1.
Do the illustrations and text contain over~generalizations about groups? For example, the term "Plains Indians" refers to specific nations such as Cree, Dakota, Nakota, and others to denote distinctiveness.
2.
Are certain groups invisible? For example, the Plains Cree and the Woodland Cree are two distinct groups.
3.
Does the resource represent Eurocentric viewpoints only? Indigenous authors, artists and Elders express Indigenous viewpoints often more fully.
4.
Are realistic life experiences portrayed? Controversial topics are too often ignored and discussions about racism, for example, unnecessarily avoided.
5.
Is information by and about Indigenous peoples fully integrated? Information about Indigenous peoples is sometimes separated and condensed as supplementary knowledge in one or two chapters.
6.
Does the resource contain contemporary and accurate information about nation groups and their situations today? Many resources suggest Indigenous peoples and cultures exist only in the past. Both glossary and text should demonstrate that Indigenous peoples exist today.
7.
Are capital letters used on terms like Indigenous peoples and Aboriginal peoples? Terms such as "Native peoples" should be capitalized. The plural "s" in the word "peoples" underlines the numbers of diverse First Nations.
8.
Does the resource contain information about how, and by whom, the research was gathered and does it possess a bibliography which lists reputable sources? The bibliography should contain credible research and resources.
9.
Does the index list Indigenous peoples as distinct nation groups? Overuse of umbrella terms obscures these distinctions.
10.
Are clear distinctions made between contemporary and historical quotes and artistic works? Parallel use of time frames and related settings forestalls the impression of having to reach back in time whenever Indian and Metis peoples are discussed.
11.
Is this part of a series of resources that accurately portray Indigenous peoples throughout? Often only one or two materials from a series is creditable for the resource collection.
12.
Are Indigenous visuals, artistic aspects, and dress appropriated? The integrity of a people's history, identity, and culture can be distorted or even lost when aspects of regional uniqueness are borrowed for purposes other than their customary ones.
Canadian society is made up of diverse peoples with a variety of cultural backgrounds. Each group has a unique way of learning about and dealing with daily life. Individuals may vary in levels of awareness of their own, and adopted cultural perspectives. All groups influence one another to a greater or lesser degree.
A society is based on the interdependence of different groups. Their accomplishments, though unique, rarely occur in isolation. These are often the result of many factors, including interaction with others. All peoples' achievements should be considered from the point of view of exchange and interaction. The context within which achievements are defined can alter perception of their true significance.
1.
Are items such as the snowshoe, canoe, and the kayak recognized as advanced technologies that even in contemporary times require no improvement? Some works describe these only in terms of their past usefulness failing to recognize that such technologies are ideal also for contemporary time.
2.
Are crops such as maize and tobacco included in the many hybrid crops in the field of horticulture? These should be discussed in ways that relate their development to scientific thought.
3.
Are contributions to the world's foodstuffs rightfully attributed to early Indian farmers? It should be made evident that many foods grown throughout the world were developed in what is now the Americas.
4.
Are the knowledge and use of natural products for medicinal purposes by the Indian peoples formally associated- with the field of pharmacology? Specialized knowledge and practices of Indian peoples are sometimes treated as though these exist apart from relevant fields of Inquiry.
5.
Are refined drugs in use today seen as having been developed by Indian peoples with specialized' centuries~old health practices? Sometimes an aura of mystery and remoteness is attached to descriptions of them.
6.
Do concepts found in modern psychotherapy and psychoanalysis compare positively to similar theories developed long ago by Indian peoples? Dream analysis and the relationship of the mind and body to wellness, for example, were understood and practiced by the Indian peoples in early times, and are still practiced today.
7.
Are western theories about combatting disease through imagery compared favourably to traditional practices using similar techniques? Works that describe these approaches as witchcraft and magic are inaccurate.
8.
Are the Indigenous peoples recognized as having provided important knowledge and information to explorers and settlers? It should be apparent that original peoples were the guides, freighters, and provisioners for newcomers.
9.
Is credit given to the developers of the Mayan calendar, for example, or the concept of zero in relation to the field of mathematics and science? Some areas of specialization are portrayed as having limited effect, then and now.
10.
Are creative works discussed in terms of their universal appeal and particular philosophy? Works of art, drama, and music are sometimes described only in terms of exotic features, or from an ethnocentric perspective.
11.
Are works that have passed the test of time considered classics? Some Indigenous forms are described in a clinical sense as artifacts representing ancient human activity rather than as objects of beauty for all peoples and time.
12.
Are the leaders seen as having stature and title alongside their European counterparts? Individual men and women such as Tecumseh, Poundmaker, Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont, Elijah Harper, Charlotte Small, Ethel Blondin, and Roberta Jamieson are also effective leaders and politicians.
13.
Are mayor consequences resulting from contact between Indigenous and European peoples absent, simplified, or presented as abbreviated histories? Resources may not tell the story of land loss, hardship, and the struggle of Indigenous peoples to retain their identity and rights.
Portrayal of Traditions and Institutions
Formal structures developed by Indian and Metis peoples to aid social and cultural interaction are sometimes described inaccurately. Consider the following questions:
1.
Does the resource provide information about anthropological evidence of early intercontinental exchange? A number of authors still believe that the original peoples led an isolated existence remote from all others, even in their own lands.
2.
Are the peace-keeping strategies developed by various Indian nations given their rightful due? All nations develop mechanisms to conduct their affairs and settle their differences, often over wide ranging territories.
3.
Is consensus decision~making seen as a highly-developed form of government? Consensus building used by Indian and Metis peoples is viewed, by some, as secondary to other mechanisms such as majority rule.
4.
Is the North American model of representative government described in relation to the models developed by Indigenous peoples? The Constitution of the United States of America is founded on principles of democratic, representative government developed and practiced by Indian nations through the centuries.
5.
Is the concept of the child as a sacred responsibility of all community members used to explain family life patterns? Writers have sometimes described extended family behaviours as being dysfunctional.
6.
Are women portrayed as decision~makers within their communities? Indian and Metis women have traditionally played a prominent role in addressing the concerns which affect the well-being of their societies.
7.
Is it evident that the early educational practices of Indian and Metis peoples demonstrate an understanding of the stages of intellectual physical, and moral development relevant to learning readiness? Some works imply that pedagogical thought was completely absent in the educational practices of these people. In the Dakota Sioux model, for example, formal education began at the age of two. It proceeded throughout the student's life in a series of seven year cycles in which history, ethics, spiritual knowledge, and life skills were studied.
8.
Is it recognized that Indian and Metis peoples continue to value a lifestyle based on caring for the Earth, so that its fragile balance is maintained for future generations? Many works provide only the reminder that Indian peoples lived in harmony with nature, and do not relate their concept of custodianship to current ecological thought.
9.
Are the traditions and experiences of Indian and Metis peoples romanticized? Ideas of primal innocence and terms such as stoic and noble trivialize those experiences universal to all peoples throughout time.