Digitally Preserving Former Indian Residential Schools in Alberta

Data Sovereignty

The role of the Digital Heritage Research Group at the University of Calgary is to serve as “technicians of remembrance” . We do not lead – rather we are guided by the communities we collaborate with under the principles of OCAP®

It is our hope that the digital objects of surviving Indian Residential Schools contained in this archive will become an increasingly important part of preserving and memorializing residential school history in Canada. It is therefore important that mutually agreed upon standards and protocols for archiving these unique types of 3D digital objects are followed.

This project adheres to the First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP®) (https://fnigc.ca/)

The Indigenous Institutions participating in this project (Old Sun Community College, Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Center, University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills) have total and complete control and ownership of their respective digital data sets. They also control how this information was collected as well as how it can be stored, interpreted, used, and shared.

This data includes:

  • Laser scans of each former school.
  • 3D computer reconstructions of specific areas (dormitories, chapels, etc.).
  • 3D physical models of each school
  • Architectural plans created from the laser scanning data.

The survivors’ stories contained in the archive have been collected by appointed members of each participating Indigenous institution. Those who have agreed to share their stories are the rightful owners and can choose to make changes or withdraw them at any point in time. Other stories contained in the archive have been transcribed from pubic testimonies given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which are accessible through the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation (https://nctr.ca/).

Archival photos have been used in this project with specific permissions from holding institutions for the purpose of an online Indian Residential School archive created in partnership with Old Sun Community College, Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Center, and University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills. Unless noted as open copyright photos, please note that permission is granted for use of archival photos only on  https://irs.preserve.ucalgary.ca/. Any additional uses require a separate written request to the holding institution.

We are working to ensure Old Sun Community College, Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Center, and University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills remain the primary stewards of their respective data sets by exploring ways to store the data on-site whenever possible. By partnering with the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, we have also provided each institution with the opportunity to store copies of the laser scanning data sets and architectural plans in the NCTR archives.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Peter Dawson (pcdawson@ucalgary.ca)

 

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