TWO-EYED SEEING: VR LEARNING WITH INDIGENOUS RELEVANCE

Indigenous knowledge sharing is a vital part of community connection and strength. As many Indigenous communities are rural and widespread, sharing of knowledge within the community is becoming more difficult. Work and life off-reserve is often busy, leaving little community time. Consideration of technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to provide a more immersive connection with community knowledge than simply reading a pdf or web content. Embedding resources made with AR/VR technology in the community can strengthen community ties and provide connection points for dispersed community members on their own schedules. A first goal in the creation of a virtual space for learning in the community of one of the researchers has been to utilize a 360-degree camera as a virtual learning tool for a project to sew a traditional ribbon skirt. This research takes the perspective of a learner using “etuaptmumk” or two-eyed seeing to learn with the influence of both western and Indigenous epistemologies. This ongoing investigation considers the suitability of VR technology for this task, and what building a virtual space and learning environment will involve.