First Nation Directors

The impact of colonization on First Nations peoples in Canada is unsurpassable, regarding every aspect of Aboriginal life and well-being. Throughout Canadian history, the government has been aiming to assimilate and annihilate Aboriginal people by way of racist policies, ethnocentric institutions, discriminatory laws and destructive capitalist behaviours. Because of this, Aboriginal people have suffered many losses, both physically and culturally. One of the main perpetrators of enacting this loss is the education system. The education system in Canada has and continues to threaten the relationship First Nations peoples have with the land. The connection First Nations peoples have with the land is crucial to their cultures, traditions, ceremonies and beliefs. Colonization and colonialism jeopardize this relationship and that is what this essay will address.

8th Fire: Indigenous in the City, is part of a documentary series that describes the challenges that aboriginal people face when moving to the large cities from reservations. The documentary begins by describing the stereotypes that English Canadians as well as other visible minority groups perceive aboriginal people to be. They show how damaging the stereotypes are to the First Nations, especially in the area of education. The documentary concludes by offering a few some solutions of how to change and improve the relationship between the aboriginal community and the rest of Canada. The two main aspects of the film that I will focus my analysis on is the education system from past to present and the negative impacts it has had on the

The residential school system became prominent in Canada after the passage of the Indian Act in 1876 and was funded by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (“A History of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada”). The original goal of this school system was to educate First Nations children about Canadian tradition and Christianity, as the

The program was launched in 1989, when the Tribal Council of the First Nations community, Meadow Lake, approached the University of Victoria seeking to collaborate in the development and community-based delivery of an education program (Ball, 2004). The Elders wanted a curriculum from a university-accredited institution that was still grounded in their own cultures. They also wanted input from representatives of their community. A pilot program evolved from these initial discussions, focusing on the principles of empowerment. A generative curriculum was developed to deliver information in a culturally appropriate fashion. In order to preserve culture, certain activities were conducted on an ongoing manner. These activities included Elder involvement, as the Elders are the keepers of knowledge, language maintenance and cultural practices. The program was a great success – while the national completion rate among First Nations students in diploma level postsecondary programs in Canada in below 40%, the FNPP obtained a 75% completion rate (Ball, 2014). The National Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Ovide Mercredi, once said “When you heal a child, you heal a family; when you heal a family you heal a community; when you heal a community, you heal a nation (Richardson and Blanchet-Cohen, 2000). The FNPP embodies this message, using education as a tool for the Aboriginal

After this unit, I really saw the importance of incorporating Indigenous history and culture into the curriculum because they are a central part of Canadian history and culture. From our class discussion, I

Their goal is to educate Alaska native in adverse childhood experience, brain development and from organizational to policy in making changes for a community to be inform in Informed

Did you know that in 2006, the number of aboriginal people in Canada surpassed one million? This means that the aboriginals represented 3.8% of the total population in Canada. Even though this number is much smaller than the non-aboriginal population, they have an impact on Canada, in the north and south. Unfortunately, some of the aboriginal groups do not have a stable way of living and the Canadian government is very selective when helping them. Overall, I want to be able to help the First Nation people receive the funding they need to have a thriving economic workforce.

Second, Canada’s First Nations’ plight can be improved through self-governance. According to Pocklington, “For several years, Canadian aboriginal leaders have been demanding the recognition of a right of Native self-determination and thereby, for the aboriginal collectivities that choose it a right of self-government” (102). Aboriginal self-governance is a controversial issue in Canada. Before researching the issue I believed that self-governance would deter national unity, after further investigation, I presently believe that the claim for Aboriginal self-governance is justifiable. Although, according to Blakeney, “It will be a real challenge to make effective

The Aboriginal peoples of Canada had gone through many situations to get to where they are today with their education system. Pain, sorrow, doubt, and hope are all feelings brought to mind when thinking about the history and the future of Aboriginal education. By taking a look at the past, anyone can see that the right to education for Aboriginal peoples has been fought about as early as the 1870s. This is still is a pressing issue today. Elder teachings, residential, reserve and post-secondary schools have all been concerning events of the past as well as the present. Though education has improved for the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, there are still many concerns and needs of reconciliation for the past to improve the future.

First Nation Peoples within Canada have been facing many injustices in their homeland since the dawn of colonization. The most unraveling point to First Nation assimilation was the formation of the consequential Indian Act and residential schools resulting in a stir of adversity. As racist ideologies within Canada developed, upheaval against such treatment was undertaken as First Nation communities fought back against government land claims and eradication of treaty rights. In attempt to make amends, proper compensations from the injustices within residential schools have been released and the key for the future is allowing First Nation self-government. Ideals with the intent of ultimate assimilation have been standardized unto First Nation

The first paper by Ladner and Orsini, (2003) gives a detailed account, review and analysis of the First nations governance act. The paper reflects on the act and provides arguments supporting the fact that it is an example of a gentler, subtle form of colonialism that is still in practice today. It argues that although the government has well researched the problems affecting the first nations, it has not efficiently advocated the involvement of these people in their own welfare and improvement.

The rebirth of D-Q University describes how none of the leaders of the American tribal college movement and one of the nation’s 34 tribal colleges faced financial difficulties, accreditation challenges resulting in the college being faced with the decision whether to close its doors or not. Leadership failure to reach Indian students before the accreditation was revoked is thought to be a primary issue creating low student enrollment. We will discuss background, issues, analysis, and make recommendations addressing the leadership failures in the areas of power structures, leadership, systems thinking, organizational culture, and ethics impacting the college ability to re-open its doors to the Indian

As an Indigenous Education Advisor, I’ve witnessed a shift in the commitment to educate non-Indigenous students about First Nation, Métis and Inuit people in post-secondary institutions. My experience in developing an Indigenous Awareness Week and conducting assessments to measure the learning outcomes of non-Indigenous students has led me to want to do research in this area. I would like to further look at long-term effects of Indigenous programming for non-Indigenous students to determine how to develop effective and valuable Indigenous programming in higher education. What attracts me to the Department of Integrated Studies in Education are the positive experiences and interactions I’ve had with students and professors from the department. Both Dr. Claudia Mitchell’s and Dr. Naomi Nichols’s research appeals to me and I believe can give a unique perspective to my work.

The NICWA, which mission and major focus is the dedication to well-being of American Indian children and families within the United States, have learned that they have to manimize the effectiveness when they have formed strategic alliances, collaborations and partnerships (www.nicwa.org). NICWA’s has partnerships with other child advocacy, child welfare TA, and training organizations. They also include American Indian organizations like Indian Health services, Native American Children 's Alliance, Native American Rights Fund, and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

The implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement began on September 19, 2007 following the consensus reached between legal counsel for former students, legal counsel for the Churches, the Assembly of First Nations, other Aboriginal organizations and the Government of Canada to achieve a fair and lasting resolution of the legacy of Indian Residential Schools. The implementation of this historic agreement brings a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of Indian Residential Schools. Former students can now benefit from the individual and collective measures provided by the Settlement Agreement.