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Natalia Andia
Joined: Dec 21, 2003
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Indigenous people in Canada
February 10, 2004 - 03:30 AM
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I am a Canadian citizen who is originally from Peru. My beef is that the Canadian school system gives litlle importance to the history of our Canadian Indigenous people. I would like to know what you guys think about this. Do you know about Canadiand Indigenous history?
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Jose Menacho Galiano
Joined: Jan 26, 2003
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Re: Indigenous people in Canada
February 10, 2004 - 09:48 AM
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Hi Goddes!
Im peruvian citizen. I think is a good point for example I want to know more about indigenous from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway "Laponians" - They are white indigenous also discriminated in their own land... a sad story... Indigenous people knowledge is so important for understand their way of living and to rescue for western society the best of indigenous culture... "One world is enough for all of us - not three" 
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Melina Laboucan-Massimo
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Re: Indigenous people in Canada
February 17, 2004 - 06:42 AM
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Yes, I agree that in the Canadian educational system there is little teaching or even recognition of Aboriginal history and culture. This has personally impacted me from the very beginning of my experiences at school. Being that I am Cree which is an Indigenous group here in Canada, I was always left with feelings of exclusion and invisibility in regards to lack of acknowledgment of my culture and my people in the educational system here in Canada. This also explains many of the reasons why there still exists prejudice and discrimination in our society towards Aboriginal people because there is such a lack of information in this area, especially of the historical implications and how these have negatively impacted Aboriginal communities. Anyhow, I could go into more detail about this, but if you would like to learn a bit more about Aboriginal history here in Canada, I talk more about it in the Zine. Here is the link:
http://www.takingitglobal.org/express/article.html?cid=2834
Thanks for your interest, it makes me feel hopeful that people are actually looking out of the box and wanting to learn more about Aboriginal issues, instead of just learning and accepting what little is taught to them in our formal education system 
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Terri Willard
Joined: Jul 27, 2001
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Re: Indigenous people in Canada
February 18, 2004 - 05:02 AM
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For what it's worth, Melina, I grew up in the US and went to schools there. I learned a TON about Native American groups... but the units were always done at the beginning of the year before we started in on the "discovery" of America and colonization. We made nice little dioramas of Hopi villages and teepees for plains groups and talked about how important the bison were.
BUT NO ONE EVER TOLD US THESE WERE LIVING CULTURES!!!!
There was never an attempt to educate us on modern native life or talk about the orchestrated assault on native culture and political insitutions in the late 1800s. It was always ancient history... alongside the units on Mayas, Aztecs, and other peoples who didn't seem to exist any more once the class continued.
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Teanau Tuiono
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Kia ora from Aotearoa
February 19, 2004 - 11:01 AM
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Kia ora from Aotearoa
We have also struggle with this in the past here in Aotearoa - there are still mis-perceptions about indigenous people here, but I think we are making progress.
The Maori language in now an official language in my country with the Maori Language Act 1987.
We also now have a parallel Maori education system, starting with early childhood ( kohanga reo ), primary school (kura kaupapa), high school ( wharekura )
Maori people are 15% of the population and although there are many tribes we all speak Maori.
Establishing these schools came about because of grass-roots community organising because they were initiated outside of the state school system. They were eventually so successful that they are now incorporated into the state system.
noho ora mai
Teanau
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Melina Laboucan-Massimo
Joined: Jul 5, 2003
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Re: Indigenous people in Canada
February 19, 2004 - 11:05 AM
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Thanks Terri for you response, it is nice to know that at least there is a bit of teaching of Indigenous groups in the educational system in the States. That is too bad though that Indigenous groups are portrayed as something in the past because this certainly doesn't help in our cause and struggles of today. I find that there is alot apathy in the general population which is probably partly due to this lack of knowledge and understanding.
Anyhow despite all this, it only makes me want to try harder to change it
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Donita Large
Joined: Mar 14, 2003
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Re: Indigenous people in Canada
March 5, 2004 - 11:02 AM
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Like Melina, I am a Cree from Canada. I think it is great that youth from other nations want to learn more about the Indigenous people in North America. I am grateful I live in a generation of people who believe in openness and understanding. We all have so much to learn from each other.
First, I would like to say I have had the privilege of meeting many beautiful Maori people. The strides made in the Maori education system to include culture and language, give hope to First Nations people. Although there are so many different dialects of Maori, it still seems to be working sucessfully.
One of the issues we have in North America is that not only do we have different dialects of our languages but there are hundreds of different tribes, each with their own languages, values and customs. There is no unifying Aboriginal language, which means we could not just focus on one way of trying to integrate culture and language into education. The course material has to be sensitive to each First Nation group based on geographical location. For instance, Bison and tipi's are only representative of the Plains Native. The Plains in Canada are found in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan & part of Manitoba. This information may be of interest to say people in the province of BC, however the first focus should be on the First Nations tribes found in BC.
What has happened in our education, like in other countries, is that the history books are written from a European point of view. North American "Indians" still have that wild west stereotype and are seen as something only of the past. To acknowledge us in the present, books would have to include the genocide and assimilation practises of church and state. It's hard enough for the gov't to admit to the atrocities of Indian Residential Schools, that to allow a multi-perspective look at Canadian history in school is not going to come quickly.
My hope lies in the masses of Aboriginal people becoming educated. We can ensure our voices are heard in all forms of media and we have written and continue to write our own literature. I wish this process was faster as the desire for people to learn about the world is there. However, in comparison to the past we are learning and communicating at cyber speed.
Thanks for the opportunity to ramble my thoughts!
In spirit,
Donita Large
Edmonton, CANADA
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Jessie Giles
Joined: May 27, 2003
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Re: Indigenous people in Canada
May 3, 2004 - 09:39 AM
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In Australia we are taught nothing of our Indigenous people unless you take an elective class in the senior years of schooling.And normally the information students and the wider public are taught is wrong or blurred. Students in Australia still to this day learn little about Australias history prior to white/British settlement. We are not taught that prior to British Settlement there where other nations that visited this country. People are taught that the British Colanised the country and are taught that tis was a good thing, when really this country was invaded by the British and their way of living was inforced on the indigenous people this country.
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