How can we protect desert livelihood and traditions?

Define · Locate · Select · Organise · Present · Evaluate Define the task Scenario - Protecting heritage while living sustainably in a desert In this Global Learning Quest small groups will investigate the culture and current issues faced by a group of desert people. The whole class will then come together as a forum of desert people to share ideas and learn about balancing traditional and modern lifestyles from each other. The forum will list a series of actions which desert people can take and others that your government can take to support a lifestyle which respects your culture, language and the environment. How can we protect desert livelihood and traditions? Background For thousands of years groups of people have survived in harsh desert environments. They have developed unique lifestyles which flow with the seasons, surviving frequent droughts. Increasing population, government relocations, changing quality of life expectation and environmental degradation present new challenges to their cultural and economic survival. The International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995-2004) aimed to promote and protect the rights of indigenous people and empower them to make choices that enabled them to retain their cultural identity while participating in political, economic and social life that respected their cultural values, languages, traditions and forms of social organisation. The draft statement developed through a sharing of ideas is still working its way through the UN system. Perspectives on the Global Question Pitjantjatjara / Anangu of Central Australia The Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal people (or Anangu) live in the Central Desert region of Australia. Their Tjukurpa or Wapar, law, culture, history, and world view is an oral tradition passed down through a complex series of family relationships. For thousands of years they lived a nomadic life, hunting and gathering but now most of the 4,000 Anangu live in small communities scattered throughout their traditional lands. In the early 1950s those in the Maralinga area were forced off their land for the testing of atomic bomb testing. More recently they have gained recognition of their land rights and share in the management of the World Heritage Site Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park Mongol of Northern Asia The Mongols are a diverse ethnic group of about 8.5 million who live in Mongolia, the northern provinces of China and Russia. They traditionally herd camels, cattle, sheep and goats on the grassy plains moving their livestock between the low desert areas and the higher summer grasslands. The annual gathering for the Namad Festival is the highlight of the social year. Higher status was indicated by larger herds but increasing numbers and new demands for food has degraded the land and desert sands are engulfing villages. The government is encouraging people to move to the cities to reduce the pressure on the land but it is difficult to live a traditional lifestyle Thari people of Western Asia There are roughly one million people, of a variety of religious and ethnic groups living in the Thar desert of north western India and eastern Pakistan. Traditional groups lived from grazing of livestock, mostly sheep and goats. Bushmen / San of Kalahari, Southern Africa The San or Bushmen of the Kalahari are the most well known of the many tribes which live in this southern African desert. Traditionally they were hunter, gathers well known for their ability to track animals. They are equally well known for their dancing and music, the mimicking of birds and animals, their knowledge of plants as medicine, poison, and food. Only a few groups live in the traditional way as many have been forcibly moved to towns and make a living labouring or selling crafts. Bedouin of Northern Africa The Bedouin are the desert-dwelling nomads of the Arabia, Negev, and Sinai deserts. Traditionally they lived in small groups moving their herds of camels, sheep and goats to oasis to oasis so as not to overstretch the water and grassland. They fiercely protected their land but would offer hospitality to any visitors who managed to find them. As populations have grown and expectations have changed many Bedouins now live in cities making a living there. Locate resources You can find information about indigenous desert dwellers from a variety of sources including books, magazines, videos, television programs, news reports, online databases, websites, organisations and personal contacts. Remember that for this learning quest you are particularly interested in the protection of indigenous heritage and sustainable desert life. Libraries and databases Keyword search desert* deserts bushmen nomads bedouins Mongolia Mongols Phrase search "desert peoples" "desert ecology" "indigenous peoples" "indigenous heritage" "Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands" "Aboriginal Lands South Australia" "Alinytjara Wilurara" "Kalahari desert" "Thar desert" Fiction Deserts - Fiction Websites A number of websites have been suggested under headings for each of the team roles on the Deserts Learning Quest Resources page at: http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/page2087.html Background resources http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=indigenous+people&edna.sector=25159 Pitjantjatjara / Anangu of Central Australia http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=pitjantjatjara&edna.sector=35682 http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=anangu&edna.sector=35682 Mongol of Northern