Course Profile Aboriginal Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations in Contemporary Society, College Preparation, Public

Unit 4: Pride, Power, and Accomplishment

Time: 25 hours

Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 | Activity 5

Unit Description

This unit examines the agricultural, architectural, ecological, medicinal, ceremonial, and philosophical beliefs and practices of Aboriginal peoples. Students should understand significant ways that Aboriginal people have influenced development and thought within and beyond North America. Students examine the historical and contemporary roles Aboriginal peoples played and continue to play within their communities in sharing knowledge, beliefs, practices, and world views. Achievements, such as the upholding of peace by the Haudenosaunne people through the Great Law and their philosophy surrounding their Two Row wampum agreement, the western sun dance, potlatch traditions, and seasonal ceremonies, have provided a spiritual foundation for Aboriginal thoughts and actions. Students investigate agricultural and harvesting practices and the cultivation of a number of medicines, and they learn of the significance of Aboriginal peoples’ respect and understanding of the natural environment.

Students examine how the guiding principles of equality, respect, spirituality, and peace are being conveyed by contemporary speakers, writers, healers, leaders, and elders. The central focus of this unit is how the validity of Aboriginal knowledge is serving to enhance a renewed sense of identity, pride, and power among Aboriginal people.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strand(s): Identity, Relationships, Sovereignty, Challenges

Overall Expectations

IDV.01 - describe traditional and contemporary beliefs and values of Aboriginal cultures that influence present-day activities and behaviours;

IDV.04 - describe the efforts and actions of Aboriginal communities and individuals to maintain their cultures and languages within traditional land bases, on reserves, and in urban settings;

REV.04 - demonstrate an understanding of the varying perspectives on Aboriginal peoples’ right to self-determination;

SOV.01 - demonstrate an understanding of how traditional teachings and contemporary beliefs are the foundation of Aboriginal self-determination;

SOV.04 - identify the Aboriginal beliefs and values that provide or have provided the foundation for the negotiation of treaties and land claims;

CHV.01 - identify the obstacles that Aboriginal peoples must overcome to protect and maintain their cultures and languages;

CHV.04 - demonstrate an understanding of differences in the challenges faced by various Aboriginal peoples, including Status Indians, Métis, and Inuit;

CHV.05 - identify physical and spiritual survival methods practised by Aboriginal peoples to help them meet the challenge of maintaining their cultures.

Specific Expectations

ID2.02 - describe individuals, First Nation communities, and organizations that promote public understanding of Aboriginal cultural identity (e.g., Tomson Highway, M’Chigeeng First Nation, Native Friendship Centres, Métis Nation of Ontario);

ID2.03 - describe how Aboriginal cultural activities and symbols (e.g., eagle feathers) increase public awareness and contribute to public understanding of Aboriginal cultural contributions (e.g., Inuit carvings);

ID2.05 - describe ways in which contemporary Aboriginal leaders have furthered the understanding of all Canadians of Aboriginal values and aspirations;

ID3.01 - describe how Aboriginal communities and individuals maintain links with traditional spiritual beliefs and practices in urban, rural, and institutional settings (e.g., grandmothers’ roles, healing circles);

ID3.02 - compare the role of beliefs and values in sustaining two different Aboriginal communities today;

ID3.03 explain ways in which artists, healers, elders, women, and politicians define and promote Aboriginal peoples’ aspirations (e.g., in the briefs and submissions as recorded in the Final Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996);

RE1.02 - identify examples of art, architecture, and artifacts that depict a spiritual and emotional link between Aboriginal peoples and their traditional lands (e.g., totem pole carvings; masks; designs of cultural centres; artwork of Daphne Odjig, Maxine Noel, and Joane Cardinal Schubert);

RE1.03 - demonstrate an understanding of traditional Aboriginal activities associated with the seasonal cycle;

RE2.01 - describe how Aboriginal peoples can express their distinctive identity in multicultural Canada;

RE2.02 - compare harvesting behaviours and beliefs of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples (e.g., wild rice harvesting, fishing practices on the east and west coasts of Canada);

RE3.02 - describe the importance of customs, rituals, and ceremonies within Aboriginal cultures (e.g., the role of sweat lodges, smudging, burning sweetgrass) in strengthening Aboriginal identity in their relationships with Canadian society;

RE3.04 - identify efforts of Aboriginal peoples towards cultural revitalization (e.g., reinstituting ceremonial practices, providing Native language classes for adults);

SO1.02 - describe ways in which practices based on traditional beliefs and values sustain autonomy and promote self-determination within families (e.g., parenting practices, experiential learning, sharing responsibilities);

