ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries November 1994 / 633 First peoples and th e In te rn e t B y G lad ys S m ile y B e ll A guide to Native Am erican resources Electronic access to research and interac­tive communication for and about Native Americans is available in a variety of ways, grow ing dramatically in num ber and scope. What was once an esoteric tool used only by scientists and engineers, the Internet is now having a dramatic impact on ethnic cultures, including Native Americans. Throughout this overview of Native American resources on the Internet the terms Native North Americans, In­ dians, American Indians, Native Americans, Ab­ original peoples, first peoples, and others are used interchangeably. The information superhighway trek begins by accessing a docum ent entitled “Public Ac­ cess to the Internet: American Indian and Alas­ kan Native Issu es” by G eorge D. Baldwin (Henderson State University). Baldwin helped launch American Telecommunications (AIT), the first nonprofit group dedicated to prom ot­ ing the grassroots Native American computing movem ent.1 The docum ent provides a histori­ cal and critical overview of communication, technology, and Indian Culture. Access: URL: f t p : / / f t p . N I C . M E R I T . E D U / c o n f e r e n c e . p ro ceed in g s/h arv ard .p u b access.sy m p o siu m / netw ork.com m unities/ networking.nations.txt. Electronic discussion lists • AISESnet. American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Network. This elec­ tronic list provides communication and infor­ mation for AISES chapters, students and fac­ ulty associated with AISES, and for m embers of industry and government. AISES membership is open to all, including non-AISES members. The list is divided into four groups: 1) AISESnet General: topics include AISES issues, position openings, scholarship announcem ents, AISES chapter communications, conference informa­ tion, AISES events and announcem ents, pow ­ nwd ow information, topics of general interest, and chapter newsletters; 2) AISESnet Discussion: intended for the discussion of Native American issues, engineering and science issues, public opinion, creative writing, etc.; 3) Alcohol & Drug: deals only with drug- and alcohol-related issues, and will provide information as well as support; participation is anonym ous and return address labels will not be show n in the mes­ sages sent out by AISESnet; 4) AISESnet Drums: a distribution list dedicated to drum groups, it will only deal w ith issues concerning drum groups, pow -w ow drum groups, drum build­ ing, pow -w ow singers, etc. W hen you subscribe to AISESnet, you will be added automatically to the AISESnet Gen­ eral and AISESnet Discussions lists. You must indicate that you w ould like to subscribe to the AISESnet Drums an d /o r the Alcohol & Drug list as well. There are four AISESnet gopher databases: student resumes, AISESnet mem ber­ ship directory, job listings, and submissions (ar­ ch iv es). Access: a ise sn e t@ selw a y .u m t.e d u . B a sed on in fo rm a tio n p r o v id e d by Borries Demeler, AISESnet listowner; demeler@selway. u m t.e d u . • IN D IA N n et. Census Inform ation and Computer Network Center. This is the first na­ tional com puter listseiv to provide civic infor­ mation useful to American Indian and Alaskan Natives. Services include com puter conferences and private electronic mail for Indian tribes, a Gladys Smiley Bell is coordinator o f electronic information services at Kent State University Libraries, Ohio; e-mail: gbell@kentvm. kent. edu ftp://ftp.NIC.MERIT.EDU/conference mailto:aisesnet@selway.umt.edu umt.edu 634 /C&RL News nonprofit organizations, and individuals. It in­ cludes federal information such as the Federal Register, Employment Opportunities, Environ­ mental Protection Agency data, U.S. Census data and Geographic Information System (TIGER) files. There is also a specialized collection of American Indian and Alaskan Native research reports extracted from the Educational Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC). There is an amazing collection of authentic electronic In­ dian artwork and graphics. The most ambitious project is the Tribal Profiles Database. Access: listserv@spruce.hsu.edu. Based on information provided by George Baldwin, INDIANnet direc­ tor; baldwin@holly.hsu.edu. • INDKNOW. For