How could treaty education (truth, justice, reconciliation, decolonization, indigenization) look like in your classrooms, schools, homes & communities? What might the Treaty invitational event teach you about this important endeavour?My contributions to the Treaty Event made me more comfortable to teach Indigenous content and Treaty Education in the classroom. Mostly I am afraid of saying the wrong thing, but the participants allowed me to be open minded and accepting of being corrected. The individual did so in a polite manner and seemed pleased to share knowledge with me. His “correction” about the information I presented even seemed like less of a correction and more of a conversation regarding a different viewpoint that he had that contradicted what I said. In fact, trying my best to share information and then being corrected benefits everyone involved; I gain correct knowledge that I can continue to pass onto others, and the individual that corrected me was given an opportunity to share a part of his identity and culture that he identifies with, and these learnings are profound. This experience makes me feel more hopeful that I have a place, as an educator, towards reconciliation and truth; previously, I felt as if I was being held back by my fears and uneasiness.
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What are the biggest challenges you believe you will face when it comes to indigenizing and decolonizing? How will you combat these challenges (personal challenges/challenges with others) I think the biggest challenge with indigenizing and decolonizing will be balancing personal and professional obligations that come with doing this. Personally, I know it is right to indigenize and decolonize my classroom, and eventually try to do so with my school, however, this may be go against the intentions of other colleagues. In order to combat this, it would take a team of supportive colleagues to encourage better beliefs. Tuck and Yang (2012) state in their article that there are these settler fantasies of adoption that alleviate the anxiety of settler un-belonging. How does throwing around concepts of indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation alleviate that settler un-belonging? Within the article it states, "the too-easy adoption of decolonizing discourse (making decolonization a metaphor) is just one part of that history and it taps into preexisting tropes that get in the way of more meaningful potential alliances" (Tuck and Yang, 2012, p. 3). This makes decolonization seem less important or impactful for Indigenous peoples that were affected by colonization, and tends to dissolve the intergenerational trauma that is apparent to those experiencing it. Furthermore, a metaphor, or "fantasy" also gives a sense of unrealistic, hidden or a light feeling of decolonization. In fact, in the article there is a quote that states, "Let us admit it, the settler knows perfectly well that no phraseology can be a substitute
for reality (Tuck and Yang, 2012, p. 2), which is exactly what the metaphor/fantasy does. The settler fantasy of adoption makes it seem that it did not happen. By throwing around concepts of indigenization, decolonization and reconciliation it may contribute to make Canada's history of colonization more real and honest, if these concepts are brought up with tâpwêwin. Tuck, E. and Yang, K. W. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor, 1 (1). pg. 1-40. Retrieved from https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/18630/15554 During the stereotypes part of our presentation you were shown some images of the Indigenous Peoples in a way that forms discrimination. How does this relate to colonization of North America as well as the treatment of Indigenous Peoples since then? Reflect on who creates these images and why you think these images are acceptable in our society? The forms of discrimination in North America relates to colonization because the images reinforce the negative and derogatory treatment towards Indigenous peoples. The images that were shown (Edmonton Eskimos, Redskins, etc.) portray Indigenous Peoples as less than human and comparable to animals, as typically ferocious animals are mascots. This is no different than how Indigenous Peoples were treated in residential schools are further in history.
I think the images are accepted because the are attached to sports teams which society highly values. As well, many fans of these sports may not be educated about the images/mascots that reinforce discrimination and colonization, so they often go unacknowledged. Furthermore, the people that create these images are typically White, privileged males. These people won't acknowledge the discrimination their images perpetuate because it puts their privilege and power at risk. Within Middle Years classrooms, it would be powerful for the future generations of citizens to explore stereotypes and messages about Indigenous peoples in the media in order to fix these persistant attitudes. For example, in grade 6 ELA students are required to: - "View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of texts that address identity (e.g., Growing Up), social responsibility (e.g., Going the Distance), and efficacy (e.g., Making Our Community More Peaceful) (CR6.1), - "View, respond, and demonstrate comprehension of visual and multimedia grade-appropriate texts including traditional and contemporary texts from First Nations, Métis, and other cultures containing special features (e.g., the visual components of magazines, newspapers, websites, comic books, broadcast media, video, and advertising) (CR6.4), These are just some examples of outcomes that would relate to exploring this content in the classroom. Government of Saskatchewan. (2008). English Language Arts Grade 6. Retrieved from https://www.edonline.sk.ca/webapps/moe-curriculum-BBLEARN/CurriculumOutcomeContent?id=32 |