SO2.02 - identify places, people, and events that are associated with success in maintaining the autonomy of Aboriginal peoples (e.g., First Nation schools, maintenance of the Confederacy Council on the Six Nations Reserve after its “overthrow” by the RCMP in 1924);

SO3.01 - demonstrate an understanding of how Aboriginal peoples incorporate traditional beliefs and values (e.g., the use of healing circles, sentencing circles, and birthing centres) into their lives in an attempt to revitalize their societies;

SO3.03 - describe specific healing practices that promote individual and community renewal (e.g., sweat lodges in prison environments, traditional uses of tobacco);

CH3.03- demonstrate an understanding of the challenges involved in sensitizing mainstream health and social service providers to the needs and aspirations of various Aboriginal peoples (e.g., through affirmative action, cross-cultural awareness, Aboriginal input);

CH3.05 - identify physical and spiritual survival methods practised by Aboriginal peoples to maintain their cultural distinctiveness (e.g., vision quests, dream interpretation, naming ceremonies).

Activity Titles (Time and Sequence)

Activity 1	Relationships, Symbols, and Ceremonies	300 minutes
Activity 2	Meeting the Challenges of History and Today	300 minutes
Activity 3	Oral Traditions: Maintaining A Culture	180 minutes
Activity 4	Relationships with the Natural Environment	300 minutes
Activity 5	Traditional Cultural Practices: A Revisitation in a Contemporary Setting	400 minutes

Activity 1: Relationships, Symbols, and Ceremonies

Time: 300 minutes

Description

Students examine relationships, symbols, and ceremonies associated with traditional beliefs and practices of Aboriginal cultural groups. Students investigate the meaning and significance of traditions, behaviour, and practices that occur in the cycle of the seasons. The significance of cultural celebrations is also investigated.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strand(s): Identity, Relationships, Challenges

Overall Expectations

IDV.01 - describe traditional and contemporary beliefs and values of Aboriginal cultures that influence present-day activities and behaviours.

Specific Expectations

CH3.05 - identify physical and spiritual survival methods practised by Aboriginal peoples to maintain their cultural distinctiveness (e.g., vision quests, dream interpretation, naming ceremonies).

Prior Knowledge & Skills

Students have awareness of relationships, symbols, and ceremonies by reviewing activities and knowledge from Unit 1: Aboriginal Identity: Perceptions and Realities and subsequent units. Prior knowledge could be attained by participating and observing traditional cultural practices within Aboriginal families and communities or through observations of video documentaries, seen in the Grade 9 course, Expressing Aboriginal Cultures and the Grade 10 course, Aboriginal People in Canada. Photographic and artistic skills are used in Strategies 1 and 4.

Planning Notes

· Symbols and ceremonies of Aboriginal cultures vary from Nation to Nation, and by regions and cultural groups. From a regional perspective, for example:

· Northwest Coast;

· Plateau;

· Arctic;

· Plains;

· Northern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec;

· Southern Ontario and Quebec;

· Maritimes.

Students should choose at least two regions and investigate traditional cultural practices. Skills, beliefs, and symbols could be portrayed in posters, collages, or models. These relate to seasonal activities investigated earlier.

· Suggested videos are viewed to reinforce findings and to assist students in discovering the meaning of symbols and ceremonies. Artistic creators, artists, sculptors, and builders could be researched as an extension activity.

· Video support is available in NFB releases:

· Okimah: 51 min. (NFB C9198039/E2000) - Focuses on the annual goose hunt in Moose Factory, Northern Ontario;

· The Gift: 48 min. (NFB C9198 057/E2000) - Explores the powerful bond and spiritual relationships that continue to exist between Indigenous Americans and corn;

· My Village in Nunavik: 47 min. (NFB C9199 066/E2000) - Shows how the filmmaker Bobby Kenlajak remains attached to the traditional way of life and the land.

· The North American Indian Travelling College (Akwesasne First Nation) has published good material on Iroquoian traditional teachings, especially Iroquois Stories by Joseph Bruchac.

· Author and anthropologist Hugh Brody has published sensitive observations of Inuit and First Nations customs in his books Maps and Dreams and more recently The Other Side of Eden.

· Excellent quotations are interspersed throughout the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, in which testimony was recorded verbatim.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. The importance of the four seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter) should be reinforced by the teacher. Students are divided into groups, and symbols, traditional activities, and ceremonies are listed on chart paper or an overhead.

2. Using specific cultural groups associated with geographical regions, students identify the importance of specific symbols, traditional activities, and ceremonies that individuals and communities valued in the past and value today.

3. Students focus on specific objects (e.g., drums, totem poles, carvings, designs, regalia, dolls, birds, animals associated with clans) and explore how these objects and symbols reinforce cultural achievement.

