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There's a new Aboriginal web site making big waves on the World Wide Net.
Designed to give people from all over the world an exciting taste of Wanuskewin, this 300-page interactive site delivers a comprehensive pre-tour of one of Canada's most important heritage and tourism attractions, done from the Native perspective.
Funded by Industry Canada and the School Net Digital Collection, the project was created to encourage Aboriginal students to get involved in computer technology on their own terms, both culturally and spiritually.
Nine students from the Nutana Collegiate in Saskatoon were hired to work on the new Website during the busy summer months at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, an approach that gave them a real hands-on feel for the Aboriginal culture and its real impact on the tourism industry today.
The creation of an upbeat interactive package that would open a window on Wanuskewin for the world became the goal. To educate the general public on the traditional and biological environment of the Meewasin Valley and its significance as an important crossroad for the ancient cultures of the plains.
Ron Burntston, librarian and resident computer wiz at Nutana Collegiate, wrote up the grant application for the Website project and provided on-going technical support for the students, whose goal it was to have it up and running by September 1998.
Shawn Lessard, a 23-year-old Reh Services councilor born on the Montreal Lake Reserve, north of Prince Albert, came on board as project manager, acting as a bridge between students, teachers, interpreters and archeologists and the sometimes scary world of cutting edge information technology.
"It was his goal," explained Lessard, "to encourage Aboriginal people to get involved with computers and the endless possibilities of connecting to the World Wide Web."
"And sometimes that means dragging them kicking and screaming into the computer era," he added.
It also meant creating a highly marketable, professional web product that would command global respect and high interest, both for the culture and for the fragile environment of Wanuskewin.
"Learning to respect the traditional and biological environment was the touchstone of our project."
"It's not Disneyland out there, it's Mother Earth."
The website is divided into four components including the trails section, culture, facilities, and the environmental index, each designed to give potential visitors a feel for what's available
Each section opens with an original piece of artwork made by the students to focus on the highlights of a hands -on interactive tour, with real rock chips to click-on when moving from site to site.
The tours of the natural trails feature video footage of white tailed deer, muskrats and beavers as well as some hidden suprises for the inquisitive browser.
Watch out for the giant gopher, hidden in the woods, who jumps out with a sign that says ... don't feed the animals.
The finished package which, according to Lessard, drew rave reviews from the staff and management of Wanuskewin, has recently gone on-line, sending out a strong message of respect and commitment for both Native and non-Native people that says, "Let's believe in this place."
And for the students and staff who interacted on the project, it turned out to be an incredible summer, a real eye opener and learning experience; camping out in tipis, experiencing life and traditional ways from the past and networking with professional photographers from the Discovery Channel, on site to create a full lenglth feature presentation for an important series on famous Canadian parks.
"It was a win-win situation for everyone involved," said Lesssard.
"And that's something you don't see very often."
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