Unit Four-Economies:
Aboriginal Perspectives
The accumulated knowledge of the remaining Indigenous groups around
the
world represents an ancient body of thought, experience, and action that,
if honored and preserved as a vital storehouse of environmental wisdom,
can form the basis for evolving the kind of cosmological reorientation
that is so desperately needed. A starting point for putting Native and
Western sciences into perspective might be a review and recognition of
the contribution of Indigenous people to world development.
Cajete, Gregory, 2000, Clear Light Publishers. Santa Fe, New Mexico
|
Unit Four- Economies: Aboriginal Perspectives Unit Four focuses on traditional Aboriginal economies as they developed over time. This unit provides students the opportunity to replace stereotypes and misinformation with more accurate information about historical and contemporary Aboriginal economies. |
|
|
Learning Objectives |
|
|
Analyze how Aboriginal economies were environmentally responsible. |
|
|
Infer that the buffalo economy was one part of diverse Aboriginal economies. |
|
|
Recognize that Aboriginal peoples were economically self-reliant prior to European contact. |
|
|
Interpret how the horse dramatically altered Aboriginal economic enterprise. |
|
|
Provide evidence that economic activity thrived prior to the arrival of Europeans. |
|
|
Analyze the factors that contributed to successful Aboriginal economies. |
|
|
Illustrate the physical dexterity and mental acuity required for hunting buffalo. |
|
|
Explain how the Métis buffalo hunt was a highly organized, democratic event. |
|
|
Analyze the factors that disrupted traditional Aboriginal economies. |
|
|
Understand that European diseases devastated entire Aboriginal populations. |
nations. |
|
See that while Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian worldviews are vastly different, basic values can be shared. |
|
|
Explain the importance of a land base to Métis economic well being. |
|
|
Analyze the impact of the post-contact economy to traditional Aboriginal societies. |
|
|
Realize some of the barriers to employment for Aboriginal peoples. |
|
|
Realize that traditional Aboriginal skills and values are relevant to a contemporary economy. |
|
|
State the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge. |
|
|
Analyze the importance of Aboriginal peoples and individuals to the current economy
|
|
|
Strategize for ways in which work environments can be more inclusive. |
|
|
Analyze Aboriginal participation in artistic economic endeavors. |
|
|
Display understanding of the damage stereotypes and misinformation do to the employment opportunities of Aboriginal people. |
|
|
Display knowledge of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples. |
|
|
|
|
Teacher Notes
|
|
Unit Four - Economies: Aboriginal Perspectives - VIDEO
|
Title |
Summary |
Length/ Availability/ Date |
|
Christie Harris - Mouse Woman and Porcupine Hunter |
Tiny Mouse Woman likes things to be just so. When Porcupine Hunter and his wife upset the natural order by over hunting porcupine, she discusses the problem with Great Porcupine who tries unsuccessfully to solve the problem alone. Mouse Woman steps in to sort things out. The hunters learn their lesson and the porcupines are saved. |
17 min/ NFB/ 1994 |
|
The Gift |
Ever since it was first nurtured from a grass by the Maya, corn has held a sacred place in the lives of Indigenous peoples in the Americas. Before colonization, corn was widely used as a beverage, a food staple, an oil and a ceremonial object. It was respected and revered as a critical part of creation. The Gift explores the powerful bond and spiritual relationship that continues to exist between people and corn. The video begins in North America on the traditional lands of the Six Nations Confederacy (in southern Ontario and northern New York state) where viewers witness the planting of the corn and all the work and humor that accompany the community harvest. Through interviews, dance and song, The Gift is a beautiful exploration of the intertwined lives of people and corn, capturing the traditional, spiritual, economic and political importance of the sacred plant. |
49 min/ NFB/ 1998 |
|
Legends and Life of the Inuit |