discussion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Access: listserv@uwavm.u. w ashington.edu. • IROQUOIS. Iroquoian Language discus­ sion. Access: listserv@vm.utcc.utoronto.edu. • N ativeN et. An overlapping set of elec­ tronic discussion lists that also have overlap­ ping memberships and are organized by topic. NAT-1492 is a Columbus quincentenary mail­ ing list dealing specifically with the 500th an­ niversary of Columbus’s voyage to the “New World,” and the havoc that ensued for the na­ tiv e p e o p l e o f th e A m ericas. A ccess: listserv@tamvml.tamu.edu. NATCHAT provides a forum for general discussion pertaining to in d ig e n o u s p e o p le o f th e w orld. Access: listserv@ tamvml.tamu.edu. NATIVE-L, Indig­ enous Peoples Information, provides a general forum for exchanging information and perspec­ tives on matters relating to the indigenous p e o p le o f th e w o rld . Access: listserv@ tam vm l.tam u.edu. (NATIVE-L and NATCHAT are “gatew ayed” with the soc.culture.native Usenet newsgroup in such a way that any mes­ sage posted to soc.culture.native will b e sent to a NativeNet m oderator w ho (if s /h e a p ­ proves) will relay the posting to either the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing list. Any mes­ sage posted to mailing addresses attached to these two lists will authomatically be sent to soc.culture.native.) NAT-HLTH, Health Issues of Native Peoples. Access: listserv@tamvml. tam u.edu. NAT-LANG, a discussion list for ex­ changing information concerning the languages of indigenous people. Access: listserv@tamvml. tam u.edu. NAT-EDU deals with issues regard­ ing the provision of culturally sensitive educa­ tional programs for native people and better and more accurate educational materials con­ cerning native people for mainstream students. Access: listserv@indycms.iupui.edu. Based on in fo r m a tio n p r o v id e d by G ary T rujillo, NativeNet listowner; gst@gnosys.svle.m a.us. • NATIVE-LIT-L. Native American Litera­ ture by autochthonous people of the North Americas (the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and neighboring islands, including Hawaii. Discus­ sions are open to any aspect of native litera­ ture as well as book reviews; articles about poetry, fiction, and criticism; information about publications, talks, and conferences; and gen­ eral chit-chat about native literature. Access: listserv@comell.edu. Based on information pro­ vided by Michael Wilson, Native-Lit-L listowner; idoy@cruxl .cit.com ell.edu. • NativeProfs-L. Private electronic list for the Association of American Indian & Alaskan Native Professors. • NIPC. National Indian Policy Research Institute Electronic Clearinghouse. An informa­ tion clearinghouse on a wide range of policy issues to the 500 U.S. Native American tribes since 1990. Access: listserv@gwuvm.gwu.edu. Anonymous ftp site • Contains documents pertaining to Native Americans. Access: URL: ftp://ftp.cit.comell.edu/ p u b /s pecial/NativProfs/usenet. Gopher sites • N a tiv e A m e rica n N et S erv er. Server hom e for files pertaining to Native Americans. The bulletin board system is also available for posting notices about things for sale and up­ c o m in g e v e n ts . Access: URL: g o p h e r : / / alphal.csd.uw m .edu/U W M Information/The Native American Net. • U C -B erkeley Library g o p h e r . Native American Studies Section. Access: URL: gopher: //infolib.lib.berkeley.edu, port 70/Research Da­ tabases and Resources by Subject/Ethnic Stud- ies/Native American Studies. UseNet newsgroups Local computer services staff should be con­ sulted to find out what the availability and pro­ c e d u r e s a re fo r a c c e s s to: a lt.n a tiv e , soc.culture.indian.american, soc.culture.native, soc. culture. native, american. Other significant electronic resources • ACTIV-L. Activists for peace, empower­ m e n t, h u m an rights, justice, etc. Access: listserv@mizzou 1 .missouri. ed u . mailto:listserv@spruce.hsu.edu mailto:baldwin@holly.hsu.edu washington.edu mailto:listserv@vm.utcc.utoronto.edu mailto:listserv@tamvml.tamu.edu mailto:listserv@tamvml.tamu.edu tamvml.tamu.edu tamu.edu tamu.edu mailto:listserv@indycms.iupui.edu mailto:gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us mailto:listserv@comell.edu cit.comell.edu mailto:listserv@gwuvm.gwu.edu ftp://ftp.cit.comell.edu/ alphal.csd.uwm.edu/UW file:////infolib.lib.berkeley.edu November 1 99 4/635 • E