D2. Truth, Reconciliation, and Renewal
Specific Expectations
D2.1
make and explain some connections between First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultural observances/events and the goals of truth, reconciliation, and renewal (e.g., festivals offer a setting for vendors to explain the cultural and spiritual messages of art works by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals; powwows provide a public forum for sharing traditional knowledge through storytelling; country-wide Rendezvous events encourage wider understanding of Métis culture; harvest camps strengthen Indigenous ecological knowledge and promote understanding of the connection between the people and the land)
- What connections can you make between cultural understanding and reconciliation?
- In your opinion, how does learning about a culture through reading or watching a documentary differ from learning through participating in a cultural event?
D2.2
identify and describe several different ways in which efforts to promote First Nations, Métis, and Inuit environmental knowledge and perspectives have contributed to truth, reconciliation, and renewal (e.g., land recovery projects for the protection of indigenous seeds and naturally grown foods engage Canadian society in the connection between the people and the land; water walks raise awareness of the necessity of clean water and the importance of respecting water as a gift from the natural world)
- What are some ways in which Indigenous communities have drawn attention to the depletion of wild salmon stocks? How do these actions follow or diverge from the principles expressed in the Haudenosaunee Two Row Wampum? How are they connected to truth and reconciliation?
- What have Josephine Mandamin’s water walks drawn attention to? How do her efforts support reconciliation and renewal?
D2.3
analyse some government policies and actions in Canada intended to affirm truth, reconciliation, and renewal related to decolonization to determine the key commitments of these policies/actions and identify some results (e.g., with reference to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples; the responses of provincial governments to the calls to action expressed in the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada; Canada’s statement of support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)
- What specific commitments have provincial governments made as a result of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action? How have these commitments affected your own education? What examples can you give?
D2.4
analyse some judicial/legal actions in Canada intended to affirm truth, reconciliation, and renewal related to Aboriginal title, treaty rights, and nation-to-nation relationships to determine the key stakeholders and processes involved in these actions (e.g., land claim interactions take place between First Nations, Métis, or Inuit governments and organizations and provincial or federal governments, and involve re-examining and reappraising the historical record with respect to traditional territories; land claim settlements require a reconciliation of stakeholders’ competing values and aspirations; the Constitution Act, 1982, enshrines some Aboriginal rights, such as hunting and fishing rights, within law)
- How does Canadian federal law use the concept of ‘Aboriginal title’ when defining inherent right to land or territory? What is the relationship between Crown land and land with Aboriginal title? Why is this relevant for nation-to-nation relationships?
- Who are the stakeholders in land claims? Why do you think that land claim settlements often become prominent media stories? What kind of information does a media release about a land claim settlement typically contain?