Kodiak Filipino Community Stories Films- Posted!

We are excited to announce that the Kodiak Filipino Community Stories student directed films are now available for viewing online. All nine films are on the Baranov Museum's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/BarMuse, or by clicking through to an individual film from the list below.

Special thanks to our partners on this project: the Filipino American Association of Kodiak, the Kodiak Island Borough School District, and Media Action. And thanks to the wonderful students, who demonstrated incredible energy, creativity, and sensitivity to their topics. This project was made possible through financial support from the Alaska Humanities Forum.

"The Many Filipino Organizations of Kodiak" by 9th grader Kyla Villaroya
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=1sdwlwFB0SY&feature=relmfu

"Remembering the Workers" by 7th grader Rey Jacob Roy
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=B6CiZovDkD0&feature=relmfu

"Denis's Story" by 12th grader Olivia Bennett
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=jBr6rvPdoNA&feature=relmfu

"The J-1 Visa Controversy" by 7th grader Marina Cummiskey
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=28YoMTNeMo0&feature=youtu.be

"Filipinos in the Aleutian Homes" by 11th grader James Guilas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sdwlwFB0SY&feature=relmfu

"Filipinos in the Canneries" by 10th grader Max Mutch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sxyoXGIp_M&feature=youtu.be

"USCG Filipinos" by 7th grader Hunter Blair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxo8Bt-3_Fg&feature=channel&list=UL

"Education - the Filipino Experience in Kodiak" by 10th grader Blake James
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UirSZF5H-Rk&feature=relmfu

"Filipinos in Politics" by 10th grader Jonas Anderson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlWUiL-grT4&feature=channel&list=UL

Kodiak Kids, Making History

“How do you separate the audio from the video clip?”

RJ Roy and Hunter Blair film an interview at
the museum.

“When did Filipinos start living in the Aleutian Homes?”

“How has the fishing industry affected the Filipino population?”

“Will this work for b-roll?”

These are a sampling of the questions that have flown around the second floor of the Magazin over the last two weeks. The museum has been a hive of activity as the 7^th-12^th grade students enrolled in our Kodiak Filipino Community Stories history and film intensive conduct interviews, frantically do research, and intently edit their short films.  

This project, the brainchild of Curator of Education Marie Acemah, all started when Filipino Fulbright scholar Joefe Santarita came to the museum to research the history of Filipinos in Kodiak, only to find a small folder with a few pieces of paper inside. Considering that the population of Kodiak is around 30% Filipino and that the community has had a presence in Kodiak since around 1900, we saw our lack of information as a critical gap to be filled. Marie knew we needed to gather more information- and figured that it would be the perfect opportunity to engage students. As a result, the museum, Media Action, and the Filipino-American Association of Kodiak, partnered together to create this class, which was graciously funded by the Alaska Humanities Forum.

Dr. EJR David from UAA flew to Kodiak for the day to
lead a workshop on Filipino American identity during the class.

Nine students will receive one high school history credit for their work. In less than 2 weeks, the students have collected over 20 interviews with community members about the history and legacy of Filipinos in Kodiak. They have done research within the museum’s archive and at the Kodiak Daily Mirror office. They’ve Skyped with family members back in the Philippines and today will have a video teleconference with Senator Mark Begich to ask him about his position on the J-1 visa. And now they are working like mad to complete their films, which will be premiering at the Teen Center on Friday night and on exhibit at the museum, beginning in October.

You are all invited to a potluck and celebration at the Teen Center on Friday, June 15, from 6-9 PM to view the films for the first time. Beyond the films, a break dancing group and Visayan youth music group will perform. Please bring a dish to share! Come congratulate our Kodiak youth filmmakers and learn about the history of Filipinos in Kodiak.

Stay tuned for information on the opening of the Kodiak Filipino Community Stories exhibit in October! Please be in touch if you are interested in finding out about exhibit sponsorship opportunities, too. Thanks to everyone who has already supported this amazing project!

Rural Outreach Reflections

Only two hours delayed after a bumpy flight into Port Lions, I realize how lucky I am that the weather allowed me to stick at least approximately to my schedule. Hand in hand with my two year old son, aka my special assistant, I am ready to jump into lively conversations and art projects revolving around Kodiak’s diverse history with each of the 26 students at the Port Lions School. This trip is part of the Baranov Museum’s rural arts and education outreach program, funded by the Alaska Council on the Arts and American Seafoods. I am immediately wowed by the beauty of Port Lions.

As the Baranov Museum’s Curator of Education, I am struck by the challenges and opportunities of teaching about the Russian and Early American colonial periods on Kodiak. What language should I use with K-12 students? How do I balance the stories of colonialism, forced labor, the battle at Refuge Rock with Father Herman’s advocacy for the Alutiiq people throughout the early Russian American Company days? How do I convey the subtleties of history without sugar-coating how harsh the past has often been? I laugh to think that museum educators face this balancing act often in the midst of a squirming, energetic group of 4th graders longing to touch every item in the museum collections that they can. Now, as a visitor for two days to Port Lions, I am happily aware that my students will bring the richness of their particular experiences and stories from a rural Kodiak perspective. This proved to be true over the next two days.

In class with the high school students throughout the afternoon, personal anecdotes and connections to touchable artifacts and stories continue to emerge. One boy explains how Alutiiq halibut hooks are designed to trick the halibut into staying subdued, and another tells the story of actually fishing with one. A girl etches her scrimshaw with a silver salmon, as it not only fit into the context of traditional scrimshaw design, but was also the first fish she ever caught as a young girl. I was delighted to learn that students were well-versed with the cruelties and the subtleties of history, and that rather than giving them information, I could engage them in dialogue on their thoughts and reactions to historical events. After digging in to the meat of Kodiak’s history, students consolidated their knowledge and expressed their creativity with art projects; scrimshaw and matryoshka.  On several occasions between conversations I heard the full, wonderful sound of a creative silence as students intently etched and painted.

On my second day I return from a lunch time walk and the teachers inform me that if I wanted to make it out of Port Lions, I would have to leave right away as the winds wouldn’t allow for my 5 pm flight. My “no” was immediate, and I teased the students that afternoon that they were stuck with me. I was glad to have the extra time, as two days are hardly enough to get to know each other and cover as much material as we can. The Port Lions welcome was warm, and my overall impression was wonderful. My son and I made it out on the ferry the next morning, with only the pang of leaving a wonderful place with kind people.

-Marie Acemah, Curator of Education