Mandate
Research connected to FNIE
With academics from other faculties, we have been working with a number of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers in communities representing different Aboriginal groups to document teaching characteristics that are perceived by the communities to be particularly appropriate. Home studies are also being done in some communities. These provide information about the preparation of children for the schooling environment, and provide a more informal context for studying teaching-learning interactions. A further set of studies explores secondary students' and parents'use and valuing of their indigenous language and identity.
Related studies have been documenting community perceptions of identity, self-esteem, language and culture. These provide a larger context in which to interpret the classroom and home studies.
The ultimate aim of these interdisciplinary studies (education, human communication, psychology) is to delineate both the extent of generalizability and the extent of variation that exists across and within different groups in the education of Aboriginal children. These studies provide us and the communities with concrete information about how Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers teach, how students and parents view and use the languages in their community, and how children are prepared in their homes for the schooling experience.
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE)
CINE is an acronym for the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment. It was created to conduct research and education that would respond to the concerns of Aboriginal Peoples about health and traditional food systems. To ensure that projects undertaken are meaningful to those concerned, CINE’s Governing Board is composed of representatives from seven Aboriginal organizations. CINE’s building at McGill is on the Macdonald campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.
Some of CINE’s research initiatives include:
- Developing and improving methods for assessing dietary intake in communities of Indigenous Peoples;
- Assessing benefits and risks of various dietary patterns based on evaluation of nutrient and contaminant intake;
- Documenting cultural significance of observed food practices;
- Developing methodology, instruction manuals and field kits to assist communities in documenting traditional food/medicine systems;
- Developing laboratory animal models and tissue culture systems to study possible synergistic effects of contaminants in traditional food;
- Studying the effects of contaminant exposure in wildlife, using biomarkers and histopathological techniques.
The guiding principles of CINE are to:
- Document, promote and incorporate traditional knowledge of nutrition and environment;
- Respond to concerns of local communities on their food, food use and environment;
- Develop participatory relationships between communities and scientists for undertaking research in nutrition and ecosystems;
- Encourage continuing consultation, communication and recognition of elders to enhance the relevance of CINE’s work;
- Implement ethics guidelines for research, including those related to intellectual property rights as adopted by University Councils and the CINE Board;
- Provide training within the CINE mission to students and other residents of local communities;
- Communicate research findings widely, both nationally and internationally, and contribute to policy developments in areas related to the CINE mission.
For further information:
Harriet V. Kuhnlein, Director
CINE
Macdonald Campus of McGill University
21,111 Lakeshore
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC
H9X 3V9
Telephone: (514) 398-7544
Fax: (514) 398-1020