Indigenous Legacy Initiatives
LISTEN - LEARN - DO BETTER
We are committed to reconciliation and ensuring that the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten in order to build a better Canada for all of us.
A Guide to First Nations Territory Acknowledgments.
(Prevost Region)
Hello – Tansi – Taanishi – Halu – Kwe’ – Nú – Bonjour!
“We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin) and Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ peoples.
We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous people whose footsteps have marked this territory on which we now gather.”
Traditional Territory identification tool.
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board is on land which is traditional territory of the Kanien’keha:ka or Mohawk nation. The Mohawk Nation is also known as the “Eastern Door Keepers” and are a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy which also includes the Seneca, Cayuga, Tuscarora, Onondaga and Oneida Peoples.
"Our history will not be our future."
LAND-BASED LEARNING DAY
April 2025
ACTIVE RECONCILIATION: INDIGENOUS RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, CULTURAL APPRECIATION & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AT ARUNDEL NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTRE ANNUALLY FOR SWLSB STUDENTS.
Indigenous Elders and student leaders will invite SWLSB students to an annual Land-Based Learning Day.
We are working with local, provincial and federal partners to provide one yellow school bus, materials, and animators for each participating school to attend a full day of relationship building and experiential learning.
Indigenous Elder partners will present their culture and traditions at ANSC.
Themes are:
Relationship with and responsibility for nature
Community and relationships with each other
Symbols, traditions, artistic expression, and knowledge sharing
Historical truths and consequence of colonization
SCHEDULE
9:00 Welcome Ceremony
10:00-12:00 Sessions 1 & 2
12:00 Lunch; Artistic & Athletic demonstrations
13:00-15:00 Sessions 3 & 4
15:00 - Planning Reconciliation Steps at your school
16:00 Departure Ceremony
LISTEN - LEARN - DO BETTER
SEPTEMBER 30th Resources
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.
Honouring Experiences - Celebrating Resiliency
TEACHING RESOURCES: ABOUT RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
KIDS NEWS: What is Reconciliation
Teaching the basics about Residential Schools to children!
Namwayut: we are all one. Truth and reconciliation in Canada
THE STORY OF THE ORANGE SHIRT (10:07)
The Orange Shirt Story is a true tale that details the journey of one young Indigenous girl to residential school.
CITIZENSHIP: KNOTTED ORANGE FLAG
KNOTTED FLAG
A visual representation of your commitment to listen, learn, and do better in your school community related to Truth & Reconciliation.
Bring your knotted flag to SWLSB student leadership Indigenous learning experiences and help us to build a better country*.
Background: A signal and a promise. The flag is prevented from flying as a mark of humility in light of tragic events and it is a call to action... One day, through relationship building and hard work the flag can be made to fly free.
*Motto of the Order of Canada.
Jules Verne Elementary
Mountainview High School
Joliette High School
Laval Senior Academy
Laval Junior Academy
RESOURCES & PROGRAMS
Support for classrooms, ECAs, student leaders, and schools.
ANKOSÉ – EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED – TOUT EST RELIÉ
Are you connected? - LEARNING & CITIZENSHIP -
DWF provides access to education on the true history of Indigenous people in Canada and the history and legacy of Residential Schools, and encourages reconciliation by way of our programming and events for schools.
THE SECRET PATH - Story
Gord Downie began Secret Path as ten poems incited by the story of Chanie Wenjack, a twelve year-old boy who died fifty years ago on October 22, 1966, in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, walking home to the family he was taken from over 400 miles away. Gord was introduced to Chanie Wenjack (miscalled “Charlie” by his teachers) by Mike Downie, his brother, who shared with him Ian Adams’ Maclean’s story from February 6, 1967, “The Lonely Death of Charlie Wenjack.”
The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for more than 19 years.
TEACHING & LEARNING RESOURCES
Indigenous_Perspectives_Timeline.pdf100_Years_of_Loss_Teacher_Guide.pdfAlly_toolkit_for_printing_2023_compressed.pdfteacher_resource_guide_grade_5.pdfCarte_24H.pdfIntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesintoCurricula.pdfArboriginalPeoples FactFiction3ed.pdfCompetency-15-Final.pdfCEPN toolbox-parental involvement.pdfmikinak_guide_eng_web.pdfJounal_creatif_prevention_suicide_2018_eng.pdfLEARNING & SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS
Here you will find many resources to help you bring Fist Nations, Metis and Inuit ('FNMI') themes into both your classroom and your wider learning community.
The NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations.