4. Oral reports, supported with materials, photographs, or drawings, are shared with class members.

5. Elders could be invited to share stories, or stories are read, that reinforce cultural beliefs and practices.

6. Individual research on Aboriginal writing and artists, activists, and political leaders, both male and female, would enrich this lesson sequence.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Journal entries from Activity 1 are assessed. Group reports represent an alternative method of assessment.

· If there has been previous focus on local or regional beliefs and practices, this is an opportunity to locate resources on cultural groups beyond provincial or regional boundaries (e.g., Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia, Plains Cree, Blackfoot, Dene on Northwest Territories, Inuit of Nunavut, Tlingit of British Columbia, Haida of British Columbia).

· As students are expected to compare and contrast beliefs, symbols, and ceremonies of different cultural groups, the teacher needs to ensure that adequate resources exist to support this activity. See Appendix 4.1.1.

· Worksheets assigned with videos are assessed for completeness, understanding, and application. See examples in Unit 2, Activity 4: Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement.

Accommodations

Student groupings are established so that direct teacher support for high-needs students is available. Limited criteria and expanded criteria for the collage/poster could be pre-established for selected individuals and groups. Detailed worksheets could be used to focus on key aspects of videos, if individual research tasks are overly challenging for some students.

Resources

Ray, Arthur. I Have Lived Here Since The World Began. Toronto: Key Porter Books and Lester Publishing, 1996.

Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Looking Forward, Looking Back, Vol. 1; Perspectives and Realities, Vol. 6.

Gathering Strength, Vol. 3

Videos

The Gift. NFB, 1998, 48 min. C9198057/E2000

Laxwesa Wa - Strength of a River. NFB, 1995, 54 min. C9195 106/EC009

Legends Sxwexwxwiy’am: The Story of Siwash Rock. NFB, 1999, 24 min. C9199 206/EC009

Mi’kmar Family Migmaoei Otjiosog. NFB, 1998, 32 min. C9194 086/EC009

My Village in Nunavik. NFB, 1999, 47 min. C9199066/E2000

Okimah. NFB, 1998, 51 min. C9198 039/E2000

The Little Trapper. NFB, 1999, 26 min. C9199 027/EC009

The Other Side of the Ledger. NFB, 1972, 42 min. 106C 0172 067

“The Salmon People,” 25 min. In Native Indian Folklore. NFB, 1987, 71 min. 113C 0186 144

Activity 2: Meeting the Challenges of History and Today

Time: 300 minutes

Description

In this activity, students consider how Aboriginal customs, ceremonies, and rituals are interwoven with a sense of place. Students examine how ceremonies, such as those connected to the salmon harvest on Canada’s west coast, meet both spiritual and physical needs and how modern non-Aboriginal harvesting methods represent challenges to the integrity of these ceremonies and rituals. Finally, student groups choose an Aboriginal group and develop a written statement that explains why the preservation of some aspect of the natural environment is critical to the continuance of its ceremonies, rituals, and customs.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strand(s): Relationships, Sovereignty, Challenges

Overall Expectations

SOV.04 - identify the Aboriginal beliefs and values that provide or have provided the foundations for the negotiation of treaties and land claims;

CHV.01 - identify the obstacles that Aboriginal peoples must overcome to protect and maintain their cultures and languages;

CHV.04 - demonstrate and understanding of differences in the challenges faced by various Aboriginal peoples, including Status Indians, Métis and Inuit;

CHV.05 - identify physical and spiritual survival methods practised by Aboriginal peoples to help them meet the challenge of maintaining their cultures.

Specific Expectations

RE2.01 - describe how Aboriginal peoples can express their distinctive identity in multi-cultural Canada;

Prior Knowledge & Skills

Knowledge of symbols and ceremonies as presented in Activity 1 would be valuable as would knowledge gained by participating in, and observing, traditional cultural practices. Skills in visualization are not required, but those students who have done visualization exercises can encourage others by a brief oral explanation.

Planning Notes

Obtain many of the texts mentioned in Resources before lesson delivery. Members of the local Aboriginal community who might speak on issues of cultural maintenance could add a local context to the issues under study. For Strategy 2, the teacher should preplan a script to assist in visualization exercises.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. If students are going to achieve empathy or insight into Aboriginal beliefs and values, they need to appreciate the manner in which the customs, ceremonies, and rituals of Canada’s Aboriginal nations are interwoven with a sense of place. The relationship implied by this sense of place is understood as a deep respect and sense of kinship and belonging to the natural environment surrounding one’s community. It is recognition, very simply, that “Nature itself is sacred.” The diverse customs, rituals, and ceremonies of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples reflect a sense of awe and respect for nature, a recognition that, “natural forms and forces are expressions of spirit” (Cajete, 1994, p. 44). Read for students the quote from George Manuel, a Shuswap Grand Chief, “All of our structures and values have developed out of spiritual relationship with the land on which we have lived” (Reid, p. 62). To further support student understanding for this idea, use the short vignette entitled, “How Humans, Spirit Power, and the Land Create a Living Whole,” (Gitskan, p. 127) in the book, Wisdom of the Elders, by Knudtson and Suzuki. The Reid student text, Aboriginal Peoples: Building for the Future, can help communicate to students basic information about ceremonies and rituals (pp. 14-15).

