Treaty 2 Territory – Boozhoo! We hope that everyone is doing well! As many may already be aware, September 30th has been declared National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Past sharing by FNT2T Life Long Learning has stated that honouring and remembering our history is much more than just one day. As First Nations and Indigenous peoples, we honour, remember, and live our realities each day. We are proud of who we are and where we come from. Our cultures, ways, languages, and histories are not items to be brought out only on special occasions. Truth and reconciliation is a lifelong commitment – and journey. And Truth is the first step to meaningful reconciliation.
As mentioned in past FNT2T Life Long Learning posts, Keeper of Life Long Learning, Donna Beyer, has developed a Treaty 2 History K-12 Learning Kit that will support self-governance of FNT2T and FNT2T Local Nations as it sets a strong foundation for telling our own stories and history. We must know who we are and where we come from to know where we are going. We are reclaiming and revitalizing.
The T2 History K-12 Learning Kit will be made available to FNT2T Local Nations upon completion of an information session that will review the kits with all participants. Sessions will run from October 1st to October 15th, 2021. Local Nations can sign up for a proposed session date at this link: https://signup.com/go/LLAWiop. The session will review the booklets and provide a historical overview of our history from our perspective including Time Immemorial, Contact, Colonization, and Contemporary.
What is more, in light of the recent recoveries around residential schools, FNT2T Life Long Learning Keeper, Donna Beyer, also developed a Treaty 2 Residential Schools Booklet. This historical booklet focuses on the residential schools that existed in and around Treaty 2 Territory. It is currently in graphic design. We hope that it will be completed soon so that it can be included in the T2 History K-12 Learning Kit along with two maps: Treaty 2 Territory and Residential Schools (and Day Schools) in Treaty 2 Territory.
These historical learning resources set a strong foundation for FNT2T in that they offer our history (and contemporary) from our perspective which is key in self-governance and self-determination. We must be the tellers of our history and our future on September 30th (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day), November 8th (Indigenous Veteran Day), April 22nd (Earth Day), May 5th (MMIWG2ST Day/Week), June (Indigenous History Month), June 21st (National Indigenous Peoples Day), and every day beyond. Every day is a commitment to learning (and unlearning) and growing as human beings.
Lee Maracle (Sto:lo) recently released a book titled My Conversations with Canadians. In it, Maracle reflects on various questions and conversations she’s been asked by Canadians as an Indigenous woman, writer, and activist. She also shares personal stories about her family including when all the longhouses in their community were burned when her grandfather was away at residential school, which changed the way her people interacted with one another (pp.28). The Toronto Star describes Maracle’s book as “necessary in the current issues surrounding Truth and Reconciliation, particularly this year.” It is an important read and it should be a part of learning (and unlearning) in Truth and Reconciliation.
Again, FNT2T Local Nations sign up for a session with Life Long Learning at the following link and it will be confirmed by the end of September: https://signup.com/go/LLAWiop. The sessions are being offered from October 1-15 and they are designed to be informative and interactive. Go to the above link, choose a day that works, and we will confirm. We also offer virtual sessions as a means to keep Nations safe. We look forward to hearing from and meeting with FNT2T Local Nations, providing each with a set of beautifully designed booklets as part of ongoing work in self-governance and self-determination.
Renew and revitalize. Miigwetch!