This project aims to provide elementary and high school–level teachers with curriculum-linked lesson plans designed by contemporary Indigenous artists. The goal is to build students’ cultural competence and respect for diverse Indigenous peoples, while encouraging critical thinking about colonialism in Canada.
INDIGENOUS CANADA is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada.
From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.
Indigenous Canada is for students from faculties outside the Faculty of Native Studies with an interest in acquiring a basic familiarity with Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationships.
Delve into the National Film Board's vast Indigenous film collection to be inspired, spark discussion and help foster understanding.
Take advantage of all that the NFB has to offer for K-12 by subscribing to CAMPUS.
Where to Find Northern Ingredients
Country Food: Southern Quebec Inuit Association : Tina Pisuktie Director
sqiadirector@gmail.com
sqiahealthyrelations@gmail.com
Country Food and Youth Cultural Programs: Tasiutigiit: Stephanie Bourassa Activities Coordinator
tasiutigiit@gmail.com and
Country Food and Youth Cultural Programs : Youth Coordinator Sarah Carriere :
siaza@tasiutigiit.org
Youth Cultural Activities : Native Montreal, Youth Coordinator Michelle Desriusseaux
mdesruisseaux@nativemontreal.com
An association that supports families who are fostering or who have become guardians/ are engaged in a trans-cultural relationship with an Indigenous child https://tasiutigiit.org/food/
https://www.seadna.ca/where-to-buy/ (can buy seal and char)
ANCESTRAL LANGUAGES RESOURCES: https://www.uqat.ca/languesautochtones/ (including Mohawk and Inuktitut)
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ATLAS OF CANADA Giant Map Booking and other resources: https://cangeoeducation.ca/en/maps/indigenous-peoples-atlas-of-canada/
The Atlas is on loan to Quebec's 10 English school boards, as well as the QAIS, AJDS, FNEC, Cree SB and Kativik SB:https://forms.gle/b3snj7MwBsXvi7R46 or https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfi6RUCnAXMvryTVrOy-AJ4YMU0eQ0Hek5rVeRmlPw-l1BoA/viewform
OTHER PEDAGOGICAL GUIDES: Guides from BC: https://guides.library.ubc.ca/indigenous_ed_k12/math
OTHERS:
For Love, on Netflix: cultural camps
Project Heart: https://projectofheart.ca/what-is-project-of-heart/
Speaking Kanien'kéha (Mohawk Language)
Tio'tia:ke - Montreal. A Wapikoni Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMIfzELi320 (A testimony from an elder)
Want to Speak Kanien'kéha? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIDLpM9O4iQ
New prof at U of T teaches Mohawk language in hopes of saving his ancestral language: https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://premiers-peuples.fse.ulaval.ca/ressources/capsules/litterature-autochtone
Canada's History - Pedagogical Tools and Magazine
Newsletter Sign-Up: https://www.canadashistory.ca/newsletter-sign-up
Kayak in the Classroom : https://www.canadashistory.ca/education/kayak-in-the-classroom
Classroom resources and Lesson Plans: https://www.canadashistory.ca/education/classroom-resources#/?page=1&format=8b1b6045-2cae-47c2-b646-03ff251302b9
CITIZENSHIP, ENGAGMENT & ACTION STEPS
Reconcili-ACTION happens one step at the time and each of the #Next150 challenges will give you a clear idea of what your next step can be. If you’re unsure of what action you can take as an individual to move our country to true Reconciliation, you’re in the right place. If you want to take action and show others how easy it is to get started in the work and the (un)learning of Reconciliation, you’re in the right place. If you want Canada to be a safer, more prosperous, and more understanding country, you’re in the right place.
Help your students enter the largest and most recognized art & creative writing competition in Canada for Indigenous youth.
CULTURE
To get you started...
The Indigenous Music Development Program (IMDP) at Manitoba Music was launched in 2004 to support First Nation, Métis, and Inuit artists and music companies as they build sustainable careers in Manitoba’s music industry.
Sacred Fire Productions is an Indigenous non-profit organization that produces and presents events for Indigenous artists.
The National Gallery of Canada’s Collection of Indigenous Art includes First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artworks, with an emphasis on contemporary art from 1980 to the present day.
In taking inspiration from the Haudenosaunee Seventh Generation Principle, the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada was founded in 2012 to preserve and revitalize endangered Indigenous art forms and enrich lives through Indigenous arts and culture.
Southern Quebec Inuit Association - https://www.facebook.com/SQIA2017/mentions
https://qanuikkatsiqinirmiut.ca/
https://www.avataq.qc.ca/en/Home
LISTEN - LEARN - DO BETTER