Inuit children gather to hear Elders tell stories about the owl who is flattered into letting its prey escape, why the raven is black, the terrible fate of the selfish woman who abandons her blind son, and how the hunter manages to escape from the giants who want to eat him. Ancestral knowledge is passed on through these stories. Important concepts include the need to know one’s self, to share with others and to live in harmony with nature. |
58 min/ NFB/ 1978 |
|
Okimah |
Since time immemorial, the goose hunt has been of central importance to the Cree people of the James Bay coastal areas. The hunt is not only a source of food for the people, but it also plays an increasingly important role in the transmission of Cree culture, skills and ethics. Along with the film’s director, Paul Rickard, the viewer follows his family on the hunt to see how the traditional land management system, or Okimah is practiced. The Okimah are the hunting leaders whose life experiences and observations as hunters enable them to teach customary rules for exploiting the resource base. Viewers see how these hunting excursions are not only about harvesting, but about the need to respect the land and the animals, and the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. |
51 min/ NFB/ 1998 |
|
Age of the Buffalo |
A vivid recollection of the free west of the North American Indian and the vast herds of buffalo that once thundered across the plains. From paintings of the mid-1800s, the animation camera creates a most convincing picture of the buffalo hunt, both as the Indians and, disastrously, the white hunters practised it. |
|
|
Indian Middlemen - Natives in the Fur Trade |
This film focuses on Attickasish, Cree trading captain of a band of Cree middlemen and the trade between the Cree and the Blackfoot, as well as between the Cree and the Hudson’s Bay Company during the 1750’s. |
16 min/ NFB/ 1990 |
|
The Gift of the Grandfathers |
The Aboriginal peoples who travelled the Great Plains were Canada’s first cowboys. Today, horsemanship remains a vibrant part of Western First Nations culture, a gift from the grandfathers. The rodeo circuit is a source of a strong sense of history and pride. |
44 min/ NFB/ 1997 |
|
Partners in Trade |
Looks at the development of the fur trade and the alliance between Indian and European Nations. |
|
|
My Land is My Life The Dene Nation |
Features the Dene people of the North West Territories, and looks at their lifestyle and traditions. Shows their daily activities and emphasizes that these people depend on the resources of the land, such as hunting caribou, moose, beaver and fishing. |
55 min/ Linden MacIntyre/ 1986 |
|
The Misunderstood Fur Industry |
The fur industry from an Aboriginal perspective. |
|
|
Daughters of the Country Series: Places Not Our Own |
See Unit Two for description. |
57 min/ NFB/ 1986 |
|
The Third New Economy |
Explores the issues that Canada’s northern Natives are presently facing in light of industrial development of the North. This includes retaining their strong, traditional economy, maintaining continuity with the past and a respect for the land, and developing small-scale enterprise. |
1985 / TV Ontario |
|
Summer of the Loucheux: Portrait of a Northern Indian Family |
A young Dene woman struggles to reconcile a traditional lifestyle with the present. She joins her family at the summer camp on the Mackenzie River, NWT, to prepare dry fish. Mastering the skills of camp life, teaching her niece and listening to her grandmother’s stories bring cultural and self-understanding. |
28 in/ NFB/ 1984 |
|
Rice Harvest |
Each fall, for generations, the families of the Pauingassi band have camped by northern Manitoba lakes, and combed the reedy shores with brooms, paddles and baskets for manomin--wild rice. The trade with the bush pilot begins the process by which an Indian staple and the sacred crop becomes a white man’s luxury food. |
11 min/ NFB/ 1980 |
|
Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief |
This tribute to Native women focuses on five Native women from across Canada. From varied backgrounds, they have achieved success in their chosen careers. They discuss how they have achieved success and the importance of Native culture to identity development and in helping them achieve success in spite of obstacles. |
28min/ NFB/ 1986 |
|
Standing Buffalo |
An account of a rug-making cooperative organized by Sioux Indian women of the Standing Buffalo Reserve in the Qu’Appelle Valley of southern Saskatchewan. The Indians of this band are descended from a tribe that migrated from Minnesota during armed clashes a hundred years ago. The Sioux are noted for their distinctive, colourful designs. |
