The document discusses ways that technology can help Native Americans who do not live on reservations engage meaningfully with their Native communities. It identifies the primary user groups as those living on or off reservations. It then outlines some research insights, including that official membership is complicated and cultural definitions vary. The main design areas proposed are sharing stories and artifacts, direct engagement through activities like video blogs and virtual dinners, and providing observation and understanding of reservations through virtual or augmented reality tours.

1. Team JAMRS
Milestone 2
November 7, 2014

2. Problem Statement
How can technology help people who identify as
Native American, but don’t live on the
reservation and may not be an official member,
engage in meaningful way with the Native
American community?

3. Primary User Groups
live on the
reservation
do not live on the
reservation

4. Research Insights
● Official membership is complicated
● Definition of culture varies
● Perceptual barriers

5. “If you want to go to a college and not come back to the
reservation and work somewhere else, you’re well within
your rights to do that….too often a lot of tribal folk will
put this emphasis on, you have to come back to the
community, you have to work here.”
- Seneca Tribe Member

6. Main Design Areas
● Sharing stories and artifacts
● Direct engagement
● Observation and understanding

7. Sharing Stories and Artifacts
Example: Laura Pinnix’s video blog
sharing her Cherokee culture
Video Blogs
Native Americans living on
the reservation or those
who are outside the
reservation can share their
experience through a video
blog.
Image courtesy of PBS
http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/challenges/cherokee.html

8. Direct Engagement
Example: Virtual Dinner Guest
Project Connects Gaza and Native
American Communities Using Video
Technology
Virtual Dinner
Connecting people living
on the reservation with
those living outside by
organizing virtual dinners
hosted through skype or
other forms of video
conferencing technology.
Image courtesy of
http://blog.witness.org/2014/08/using-video-connect-across-
borders-conversation-native-americans-gazans/

9. Observation and Understanding
Example: Google cardboard and a
smartphone to immerse themselves
in their virtual surroundings
Virtual Reality Tour
interactive tour of a
reservation with
information being
overlayed over Google
street maps.

10. Observation and Understanding
Example:Environment Tagging
Use smartphones to
interact with the
environment. Content is
tagged to locations and
users contribute to the
content that could be
shared with anyone in the
same location.

11. Storytelling
Interactive
user generated content to
explain events and locations

12. Creative Problem Solving through
Gamification
● Provides an outlet to
be the best version of
yourself while playing.
● Can be empowering
through creative
problem solving.
● Connects people from
different places to
work together to
complete
a task.
Gaming
● Have a shared sense
of values.
● Discuss tribal issues
through council meetings
& elections.
● Seek a tribal connection on
and off the reservation.
Native Americans

13. Thank you
We appreciate your feedback.