Embedded Files
By: Clementine Chaton
Every morning at around 8:20 a.m., KCI’s intercom rings, and the acknowledgements of the land we stand on are said. This has been implemented since June 2015 across schools in Canada. But the real question is, do students truly listen and acknowledge this land, and do we understand what that means?
To begin, the importance of learning about land acknowledgments and Indigenous people’s histories is crucial. For many years, KCI has offered Indigenous Studies as a Grade 11 elective, but it was only this year (2023) that it was removed and instead integrated into the Grade 11 College and University-level English classes. To further understand, I interviewed Mr. Schmuck, the Department Head of English at KCI, who affirmed the change of curriculum. He claims that he “tentatively” approaches teaching the curriculum due to him not being Indigenous himself: “We’re learning along with the students instead of being all-knowing.” The curriculum itself is very similar to the normal English curriculum, except it now contains a new strand that provides a historical background on the culture of Indigenous individuals. Mr. Schmuck said, “The most Indigenous aspect of history we’ve been focusing on is colonization, understanding the idea of land, acknowledging who was here first, who has a right to those lands, and what happened to remove those rights.” He even adds that in this strand they teach about “the treaties that were created by our Canadian government back in the day, through the eighteen and nineteen hundreds did dispossess indigenous people of their lands, and the process under which that occurred was unfair.” Understanding the pain and suffering Indigenous individuals have gone through throughout Canadian history and why we acknowledge the land and the people is a good place for our KCI community to start. Educating yourself is never harmful.
Next, what is the relationship between Indigenous individuals and the land? Mr. Schmuck gave a more textbook approach to Indigenous views on land:“ The way Indigenous people see land is very different from the way settler people see land, and their relationship with the land is more spiritual and personal than what some of us might be accustomed to; the way we view it is more as an entity and something we possess.” To further our understanding, I asked Layakwas Kennedy, a former student at KCI, about the importance of land in his culture. He replied, “Having a connection with Mother Earth and just awareness of the beauty of what life is…A big important part of my culture is just the culture: the dancing, the music, the language—all of it is so beautiful. It's so beautiful what our mindset really is and how connected we are to everybody’s spirits and the spirit of the Earth.” Kennedy has been widely open about his Indigenous status, his culture, and his ancestors on social media and through his poetry. One of his most touching poems, called “Trauma,” highlights the pain of his ancestors, the suffering they went through, and how it passes from generation to generation, but also how he will try to stop that trauma from transferring to the next generation. “Everyday I feel like, ‘cause my ancestors went through a lot, that I have to get through that day for them. That’s a big part about being Indigenous. It’s making my ancestors proud and taking care of my spiritual being.”
But what is KCI’s role in preserving and acknowledging indigenous culture? “I think KCI did well at representing culture and equality quite a bit… When it came to expressing and including my culture in certain things. [Ms.G] always came to me and always asked if this is appropriate and what not. I have a lot of respect for that.” Kennedy claimed, and he furthermore added, “The little things that leadership would do, like last year they did a week of reconciliation. I was a really big help with that, and I appreciate Ms.G coming to me as an Indigenous person instead of doing it themselves.” Unfortunately, like many other institutions, KCI also has work to do when acknowledging other cultures, especially Indigenous culture. Kennedy remarked, “I know there’s a lot of Indigenous people at KCI who don't necessarily know about their culture, and they aren't as connected as some other Indigenous people… it’s important to be more open with support for Indigenous kids.” In addition, one of the books implemented in the grade 12 English course is Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. This book highlights the repercussions of residential schools and their impact on the students who attended. Layakwas himself has read that book and admitted, “I struggled with the reading of Five Little Indians in English class because my grandma went through all those experiences, my dad went through that, and all my ancestors basically went through that. With grade eleven, twelve learning about residential school I just feel like being more aware of the Indigenous perspective on that book and how you can further support Indigenous students in English class.”
All in all, the importance of educating ourselves on our country’s history and the sufferings of Indigenous individuals is something that KCI will always benefit from. Acknowledging the land every morning is a good start; further implementing Indigenous studies in our curriculum is a good start; but support and openness towards Indigenous students is very much another step we need to take.
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