Post #9 – Importance of Treaty Education

Craft a response to this student intern’s email about advice on dealing with students and teachers not thinking Treaty Education is important. Be sure to address the following questions: What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Content and Perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples? What does it mean for your understanding of the curriculum that “We are all treaty people”?

Treaty education is an important part of Canada’s and Saskatchewan’s history. Like all parts of history, Indigenous history has shaped the way the world is now. I feel it is even more important to teach Treaty Education and Indigenous history in classrooms with few or no FNMI students. This is because most FNMI students already have a connection and understanding of this history, as their ancestors were a huge part of it, and it led to many inequities against their people and ancestors. Whereas students who are descendants of colonizers still had ancestors who played a part in the treaties, but these students usually do not have an understanding of events like the signing of the treaties and how they have impacted every Canadian’s history and future. As descendants of colonizers, we have to recognize and learn about the wrongdoing of our ancestors so we can start on the path to reconciliation. Colonizers signed treaties, and we all currently live on treaty land, meaning that treaties were and are a part of everyone single Canadian’s history. Treaties and Indigenous History are a part of Canadian History, so if you are teaching about Canadian history, you need to include every part of it, not just certain events or viewpoints. 

To me, the idea that “we are all treaty people” means what it states. We all live on treaty land, treaties are a part of our history, and many of us have ancestors who were involved in the making and signing of the treaties making us all treaty people. “We are all treaty people” means that we are all a part of the treaties and have rights related to the treaties. The Treaties are incredibly important events in history that shaped the country Canada became as the land we live on would be much different if the treaties were never signed. So every single Canadian has been affected by treaties and is a treaty person.