History

First Contact...

Settlers...

Words from Traditional Peoples

Thanksgiving Address, Mohawk language https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YynklnrHUFE

Ojibwe - Morning Prayer Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qRo-z0EyrE

Christi Belcourt, Artist Description of 'Giniigaaniimenaaning' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9i4TzBCzRw

Catarina M

Firstly, I would like to start this post by describing the importance of First Nations peoples speaking for themselves. In history and even today many people speak for FNMI people because it is very colonial for everyone to speak for them. It is important for Indigenous people to speak for themselves, using their own words and their own means to communicate- because, as history has shown, if they are spoken for or their words are interpreted, it can be seriously misconstrued with horrendous consequences. This is why speeches like the Thanksgiving Address, Morning Prayer and Giniigaaniimenaaning need to be more present in the curriculum so that our students see themselves represented in our schools, communities and country.

Some similarities among the three recordings were that all of the languages were very colourful and painted with descriptive imagery for the listener. I have learned a bit of Mohawk and I have been told that speaking the language is like telling a story - even in just one sentence. The words build atop of one another which really makes sense and there is no wasted space or meaning. Belcourt's Metis dot art is a lovely representation of the history of FNMI people and Giniigaanimenaaning again is more of a sentence than one meaningless word. Another similarity is that all of the speeches are about real things, such as land, fish, grandmothers, strawberries and medicines. I find being thankful and thinking of these simple things make us humble. It forces us to think of ourselves as the same as these things - not better or worse. Finally, these speeches are simple but have a real sense of spirituality, which was an important part in all of these cultures.

TREATIES

for those of you interested in learning more about treaties, here are a few links that you may find useful on your journey.