Guest Blog: Using InqScribe to Record the Wabanaki Experience

Many nonprofits use InqScribe to help transcribe interviews and spread their message. In this guest blog, Rachel George explains how she came across InqScribe through her work with the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare TRC.

By: Rachel George, Research Coordinator

The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission is charged with clarifying the experiences of Wabanaki Native American children and families involved with state child welfare. Historically there has been an incredibly high rate of removal of native children who were placed into non-native homes, resulting in continued intergenerational trauma and loss of culture. The 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act implemented new placement priorities recognizing the ties that native children have to their tribes, as well as the tribe’s interest in their children. This made it harder for native children to be placed in non-Native homes, yet the State of Maine continued to have high rates of removal.

The TRC is investigating these removals by hearing the experiences of native children and families, and also from state officials, case workers, service providers and adoptive and foster families. From these investigations we’ve gathered a number of video and audio recordings from private statements, interviews, and focus groups. With the help of a few volunteers, we are currently working on transcribing an increasing pool of interviews and statements which are all approximately an hour long.

Prior to coming across InqScribe, we were simply running the video through QuickTime and having a word document open simultaneously. I am sure I don’t need to tell you that this was a lot less effective than using InqScribe. Having the video and text in a single window streamlined our process. Since we’re working with long videos and multiple transcribers, it’s great to have a program that helps us stay organized and consistent. And, unlike some other transcribing software, InqScribe allows us to transcribe video as well as audio recordings.

Overall, InqScribe has been a really valuable resource for us and has sped up the process of transcribing statements and interviews. It’s a system I am very happy to support and was very keen to push to my staff and colleagues.

About the Author

Rachel is a young indigenous scholar from Vancouver, British Columbia. As a member of the Ahousaht First Nation, she has grown into an advocate for indigenous rights. She has a genuine and enthusiastic commitment to strengthening the voices of indigenous peoples, and seeking methods of redress that are complementary to indigenous needs and rights.