Information Sessions
This site is dedicated to providing valuable resources and information. There are three main sessions.
Indigenous Education for All.
Session #1
Beginning The Journey
In an effort to gauge your knowledge about Canadian Indigenous peoples please take a moment to complete the following General Knowledge Exercise. See more images & information.
Instructions: First impression exercise:
Rank the images on the next page from #1 to #6
#1 being the impression that comes first to your mind when thinking about Indigenous peoples. #6 being the last impression that comes to your mind when thinking about Indigenous peoples.
You may be curious as to why we asked you to complete this exercise. Here is why we feel that it is important to participate in this exercise.
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(1) It is important for you to gain a clearer understanding of your knowledge of Canadian Indigenous peoples before you proceed to this on-line education session.
(2) Over our 25 plus years of teaching Indigenous focused education to non-Indigenous peoples, many of whom were new-Canadians, we have found that perceptions of new Canadians in regards to Indigenous peoples are based on what was learned from television and/or movies. The content of these shows or movies is based on inaccurate, biased and harmful stereotypes that do not accurately reflect who and what the Canadian Indigenous peoples are.
Now, respecting that Canadian / Indigenous history most likely was not part of your learning in your home country we would encourage you to view the following documentary so that you can gain a clearer understanding of how your understanding towards Canadian Indigenous peoples, based on what was gathered from television, may hinder your settlement into Canada; especially in this important time of reconciliation.
​Reel Injun Films CBC Gem ​
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Lets begin
Prior to European arrival on the continents of North and South America Indigenous peoples existed, lived and thrived.
Author William M. Denevan, in his comprehensive publication The Native Population of the America in 1942, estimated that approximately 54 million Indigenous peoples populated areas throughout North and South America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Although other academics have other estimates ranging from 8 million to 112 million
Mr. Denevan’s estimate, based on his research, seems to be the most probable.
The following map, which can be downloaded from vividmaps.com illustrates the general locations of habitation of
Indigenous groups throughout North and South America.
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All of these Indigenous communities had extensive knowledge based on thousands of years of shared experience. This knowledge, which focused on harvesting food and resources from the land, water and air is referred to as Traditional Knowledge and was passed on from adult to child for generation after generation …..since time immemorial!
This Traditional Knowledge created on-going opportunities for Indigenous peoples to develop vibrant, strong and independent communities, with established forms of commerce and trade, governance and spirituality.
In fact, some of these communities, such as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy for example, were so well developed politically, that the principles used for governance of these communities, are believed by academics to have greatly influenced the development and structure of the United States Constitution.
To learn more please visit the following site:
The Native American Government That Helped Inspire the US Constitution HISTORY
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In addition to complex political systems of governance, Indigenous peoples, prior to European contact, invented and/or mastered
the use of materials to make clothes, vehicles for transportation, medicines, farming and food preservation techniques that allowed
them to survive and thrive for thousands of years. ~Click the Images/links below to learn more~
Caribou Hide Parka: Inuit clothing is well- adapted to the Arctic climate and the activities necessary for survival. Traditional Clothing, Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada.
Birch Bark Canoe: The birchbark canoe was the principal means of water transportation for Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands, and later voyageurs, who used it extensively in the fur trade in Canada. Inside the Birchbark Canoe American Craft Council.
Toboggan: Traditionally among Subarctic Indigenous peoples, the toboggan was a common means of hauling small loads or people over snow. ​Ubagaam - Aanischaaukamikw Creeculturalinstitute.ca
Snowshoes: Snowshoes are footwear that help to distribute the weight of a person while they walk over deep snow, preventing them from sinking too far into the snow.
Red Willow (Osier Dogwood): Red willow bark has long been used to treat a wide range of health maladies, from fevers and flu symptoms, to migraines and menstrual
cramps. Aboriginal Plant use in Canada's Northwest Boreal Forest
Corn and Potatoes: Many of our most beloved foods (e.g. chocolate, potatoes, corn) are native to the Americas,
being initially cultivated or domesticated by Indigenous farmers. A Brief History of Indigenous Agriculture - Manitoba Museum
Smoking meat: Removing the moisture from food helps prevent bacterial and fungal growth which would ruin stored foods. Smoking is a method of drying that also imparts flavor to the food (usually meat items), and smoke helps keep bacteria-carrying-insects away during the drying process.
Stone Axe
Stone Projectile Points
Fire Bow
Prior to European contact and the establishment of the fur trade Indigenous peoples
fabricated everyday items from the materials that were readily available. Tools such as, but not limited to, axes, arrow /spear heads, bowls and lamps were made from stone, bone or bark.
These items were difficult and time consuming to make. Stone axes and projectile points, based on there rough usage, had an increased likelihood of breaking or loosing there sharpness / edge / point. This would have reduced there efficiency… making the task of using them more difficult.
In some areas copper was available; so local peoples used this soft, malleable metal
to create tools.
