Topic 1: Indians, Inuit and Métis

Your journey begins with an introduction to First Nations and Inuit, Canada’s original inhabitants. For thousands of years they have explored and settled this hemisphere; hunted, fished and farmed; created trade and political networks; and created a rich mosaic of distinct cultures. You will also learn how the Métis Nation emerged with the birth of the fur trade in this country. Indigenous communities today are found right across Canada, and their national organizations play an important part in our national dialogue.

Topic 2: Name Calling

This topic will help you to demystify the use of such terms as “Indian,” “Native,” “Aboriginal,” “Indigenous”, “First Nation,” “Eskimo,” “Inuit,” and “Métis”, and come to an understanding of which terms to use when identifying various groups in different contexts. You’ll also review and debunk some of the stereotypes and myths propagated in media and popular culture regarding Indigenous peoples.

Topic 1: History: Pre-Contact to the mid Nineteenth Century

All cultures have their own stories of how the world was created, how humans came to walk the earth, and how their own people came to be. This topic will introduce you to several creation and origin stories of First Nations and Inuit. The lesson also explores some of the current theories regarding the migrations of paleo-Indigenous peoples to the Americas, and presents an overview of different Indigenous groups that populated Canada prior to European contact.

Topic 2: Inuit across the North

This topic will introduce pre-contact Inuit culture, the major milestones that have impacted Inuit since the arrival of Europeans, and how each unique Inuit region came to be shaped and defined through the land claim process.

Topic 1: A Colonial History

This topic will address some of the defining moments that have shaped the realities faced by Indigenous peoples. These include: the colonial relationship established by the Indian Act; the tragic legacy of residential schools; Métis resistances, Métis scrip, the hardships imposed by the Inuit relocations; the fostering out and adoption of Indigenous children during the “Sixties Scoop”; and the underlying causes and events that fueled the Oka Crisis.

Topic 2: Milestones Along the Path

Although relationships between Indigenous peoples and Canada have been marked by conflict, there is progress. This section highlights the resilience demonstrated by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples through four decades as they seek a renewed relationship with Canada. Topics include the birth of social movements like Idle No More, the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Finally, this section will introduce you to some successful Indigenous artists and public figures.

Topic 1: Understanding Historical Treaties and Métis Assertion of Rights

In the previous modules, you learned about Canada’s historic relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. In this topic, you will learn about the historical and legal framework that underlies Canada’s current legal and constitutional relationship with Indigenous peoples. Historic and modern-day treaties help to define that relationship; increasingly, Canada’s Indigenous peoples are using them as a basis for asserting rights.

Topic 2: Understanding Aboriginal and Métis Rights, Title and Modern Treaties

This topic discusses the resurgence of Indigenous rights spurred by the Federal government’s “White Paper” which ironically sought to eliminate them. It distinguishes between modern-day treaties and historic and “numbered” treaties, and explains how the courts and International law are evolving to a recognition of rights approach.

Topic 1: Cultural Values and Traditions

This topic discusses some of the cultural values and traditions of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, and describes how these shape Indigenous perspectives and views of contemporary Canadian society.

Topic 2: Relationship-Building

In the previous topic, you learned about the role that culture, language, tradition and spirituality play in the lives and perspectives of many Indigenous peoples. These cultural traditions, as well as the history of the relationship between Europeans and Indigenous peoples, also affect their behaviours. This section presents some suggestions on how to work and communicate with Indigenous colleagues and partners and strengthen your relationships with Indigenous peoples.