Asia http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=mongols&edna.sector=35682 Thari people of Western Asia http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=thar+desert&edna.sector=35682 Bushmen / San of Kalahari, Southern Africa http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=bushmen+kalahari&edna.sector=35682 Bedouin of Northern Africa http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?qt=bedouins&edna.sector=35682 Select information Focus questions for all indigenous groups Brainstorm your own focus questions to guide you in your reading, understanding and reporting back to the class about your indigenous group. Remember to think all the time about how your people live in their desert environment and how to ensure they have a positive future. Where does the group live? What is the physical environment like? What are some of the rituals and traditions that traditionally characterised this group of people? How has the environment and climate shaped the lifestyle and culture of the group? What are the environmental and outside forces that are changing the groups traditional way of life? In what ways are the group adapting their traditional lifestyle to cope with environmental and other changes? Make notes and record where you found your information. You can use the bibliography framework template available online at: http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/page1873.html Organise your response This is where you need to sort, sift, arrange and analyse your information and decide what to use in your presentation What is the best information we have? Where are the gaps in our findings? Do we need more information? How will we find this? Which of our information needs deleting? What needs re-checking? Can we answer the question? How could we organise our information? How will we organise our information? Once all the information has been collected and analysed for your group, you will need to prepare a list of issues for your desert people, with background information for each issue so you can explain this to the rest of your class. Check that everything you record to use in the presentation is backed up by evidence. What is your answer to the global question: How can we protect desert livelihood and traditions? Present your findings Once all the information has been collected and organised you should use information from each team member to present the information about your traditional culture to the rest of the class in an interesting manner. Remember to include specific recommendations about how your desert people can maintain their culture and heritage in the world today. Some ideas you might like to include in your presentation: painting or craft representing your heritage dance or drama performance annotated photo collage music: songs or instrumental presentation to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) recommendation to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) media campaign for your group to promote their cause to the wider community logo which reflects your desert people Discuss these options and the requirements for your presentation with your teacher. Organise the class Desert Peoples Forum to share suggestions for action to maintain culture while adapting to the current changes with other groups. Create a list of action points on which you all agree. Evaluate and reflect on your learning To complete this Learning Quest on desert life, you should complete a self-assessment rubric and reflect on what you have learned, not only about desert communities and the protection of indignous heritage, but also about how you worked with each other as members of a team to complete the project. Your teacher and other team members may also give you feedback about your work in this Learning Quest.   Using information Ability to gather relevant information Used a large number of appropriate resources to gather information which was important and related to the questions Used a variety of resources and collected information which was generally useful Used only one or two resources and did not select the key points to answer the questions Working as a team Ability to work with others in a group Listened carefully to others, shared own information and supported others to express their point of view and keep the group working together well Listened to others and made some comments to support the group work together Listened to some people but did not adequately contribute to the group or encourage others Presenting information Ability to present information with rationale Presented the key points with good supportive evidence Supported a range of the key points with some evidence Presented a limited number of the key points with little evidence Taking action Ability to apply learning about desert living Can challenge information and explain various interpretations about desert communities and the protection of indigenous heritage Can explain an aspect of desert communities and the protection of indigenous heritage Can ask limited questions of clarification about desert communities and the protection of indigenous heritage

Task: In this Global Learning Quest, small teams will investigate a group of indigenous desert people. Groups will consider how they are balancing their traditional lifestyles with the pressures of modern lifestyles and make suggestions to the UN Convention on the Rights of Indigenous People Learning Areas: Studies of Society & Environment Geography   Year levels: Upper primary   Duration: Minimum of four 45-minute lessons   Tools needed: Access to library resources and the Internet