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Objective: As called for in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, learn about the Treaties which govern the place you live and go to school. Learn some words in a language indigenous to the lands you live on.
Materials: Computer and projector with speakers
Curriculum Connections: (Click Here)
Head à Tête was first produced in 1989. The characters try to overcome a barrier to their communication: language. Please speaks English and Moitié speaks French. Head à Tête was written by Canadian playwrights and Roseneath Theatre founders David S. Craig and Robert Morgan. Since the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and 1763 Treaty of Paris, the question of whether Québec should be independent, part of Canada, or something else entirely has been fought over. The first production of Head à Tête premiered between the 1980 and 1995 referendums on the subject in Québec. Although both independence referendums were defeated, the 1995 vote was extremely close. Today, there is still a strong independence movement in Québec. The cause is supported by political parties: the Parti Québécois and Québec Solidaire at the provincial level and the Bloc Québécois at the national level. The drawing of lines between French and English speakers was and is politically charged. The play also continues to appeal for its ability to connect with audiences in both official languages of Canada. However, these languages alone do not speak to all of Canadian history nor our present context. Before colonization, there many languages spoken on the lands now called Canada. Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway), Kanyen'kéha (Mohawk) and languages from the Cree family (such as Nehinawewin) are some of the most spoken in Ontario.
No Indigenous languages are federally recognized official languages. This is a historic and ongoing act of colonization. Connecting with and supporting your local Indigenous communities can be an act of allyship and some of the learn below has been identified in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action as necessary for reconciliation.
Note to Teachers: The best way to decolonize and Indigenize your teaching practice as a school community is in partnership with the local Indigenous community. Many school boards have employees who can guide teachers in respectful partnerships and many boards maintain lists of Indigenous speakers. Inviting an elder or knowledge-keeper to work with students and ensuring they are properly compensated is a best practice.
The colonization of Anowarakowa Kawennote took place in a number of ways. In the words of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Final Report “the activities of explorers, farmers, prospectors, trading companies, or missionaries often set the stage for expansionary wars, the negotiation and the breaking of Treaties, attempts at cultural assimilation, and the exploitation and marginalization of the original inhabitants of the colonized lands” (2015, 44). While the Government of Canada has broken and failed to honour many treaties, they remain important in establishing the duties of the Government of Canada to many First Nations and Inuit peoples. Research into the history and modern context for treaties with Métis peoples is ongoing (Chartland et al., 2019).
The treaty process is also ongoing in Canada and Ontario. The largest land claim currently under negotiation in Ontario is titled the Algonquin land claim (Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, 2019). It would be the province’s first modern day treaty sought by some nations since 1763. However, the treaty is opposed by other First Nations in Ontario and Québec. Some Ontario First Nations take issue with the eligibility of Algonquins of Ontario voters, the vast majority of whom do not have Indian Status (Martin, 2016), the legitimacy of the Algonquins of Ontario to represent the Algonquin Nation, and the effect of the agreement to extinguish competing claims such as a claim of the Mohawk Nation (Garlow, 2016a; Garlow, 2016b). Some Québec First Nations also take issue with the claim as the border between Ontario and Québec did not exist prior to colonization (Melnitzer, 2017).
In addition to understanding this complex history, it is important to understand the treaty or treaties which apply to the place where you live and learn. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 62 demands that we teach this history and contemporary context in our schools (TRC, 2015, 331).
Steps:
Share the above information with students in an age-appropriate manner
Look up your school’s address at https://www.ontario.ca/page/map-ontario-treaties-and-reserves
Start a research project to learn more about your treaty, local First Nations, and the languages Indigenous to your area.
If your school does a land acknowledgement during announcements, it may make a good starting place.
If your school does not conduct a land acknowledgement, consider advocating for one.
Acknowledgements for locations Roseneath Theatre tours to are available in the Roseneath Theatre Land Acknowledgements document below.
Regardless of which you use, it is important to understand the acknowledgement, to know the history of the nations and treaties it refers to, and to connect with local nations today.
Land acknowledgements should recognize Indigenous peoples’ historical and enduring care for the land and waters. It is important that students understand the present-day realities and leadership of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people so they do not view Indigenous people as historical objects.
The United Nations has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages. As with any language, it is important to learn Indigenous languages from fluent speakers. To avoid colonization of Indigenous language teaching, it is important to learn from someone who is a member of that community. To listen to some reflections on learning Indigenous languages as a settler, click through to an episode from the CBC’s The 180 (Marlow, 2017).
Note to Teachers: The best way to decolonize and Indigenize your teaching practice as a school community is in partnership with the local Indigenous community. Many school boards have employees who can guide teachers in respectful partnerships and many boards maintain lists of Indigenous speakers. Inviting an elder or knowledge-keeper to work with students and ensuring they are properly compensated is a best practice.
For extra practice following the lesson(s), consult resources provided by the elder or knowledge-keeper or one of the resources below.