Fire was created by friction-based tools. Watch this video to see a fire started
with a fire bow: Click here
Stone Lamp and Pot
Hammered Copper Tools
Birch Bark baskets for boiling
Hudson Bay Company 1690
American Fur Trade Company
Founded 1808
North-West Company
Founded 1783
New North West
Company 1795
Russian-American Company
1799
In 1690 the Hudson Bay Company was awarded a royal charter by Charles II, the King of
England, and given operational dominance over the majority of lands throughout
Canada and the Northern United States.
With a focus on controlling all access to fur resources, the Hudson Bay Company
established themselves as the primary European point of contact with Indigenous
peoples throughout the regions until other fur trade companies established
themselves.
Since the primary focus of these companies was profit ….. the health and
well being of Indigenous groups was not a priority. Company policy and practice
interfered with, disrupted and in many cases destroyed Indigenous peoples and their
communities. Diseases introduced by Europeans such as, but not limited to, smallpox, tuberculosis and measles , killed millions of Indigenous peoples. An estimated 60% of
Indigenous peoples died during this time. This equals approximately 32 million people!
The beaver, arctic fox, otter and buffalo were the main animals
of interest for European fur investors. Fashion in Europe was the primary
market for beaver, fox and otter furs.
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The primary market for buffalo hides in the early 1800s was leather belting for machinery. The driving force for this need for belting was the European industrial revolution.
With the introduction of European trade items, such as but not limited to steel
axes, copper pots, firearms, traps, flint and steel fire starters and alcohol, Indigenous
cultures experienced an absolute societal upheaval.
The want for these trade items by Indigenous peoples and the manipulation of Indigenous peoples by European’s for furs resulted in the following:
-Increased violence between European and Indigenous groups
-Increased violence between Indigenous groups
-Increased pressure on the environment for fur resources
-Loss of traditional Indigenous practice / belief / perception / identity / health
Silk Worms
Silk Top Hat
European trade with China expands between 1850 and 1870. Chinese silk is introduced into the European
fashion industry leading to the collapse of the Canadian / European fur market.
As a result of this collapse, Europeans decide that that Indigenous peoples were no longer needed to provide
labour and knowledge regarding harvesting of furs. In combination with the following significant historic events most
Europeans saw Indigenous peoples as a hindrance and impediment to the development of Canadian society.
Click on the dates to learn more.
.1860 - Increase to immigration in Canada as a result of European political tension and a promise of land in North America.
•1867 - Confederation – The Hudson Bay Company relinquishes its monopoly on land and water rights in North America.
•1868 - Birth of the government agency designed to “deal” with the Indigenous populations – Indian and Northern Affairs.
•1869 - Metis Red River Resistance
•1870 - Near extermination of the buffalo – Indigenous peoples of the Plains no longer have access to this food.
•1876 - Birth of the Indian Act
- Birth of the Residential School system as we know it today.
•1884 - Metis Northwest Resistance
•1885 - Completion of the Continental Railroad.
What Canada wanted after the collapse of the fur trade
Railway development
Access to timber
Mining
Agriculture development
Selling land for development
Populating the plains with new immigration policies
To remove Indigenous peoples from the land in order to clear the way for European / Canadian expansion
the Canadian government offered and signed Treaties with many Indigenous communities.
These treaties promised that for the relinquishment of land and resources by the Indigenous
populations to the Federal Government the government would take the responsibility of caring and providing
for “Treaty Indians” in perpetuity.
A treaty is defined as:
In international law, formal agreement between sovereign states or organizations of states. The term treaty is ordinarily confined to important formal agreements.
Treaties are designed to regularize the intercourse of nations, and, as such, they are the source of most international law. In some countries treaties are a part of the law of the land and are binding upon all persons. About treaties (rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca)
Treaty #4
Map of Treaties – Click here to learn more
At the same time that the Federal Government was negotiating and signing Treaties with First Nations peoples a distinct
group of Indigenous peoples, referred to as the Metis were also under direct pressure by the Canadian Government
to relinquish control of their traditional territories; which were located in central Canada (see map below).
Instead of treaties, the Metis were offered Land Scrip.
Map of the Metis Homeland
Metis Land Scrip
Residential School in Birtle Manitoba
IMap of Residential Schools Across Canada
After the signing of the Treaties the Federal Government recognized the actual cost of their Treaty obligations to all Indigenous
peoples who fell under the protection of the document. As a way to reduce the number of Indigenous peoples who would
qualify for governmental support and to reduce cost on the Federal Government implemented actions and policies that
would strip them of their rights under their respected Treaties. This is referred to Enfranchisement.
In addition, the Residential School System was designed to “Kill the Indian in the Child.” This assimilation approach was
forced onto children in the belief by Government officials that Indigenous children would loose their connection to their
families, culture and traditional territories. By not having this connection … these children would be more likely to resettle into
non-Indigenous communities thus violating the terms of “Indianness” in the Indian Act and enfranchising themselves.
Kent Monkman: The Scream
Please click Here to begin Session #2 – Exploring the Realities of the Canadian Residential School System