Throughout grades K-12 I have learned an ample amount about the Indigenous culture and background. In my elementary years it was mainly taught about the buffalo and how each and every part is used with little to no waste. There was never much about the history or anything other than the stereotypical topic of the hunting and the bison. If much more was taught, it must have been very brief because I embarrassingly enough didn’t know much going into high school. In my high school years, the history and background of this culture was taught in much more detail, majority of it being in my history classes from grades 10-12. I find that as I continue my education, I am always furthering my understanding of the Indigenous cultures. In this course, it has especially helped me understand the topic of reconciliation through the booklet that was provided, videos, readings etcetera. It has taught me that the culture, reserves, and history is so critical to protect as it is crucial for and valuable for future individuals. After acquiring this knowledge from this course, I know that I will be incorporating and recognizing Indigenous knowledge and history as I go through my teaching career. I believe that providing the future generations with lessons, understanding and appreciation will only lead to a more inclusive Canadian society.
To answer the calls to action, I want and plan to continue my education on how to reconcile our relationship with the Indigenous culture and the issues that they face today. I plan on bringing in speakers and elders to fill the gaps where my knowledge is not sufficient. I believe that bringing in a real-life example is much more impactful than any video/book I will ever provide. I also plan to include as many different aspects of the Indigenous culture as I can to force the acceptance and celebration of the Indigenous culture.