Indigenous Language Resources
NewJourneys.ca
A website created by the National Association of Friendship Centres which includes resources for learning Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, Inuktitut, Mi’kmaq, Blackfoot, Haida, Atikamekw.
Search “resources for learning” + your local Indigenous language(s)
Website also includes a page dedicated to Two-Spirit groups and resources.
Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
The provincial body representing Friendship Centres.
Website with various provincial resources and a tool to find your local Friendship Centre.
National Association of Friendship Centres
The national body representing Friendship Centres.
Website with various national resources and a tool to find your local Friendship Centre.
First Voices
A website created by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to teach and archive Indigenous languages. Though based in British Columbia, it contains resources for some languages spoken in Ontario.
Select “Choose A Language” at the top of the page
Deepening Knowledge: Resources for and about Aboriginal Education
Webpage created by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto with links to many language resources.
Indigenous languages—Learning and teaching resources
Webpage created by the Government of Canada with links to resources for learning and teaching Indigenous languages
Learn how language shapes the way we think:
How Language Shapes the Way We Think: A TED Talk by Lera Boroditsky [Runtime 10:24]
Learn how Indigenous languages provide different ways of thinking:
An Interview with Jeremy Dutcher
Listen to Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, Jeremy Dutcher’s 2018 Polaris Prize-winning album sung entirely in the Wolastoqiyik language.
References
Boudreau Morris, K. (2017). Decolonizing solidarity: cultivating relationships of discomfort. Settler Colonial Studies, 7(4), 456-473, DOI: 10.1080/2201473X.2016.1241210
Chartland, L., Gaudry, A., Vermette, D., Bell, C., Gunn, B., O’Toole, D., Chartrand, P.L.A.H., Kermoal, N., & Grammond, S. (2019). Métis Treaties Research Project. Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa. Retrieved from http://www.metistreatiesproject.ca/
Garlow, N. (2016a, March 3). Kahnawake opposed to ‘modern treaty’ between Ottawa and Algonquins. Two Row Times. Retrieved from https://tworowtimes.com/news/ kahnawake-opposed-modern-treaty-ontario-algonquins/
Garlow, N. (2016b, March 4). Iroquois Caucus Opposes Modern Treaty sought by Algonquins of Ontario. Two Row Times. Retrieved from https://tworowtimes.com/news/ iroquois-caucus-opposes-modern-treaty-sought-algonquins-onta/
Gruber, E. (2012). Thomas King: Works and Impact. Rochester, NY: Camden House.
Hallenbeck, J. (2015). Returning to the water to enact a treaty relationship: the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign. Settler Colonial Studies, 5(4), 350-362, DOI:10.1080/2201473X.2014.1000909
Holen, S.R., Demr, T.A., Fisher, D.C., Fullager, R., Paces, J.B., & Jefferson, G.T. (2017). A 130,000-year-old archaeological site in southern California, USA. Nature, 544(7651), p.479+. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/10.1038/nature22065
Hunt, D., & Stevenson, S.A. (2017). Decolonizing geographies of power:indigenous digital counter-mapping practices on turtle Island. Settler Colonial Studies, 7(3), 372-392,DOI: 10.1080/2201473X.2016.1186311
King, T. (2003). The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto, ON: House of Anansi Press.
Marlow, K. (2017, March 17). Should non-Indigenous Canadians learn Indigenous languages? The 180. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/stop- subsidizing-seniors-good-judges-can-make-bad-decisions-and-which-canadian-city-is-the-most-american-1.4028473/should-non-indigenous-canadians-learn-indigenous-languages-1.4028584
Martin, C. (2016, March 16). Proposed Algonquins of Ontario treaty could threaten First Nations land rights. Two Row Times. Retrieved from https://tworowtimes.com/ news/local/proposed-treaty-threaten-first-nations-land-rights/
Melnitzer, J. (2017, November 21). Ontario slowly closing in on the largest land-claims settlement in Canadian history. Financial Post. Retrieved from https://business.financialpost.com/legal-post/ontario-slowly-closing-in-... land-claims-settlement-in-canadian-history
Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. (2019). The Algonquin Land Claim. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from https://www.ontario.ca/page/algonquin-land-claim
New Journeys. (2016, August 18). Reclaiming the Two-Spirit Identity. Retrieved from https://newjourneys.ca/en/articles/advocacy-and-reclaiming-two-spirit-id...
Quan, D. (2015, October 28). Mohawks' right to freely cross Canada-U.S. border trumped by national security: judge. National Post. Retrieved from http://nationalpost.com/ news/canada/mohawks-right-to-freely-cross-canada-u-s-border-within-akwesasne-territory-trumped-by-national-security-judge
Rainbow Resource Centre. (2014). Two Spirit People of the First Nations. Winnipeg, MB: Rainbow Resource Centre. Retrieved from https://rainbowresourcecentre.org/ files/16-08-Two-Spirit.pdf
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Ottawa, ON: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Retrieved from http://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Final%20Reports/ Executive_Summary_English_Web.pdf