23 min/ NFB/ 1968 |
|
Profiles of Success |
(CAN) These videos profile a variety of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta Aboriginal businesses. The series features enterprises owned by both men and women who explain how they came to operate successfully in Aboriginal business, one of the fastest growing sectors in Canada with tips on how to maintain a viable enterprise. While the entrepreneurs speak for most of the 10 minute presentations, the content is valuable for students interested in exploring different employment and career options, and for teachers who wish to highlight positive Aboriginal role models. At the end of the segments, there is some content advertising Alberta Learnings’ Career Info Hotline; however, this does not interfere with the intent of the resource and may not have to be shown. |
Digital Film Safari Inc. Film and Video Services, Alberta (403) 247-9820 |
Such recognition [of Aboriginal peoples] would include the inventions of pottery and weaving; the taming of fire; the domestication of animals; agriculture, irrigation, land selection and conservation of seeds, which led to biodiversity in plant life; metal mining; the wheel, road building, the development of land and sea transportation; directional technology, including the compass and astronomical observation; arithmetic and geometry; city planning, architecture; systems of administration; preservation of vital water supplies and drainage systems; and the inventions of paper, printing, and glass etching (Brush and Stabinsky 1996, pp. 281 282).
(Brush and Stabinsky, 1991, pp. 281-282, as quoted by Gregory Cajete, 2000, Clear Light Publishers. Santa Fe, New Mexico.)
Introduction
As the quotation suggests, Aboriginal peoples have made enormous contributions to our society. These truths are often not well known, likely because most history books begin with European contact. However, prior to contact with Europeans, Aboriginal peoples had thriving economies and trade networks based on their spiritual relationship with the land and its inhabitants. Upon contact, Europeans depended on the knowledge, technology and assistance of Aboriginal people to survive. Similarly, Aboriginal peoples adapted aspects of the European economy to suit their needs.
Aboriginal economies were devastated by encroachment, diseases and depleted natural resources. Once thriving Aboriginal economies weakened under the pressure of settlers, government policy and imported diseases.
Today stereotypes and misinformation are still barriers to Aboriginal employment and entrepreneurship. However, Aboriginal peoples strive to regain economic independence through land claim settlements, education and entrepreneurial endeavors.
Unit Organization
Unit Four traces the history of Aboriginal economies prior to contact, during contact, post-contact, and today. Unit Four also provides students the opportunity to use the knowledge they gained from previous units to engage in a major group project. Hence, teachers will have the opportunity to evaluate students on an individual and group basis.
Teachers may encourage students to develop their own portfolios for the duration of this unit.
The videos referred to specifically in the Resources column of the curriculum guide are listed on the previous pages first, with other videos listed as suggestions.
| Objectives |
Suggested Activities |
Resources |
||||
|
FO - Analyze how Aboriginal economies were environmentally responsible. LO - Explain Aboriginal peoples’ reciprocal relationship with the environment. C, CCT, IL LO - List Aboriginal peoples’ contributions of food. C, IL, CCT LO - Provide evidence of the reciprocal relationship that involved spiritual rituals of showing respect and giving thanks for that which was harvested. C, CCT, IL LO - Understand that the message of reciprocal obligations is carried in Aboriginal stories. CCT, IL, LO - Appreciate the economic contributions of Aboriginal peoples to historical and contemporary society. PSVS |
Individually, have students read EAP1 Ecological Responsibility. Ask students to:
Now ask students to form small groups and discuss their individual responses to the previous activities. Then, ask students to write a journal entry on how today’s society benefits from the Indigenous economic ethic.
