Anishinabek Nation launches “Ezhi-nawending: How We Are Related” to bring older, knowledge-conscious people to class
Anishinabek Nation has launched an online interactive resource aimed at elementary and new students to help them better understand First Nations history, treaties and indigenous rights through the use of animation, videos and virtual reality. .
The new online resource, titled Ezhi-nawending: how we relate, was officially launched during a virtual announcement on Wednesday.
“Lately, there has been a lot of news about the case of the Robinson-Huron treaty annuities being in the courts, so it’s important to understand that if children learn at an early age about treaties, the relationship of treaties and the history of first nations, there will be more understanding and discussions taking place in classrooms and society at large, ”said Reg Niganobe, head of the Anishinabek Grand Council of the Nation.“ Through educational resources for treaties like ours , more than 80% of the children of the Anishinabek nation outside the reserve can learn the history of First Nations from their own elders and guardians of knowledge. “
“Identity, knowing who you are and where you come from, is important for self-esteem and mental health in general. If you have a connection to your community, the land and know your history, it makes us stronger as individuals. “
A teacher guide will be published to accompany the online tool for showing connections to the Ontario curriculum through suggested lesson plans and activities. Kelly Crawford of Soaring Consulting says many educators have expressed fear of being mistaken for the lack of resources.
“We visited a lot of schools and shared with a lot of students, and there’s a lot of fear about the kind of teaching that content,” Crawford said. “So I think this resource is a good way to incorporate into the classroom those voices of our connoisseurs and our elders.”
One of the calls for action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls on federal and territorial governments – in consultation and collaboration with survivors of residential schools, Indigenous peoples and educators – to create a curriculum age-appropriate in residential schools, treaties, and indigenous peoples. Historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory educational requirement for kindergarten through 12th grade students.
“We are at a wonderful time in our history that we have the ability to use technology and that we can disseminate this information from our perspective, to accurately represent our true history of these lands,” said Ogimaa, Duke Peltier, of Wiikwemkoong. Unassigned territory. “I think it’s an important task that the Anishinabek nation has done with the support of the resources and the know-how that exists in the territory, and it’s a good addition to much of the education curriculum, and we hope the Ontario government, through its The Ministry of Education also supports and provides resources for further curricular development ”.
A preview of Ezhi-nawending: how we relate can be found on the Anishinabek Nation Youtube channel.