Indigenous Education

Anglophone East School District would like to respectfully acknowledge that we gather on the unceded, traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq people.

In the spirit of Peace and Friendship, we express gratitude for the history, culture, rights and traditions of Mi’kmaq people and commit to reconciliation through education and honoring those that were here before us.

Because it is in the Education Act and 10 Year Education Plan:

Objective 6: Meet the needs of First Nation learners and ensure that provincial curriculum is reflective of First Nation history and culture​

WHAT IS A TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

TERMINOLOGY

INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEWS

IMPORTANT DATES

Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action/Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples Report

Actions:

(10) ii. Improving education attainment levels and success rates.

        iii. Developing culturally appropriate curricula.

        iv. Protecting the rights to Aboriginal languages including the teaching of Aboriginal languages.

​        vii. Respecting and honouring Treaty relationships.

(62) We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:

​i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.

(63) We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to aboriginal education issues, including:

i. Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.

ii. Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.

iii. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.

“We owe the aboriginal peoples a debt that is four centuries old. It is their turn to become full partners in developing an even greater Canada. And the reconciliation required may be less a matter of legal texts than of attitudes of the Heart”

Romeo LeBlanc, 1995

Previous Governor General of Canada

As our knowledge builds and we open our hearts to learning the truth in a good way, we can build a safe space for Reconcili’ACTION’. Building relationships of trust and mutual respect opens our eyes to beautiful cultures and provides a foundation for taking action. The ‘spirit’ of a diverse range of peoples cannot be summarized in a small area like this one but there are things that we know for sure – connection to each other, the land and all things that make up this beautiful world is something that Indigenous Peoples have modelled and non-Indigenous people can learn so much. When we know better, we do better!​

As each person, class or school moves from awareness to knowledge and then onto action, along the journey it is most important to reflect. Questions to consider:

• Have we been able to access good resources?
• Have the students considered Indigenous Worldviews in their learning?
• Have we used (and acknowledged) Indigenous way of being, knowing and doing?
• Was the learning embedded ‘organically’?
• What do I need moving forward?

Orange Shirt Day is commemorated on September 30th in recognition of the damage the residential school system has done to Indigenous children’s self-esteem and well-being (orangetshirtday.org). The findings this year of hundreds of unmarked Indian Residential School graves underscores the gravity of the lived experiences of thousands of Indigenous children between 1894 and 1996 in Canada. I would like to encourage your school to participate in Orange Shirt Day which marks a very important and dark moment in Canadian history.