Aboriginal and Treaty Rights: Respecting Wisdom Activity
Total Time: Approx. 60 minutes
Context: Individual Teachers
Strategy: Discussion or individual reflection
Participants view and discuss six short videos in the Respecting Wisdom section of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights.
This strategy can be adapted for use with other topic areas.
Activity: Discuss Respecting Wisdom Videos
Participants form small groups. After viewing each video, participants discuss the views of the speaker using the questions that follow. Alternatively, individual teachers use the questions to guide their viewing. These questions are designed to focus on the Indigenous perspectives of Aboriginal and treaty rights.
Audrey Weasel Traveller (2:18 minutes) Elder Audrey Weasel Traveller, Piikani Nation, shares her perspective on the various terms used to identify Indigenous peoples. For example, some of the terms used throughout the years include Indian, Native, First Nations, Indigenous and Aboriginal. She states that these terms are “a creation of politics.”
- How does she identify herself?
- How do the Inuit, Métis and First Nation people in your area identify themselves?
- If you have any Inuit, Métis and First Nation students in your classroom, how do they identify themselves?
Billy Joe Laboucan (1:45 minutes) Cree Elder Billy Joe Laboucan, Lubicon Lake Nation, discusses how treaties among the Indigenous tribes took place long before the arrival of the newcomers. He provides an example of a treaty made between the Cree and the Beaver people.
What are the similarities and differences between the approach by Western societies and Indigenous societies to treaties?
Andrew Bear Robe (5:00 minutes) Elder Dr. Andrew Bear Robe, Siksika Nation, describes the Aboriginal perspectives of treaties as looking at them as “organic” and “living” documents. In contrast, Canadian governments from 1967 to today see them as “dormant” or “sleeping” documents. His “wish list” is for the federal government to host a First Ministers’ conference on Aboriginal and treaty rights. He sees potential in youth leadership programs that can teach the complexities of Aboriginal and treaty rights.
- How does analyzing the two perspectives on treaties (Aboriginal and the Canadian government) shed light on complexities of Aboriginal and treaty rights in Canada?
- If you were asked to identify the most pertinent issues for federal, provincial and Aboriginal leaders, what would you select? Why?
- What kinds of leadership activities or programs (such as decision by consensus) could you implement in your classroom to help students become more aware of Aboriginal issues and treaty rights?
Theresa Strawberry (4:45 minutes) Saulteaux Elder Theresa Strawberry, O’Chiese First Nation, provides the relatively recent history of treaty negotiations between her people and the federal government over a piece of land known as Medicine Lake, where her people historically held ceremonies. She points out the miscommunication and misinterpretations that took place at the signing of the treaties. Her people have always understood the treaties to be in effect “as long as the rivers flow, the sun shines and the grass grows.”
How does knowing about the Indigenous connections to land through ceremonies shed light on land claims issues?
Phyllis Collins (2:09 minutes) Métis Elder Phyllis Collins, Elizabeth Settlement, shares her experiences of working as a councillor on the Métis Settlements Act in Alberta. She compares the time it took to work out the details for that act to the time it took for the federal and provincial governments to agree on their relationship.
How do you feel about the governments’ expectations for Métis peoples to work on political documents such as the Métis Settlements Act?
John Janvier (9:06 minutes) Dene Suliné Elder John Janvier, Cold Lake First Nations, gives his interpretation of the “spirit and intent” of the treaties. His father became a chief at the age of 30 years in 1930. At that time, his father still had contact with the Elders who were physically present at the signing of Treaty 6. Therefore, he has heard many first-hand accounts of what exactly was said and meant regarding the treaty negotiations.
- After listening to Mr. Janvier’s account of the treaty negotiations, what is your understanding of “spirit and intent” of treaties?
- How does this account shed light on the oral aspects of traditional and historical knowledge of Inuit, Métis and First Nation people?
