our rooms are too small to work effectively,” says Jones.
First Nations school plans a mixed bag as officials weigh safety amid virus spike in province
Murdock said each First Nation is taking into account its unique community’s needs — and in the case of Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation, leaders took into consideration the community’s proximity to Brandon when making a decision.
MFNSS is supplying its schools with guidelines and everything from masks to computers to sanitizing foggers for school buses and buildings. Murdock said an entire school will likely be required to close for a deep cleaning if a COVID-19 case is detected.
Learning from Indigenous Consultants
The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for architects to reassess their roles in creating safe spaces for cradling humanity. Indigenous design thinking, with its focus on kinship, community, well-being and nature, is a new-old way to reinvigorate the human-environment relationship.
Indigenous land intrusions help drive higher virus death toll in the Amazon
“The situation has worsened. It is clear that we did not learn from the first few months,” said Martha Fellows, one of the IPAM researchers who worked on the June study and on an upcoming update.
In particular, the virus “exploded” in indigenous health districts that until mid-June had seen no cases of the virus, she said.
The rate of deaths among indigenous residents of the Amazon, based on data collected through August 7, was 247% higher than in the general population, she said.
Shíshálh Nation responds to individual exposure
An individual from shíshálh First Nation is self-isolating as a precaution after being in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
“The Nation member themselves does not have Covid-19 or any symptoms, and are taking precautions, as suggested by health officials, to self-isolate,” hiwus (Chief) Warren Paull said in a statement to Coast Reporter on Sept. 1.