d ucational N ative A m erican N etw ork (ENAN). Call (505) 277-7310 for password and 800 num ber for dial-in access and information. (Scheduled soon for Internet access.) Established by and for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) schools serving American Indian chil­ dren. The netw ork provides teachers with ac­ cess to a wide range of information on techni­ cal assistance and training resources. Through the network, teachers are able to share infor­ mation on effective practices and classroom ideas; access curriculum materials and resources related to Indian education from universities, museums, etc.; and take online courses. It also supports multiple classroom site instructional projects. • M olis. Minority On-line Information Ser­ vice. Provides comprehensive information on Native American, black, and Hispanic minority colleges and universities. Access: URL: ftp :// ftp.fie.com or URL: gopher://gopher.fie.com or URL: te ln e t://fe d ix .fie .c o m o r URL: h ttp :// w ww.fie.com . • ORTRAD-L. Discussion regarding stud­ ies in oral tradition for all those interested in the w orld’s living oral traditions (e.g., African, H isp an ic, N ative A m erican, etc .). Access: listserv‹ãmizzoul .missouri.edu. Conclusion Taking a hike using Veronica to search gopher sites revealed all of the above information. For more information on electronic resources for Native Americans take a ride on the informa­ tion superhighway using gopher, Mosaic, Cello, or Lynx, and consult the following: • D ir e c t o r y o f S c h o la r ly E l e c t r o n ic C o n fe r e n c e s . 8th Revision, listserv‹ãkentvm. kent.edu (get acadlist file) or URL: ftp :// ksuvxa.kent.edu/library. • Art McGee. Natvlnfo. Access: URL: ftp :// ftp .n e tc o m .c o m /p u b /a m c g e e /in d ig e n o u s / my_indigenous_related_lists. Note 1. A. J. S. Rayl, “New technologies, ancient cultures; use of com puter and information tech­ nology by Native Americans,” O m ni 15 (Au­ gust 1993): 46-48. Enough of white man's ASCI Dave Hughes, w ho is kind of an Internet evangelist, took to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to work with a group of Native American teenagers at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society’s summer school in physics. According to Hughes, the kids, w ho were from the Navajo, Zuni, Crow, Tohono, Sioux, and Picurus Pueblo tribes, “show ed polite, quiet interest as I explained the technology and made a local call to the Internet (Colorado Supernet). They laughed a bit, read, and responded to e-mail sent es­ pecially to them by Dr. George Johnston, physicist at MIT, w hom I asked to ‘w elcom e’ them directly to the world of mathematics and physics by telecom. “T hen I said, ‘enough of w hite m an’s ASCII’ and started calling up the Indian art, the Crow Dance poetiy, the new pieces by Lord Ann Two Bulls, via modem, at 2400 baud. They really got excited! Putting questions to me, walking up to look closer at the full-color VGA monitor, their dark eyes laughing, smiles, and half of them standing up for the rest of the hour-long session. When it was over, a I crowd around the machine, picking up cop­ ies o f th e O n lin e A ccess m a g azin e an d Boardwatch magazine I brought, and more questio n s. And from their obvious tribal knowledge, they were saying “That’s Crow, that’s Sioux!’ from the colors and symbols in the various pieces of art. “A heart-warming session with 40 Indian kids w ho seem ed to get a glimpse of a future even they could participate in. And if I am right, by reaching these youth, starting with their own ‘images o f their inner selves’ as In­ dians produced by such technologies, they may be better able to move on into the world of science, math, and the cold regions of tech­ nological and white m an’s society, while still not losing their identity. Perhaps even doing their life’s works as professionals, from the reservation, thanks to these little devices.” Source: A posting by Dave Hughes to the Con­ sortium for School Networking Discussion Forum List (COSNDISC@BITNIC) on July 10, 1992. From The Internet Companion: A Beginner’s Guide to Glo­ bal Networking, by Tracy LaQuey with Jeanne C. Ryer (Addison-Wesley, 1993), pp. 36-37. ■ ftp://ftp.fie.com gopher://gopher.fie.com telnet://fedix.fie.com http://www.fie.com missouri.edu kent.edu ksuvxa.kent.edu/library tp.netcom.com/pub/amcgee/indigenous/