Treaty Education is in the Saskatchewan curriculum, and it will remain there for many days to come. It is important for all students to learn about treaty education especially non-indigenous students. As Claire says in her interview, Indigenous students already know about treaties and colonialism because it is apart of their lives. Non-indigenous people are the ones who need treaty education. Claire calls this “settler education”. Many teachers believe that if they simply transfer the information, that will be enough to fix the conflict for indigenous people. It is not enough; the culture has to be incorporated in lessons beyond the set curriculum and deeper connections must be made in order to repair this relationship for younger generations. As with anything else, teachers must be passionate about this in order to get students engaged in the subject.
Treaties are a major part of Canadian history. They are not going to go away. This became clear in Claire’s story of watching the Annuity payments in Fort Qu’Appelle. Indigenous people still collect their five dollars every year because it is symbolic. Its to show that treaties matter and they still stand no matter how misinterpreted they have become.
Cynthia Chamber’s We are all Treaty People
- Watch/Listen to our friend Claire Kreuger – she is an elementary/middle years teacher in Moose Jaw who has offered us time and space as a guest in the class for many years. She’s brilliant. You might want to:
- Check out her fabulous blog here
Presentation Claire Introduction – 8 Minutes
Conversation – Mike & Claire – 47 minutes