We are a passionate group of educators who would like to provide our students
with authentic learning experiences to better understand treaties in
Saskatchewan. On April 28th-29th 2015, approximately 230 students from
Campbell, Martin, Balfour and Scott Collegiate participated in a youth
conference at First Nation University of Canada to explore the idea of
ideal Treaty citizenship in order to understand the role of their generation in
Treaty 4 territory today and in the future.Based on their learning experiences in the classroom beforehand and the workshops they attended during the conference, the students were asked to imagine what ideal Treaty 4 citizenship could look like. On the second day of the conference, students collaborated with renowned artist Ray Keighley on a large-scale art piece inspired by the question of ideal treaty citizenship. It is our hope this project will reinforce inclusive viewpoints about Saskatchewan’s history and promote the development of student ideas and actions of what treaty citizenship could be.
1. Research Questions (Teacher Practice)
- How can we help students explore the idea of Treaty
citizenship in order to understand the role of their generation in Treaty
4 in Saskatchewan?
- How
can partnering with an artist help students understand the complexity of
Treaty 4?
2. Curriculum Connections
- The effectiveness of treaty-making in addressing the
circumstances of Indigenous peoples (Curriculum outcome PT94)
- Analyzing how treaty-making recognizes peoples’ rights and
responsibilities and be able to understand the world in which they live
(Curriculum outcome CH92)
- Examine how treaties within the contemporary society impact
on individuals’ lives (Curriculum outcome HC123)
- Represent personal understanding of the concept, We Are All Treaty People. (Curriculum outcome TPP124)
Saskatchewan Curriculum, accessed October 2014 https://www.edonline.sk.ca/bbcswebdav/library/materials/francais/docs/%C3%89tude%20des%20trait%C3%A9s%20-%20RA%20et%20Indicateurs%20-%2021%20f%C3%A9vrier%202013.pdf
3. Inquiry Questions (Student Learning)
- What does it mean to be a citizen of Treaty 4 in
Saskatchewan?
- How does understanding Treaty 4 have an impact on my life
today?
- How can a piece of visual art communicate what I understand
to be ideal treaty citizenship?
4. 2015 Teaching Team
Teacher organizers (clockwise): Ms. Agopsowicz, Ms. Findlay (Martin Collegiate),
Ms. Mitchell (Balfour Collegiate), Mme Fortier-Freçon (Campbell Collegiate),
Ms. Ryba (Scott Collegiate), missing Leia Laing (Campbell Collegiate)
Naomi Fortier-Fréçon and Leia Laing (Campbell Collegiate)
In
September 2014, the Grade 9 French Immersion students did a research project
that allowed them to compare, contrast and analyze treaties from here (Canada)
and around the world (principally in Australia). By the end of the
project, the students still had only a superficial understanding of Treaties,
and when they asked me why they themselves are Treaty people, what their role
entitles and what responsibilities they have toward treaties, I (Leia) realized
that I could only reply with a simplified answer. We
are currently having many discussions about the significance and the importance
of treaties to the people involved. They are learning also learning a
variety of Lakota words to describe ceremonies, traditions, animal spirits and
important parts of the Hunkpapas’ culture. These activities are putting
in place a foundation of knowledge so that the students will be prepared and
hopefully more receptive to the activities at the conference.
During the same time, the Grade 12 French Immersion students studied
first contact between the First Nations peoples and the Europeans through fur
trade and alliances. We are currently reading a novel Jeanne, Fille du
Roy that introduces students to life in New France between First Nations
and Europeans during the seventeenth century. This fictional story helps
students to understand fur trade and alliances among First Nations and French
settlers in 1672. During our daily reading times and discussions, I
(Naomi) realized that despite meaningful educational activities we have in
class students still have a superficial understanding of First Nations’ life
before and after first contact with the Europeans. Despite several years
of learning about First Nations history and worldviews, the European viewpoint
still seems to be leading students’ viewpoint about Canadian history.
Our
hope is that the classroom activities we do with our Grades 9 and 12 students
will become more meaningful after a contact with First Nations students and
Elders from Treaty 4. Participating in a large scale art project will
allow students to explore more inclusive viewpoints about Saskatchewan’s
history.
I love my job! I am currently teaching at Scott Collegiate and I have been teaching with Regina Public Schools since 2007. Promoting treaty education is imperative, not only because it is mandated by the Ministry and a part of the required curriculum for all Saskatchewan students, but more importantly because I believe that ALL people benefit from learning about treaty. Saskatchewan is the only province ceded entirely through treaty; yet, many settler people are completely unaware of this significant part of our shared history and of the enormous benefits they receive as one side of the treaty relationship.
I am very passionate about treaty
education and its potential to contribute to rebuilding the respectful,
mutually beneficial relationships between settlers and First Nations peoples
that were intended when treaties were signed. I think learning the
significance of treaty will help us begin the journey towards decolonization,
reconciliation, and the equitable treatment of all citizens.
