Community Stories
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First Mile Video: Tyendinaga as a Frontier for Information and Communication Technology DevelopmentTyendinaga - Ontario
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Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is located on the shores of the Bay of Quinte, just off the 401 highway 65km west of Kingston, Ontario.
Tyendinaga has a long history of involvement in communications and media technologies. This story begins long before digital technologies became available, through sign language and other forms of communication.
Back in the 1980s, people in Tyendinaga built IBM-compatible PCs and programmed software to meet community needs (such as the Post-Secondary Information System).
Since then, the community has continued to overcome technological barriers in order to have access to the Internet and other modern technologies.
In this video, Kevin Maracle from the First Nations Technical Institute talks about the history of information and communications technology in Tyendinaga.
For more information about IT Services offered in Tyendinaga check out: MBQ IT Services
Despite this history, Tyendinaga faces long-term and ongoing challenges with regards to its ability to access and use newly developing technologies. These challenges include lack of a robust infrastructure and high connectivity costs -- in spite of the community's location just two-and-a-half hours outside of Toronto.
According to Tyendinaga's website: The Mohawks are considered the easternmost Nation within the Iroquois/Six Nation Confederacy and as such are referred to as the Keepers of Eastern Door. The original Five Nation Confederacy was made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca Nations.
You can read more about Tyendinaga's history here.
This video was produced by Jennifer Wemigwans of Invert Media. Invert Media is a 100% Aboriginal-owned media production company, dedicated to producing media projects from indigenous perspectives. For more information, check out their website.
Find out more
Visit Tyendinaga's websiteLearn about the First Nation Technical Institute
Read about the Kanhiote Public Library in Tyendinaga