This is a presentation I gave to the University of Regina's ECS210 class about teaching Treaty Education.

1. We Are All Treaty People
Using Digital Storytelling to Explore Identity in the Elementary Classroom
Please send me a tweet @ClaireKreuger
with the hashtag #ecs210 and tell me
what you hope to get out of this session.
Claire Kreuger
@ClaireKreuger
http://treatypeople.edublogs.org/ #ecs210

2. An Unacknowledged Legacy
Impacts of the Residential School System
Great-Grandmother
Shelly
Allison
Autumn

3. Only 50% of people from the
Prairies said they would be OK
with a romantic relationship
with an aboriginal person.

6. What is Treaty Education?
• In the fall of 2008, the provincial government
of Saskatchewan announced mandatory treaty
education for all K-12 students.
• It is designed to walk students through a
reflective process of learning about the treaty
relationship between the Canadian
government and the First Nations.

7. What is Treaty Education?
• It goes well beyond teaching the facts of the
treaties and instead aims to “build greater
harmony in Saskatchewan by improving the
understanding of the treaties”
(Office of the Treaty Commissioner, 2008, Preface).
• It is built upon the belief that understanding
the treaties is necessary for building
contemporary relationships between First
Nations and non-First Nations peoples.

8. Goals for the session:
1. Explain why Treaty Education matters
2. Share the mistakes I’ve made
3. Walk you through Treaty Ed in my classroom

11. Indian Residential School Apology
11 June 2008
…The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden is properly ours as a Government, and as
a country. There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian Residential Schools system to ever prevail again. You have been working on
recovering from this experience for a long time and in a very real sense, we are now joining you on this journey. The
Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly…
…moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of Indian Residential Schools…
… a new beginning and an opportunity to move forward together in partnership…
…forging a new relationship between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians, a relationship based on the knowledge of our shared
history, a respect for each other and a desire to move forward together with a renewed understanding that strong families,
strong communities and vibrant cultures and traditions will contribute to a stronger Canada for all of us.

12. “…now is the time for all people to come together and build a new relationship.
If not, things could get a little awkward. After all, First Nations peoples are
Canada’s fastest growing population and more than half of us now live in the cities.”
-Wab Kinew, 8th Fire

13. It’s time to meet the neighbours.

14. #1 We need to build a…

15. #2 Students WANT to learn
about Treaty Education

16. #3 It’s our job.

17. http://www.sigalow.com/2013/09/05/top-10-cmo-mistakes/

18. Mistake #1

19. What does it mean to
be a treaty person?

20. Mistake #2
Teaching First Nations Culture is not the same
as teaching Treaty Education
http://www.scs.sk.ca/cyber/elem/learningcommunity/finepracarts/careered/curr_content/careered/elementary/imgettlessons/architectureofthetipi
/architecturetipinotes.html

23. Mistake #3
All First Nations Cultures Are Not The Same!

24. There are 617 aboriginal communities in Canada
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/ja04/indepth/maps.asp

25. Mistake #4
“We agreed to SHARE the land”
http://numismatics.org/search/results?q=department_facet:%22Medal%22%20AND%20maker_facet:%22indian%20peace%20medals%22

27. Podcasts (Garage Band)
GarageBand

28. Mistake #5

29. Christopher Columbus

32. “Thank goodness Columbus
wasn’t looking for Turkey!”
Elder, Gerry Stonechild

33. Mistake #5
• When discussing the theory of human
migration, don’t forget about Turtle Island
http://sacredred.blogspot.ca/2013_09_01_archive.html

37. Students will follow your
example, not your advice.

38. Lessons learned
1. It’s OK to not be the expert
2. Treaty Education is not teaching culture
3. There are hundreds of First Nations. Be
specific.
4. Don’t forget that the treaties are an
agreement to SHARE the land
5. Remember Turtle Island

39. What does it mean
to be a treaty
person?

40. Horizon Treaty Education
Video

41. Our Treaty People Video (iMovie)

46. Idle No More

47. Stars-Liam & Peter
GarageBand
I see the stars, they’re flying. Up above where they are crying.
It’s hard to think. It’s hard to fly.
I used to think the past was better, but now it’s worse.
Sharing the land was a good idea, I thought at first.
Until the Indian Act came. The Act was bad.
Now when I look back, it always gets me mad.
We see the stars, they see the stars. So high, it’s like we’re on Mars.
We need to celebrate, ‘cause we need to recalibrate.
I feel good, I feel strong.
But living on this land sometimes feels wrong.
This ain’t the end. We’re fighting.
Not going to stop again.

50. http://favim.com/orig/201105/06/Favim.com-36128.jpg

51. http://www.habitatireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DO-ONE-THING2.jpg

53. “Each indecision brings its own delays and
days are lost lamenting over lost days…
What you can do or think you can do,
begin it. For boldness has Magic, Power,
and Genius in it.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

54. http://marshallsternonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/One-Thing1.jpg