Page 148 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Grade 11, College Preparation
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
had been written from the perspective of a First Nation hunter or fisher?” “Whose perspective is reflected in this non-Indigenous historical account of the fur trade? How might the account change if it were written from the perspective of a First Nation, Métis, or Inuk woman?”
Contradictions
A2.2 identify contradictions in how First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures have been depicted in various contemporary and historical Indigenous text forms, and non-Indigenous texts (e.g., militant versus peaceful, stewards of the land versus territorially acquisitive), and analyse possible reasons for the divergence of views
Sample questions: “What are some different perspectives on current treaty relations pre- sented in contemporary texts? What reason can you offer for any contradictions in those perspectives?” “How did listening to a First Nation treaty researcher talk about treaty relations and nationhood change your view of treaties in Ontario? What elements of the talk contradicted your earlier understanding of treaties?” “In some European historical accounts of encounters between First Nations peoples and European settlers, First Nations individuals are depicted as inherently gentle and in other accounts as inherently violent. How can you explain this contradiction?”
Positioning
A2.3 make inferences about attitudes towards First Nations, Métis, and Inuit content in various contemporary and historical text forms, providing explanations that draw on appropriate evidence to support their opinions (e.g., the juxtaposition of ideas; the context within which traditional knowledge is presented; the application of Western academic criteria to First Nations, Métis, or Inuit knowledge sources)
Sample question: “How might your interpreta- tion of the Anishinaabe Ojibwe creation story have changed if the story had been presented
in the context of diverse belief systems, rather than as a myth?”
Accessibility
A2.4 describe various contemporary and historical factors affecting public access to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit text forms, including cultural text forms (e.g., the ability of publishers in Canada to widen or restrict the audience for texts by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators/authors; the development of Indigenous publishers and book- sellers with a commitment to promote, preserve, and publish First Nations, Métis, and Inuit stories and knowledge; the protection of cultural text forms by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit societies)
Sample questions: “Why do certain First Nations, Métis, and Inuit societies protect the publication of cultural text forms containing traditional knowledge? What is the significance of this protection to the represented cultures? What are some similar practices in your own culture or others around the world?”
Asymmetries
A2.5 describe various issues related to attempts to apply Western cultural criteria to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit text forms, including cultural text forms (e.g., the privileging of finite knowledge over evolving and contextual knowledge, the undervaluation of communal knowledge banks
in favour of individual intellectual property)
Sample question: “How do copyright require- ments challenge First Nations, Métis, and Inuit beliefs about knowledge and knowledge transfer?”
A3. Reconstructing
Throughout this course, students will:
Acknowledging
A3.1 demonstrate an understanding of several different 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., describe various factors that impeded the ability of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators/authors to find mainstream audiences for their work during the movement towards self-determination in the mid-twentieth century; identify some examples of appropriation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultural production)
Sample questions: “What are some themes that contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit authors are exploring as a way to challenge and change the legacy of colonialism through new narratives?” “Who is the target audience for contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit literature? Has that audience changed since
the mid-twentieth century? In what ways?”
Naming
A3.2 identify appropriate ways to refer to Indigenous peoples in various contexts
(e.g., in the text of treaties, in land claim agreements, in descriptions of courses within a First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies program), and locate examples of inappropriate terminology in contemporary and historical text forms from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous sources
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