2. To assist students in coming to an understanding of the importance that “place” has with respect to ceremonies and Aboriginal spiritual practices, students should first look inside themselves and attempt to reflect upon a place that may be special to them. This may best be achieved through visualization. Develop a script for the visualization ahead of time. The goal is to have each student travel in their imaginations to a natural area where they feel especially connected. It would be a place where they may go to collect their thoughts, think about things in peace, be alone, etc. It may be an area that they have travelled to. The expectation that students do have a valued place may be less certain for urban students. Even in this situation, students may reflect upon walks in parks or trips to rural areas. The teacher can be as elaborate in setting up the visualization as he/she feels comfortable (e.g., adjusting the lights, adding music/nature sound tapes, etc.). You want the student to feel the place they are in, to experience the “visualized” place with all their senses, in effect, attempt to re-establish the emotional connection to place while they remain in the classroom. The intent of a visualization is to elicit an imaginative and intuitive response from the student rather than only encouraging the rational/analytical perspective. Using visualization allows the teacher to achieve “learning from the heart as well as learning from the mind”, an important tenant of traditional Aboriginal education practice. Several texts in Resources provide starting points for “scripts” that could be used guides to the visualization process.

3. Students share their insights, feelings, and thoughts resulting from the visualization exercise. A response journal is a private (and perhaps more reflective) alternative to the suggested group sharing.

4. Share the following vignette with students. “The Great Spirit wants people to be different. He makes a person love a particular animal, tree or herb. He makes people feel drawn to certain spots on this earth where they can experience a special sense of well-being, saying to themselves, ‘That’s a spot which makes me happy, where I belong’,” by John Lame Deer (Miniconjou Sioux) (see Singing of the Earth in Resources). Point out the manner in which the sentiments expressed in the vignette may complement insights, feelings or thoughts shared by students in the preceding section (e.g.,
Strategy 3). Mention to students that customs, ceremonies, and rituals can be viewed as a means of making apparent, and infusing with a deep meaning, the relatedness between individual, community, and the natural world.

5. To illustrate this idea, discuss with students how the salmon figures prominently in certain ceremonies and rituals of many west coast nations. Show the NFB video, The Salmon People. This sensitive re-creation of a west coast story explores the origins of the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and salmon in this part of Canada. It greatly assists students to understand why the salmon is considered an animal of ceremonial significance. Questions the teacher might ask following the video are:

· “In what ways do ceremonies honour the relationship between the salmon and Aboriginal peoples?” “Why do you think the spirit of salmon is shown in human form?”

· “In what ways does the respect shown in the video towards the salmon seem increasingly relevant given the current status of the Canadian west coast salmon fishery?”

· “How do modern industrial fishing practices undermine the spirit of the ceremonies and rituals that relate to harvesting salmon?”

Mention to students that this last question represents an important challenge that must be faced by Aboriginal peoples in today’s world as they work to achieve maintaining the spirit and relationships inherent in their traditional customs, ceremonies and rituals.

6. Review with students, in a summarized fashion, the treaty-making process. Reid’s text may again be useful for this. This information serves as background knowledge for the following task.

7. As a culminating demonstration of learning, students, in a group of two or three, develop a piece of writing (two to three paragraphs) that could be added to a statement of agreement/treaty/land claim currently being negotiated by a First nation, Métis group, or Inuit nation. Depending on the Aboriginal people they choose to represent, their statement explains why the preservation of some aspect of the natural world (e.g., a particular animal – salmon, buffalo, goose; or geographic location – Black Hills, area of pictographs) is critical to the continuance of ceremonies, rituals, or customs.

8. In keeping with respect for oral tradition found in Aboriginal education, student groups or individuals read aloud their statements.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Assessment of the quality of response in the visualization (Strategies 2 and 3) is done with a checklist or in anecdotal fashion. A poem could also be requested and evaluated at the end of this step.

· Teacher questions (Strategy 5) could also be used to evaluate student comprehension and analysis following in the video in the form of a worksheet.

· The final written statement and oral presentation are evaluated using Appendix 4.2.1.