I am passionate about teaching for social justice. To me, this means fostering the development of more critical awareness and understandings of ourselves and our relations within this colonized space. Growing up as a white settler in Canada, I was denied the opportunity to learn about the ways in which my identity was (and still is) constructed and the ways in which I am privileged at the expense of others who are marginalized. Learning in more critical ways about the treaty relationship enables us to more fully understand the ongoing forces of structural inequity and injustice that continue to marginalize many in Canada. Teaching for an understanding of the treaty relationship is an opportunity to work towards decolonization and reconciliation.
September 2014-April 2015: Pre-teaching themes as defined by our committee (Livelihood, providing, hunting and gathering, a historical look at the Treaty 4 negotiations, ceremonies and traditions practiced today, traditional medicine, oral tradition and storytelling, identity: Cree, Nakota/Dakota, British, French-Canadian, Saulteaux, Métis and 1st generation Canadians and their connection to Treaty 4, sovereignty and nationhood)
April 2015: Adding to and applying that knowlegde in workshops in each individual school with Artist Ray Keighley and Elder Noel Starblanket and a Leadership retreat at Scott Collegiate.
April 28th 2015: 13 Workshops at FNUniv during Treaty 4: The Next Generation Project Youth Conference
April 29th 2015: Painting and creating our art piece together with Ray Keighley
April-June 2015: Students reflected upon their experience and furthered their learning back in the classroom
On April 28-29, 2015, 250 students from four high schools (Campbell, Martin, Balfour, and Scott) attended a Youth Conference at the First Nations University of Canada (Regina, Sk).
During this unique learning experience, students worked with Elder Noel Starblanket and numerous workshop leaders with the opening keynote by Cadmus Delorme and a performance by Brad Bellegarde (Regina musician also known as InfoRed).
During the first day of the conference,
students chose from a large variety of topics, such as:
•Clearing the Plains (Dr. James Daschuk)
•Nationhood Interrupted: Revitalizing nêhiyaw
Legal Systems (Dr. Sylvia McAdam)
•Learning Cree through traditional song (Shannon
McNabb)
•Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women
(Brenda Dubois)
•The Metis Experience Outside of Treaties
(Calvin Racette)
•White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack (McIntosh) (Jessica Dieter)
•Treaty 4 Role Play (FNUniv students with Dr.
Angelina Weenie)
•Indigenization (Dr. Shauneen Pete)
•TV NEWS: Indigenous Circle on CTV (Creeson Agecoutay)
•Historical Primary Source Inquiry (Sandra
Bellegarde)
•Do indigenous people have rights to
minerals? (Dr. Andrew Miller)
•Spirit and Intent Legal Interpretation and
Language Interpretation (Riva Farrell Racette)
•Art workshop (Ray Keighley)
7. Reflection
Student struggled to portray the idea of ideal citizenship at this stage. So what did they learn?
Students were introduced to the concept of
white privilege and were most troubled by the presence of Systemic Racism
around them.
Students learned to be open with one another and to new ideas. Using art allowed them to think more freely about what they had been learning. Through their collaboration with students from other schools, they began to truly understand the expression “We are all Treaty people”.
The students’ expressions were troubled the day of the workshops at First Nations University because of everything they had heard and learned. The following day, they seemed ready to bear witness and to act through art. They were so fully engaged throughout the process that we, as teachers, took a step back and watched as students took ownership of their learning.
The peak experience was two-fold. It was when we all came together once again for the unveiling ceremony and celebration. However, as teachers we especially saw it through the new perspective and understanding they’ve incorporate in their school projects since. (Grade 9, Album illustré, Grade 12, Final dissertation)
As teachers, it was amazing to watch our students during this journey because we witnessed their passion and excitement as the first day progressed. Watching them working individually or with their family groups to find a way to represent what they had learned through painting was beautiful. Asking each student to create a small piece of art made them accountable; they took what they had learned and brought it to light. Ray Keighley created a safe space in which they could explore these difficult conversations.
Treaty 4: The Next Generation Project was a learning experience for students and also for teachers. It is our hope this project will reinforce inclusive viewpoints about Saskatchewan’s history and promote the development of student ideas and actions of what treaty citizenship could be.
8. Treaty4Project Statistics
| How
many artists were involved in this project? |
1
|
How many schools were included?
|
4
|
How many students participated?
|
230
|
How many teachers were involved?
|
12 |
| How
many volunteers assisted ? |
36
|
| How
many community organizations participated? |
2
(First Nations University and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum) |
| How
many businesses contributed in some way? |
Campbell
Collegiate (Community Council, language department and McTavish’s catering), Havik,
Scott, Martin & Balfour Collegiate |
9. Documentation Process
We’ve chosen to document our project throughout on our blog and our Twitter account where we posted updates on the project, photos, activities and observations of the people involved.
We also created two videos of the conference
itself.
https://youtu.be/YxQykAYYOJU
See our blog (2015) for the full story http://treaty4thenextgeneration.blogspot.ca/
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