Importance of Treaty Education

Listening to Dwanye’s lecture, I learned how important it is for the Europeans and Indigenous peoples to face each other across the historical divides, in order to strive for ethical relationships and understandings between each other. He goes on to explain how this “disconnect” among the Europeans and Indigenous peoples that is present in our current society is upholding a “legacy of colonialism,” that the Indigenous culture continues to face.

The “legacy of colonialism” makes it even more important for Treaty Education to be taught where there are few or no Indigenous students present, because in particular, European students need to be aware of this issue, and how they have been a part of it, in order for any change to be seen. By more and more students recognizing these issues that have occurred in the past and those of which that are still occurring, more awareness of these injustices can be created to work towards moral interrelations between one another.

An issue Dwanye also refers to is how a “Canadian Canadian” cannot comprehend Indigneous issues today. He is referring in this context to how the typically seen European Canadians have not had the proper education, understandings, or even desire to learn how their colonialism has affected the Indigenous peoples. This is another factor which keeps many European Canadians’ minds closed when such issues are brought up in conversation. 

Educator Clair, through her Introduction and conservation with Michael Cappello, also brings up the same issue that she sees occurring. She poses the question of how did we train our ears to not listen, care, or do anything about the injustices that the Indigenous peoples face? This indicates how we continue to allow this oppression and colonization to continue to the present day. She says a possible explanation for this is because of how we were taught growing up. Clair claims how our society has adopted bad systems which dispute nearly any chance of positive change related to the issues of the Indigenous. Once again, this is why we need to educate the youth from young ages to prevent these bias and discriminating views and understandings towards the Indigenous peoples and move towards change and reconstructing of our justment, concepts, and recognition.

Clair makes the point about how Indigenous students want to be treated fairly and equally, and for their classmates to know and understand what they know about their culture and its views. With even fewer Indigenous students present, it should mean that more effort needs to be put in Treaty Education for the students to become aware of the perspective and facts being silenced which just supports the continuous colonialism. 

“We are all treaty people,” is a commonly used phrase in Canada. Being a treaty person entitles every citizen of certain rights and responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities I believe we should have as treaty people is to learn the benefits and relationships that come with sharing the land of Canada, and all the history – both good and bad – behind it which has led us to where we are today. As Dwyane suggested, if we want to think about the future, we actually have to start with working backwards looking at the history first to develop any understanding to move forward.