Accommodations

Use video with appropriate worksheet to guide students. Students who require enrichment could read and report on Drew Hayden Taylor’s play, Toronto at Dreamers Rock. Students who experience writing difficulties may be assigned artwork, a chart, or a map for Strategy 7.

Resources

Berry, T. The Dream of the Earth. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1988.

Bruchac, J. and D. Landau, eds. Singing of the Earth: A Native American Anthology. Berkeley: The Nature Company, 1993.

Cajete, G. Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education. Durange: Kivaki Pres, 1994.

Gerber, P.R. Indians of the Northwest Coast. New York: Facts on File, 1987. (This text illustrates how salmon and ceremony have provided inspiration for west coast artists.)

Knudtson, P. and D. Suzuki. Wisdom of the Elders. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 1992.

Miller, J.P. The Holistic Teacher. Toronto: OISE Press, 1993.

Reed, K. Aboriginal Peoples: Building for the Future. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Roberts, E. and E. Amidon. Earth prayers from around the world. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1991.

Video

“The Salmon People,” 25 min. In Native Indian Folklore. NFB, 1987, 71 min. 113C 0186 144

Activity 3: Oral Traditions: Maintaining A Culture

Time: 180 minutes

Description

Students explore why many Aboriginal peoples cannot enjoy their stories in their own languages. Students listen to and observe a storyteller or knowledgeable Aboriginal person who has survived hardships and then compare stories that relate to their experiences and can be shared. Students record their observations and compare their stories to those of others depicted in videos or autobiographical accounts.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strand(s): Identity, Sovereignty, Challenges

Overall Expectations

IDV.04 - describe the efforts and actions of Aboriginal communities and individuals to maintain their cultures and languages within traditional land bases, on reserves, and in urban settings;

SOV.01 - demonstrate an understanding of how traditional teachings and contemporary beliefs are the foundation of Aboriginal self-determination;

CHV.01 - identify the obstacles that Aboriginal peoples must overcome to protect and maintain their cultures and languages.

Specific Expectations

ID3.03 - explain ways in which artists, healers, elders, women, and politicians define and promote Aboriginal peoples’ aspirations (e.g., in the briefs and submissions as recorded in the Final Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996);

SO3.03 - describe specific healing practices that promote individual and community renewal (e.g., sweat lodges in prison environments, traditional uses of tobacco);

CH3.05 - identify physical and spiritual survival methods practised by Aboriginal peoples to maintain their cultural distinctiveness (e.g., vision quests, dream interpretation, naming ceremonies).

Prior Knowledge & Skills

The teacher reviews activities, from Unit 1: Aboriginal Identity: Perceptions and Realities, that relate to Aboriginal identity, cultural identity, and challenges to cultural identity. Grade 11 English: Contemporary Aboriginal Voices deals with autobiographical accounts. Reference should be made to the importance of storytelling within Aboriginal cultures. Skills of social and self-analysis developed earlier are used.

Planning Notes

· If possible, invite a knowledgeable Aboriginal person who is willing to share his/her personal and community stories to speak to the class.

· Another source of stories is by accessing a Cultural Centre and requesting copies of audiotape stories.

· The teacher could search out autobiographical references (see Resources).

· The NFB catalogue provides opportunities for students to view stories and experiences of Aboriginal peoples from a variety of cultural groups (see Resources).

· Attention should be given to spiritual practices and beliefs from a variety of cultural perspectives.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. The teacher could reinforce the importance of oral traditions transmitted through distinct Aboriginal languages in different Aboriginal cultures.

2. Appropriate questions are:

· Why can’t Aboriginal people enjoy their stories in their own languages?

· What in your view are the dominant strengths within your local Aboriginal community?

· Compare these identified qualities with perceived strengths of your school community.

· How do these community and individual strengths support an individual’s values and beliefs?

· How does an individual overcome perceived weaknesses in community and/or school structures?

· What social skills are needed to survive in challenging environment (e.g., on reserve, in urban centre, in mainstream school)? What stories could you tell a younger brother or sister to help them cope in each of these environments?

3. Students compare their own personal observations with an autobiographical account or a testimony shown on a video. The teacher needs to give students quiet time as they attempt to decide on their “most important personal experiences”. This will not come easily to many students, and the teacher needs to allow for a variety of answers. In their comparison, a worksheet could be constructed using the following headings:

· identity of individual;

· personal qualities of individual;

· significant experiences portrayed;

· reactions to circumstances or experiences a) short-term reactions, b) long-term reactions;

· support for individual from family, friends, community, and institutions.

4. Students, in groups, explore their responses and compare them to personal challenges that were portrayed from different regions of Canada, but only if they feel comfortable in doing so. The teacher may provide a model answer from his/her own life.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Strategy 2 has a list of questions, which should be structured as a worksheet and, on completion, be evaluated by peers for completeness and comprehensiveness of answers.

