Aboriginal Culture

Looking ahead, this week is about Aboriginal Students, and I'm a little concerned.

Living in Canada, growing up, in History class we often "learned" about the aboriginal peoples who were living on our great land before the European settlers came to colonize.

Words like "residential schools", "assimilation" and "reserves" were often used. We learned of the plight of the Metis people, and if some of us took law class, we may have learned of the Oka Crisis (the famous picture above).

But in reality. I didn't learn very much. Most of the information was taught in grades 7 and 8, and at that time, I was in extended french (because I wasn't strong enough in French for immersion, nor weak enough for core). The extended French curriculum at that time, taught the "social studies" in French. So much of this, I learned in a language I was not very strong in.

It was also at a junior high school level, so the true debates and conversations about the aboriginal issues in Canada were really never explored. We were just told the glossary version, memorized some definitions and moved on. The culture was never explored.

Briefly in the 11th grade, having attended a Catholic school, I took world religions (mandatory class), and the first unit was on Aboriginal Religions, but even then, it was the shortest unit in the whole course, and was barely tested on.

When I am an educator, especially if I manage to secure a job in my home country, I will inevitably have students of Aboriginal descent in my classroom, and I'm not equipped for it. I do not possess enough knowledge about the culture.

And quite frankly, that's not acceptable in a country where the Aboriginal Peoples are such a major contributor to our shared history.