Give students copies of EAP2 Environmental Reciprocity and EAP3 The Ritual of the Hunt. From EAP2 Environmental Reciprocity ask students to find out:
Have students write a journal entry that explains their personal feelings about what they’ve learned. How will the knowledge gained from Native Studies 10 apply to their lives and society as a whole? How might their knowledge influence current and future relationships with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals? Have students read EAP3 The Ritual of the Hunt and find evidence that supports the following statements from EAP1 Ecological Responsibility:
|
Community:
Print: Video:
Internet: An activity near the end of this unit requires students to dispel the myths about Aboriginal peoples, so one suggestion for beginning is to ask students to bring newspaper/magazine articles that depict the successes of Aboriginal individuals and groups, creating an "Aboriginal Wall of Fame". At the end of the course, the teacher may wish to laminate these articles and keep them in a scrap book. |
||||
|
FO - Understand that the buffalo economy was one part of diverse Aboriginal economies. LO - Describe the requirements of pursuing a buffalo economy. N, CCT, IL LO - List the contributions of women to Aboriginal economic life. CCT, C, PSVS LO - Describe how Aboriginal peoples replenished the environment to ensure renewal and abundance. C, N, IL LO - Confirm that Aboriginal peoples were agriculturists prior to the arrival of Europeans. CCT, C, IL LO - Provide evidence that Aboriginal peoples were habitat specialists. IL, C, N |
EAP4 Diverse Economies
|
Community:
Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Recognize that Aboriginal peoples were economically self-reliant prior to European contact. LO - Illustrate how the Cree adapted to environmental changes. CCT, IL, C LO - Discuss how sharing was an economic necessity and a diplomatic virtue. CCT, IL, C LO - Appreciate the independence and sophistication of Cree trade systems and uses of technology. IL, PSVS, N FO - Interpret how the horse dramatically altered Aboriginal economic enterprise. CCT, C, IL LO - List the effects of the horse on Aboriginal economies. CCT, IL, C LO - Describe how the horse became a status symbol. N, IL, |
EAP5 Cree Economies
EAP6 Horses
|
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Provide evidence that economic activity thrived prior to the arrival of Europeans. LO - Describe Aboriginal economic activity prior to the arrival of Europeans. IL, C LO - Describe how Europeans adapted to Aboriginal commerce. C, CCT, IL LO - List specific Aboriginal trade strategies. |
EAP7 Aboriginal Fur Trade
|
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Analyze the factors that contributed to successful Aboriginal economies. LO- Provide details of cooperation and organization. C, CCT, IL LO - Give evidence that Aboriginal peoples were astute business people. CCT, C, IL LO - Supply evidence of Aboriginal diplomacy. CCT, IL LO - Describe Aboriginal hospitality. PSVS, CCT, IL, C LO - Appreciate Aboriginal adaptations of European technology. C, PSVS, IL |
EAP8 Aboriginal Commerce
|
Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Illustrate the physical dexterity and mental acuity required for hunting buffalo. LO - Describe specific skills required of buffalo hunters. C, IL LO - Describe the difficulties involved in a buffalo hunt. CCT, IL, C LO - List the duties involved in butchering and preparing a buffalo. N, TL, C LO - Construct a buffalo pound. TL, PSVS, IL |
EAP9 Hunting Buffalo (Napeskis)
|
A field trip to Wanuskewin may deepen students' understanding of the importance of the buffalo to Aboriginal peoples. Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Explain how the Métis buffalo hunt was a highly organized, democratic event. LO - Describe the Métis buffalo hunt. C, N, CCT LO - Justify regulations for the Métis buffalo hunt. CCT, IL, C LO - Describe how American policy altered the buffalo hunt. CCT, C, IL LO - Describe how the Métis prevented a HBC monopoly of the buffalo hunt. CCT, C, IL |
EAP10 Metis Buffalo Hunt and EAP11 The Buffalo.
|
Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
| FO - Evaluate the Métis contribution to the development of the Canadian West. |
Have students read EAP12 Contributions Made by Metis People. Using the reading, have small groups of students create a list of Métis contributions on chart paper. Have each group post their list on the classroom wall. Then, as a large group, brainstorm ways in which the contributions may be categorized. Have students return to their small groups and create a "Métis Contributions Chart" that shows their groups’ choice of categories. Groups may present their charts to the class.
