Who Are the Learners You Want to Connect With?

The exploration of "identity" can be exceptionally complex and personal. Yet to pretend that the colonization of these diverse peoples has not affected their confidence and sense of self is counterproductive. We are finding that giving students opportunities and support to explore identity, history, and culture when we are teaching literacy skills is a rich and rewarding experience.

It is respectful to ask and let Indigenous students feel free to explain, however they want to, how they define themselves and why. To give you an idea of the complexity of some of these definitions, we have included a small glossary.

Glossary

Indigenous Peoples: An international term meaning the original inhabitants of a given area. This term replaces the commonly used term ‘Aboriginal’. In Canada, Indigenous Peoples include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.

Aboriginal Peoples: A general definition of the first inhabitants of Canada which include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.

Inuit: Indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

Métis: Aboriginal Peoples who descend from the First Nations and White Canada, post colonization.
European definitions:

Native: An outdated collective term referring to Indians (Status, Non-status, Treaty), Métis, and Inuit but has largely been replaced by ‘Indigenous’. While some First Nations individuals refer to themselves as Native that doesn’t give Non-Indigenous people license to do so without specific requests by individuals.

Colonial Definitions that reflect funding in Canada

Status Indians: Those who are registered under the Indian Act.

Non-status Indians: Those who, generally speaking, have two distinct qualities: (1) they lack status under the Indian Act; and (2) they have Indigenous heritage. In other words, they have lost their status under former or current provisions of the Indian Act or their ancestors were never registered under the Indian Act.

Treaty Indians: Those who are members of a community whose ancestors signed a treaty with the Crown and as a result are entitled to treaty benefits.

Note: Always ask clients and students what term they are comfortable with. If a person uses an outdated term such as ‘Indian’ or ‘Native’, it is a rule of thumb for Non-Indigenous people to avoid it. *How an individual refers to themselves is a part of their story. Respect the term they use.

It is a good practice to ask how they identify themselves, especially as it pertains to CALP reporting. However, it cannot be stressed enough, using the terms ‘Indian’ or ‘Native’ is considered offensive and outdated respectively and should be avoided by Non-Indigenous people.

  Reflections Worksheet: Who are the learners we want to connect with?