KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE FOUR TREATY EDUCATION - KEY QUESTIONS Grade Level Kindergarten Grade One Grade Two Grade Three Grade Four Treaty Education Focus Getting to Know My Community Learning That We Are All Treaty People Creating a Strong Foundation Through Treaties Exploring Challenges and Opportunities in Treaty Making Understanding How Treaty Promises Have Not Been Kept Treaty Relationships How is the diversity of First Nations in Saskatchewan reflected in your classroom/ community? How does sharing contribute to treaty relationships? How are treaties the basis of harmonious relationships in which land and resources are shared? How have the lifestyles of First Nations people changed prior to and after the signing of treaties? How are relationships affected when treaty promises are kept or broken? Spirit and Intent How do the Circle of Life teachings connect us to nature and one another? How do thoughts influence actions? How important is honesty when examining one’s intentions? How were the historical worldviews of the British Crown and the First Nations different regarding land ownership? Why did First Nations’ leaders believe there was a benefit to both European education and traditional ways of learning? Historical Context How do stories, traditions, and ceremonies connect people to the land? How do nature and the land meet the needs of people? How were traditional forms of leadership practiced in First Nations’ communities prior to European contact? How do First Nations and Saskatchewan people benefit from Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10? How did First Nations people envision treaty as a means to ensure their livelihood and maintain their languages, cultures, and way of life? Treaty Promises and Provisions Why is it important to understand the meaning and significance of keeping promises? What is meant by We Are All Treaty People? Why are the symbols used by the Nêhiyawak, Nahkawé, Nakota and Denesûliné First Nations and the British Crown important in Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10? How did the use of different languages in treaty making present challenges and how does that continue to impact people today? What objectives did the First Nations and the British Crown representatives have when negotiating treaty?
GRADE FIVE TO NINE TREATY EDUCATION - KEY QUESTIONS Grade Level Grade Five Grade Six Grade Seven Grade Eight Grade Nine Treaty Education Focus Assessing the Journey in Honouring Treaties Moving Towards Fulfillment of Treaties Understanding Treaties in a Contemporary Context Exploring Treaty Impacts and Alternatives Understanding Treaties From Around the World Treaty Relationships What are the effects of colonization and decolonization on First Nations people? What structures and processes have been developed for treaty implementation? To what extent do the Canadian government and First Nations meet their respective treaty obligations? What was the role of the Métis people in treaty making? What are the treaty experiences of Indigenous peoples around the world? Spirit and Intent How did the symbols used by the British Crown and the First Nations contribute to the treaty making process? Why is it important to preserve and promote First Nations’ languages? How does First Nation’s oral tradition preserve accounts of what was intended by entering into treaty and what transpired? To what extent have residential schools affected First Nations’ communities? How did worldviews affect the treaty making processes between the British Crown and Indigenous peoples? Historical Context Why is First Nation’s self-governance important and how is it linked to treaties? How do urban reserves positively affect all people in Saskatchewan? How do the Indian Act and its amendments impact the lives of First Nations? What are the differences and similarities between the Saskatchewan Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 and the British Columbia Nisga'a Treaty? How does treaty making recognize peoples’ rights and responsibilities? Treaty Promises and Provisions What are the benefits of treaties for all people in Saskatchewan from a contemporary perspective? How does the Office of the Treaty Commissioner promote good relations between First Nations people, other people in Saskatchewan, and the Canadian government? In what ways does the Canadian government disregard First Nations’ traditional kinship patterns by implementation of the Indian Act? To what extent have the treaty obligations for health and education been honoured and fulfilled? How effective has treaty making been in addressing the circumstances of Indigenous peoples?
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION - TREATY EDUCATION OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS 2013 Grade Two: Creating A Strong Foundation Through Treaties Treaty Relationships Spirit and Intent Historical Context Treaty Promises and Provisions TR21: Examine how the Treaties are the basis for harmonious relationships in which land and resources are shared. Indicators: Examine the concepts of peace and harmony and provide examples of how these concepts are expressed in people’s lives and discuss why these concepts are important. Discuss the First Nations concepts of sharing (e.g., traditional community ownership vs. individual ownership) and consider what sharing the land and its resources might mean. Represent examples of peaceful and harmonious relationships between First Nations and others. SI22: Recognize the importance of honesty when examining one’s intentions. Indicators: Share examples of honesty. Discuss the role of honesty in written or verbal expressions of intention. Explore and express what may happen if honesty is separated from one’s actions (e.g., promising to do something and not doing it). HC23: Analyze the traditional forms of leadership that were in practice prior to European contact and in First Nations communities. Indicators: Explore the traditional leadership practices of First Nations (e.g., matriarchal, consensus approach, spiritual). Describe the concept of consensus from student’s own experience (e.g., deciding what restaurant to go to, what game to play at recess). Research how decisions were made by First Nations. Compare past and present ways of selecting First Nations leaders. TPP24: Develop an understanding of Treaties as sacred promises that exist between the British Crown (e.g., government) and First Nations. Indicators: Explore First Nations beliefs that treaties are special promises sealed by sacred ceremonies (e.g. pipe ceremony). Recognize that the treaty suits, medals, and flags are symbols used by the British Crown to signify its commitment to uphold the promises made in the treaties. Represent understanding of the concept that treaties will last for as long as the sun shines, grasses grow, and rivers flow. Identify the Saskatchewan Numbered Treaty Territory in which they live (e.g., Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10).
process, but once a decision was made, the community members understood that the matter was resolved and discussions counter to the decisions would not be respectful or honourable. Treaty Promises and Provisions “The pipe is a symbol of good intentions. The pipe ceremony made the treaties sacred – a covenant. Creator was witness to the agreements and the people asked the Creator to bless the treaty agreements. Treaties were the right thing to do. The sun, grass, and the water were used because everything in nature is sacred. The phrase, “As long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the waters flow” means that the treaties are to last that long.” (Elder Thelma Musqua, June 2014). The Nêhiyawak, Nahkawé and the Nakota Nations conducted pipe ceremonies in the negotiations and the signing of Treaties 2, 4, 5 and 6. The use of the pipe in treaty making made the treaties sacred to First Nations people because the Creator was witness to the treaties. The Creator was asked to give the Denesûliné leaders the power to sign Treaties 8 and 10. One leader held a rock in his hand and said to Treaty Commissioner J.A.J. McKenna that he (the Denesûliné leader) was only interested in the land, not monetary payments. Symbols were used at the time of treaty making. Both parties to the treaties used symbols from their cultures. The British used their country’s flag, medals, and treaty suits. The First Nations used the pipe and the handshake. The phrase “As long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the waters flow” was used by the First Nations to indicate that the treaties are to last forever. The treaty areas in what is now Saskatchewan are Treaty 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. All of the land in Saskatchewan is treaty land.