First Nations Voice

PAGE 8 • JANUARY 2016 We are facing a new test, and if we work together we will pass. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action challenge the education sector to develop and implement curriculum and learning resources about residential schools, Treaties, and Indigenous peoples' historical and contemporary contributions to Canada. Sounds pretty straightforward. It also sounds like a huge undertaking. A number of Canadian post-secondary institutions have recently announced they are looking into, or are in the process of, implementing an Indigenous Course Requirement, which is sparking debates about the merits of "mandatory" learning. If you've followed the coverage of any of these announcements, you'll have heard everything from "it's about time" to "my degree doesn't have enough electives to include another mandatory course." This is one of the many topics the University of Manitoba will explore at its second-annual Indigenous Awareness Week. From January 25-29, 2016, the U of M will tackle the questions, challenges and opportunities that come with Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into the Learning Environment. A featured speaker, Lisa Boivin, will illustrate how Canadian school systems use a curriculum that focuses on the colonial perspective of our country's history, resulting in classrooms that perpetuate racism, trauma and resistance. Boivin is a bioethics student at the University of Toronto who facilitates workshops on how to survive the colonized classroom, and how schools can introduce Indigenous methodologies, perspectives and knowledge that will move us beyond the status quo. As academies like the University of Manitoba weave Indigenous knowledge into curriculums, it's important to ensure it doesn't get co-opted or abused by "the system." As well, when it comes to research done in Indigenous communities, it's crucial that academics build partnerships with community members to ensure Indigenous people do not just become subjects, but are respected throughout the process. Indigenous Awareness Week participants will hear from an Indigenous scholar about respecting Indigenous Knowledge in academic institutions, and they will get a lesson in the First Nations Principles of OCAP (ownership, control, access and possession), which allow First Nations to control data collection processes in their communities. When it comes to Treaty education, we need all learners and educators to understand how Treaties shaped the creation of our province and country and why they are still relevant today. We need to approach Treaty education, not only from the colonial perspective that currently dominates lesson plans, but also from the perspective of Indigenous people. Finally, thousands of testimonies from residential school Survivors have been collected and cannot be forgotten. How do we bring the perspectives, experiences and knowledge of Survivors into the classroom in a respectful way? At the University of Manitoba, Survivors and faculty members have been collaborating, developing teaching tools on the history of residential schools and their continuing impact on our shared community. Survivors will share these ideas at Indigenous Awareness Week. When we talk about reconciliation, it is repeated over and over again that this is not just an Indigenous issue; it's a Canadian one. It is. The University of Manitoba encourages and welcomes everyone to join us January 25-29 for Indigenous Awareness Week 2016. The TRC challenged our education sector to undertake a daunting and crucial task. The opportunity is now ours to work together, pass their test, and usher in a new era of education. University of Manitoba Staff INdIGENOuS KNOwlEdGE IN THE ClASSROOM: quESTIONS, CHAllENGES ANd OppORTuNITIES Joinusforaweeklongseriesofpaneldiscussionsandpresentationsthat explorethequestions,challengesandopportunitiesthatcomewith integratingIndigenousknowledgeintothelearningenvironment. INDIGENOUSAWARENESSWEEK IntegratingIndigenousKnowledgeintotheLearningEnvironment UniversityofManitoba,FortGarryCampus umanitoba.ca/indigenous JANUARY 25-29

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