· For Strategy 3, sensitivity to student answers is recommended. See Appendix 4.3.1 for one type of format which allows students to compare themselves to individuals in a variety of videos.

Accommodations

Students who have difficulties with the questions or worksheet could provide either written or oral responses to the interview/storytelling process. Some students might, with permission, play a video or tape recording of an elder’s story.

Resources

Campbell, Maria (Métis). Halfbreed. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1973. ISBN 0-7704-1537-7

French, Alice (Inuit). My Name is Masak. Winnipeg: Peguis Publishers, (1976) 1992.
ISBN 0-919566-56-1

Joe, Rita (Mi’kmaq). Song of Rita Joe: Autobiography of a Mi’kmaq Poet. Charlottetown: Ragweed Press, 1996. ISBN 0-921556-59-4

Maracle, Brian (Mohawk). Back on the Rez: Finding the Way Home. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1997. ISBN 0-14-024361-5

Scofield, Gregory (Métis). Thunder Through My Veins: Memories of a Métis Childhood. Toronto: Harper Colllins, 1999. ISBN 0-00-200025-3

Sterling, Shirley (Interior Salish). My Name is Seepeetza. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1992.
ISBN 0-88899-165-7

Tyman, James (Métis). Inside Out: An Autobiography by a Native Canadian. Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers, 1989. ISBN 0-920079-49-0

Video

Mi’kmaq Family Migmacoei Otjiosog. NFB, 1995, 32 min. C9194 086

My Village in Nunavik. NFB, 1999, 51 min. 119C9199

Okimah. NFB, 1998, 51 min. 149 C9198 039

Place of the Boss: Utshimassits. 1996, 49 min. 119C9196 112

Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child. NFB, 1986, 29 min. 106C0816 0056

Women in the Shadows. NFB, 1991, 56 min. 106C9191 146

Activity 4: Relationships with the Natural Environment

Time: 320 minutes

Description

Students examine Aboriginal harvesting practices associated with plants, animals, fish, and fowl in the various regions of Canada. Students investigate how Aboriginal traditional beliefs and values can be sustained through knowledge and respect for cultural traditions, spiritual values, and healing practices occurring within the seasonal cycles. Students compare and contrast past and present practices in different regions of Canada.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strand(s): Identity, Relationships, Sovereignty, Challenges

Specific Expectations

RE1.03 - demonstrate an understanding of traditional Aboriginal activities associated with the seasonal cycle;

RE2.02 - compare harvesting behaviours and beliefs of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples (e.g., wild rice harvesting, fishing practices on the east and west coasts of Canada);

SO3.03 - describe specific healing practices that promote individual and community renewal (e.g., sweat lodges in prison environments, traditional uses of tobacco);

CH3.05 - identify physical and spiritual survival methods practised by Aboriginal peoples to maintain their cultural distinctiveness (e.g., vision quests, dream interpretation, naming ceremonies).

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· The teacher reviews contents of previously viewed videos in which traditional practices are portrayed.

· Ideas and knowledge contained in previously taught stories are reviewed.

· Some students may be able to share accounts of experiences they have had with family and community members associated with seasonal ceremonies.

· Knowledge from previous activities (e.g., Unit 2, Activity 2 in which connections to Aboriginal people and nature were made that reinforce and strengthen Aboriginal identity) can be applied to this activity.

· Research skills are reviewed.

Planning Notes

· Agricultural, cultivation, and harvesting practices of Aboriginal peoples are portrayed in Looking Forward, Looking Back, (Vol. 1 of Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, p. 46).

· Perspectives and Realities, (Vol. 4 of Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, p. 137) contains a section, in which elders describe special relationships Aboriginal peoples have with the land, entitled “Elders, Lands and Resources”; in five pages it outlines some significant viewpoints.

· Beliefs and practices with specific tribes or nations should be a focus.

· Adequate resource support for students is needed.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Through a brief review of past activities and lessons, students recall ways that traditional Aboriginal societies survived.

2. Students identify significant modes of survival for families today, so that adequate food, shelter, and clothing is available. Students compare the advantages and disadvantages of a traditional Aboriginal lifestyle to today’s realities in maintaining an adequate healthy lifestyle for families and communities.

3. Since time immemorial, Aboriginal relationships to the land have sustained their cultures. Students probe how land is linked to: Spirituality, Health/Medicines, Subsistence, and Freedom.

4. Students investigate the aspects of subsistence and survival by identifying specific plants, animals, fish, and fowl upon which Inuit, Métis, and First Nations depended. Initially, this will be a generalized list.