From this presentation, teachers may ask students to create:
|
Community:
Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Analyze the factors that disrupted traditional Aboriginal economies. LO - List the technologies that disrupted traditional Aboriginal economies. C, N, CCT, IL LO - List the developments that broke Aboriginal nations apart. CCT, C, IL LO - Describe how different Acts impeded Aboriginal control of their economies. CCT, C, IL LO - Explain why certain economic projects ultimately failed. N, C, IL LO - Provide evidence of Aboriginal economic diversity. CCT, IL |
EAP13 Economic Disruption
|
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO- Understand that European diseases devastated entire Aboriginal populations. LO - Describe how the fur trade facilitated epidemics. N, C, IL LO - Describe the causes for the change in relationships between Aboriginal nations. CCT, C, IL |
EAP14 Imported Diseases
|
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - See that while Aboriginal and Euro/Canadian worldviews are vastly different, basic values can be shared. LO - Discuss the values that can be shared by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. CCT, PSVS, IL LO - Create an imaginary business in which traditional values are incorporated. CCT, PSVS, N, IL |
Have students read EAP15 Shared Values. On chart paper divided in half, have students copy the following ‘T’ diagram with information from the reading:
Next have students look at the seven primary traditional values and determine how they can apply to each philosophy. Students will likely notice that similar values are held by both groups in spite of philosophical differences. Have students brainstorm a list of occupations/ businesses for which the seven traditional values would be necessary. When ideas are exhausted, have students choose the ones that would be most suitable to "something that is uniquely Aboriginal". In small groups have students create an imaginary business that incorporates this idea. A starting list may include the items on the next page.
|
Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Explain the importance of a land base to Métis economic well-being. LO - Discuss the ways in which Métis peoples used the land and its resources. C, IL, CCT LO - Appreciate the Métis’ traditional use of land in spite of not having a land base. PSVS, C, IL |
In small groups, have students read EAP16 Métis Land and Resources. Discussion questions may include:
The teacher may invite Métis business people, entrepreneurs and other professionals to discuss their chosen career. Students may brainstorm a list of questions to ask the guests. Students may use this information to pursue their own career goals. |
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Analyze the impact of the post-contact economy to traditional Aboriginal societies. LO - Describe the economic pressures experienced by Aboriginal peoples. PSVS, CCT, C, IL LO - Explain the factors that made economic transition difficult. CCT, PSVS, C, IL |
EAP17 Economic Change
Have students develop a survey to discover the degree to which Aboriginal people participate in traditional economic pursuits. Students must decide:
|
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Realize some of the barriers to employment for Aboriginal peoples. LO - List the obstacles to employment off reserve. C, IL, PSVS LO - List other barriers to Aboriginal peoples gaining employment off-reserve. N, PSVS, IL |
Have students read EAP18 Life in the City. Have each student imagine that he/she is an Aboriginal person leaving the reserve for the city. In journals, have students write a letter to someone at home, telling of their experience of trying to find a job, and describing their feelings as they encounter:
Alternatively, have students make a separate journal entry that describes how they solved the problem. Have students write and perform skits that depict a situation where an Aboriginal person is discriminated against when applying for a job. Then have students brainstorm for ways in which employers can educate themselves about potential Aboriginal employees. |
Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Realize that traditional Aboriginal skills and values are relevant to a contemporary economy. LO - Discuss the effects of economic devastation. PSVS, CCT, IL LO - List and provide details of Aboriginal entrepreneurial temperament and skill. C, CCT, IL, PSVS LO - Describe how government policy restricts Aboriginal economic development. C, CCT, PSVS, IL |
