Page 123 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

A3. Reconstructing
Throughout this course, students will:
Acknowledging
A3.1 demonstrate an understanding of the challenges First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities face and have faced in controlling their own narratives and resisting colonialist views, as revealed in text forms studied in this course (e.g., identify, in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century text forms, representations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and cultures that reflect unquestioning acceptance and perpetuation of negative stereotypes; explain how contemporary graphic novels by some First Nations, Métis, and Inuit authors demonstrate cultural resistance to colonialist views)
Sample questions: “How can identifying misrepresentations in historical or contemporary text forms encourage more accurate representa- tions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities?” “In what ways does this narrative attempt to reassert a Métis perspective on subject matter related to Métis communities?” “How does this text question a colonialist view of Inuit life?”
Naming
A3.2 identify appropriate ways to refer to Indigenous peoples in diverse contexts (e.g., judicial and legislative terminology, treaty language, global forums, historical narratives, personal communications that reflect individual naming preferences, texts relating to contemporary local communities), and locate examples of inappropriate terminology in contemporary and historical text forms from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous sources and explain the significance of naming choices
Sample questions: “In what ways is naming particularly problematic for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada?” “How does knowledge of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit history help you appreciate the need to use appropriate terms in your own writing?” “As you read the terms used in contemporary written texts to describe various First Nations, Métis, and Inuit world views, how do you think they affect your comprehension of the message?” “What is your reaction to the use
of the words ‘Indian’, ‘half-breed’, or ‘Eskimo’ instead of ‘First Nation’, ‘Métis’, or ‘Inuit’ to refer to Indigenous peoples in Canada? What contexts can you think of in which such usage
might be justified or even required (for example, direct quotations from historical documents or dialogue consistent with the speaker’s character and the period in historical novels)?”
Diversity
A3.3 analyse and compare the ways in which
the diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit lives, knowledge, cultures, and world views
is represented or under-represented in various contemporary and historical text forms (e.g., compare depictions of a specific First Nation, Métis, or Inuit culture in a contemporary documentary and a mid-twentieth-century documentary to de- termine how accurately the culture is differentiated from other cultures in each case; describe some ways in which contemporary Indigenous authors such as Richard Wagamese and Eden Robinson have shaped literary representations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit diversity; describe how the use of words such as ‘Aboriginal’, ‘Indian’, and ‘Indigenous’ in historical text forms might undermine the concept of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit diversity, and explain the challenge this represents for contem- porary historians)
Sample questions: “Given the widespread use of the word ‘Indian’ in earlier centuries to refer to diverse groups of Indigenous people in North America, what strategies can contemporary historians and writers use to differentiate each nation’s contribution to Canadian history?” “How does this text written in the mid-twentieth century about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit art forms compare to one written in the early twenty-first century? In your opinion, how does the change in the way that the art forms and their origins are described affect the reader’s understanding of the diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures?”
Relevance
A3.4 evaluate a variety of contemporary text forms to determine how accurately they represent the lives and activities of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities, past and present (e.g., compare how the political interests of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voters are depicted in the media by Indigenous and non-Indigenous media sources; assess the currency of information about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in various history textbooks; compare various literary portrayals of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and cultures by Indigenous
and non-Indigenous writers), and explain, with increasing insight, how updated representations can influence society (e.g., television programs representing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit
FIRST NATIONS, MÉTIS, AND INUIT PERSPECTIVES AND TEXT FORMS IN CANADA
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English: Understanding Contemporary
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices
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