Treaty Education Philosophy

I am a white Canadian woman. My ancestors come from Denmark, Sweden, England, Germany and Scotland. To me, treaty land is something that I respect greatly; because of all of the benefits I receive personally from the land. From treaty land, I benefit from getting the opportunity transport freely in many ways and to many places, ranch, farm, freedom, and rights. In return for these benefits, I treat the land with respect in many ways. I am sure to keep the land clean and safe; I give back to the land any possible opportunity I get, and I am sure to educate my future students on the importance of the land. I remember that the land is available to us because many First Nations worked for the land and are sharing it with us and I make an effort to educate people on why the land is available to all people. It is important to educate people about the land so they can respect and give back to the land as well. I believe that it is important for people to understand that the land is here because of the First Nations people. I believe it is important to show the respect and recognition they deserve for what First Nations have done. 

One thing that has been brought to my attention recently is the term “we are all treaty people.” At first, I thought this was always the proper response until it was explained to me in class that we are not all treaty people attending as we are more treaty partners with the peoples who are treaty people. This is important to recognize because there are many people such as metis and other identities that may or may not consider themselves treaty people. After spending the day at the Treaty 4 gathering it was interesting and beneficial to see the diverse group of people that attended. It shows inclusion and acceptance to being partners together in Treaty 4. As a future educator, I believe that it is important to educate my students about treaty land and the First Nations peoples. I will do everything I can to make sure my students have the opportunity to explore and understand treaty land and Treaty 4 in general.