EAP19 Building an Aboriginal Economy In small groups, have students discuss these possible ideas:
Have students write a journal entry imagining that they are economic consultants to the government. What advice would they give the government that would create economic equity? |
Community: Elders, Aboriginal entrepreneurs Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - State the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge. LO - List the academic disciplines to which Aboriginal peoples contribute. C, IL, CCT LO - List the academic institutions that Aboriginal knowledge can enhance. C, IL, CCT LO - Appreciate the scholarly contributions of Aboriginal peoples. PSVS, CCT, C, IL |
EAP20 Indigenous Knowledge In pairs, have students:
|
Community: Print: Video: Internet: Ensure students understand that, while the study of Aboriginal knowledge is relatively new, Aboriginal knowledge itself has been developed and used for centuries. |
||||
|
FO - Analyze the importance of Aboriginal peoples and individuals to the current economy. LO - Gauge the current and projected growth of the Aboriginal population. N, IL, CCT LO - Interpret the purchasing power of Aboriginal Canadians. N, IL, C LO - Calculate the projected growth of the Aboriginal labour force. N, IL
LO - Calculate the increase in educated Aboriginal peoples over time. IL, N, CCT LO - Infer the kinds of occupational choices Aboriginal peoples are making. N, IL, CCT LO - Infer factors that make Aboriginal peoples accessible employees. N, IL, CCT LO - Describe how Aboriginal economic success is beneficial to Canadian society. N, IL, CCT, C |
Give students copies of EAP21 The Contemporary Aboriginal Workforce, EAP22 Graphs and Charts and EAP23 Teacher Notes (Graphics) provide teacher information that may be useful in creating an answer key for the questions below. Have the students form small groups and answer the following (sample) questions that refer directly to the chart/graph data.
|
Community: Print:
Video:
Internet:
|
||||
|
FO - Strategize for ways in which work environments can be more inclusive. LO - Convert statistics into a visual format. N, CCT, IL LO - Brainstorm for ways to embrace a diverse work force. CCT, PSVS, C, IL |
Have students read EAP24 "Hidden Discrimination..." Suggested activities:
Their strategy might include:
|
Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Analyze Aboriginal participation in artistic economic ventures. LO - Compare and contrast Aboriginal film and television industries. CCT, N, C, IL LO - Discuss the successes and struggles of Aboriginal enterprises. C, PSVS, LO - Investigate the qualities of Aboriginal film and/or television programming. IL, N, CCT, C |
Give students EAP25 Where’s the Money! and EAP26 Don’t Touch That Dial! In pairs, have students compare the Aboriginal television industry to the Aboriginal film industry. Points of comparison may be:
|
Community: Print: Video:
Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Display understanding of the damage stereotypes and misinformation do to the employment opportunities of Aboriginal people. LO - Discuss the myths surrounding Aboriginal people. LO - Discuss the facts that dispel stereotypes of Aboriginal people. |
In small groups or pairs, have students read EAP27 Dispelling the Myths. Using newspapers, magazines and their own critical and creative thoughts, have the students make their own "Dispelling the Myths" poster/collage. Students may cut out words, phrases, pictures and symbols to represent their thinking and to convey their message. |
Community: Print: Video: Internet: |
||||
|
FO - Demonstrate knowledge of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples. LO - Discuss the experiences of historical and/or contemporary Aboriginal peoples. C, IL, N, CCT LO - Apply previous knowledge to a group project. |
Inform students that they will have the opportunity to use the knowledge they gained from Unit Four, and from the previous units, to demonstrate what they have learned about Aboriginal peoples. Have students form small groups and create a board or computer game that demonstrates the knowledge they have gained. Teachers may organize this activity in a variety of ways. For example:
The games students create should reflect the experiences of Aboriginal peoples. Students may choose to focus on one group: First Nations, Métis or Inuit, or they may decide to have their game provide information on all three groups. Groups should also provide:
|
Community: Print:
Video: Internet: |