Toronto Star – November 21, 2017
Tuesday marked the ‘back to school’ day Ontario college students weren’t expecting to have. “It’s good to be back,” said Abeer Ali, a first-year pre-health student at George Brown College. “But it’s stressful, it’s like the first day of school all over again.”
Interactive Mural at Saint John School Encourages Students to Make Their Mark
Yahoo News – November 21, 2017
Rooney wanted it to be a “visual feast … a hive of activity” that would make people stop and say, “Oh my gosh, what is that?” It includes images of wildlife, including a humpback whale, beaver, moose, eagle, turtle and coyote, as well as a playful lobster wearing boxing gloves and a hermit crab wearing soccer cleats. Several hidden objects, such as musical instruments, balls and keys provide a “Where’s Waldo experience.” There is also historical imagery related to the area, including Partridge Island, Martello tower, the Reversing Falls and Marco Polo ship. And there are several objects related to Indigenous culture, such as sweetgrass, a wampum belt, and a traditional Mi’kmaq basket, along with a dedication in the top left corner, acknowledging “the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Wabanaki peoples.”
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/interactive-mural-saint-john-school-113000360.html
Students Raise Local Cash
Cast a Net – November 21, 2017
A large group of Penticton middle school students sold bannock Tuesday to buy presents for families in need this Christmas. Jolanda Poetsch, Aboriginal support worker at Skaha Lake Middle School, organizes fundraisers throughout the year to help her students give back to the community. Earlier this month, the middle school students raised hundreds of dollars for the Penticton food bank with a bannock sale. “We’re doing bannock sales so we can help get toys, jackets, snow pants and stuff like that for the kids,” said Lenaya Joseph, Grade 7 student.
http://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/212161/Students-raise-local-cash
Smarter Kids, More Daycare Expected in PC Throne Speech
CBC News – November 21
There will be new legislation that cuts red tape for early childhood educators, plus added resources and programming to improve literacy and numeracy skills in young children. That last pledge is one the PC government made in its November 2016 throne speech and an issue the Tories campaigned on during the election, saying Manitoba lags behind other provinces in key skills such as math and reading.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pc-government-pallister-throne-speech-1.4411472
Remains from 145 Indigenous Ancestors in Storage at University of Winnipeg
CBC Indigenous – November 20, 2017
The university says most of the remains were unearthed by third parties, who transferred responsibility for them to the school. “They are in safe custody and not on public view or used for teaching purposes,” the statement says. The university said it, along with the province’s Historic Resources Branch (HRB), has reached out to “several First Nations Knowledge Keepers” on how to move forward with repatriation efforts. One of those knowledge keepers is Diane Maytwayashing, an Anishinaabe educator who was involved in repatriation efforts of the remains of six Indigenous ancestors near her home in the Whiteshell area in 2013.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-remains-university-winnipeg-repatriation-1.4382185
A Journey from the Mind to the Heart
Net News Ledger – November 19, 2017
“My whole thrust in my interest in engaging scientists and the Indigenous community is [that] science can’t work without the whole context,” said Suzuki. “In focusing on the parts science loses the emergent properties. Traditional Native knowledge keepers and elders are a resource in seeing the world in a way that is rooted in the land. We need humility and a way to see the bigger picture. The answers this world is seeking can be found in Indigenous knowledge,” he added.
http://www.netnewsledger.com/2017/11/19/journey-mind-heart/
Six Nations School Launches app that Teaches People to Speak Mohawk
CBC News – November 19, 2017
“These languages are who we are,” said Tom Deer, who teaches Mohawk and Cayuga at the post-secondary school. “It’s the identity of this land.” “For years, our languages have been relegated and marginalized …This is one way for our languages to take their place in the world.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/mohawk-language-app-1.4407431
Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre’s Comments Show Undertones of a Racist Agenda
The Star Phoenix – November 18, 2017
Speaking in the legislature, Eyre stated that her son brought home a worksheet stating that European settlers were “colonists, pillagers of the land who knew only buying and selling and didn’t respect mother earth.” A closer inspection revealed that it was not the case. The worksheet only raised the differences in respect to the land by the settlers and the First Nations. There was no reference to colonists and pillagers. Eyre could be guilty of both misleading the Legislative Assembly and singling out a specific group for criticism. In both cases there were undertones of a racist agenda coming to the surface.
What Does Treaty Education Look Like in Saskatchewan?
Yahoo News – November 18, 2017
Treaty education in Saskatchewan — brought into the spotlight by recent controversial comments by the province’s education minister — is continuing to adapt and change since it was made mandatory in the province’s schools a decade ago. But some say there’s still room for growth. The government’s most recent guidelines were released in 2013 and included four goals for students over the course of kindergarten to Grade 12.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/does-treaty-education-look-saskatchewan-110000417.html
Regina Symposium Brings Artists and Academics Together to ‘Imagine’ the Land
CBC Indigenous – November 17, 2017
Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and academics will converge this weekend at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina to imagine ways to live sustainably. A two-day event titled Land and the Imagination: A Symposium on Sustainable Ways to Inhabit Rural Saskatchewan, kicks off this evening with a keynote by artist Sherry Farrell Racette. “I’m interested in how this Indigenous and non-Indigenous [conversation] is coming together,” said David Garneau, a Métis artist and an associate professor of visual arts at the University of Regina.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/regina-land-symposium-first-nations-university-1.4407410
A Special Graduation Ceremony in Moose Cree First Nation Near James Bay in Northern Ontario
CBC Listen – November 17, 2017
Three community members who graduated from the University of Sudbury are being honoured by their community. CBC’s Waubgeshig Rice speaks with the program’s instructor in Sudbury and one of the graduates from Moose Cree First Nation.
http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/up-north/segment/14843221
Should we Demolish or Preserve Remaining Residential School Buildings?
CBC Listen – November 17, 2017
In the debate around whether to preserve or demolish remaining residential school buildings, Carey Newman thinks objects matter in remembering history.
http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/out-in-the-open/segment/14839692
U of C Resets its Relationship with First Nations Communities
Calgary Herald – November 16, 2017
“What’s really important in this is we reset and re-establish our relationship with Indigenous communities,” said U of C Provost Dru Marshall. “We want to make sure our campus is welcoming to all kinds of students and Indigenous students throughout our area.” Two years in the making, the strategy is guided by First Nations cultural philosophy that will lead to an Indigenous learning component on campus. Currently, 731 First Nations students attend the U of C — 2.6 per cent of its population.
