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Traditional Territories And Oral Practices Of The Blackfoot Nations Essay

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We would like to acknowledge the traditional territories and oral practices of the Blackfoot Nations, which include the Siksika, the Piikani and the Kainai. We also acknowledge the Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda First Nations, the Metis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

I begin my paper with the protocol of the Acknowledgement of the Land. It is read at all Calgary Board of Education Leadership meetings and at the beginning of important school gatherings. This is a collaborative commitment, which has allowed for the work in the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) to move forward, to be strengthened and guided by Indigenous wisdom through Indigenous ways. It is a significant visible step the Calgary Board of Education and the Elder Advisory Council have implemented in ‘indigenizing the CBE’.
At our Leadership System meeting, David Stevenson, the Chief Superintendent of the Calgary Board of Education shared with principals and assistant principals that as a district we ‘continue to fail our Indigenous students. Our Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT’s) and our graduation rates demonstrate that we have not made significant strides in closing the achievement gap’ (CBE System Leadership, Nov.2016). At this meeting, he asked us to consider how we are making an impact on our Aboriginal students in our schools and to challenge our thinking as leaders. The outcomes were disappointing yet are they a continued

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