The Deschâtelets Archive: This Week's Feature!

While you’re busy avoiding black bears and trying not to sink your canoe at PathoftheElders.com, don’t forget to check out our extensive photo gallery!

Browse through pages of rare photographs of the James Bay area from the Deschâtelets Archive at St. Paul University.

Some of my personal favourites are:

The Deschatelets Archive photo collection - Father Bilodeau and his motorbike - Path of the Elders

The Deschatelets Archive photo collection - Example of life in Moose Factory - Path of the Elders

The Deschatelets Archive photo collection - Cree children watching a movie - Path of the Elders

The Deschatelets Archive photo collection - 1900s example of a snowmobile on skis - Path of the Elders

The Deschatelets Archive photo collection - Winter view of downtown Moosonee - Path of the Elders

Are you from the James Bay area? Do you recognize any of your ancestors?

Let us know what your favourite photos are!

Collette Jackson, Content and Marketing Specialist at BlackCherry Digital Media, is writing on behalf of On the Path of the Elders, a free online educational resource that explores Cree and Ojibway history and culture, and the signing of Treaty No. 9.

Check out On the Path of the Elders at pathoftheelders.com.

For more information, email us at info@pathoftheelders.com.

Created in partnership with BlackCherry Digital Media, Archives Deschâtelets, the Doug Ellis Collection at Carleton University, Our Incredible World (Pinegrove Productions), the Mushkegowuk Council, Neh Naak Ko, the Archives of St. Paul University, Carleton University, and Wendy Campbell, Educational Consultant (Learning Methods Group).

This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy. Created with additional financial assistance from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Inukshuk Fund.

Interested in Online Games and Education? Check Out These Links!

All worn out from moose hunting, trapping, and canoeing on PathoftheElders.com?

Check out this week’s interesting articles on education, technology, and games!


1) Nicola Whitton’s blog about game-based learning is always a pleasure to read (Play Think Learn). This week she draws attention to a school (Quest to Learn) that has based its entire curriculum around gaming principles!


2) In a theoretical frame of mind? Check out Alex Kendall and Julian McDougall’s latest article, “Just Gaming: On Being Differently Literate,”  in Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture. They examine how players understand their role in the game’s story. (It’s heavy going, but the snippets from players’ journals make it worth the read!)


3) Deidre Kelaher explores the link between games, learning, and motivation in her blog post “The Effectiveness of Educational Gaming and the New Possibilities of Engaged Learning.” This is a fairly quick read that will give you some basic information about the benefits of using games in the classroom, and point you towards other resources.


4) Looking for something classic? Take a look at Marc Prensky’s article “The Seven Games of Highly Effective People.” Here the renowned expert on education and technology looks at how gaming contributes to the development of Steven Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”


Have you come across an interesting video or article about education and technology that you want to share? Let us know!

Collette Jackson, Content and Marketing Specialist at BlackCherry Digital Media, is writing on behalf of On the Path of the Elders, a free online educational resource that explores Cree and Ojibway history and culture, and the signing of Treaty No. 9.

Check out On the Path of the Elders at pathoftheelders.com.

For more information, email us at info@pathoftheelders.com.

Created in partnership with BlackCherry Digital Media, Archives Deschâtelets, the Doug Ellis Collection at Carleton University, Our Incredible World (Pinegrove Productions), the Mushkegowuk Council, Neh Naak Ko, the Archives of St. Paul University, Carleton University, and Wendy Campbell, Educational Consultant (Learning Methods Group).

This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy. Created with additional financial assistance from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Inukshuk Fund.

Preserving Cree Language: Path of the Elders as an Archive

 Do You Know What “Pine” Means?

We ran into a problem during the creation of On the Path of the Elders: we couldn’t find the literal translation of “pine”.

Maybe this doesn’t sound like such a big deal. After all, it’s just one word.

But it symbolizes how much of the Cree language we have already lost.

One of the goals of On the Path of the Elders is to encourage the preservation and transmission of Aboriginal language.

Not only do the interviewees in the Doug Ellis Audio Collection speak in their native language, but we have also integrated Cree throughout the role-playing games.

For example, for medicinal plants in the Healing game both the English and Cree names are provided, along with the Cree syllabics and an English translation.

So, the Cree name for Labrador Tea is Kakike-pokwa, which means “infinite plants”-- so-called because they stretch as far as the eye can see.Or Cattail is Pashekanushk, which means "exploding" because they seem to explode when they spread their seeds!

But we couldn’t find the literal translation of “pine” no matter how hard we searched. Even the oldest Elder didn’t know.

So sure, it’s just one word.

But it’s also a reminder of the real threats facing Aboriginal language and culture. As fewer and fewer youths are taught Cree or other languages, we risk losing not only the language itself, but also a vital part of the First People’s culture.

After all, language is a key part of our identity. Our words determine how we understand the world and ourselves.

Through its historical resources and adherence to Mushkegowuk and Anishinaabe culture, On the Path of the Elders is more than a game: it’s an archive of the First People’s language and history.

But we still need to ask ourselves what’s missing from this collection, and how can we prevent further erosion of the language in the future.

Collette Jackson, Content and Marketing Specialist at BlackCherry Digital Media, is writing on behalf of On the Path of the Elders, a free online educational resource that explores Cree and Ojibway history and culture, and the signing of Treaty No. 9. 

Check out On the Path of the Elders at pathoftheelders.com.

For more information, email us at info@pathoftheelders.com.

Created in partnership with BlackCherry Digital Media, Archives Deschâtelets, the Doug Ellis Collection at Carleton University, Our Incredible World (Pinegrove Productions), the Mushkegowuk Council, Neh Naak Ko, the Archives of St. Paul University, Carleton University, and Wendy Campbell, Educational Consultant (Learning Methods Group).

This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy. Created with additional financial assistance from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Inukshuk Fund.