In my capacity as a non-indigenous Canadian, I have to understand what has happened to the indigenous people of Turtle Island. Indigenous people of Canada have lived through a dark history of residential schools throughout this century, and the trauma has been passed down through generations. In the text below, the Ontario Government gives a short overview of the Indian Residential Schools, but it also acts as a reminder about what has happened in the past and what can be done moving forward. “Indian residential schools were created to separate Indigenous children from their families and communities and to systematically strip away their traditions, cultural practices and languages. More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children from across the country were forced to attend Indian Residential Schools, which were often located far from their homes. Thousands never made it home'' (ontario.ca, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2024). As a Teacher Candidate, we are currently looking at incorporating nature and natural curiosity into our learning, which is also mentioned in the Natural Curiosity text 2018, “Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, from an Aboriginal perspective, also requires reconciliation with the natural world. If human beings resolve problems between themselves but continue to destroy the natural world, then reconciliation remains incomplete (Anderson et al., 2018). Based on this approach, we can integrate land-based learning, where students engage with and learn from the natural environment, reflecting Indigenous ways of knowing. Additionally, incorporating Indigenous perspectives into subjects like history, science, and literature can provide a more holistic and inclusive education.
References: Anderson, D., Chiarotto, L., & Comay, J., Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: A Resource for Educators (2018). https://naturalcuriosity.ca/englishbook. National Day for Truth and reconciliation. ontario.ca. (n.d.). https://www.ontario.ca/page/national-day-truth-and-reconciliation?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3bm3BhDJARIsAKnHoVWD-U1eIiJleMPBzpd8HTkTvlNth7JGfZYxTT_kniFcsIHtH6GeZKUaAq8wEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