5. Students, after a case study of a local community’s traditional survival practices, explore specific means of survival of individual nations or cultural groups. Groups of students could be divided by region and sub-groups within regions. For example:

East Coast	- M’Kmaq, Montagnais (Innu);
Quebec	- Algonkian;
Northern Ontario and Quebec	- Cree, Inuit, Ojibwa/Anishnabe;
Ontario	- Ojibway, Huron, Delaware, Iroquois Confederacy;
Prairies	- Plains, Cree, Blackfoot, Dakota, Assiniboine;
Northwest Territories	- Dogrib, Carrier, Chipewyan;
Plateau (Mountains)	- Interior Salish, Kootenayan, Lillooet;
Northwest Coast	- Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Coast Salish;
Arctic	- Inuit.

6. Students identify how harvesting practices alter from season to season in different regions of Canada.

7. Students investigate how spiritual practices and beliefs and harvesting activities are linked though the benevolence of the Creator and the respect individuals show for all living things.

8. Students, in groups, examine modern realities that have restricted the freedoms to hunt, fish, trap, and live directly from nature’s bounty. Regional case studies involving ecological issues, flooding, mining, and resource development in contemporary times are investigated.

9. Students design and create a poster depicting shifts in harvesting practices over time, focusing on a particular region as well as on the seasonal cycle.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

The major evaluation of this activity is the poster connecting a culture group, its harvesting practices, its spiritual life, and the impact of modernity. Because of the complexity of the assignment, the teacher may decide to mark intermediate stages as well as the final product. Consideration should be given to awarding marks for research skills, major resources harvested, the impact of modernization, and the preliminary layout of poster design. For an example see Appendix 4.4.1.

Accommodations

Reviewing video content from earlier lessons helps students focus. Stories read orally reinforce traditional Aboriginal beliefs. Worksheets could guide students if research skills are not strong.

Resources

Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Looking Back Vol. 1; Perspective and Realities, Vol. 4. Ottawa: Ministry of Supply and Services, 1996.

Steckley, J. and B. Cummins. Full Circle: Canada’s First Nations. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2001.

Activity 5: Traditional Cultural Practices:

A Revisitation in a Contemporary Setting

Time: 400 minutes

Description

Students conduct a biographical study of a representative individual from an Aboriginal cultural group. Students interpret the meaning and significance of “Pride, Power, and Accomplishments” and interview a family member, relative, friend, or community elder to determine how this individual exemplifies these quantities. Students then investigate how they individually can aspire to exemplify and achieve positive statements of identity and pride.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strand(s): Identity, Relationship, Sovereignty, Challenges

Overall Expectations

REV.04 - demonstrate an understanding of the varying perspectives on Aboriginal peoples’ right to self-determination.

Specific Expectations

ID2.02 - describe individuals, First Nations communities, and organizations that promote public understanding of Aboriginal cultural identity (e.g., Tomson Highway, M’Chigeeng First Nation, Native Friendship Centres, Métis Nation of Ontario);

ID2.05 - describe ways in which contemporary Aboriginal leaders have furthered the understanding of all Canadians of Aboriginal values and aspirations;

RE3.04 - identify efforts of Aboriginal peoples towards cultural revitalization (e.g., reinstituting ceremonial practices, providing Native language classes for adults);

CH3.03 - demonstrate an understanding of the challenges involved in sensitizing mainstream health and social service providers to the needs and aspirations of various Aboriginal peoples (e.g., through affirmative action, cross-cultural awareness, Aboriginal input).

Prior Knowledge & Skills

Students who have completed the Grade 9 course, Expressing Aboriginal Cultures and the Grade 10 course, Aboriginal Peoples in Canada are aware of accomplishments of some individual Aboriginal personalities and leaders. Names associated with Aboriginal organizations previously studied may help students identify directions for individual research. Links to works studied in the Grade 11 English: Contemporary Aboriginal Voices may also provide direction for students. Reference to autobiographical works by Aboriginal writers assists students. These can be accessed from the English: Contemporary Aboriginal Voices course profiles.

Planning Notes

· It is important to know in advance that sufficient biographical information and material about contemporary cultural practices and accomplishments are available for student research.

· If accessing information is difficult, students work in groups on structured tasks, using fewer topics.

· Video material could be used to portray how traditional cultural activities are practised today.

· Websites could assist students; the teacher should preview sites, to ensure that meaningful research is possible for students, and have a list available.

· Clear parameters for research and final product need to be prepared that realistically reflect student abilities and skills.

· While an appreciation of Aboriginal celebrity is useful in balancing negative stereotypes, most Aboriginal traditions teach a democratic respect for the contribution of all. Aboriginal students may identify a relatively unknown personality as their “hero” figure.

