I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE AND IT IS US

June 9, 2012

Imagine a dome suspended from the ceiling weighing more than 3 tons displaying an image 360 degrees with surround sound. On this last day, our students experienced dome technology, a scanning device that can take an object and project it in 3 dimensions, a replication device that can create actual models of chains, wheels, and objects so that you can literally hold in your hands.

As our students overcame their shyness and danced in the animation square, their movement was captured on the screen much to the delight of their fellow students. Who knew that Samantha, Gabriel and Richard could bust the moves and have it captured by a computer so sophisticated it boggles the mind.

Storytelling takes on a brand new dimension when you think of the possibilities. In the future, traditional objects housed in museums could be scanned so that our tribal communities can enjoy the beauty of these objects without worrying that they may have been dusted with arsenic. A traditional dance could be recorded for younger generations to come, and fragile and rare tribal objects can be replicated in correct dimensions to carry teachings forward.

I don’t believe that journalism and storytelling have to follow the same models of western media in every instance. In Indian Country, I see our anchor institutions such as libraries, museums, health care centers, schools and public safety becoming more involved in telling our stories with technology that is accessible and affordable.

It’s a brand new world out there and I have seen the future and it is US.