Connection to Land: Beginning Together Activity
Total Time: Approx. 1 to 3 hours
Context: Jurisdiction-based
Strategy: Photovoice
Participants begin by taking photos outside or making drawings, noting words that express their connection to the land. After sharing their words and images, participants view the interactive and then relate their own views to the First Nation, Métis and Inuit perspectives presented in the resource.
Overview of Interactive
For many of us, land shapes our culture, identity and sense of belonging. This interactive activity, which includes a montage of images and voices, provides an opportunity for you to reflect upon how where we live shapes who we are.
The first activity is in the form of a reflective question: When you think about “land” and “home,” and your relationship to these things, which words come to mind? Participants are provided with a digital notebook to write their thoughts. The next section is a montage of words that suggest First Nation, Métis and Inuit perspectives on connection to the land.
Reflection Statement
How can your classroom practices help students explore and understand their connection to the land?
Suggested Activity: Photovoice
| Materials: |
Additional cameras or smartphones Paper and drawing materials |
Note: Before the session, ask participants to bring cameras or smartphones to use in the session and cords to upload their photos to laptops.
Photovoice is a method in which participants present their point of view by taking photographs, discussing them together and creating narratives to go with their photos.
Invite the participants to go outside and take as many photographs as they wish. Later they will upload them to laptops. Some may choose to simply go outside and take mental photographs or some may choose to draw the landscape. Either way, encourage the participants to take note of the words that come to mind as they reflect on the land.
Ask participants to choose their favourite photos and create their own montage of words that reflect how they feel about the land. They can present these to either a partner or to the larger group. They must articulate what they were thinking as they took each photo and identify the words they chose to express their thoughts and feelings.
In the large group, ask participants to shift their focus to an Indigenous perspective. Take them through the interactive screens and share the montage of words that appear on the screen. Participants may have some similar words or they may not share the same connections to the land. Nevertheless, the point is to help them understand and appreciate the First Nation, Métis and Inuit perspectives.
Discuss ways that the participants can help their First Nation, Métis and Inuit students explore and understand their connection to the land. Also, remind them that there may be students who already have a strong connection to the land, so ask them to discuss ways that they can validate their existing connection to the land.