· The culminating activity for this unit involves the personal interview of a senior family member. The teacher needs to review basic interviewing skills to allow students to conduct an effective interview. The personal interview needs to be recognized as a legitimate research form in an oral culture.

· Although not intended as a healing exercise, the personal introspection required for this activity may well have such an effect for students with unresolved issues. Teachers should exercise particular sensitivity should this become evident in student work.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Students, with teacher direction, revisit the unit theme of “Pride, Power, and Accomplishments”. For each of the three words, students list three ways that Aboriginal individuals and/or communities can exhibit or personify these traits.

2. Using an example from a relevant cultural group (e.g., Cree: Matthew Coon Come; Ojibwe: Basil Johnson, Ted Nolan; Mohawk: Mike Mitchell, Roberta Jamieson; Inuit: Susan Aglukark; Métis: Tony Belcourt, Maria Campbell, Robbie Robertson) develop a brief biographic sketch to show how the individual personifies qualities associated with Pride, Power, and Accomplishments.

3. Students could be grouped according to interests, such as sports, writers, performers, craft people, activists, musicians, political leaders, and or entrepreneurs. Each group investigates how prominent Aboriginal individuals personify qualities associated with Pride, Power, and Accomplishments.

4. Adequate research time is required and clear presentation criteria are given (oral, written, creative).

5. Students interview a grandparent or other senior family member, relative, or friend to collect their story. Themes could include favourite memories of days gone by, the places they lived and worked, how traditions have changed over the years, the perspective they took on historical events (e.g., for many Aboriginal people, the Great Depression had no startling effect on their already poor economic condition) or whatever the subject wishes to share. The interview questions should be prepared by the student using guidelines provided by the teacher and reviewed by the teacher prior to the interview.

6. Interviews could be reported orally. As presentations are heard, students could chart this lived experience on a Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations organizer to note similarities and differences among families represented in the classroom.

7. Following on the shared interview reports and assisted by the organizer, students prepare a final written personal statement. This could be in a form similar to the recent television commercial Joe’s Rant: My name is Joe and I am Canadian... (e.g., My name is Wali and I am Mohawk...). Ideally this would be presented orally. In the statement, the student needs to demonstrate his or her own beliefs, values, and aspirations. Students should use concise sentences based on information gathered from their worksheet and their own reflections.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

Student analytical skills are assessed using the biographical sketch exercise. Through their contribution to the group exercise, students should exhibit an understanding of the expectations. Students have an opportunity to internalize the material during the interview phase and then to personalize it in their own rant. Students have an opportunity to exhibit oral skill development. Peers may evaluate the rant by using a checklist designed by the class with guidance from the teacher.

Accommodations

· If students are reluctant to present orally, they could submit written material.

· Students unable to contact an older relative or friend could be referred to a friendship cultural/heritage centre. Teachers are cautioned to respect the privacy and sensitivity of individual students as required.

Resources

Aboriginal Voices Magazine - www.aboriginalvoices.com

Canadian Aboriginal News and Information

www.CanadianAboriginal.com

www.nativeweb.org/

www.servtech.com/public/mvar/nativeamerican.html

Newspapers

Anishabek News

Windspeaker

Appendix 4.1.1

Comparison and Contrast in Beliefs, Symbols, and Ceremonies Checklist

	No Evidence	Minimal Evidence	Good Use of Evidence	Excellence Use of Evidence
Shows clear comparison or contrast in belief structure
Shows clear comparison or contrast in symbols
Shows clear comparison or contrast in ceremonies
Shows overall grasp of differences in Aboriginal cultures
Clear, legible, and visually appealing

Appendix 4.2.1

Oral Presentation: Relationships between Aboriginal Culture and Preservation of Nature Checklist

	No Evidence	Minimal Evidence	Good Use of Evidence	Excellent Use of Evidence
Clear explanation of which Aboriginal culture is involved
Clear explanation of which aspect of the natural world is involved
Clear explanation of why it is essential to ritual or custom
Strong oral presentation: organization, voice, supporting evidence

Appendix 4.3.1

Comparison of Characters

Your Name:

	Character in Video	Your Life
Strongest qualities of personality
Most important experience
Immediate reactions to experience
Long-term reaction to experience
Degree of support from family and friends
Was the experience life-changing?

Appendix 4.4.1

Poster Design

	No Evidence	Minimal Evidence	Good Use of Evidence	Excellent Use of Evidence
Clear identification of region and sub-group
Clear explanation of both harvesting practices and seasonal variations
Clear links shown between harvesting and spiritual practices
Some indication whether “modern” life has affected harvesting practices
Clear layout, appealing use of text and visuals

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