Métis in Canada : past to present
education consultant
Robert J McDonald

 

K - 6 program description

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- K-2 we have an age-appropriate presentation on the definition, history, and culture of Metis in Canada. 

 

- Topics of orange shirt day and reconciliation are added in grades 2 - 6 

- a touch and feel display table with furs, driftwood, moccasins/mukluks made by me, are available for kids to touch.  I share my poetry and videos which I have written and produced - all help to entertain and educate.

- BTW,  I wrote and produced a video for the Fox family about the legacy of Terry Fox and the Fox family Metis roots which I could also showcase during our visit.

- our presentations are 80% interactive 

- Metis are known as the bead people which allows us to work with the kids to make their own bracelet to take home with them

- Bison and beaver are specific to Metis as fur traders and material is provided that the kids can colour and take home too.

- Additionally, Metis love their food and bannock is a staple in our diet. A recipe will be given to the kids to take home and make bannock with their mom and dad. We also will show a puppet video with the help of Jeanne Taillet, the niece of Metis Leader Louis Riel, making bannock.

- First Nation, Inuit and Metis characters are used to help younger students differentiate between the three Indigenous groups in Canada. Prompts like boats, teepees, igloos, are added to increase interest and understanding. 

 

My wife Sylvie, hosts the interactive session with the kids in K-2, using a map on the floor where she asks them to identify the seven continents and the location of Canada, the prairies, and the territories. I do a short video presentation ahead of time to help set the stage. Her work helps the kids really understand how European men came to Canada to build the fur trade and make a new life for themselves and their Metis family.

 

6 - 12 program description

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There are many topics catered to students from Grades 6 – 12 including the following:

• History, culture and celebrations; Metis as Nation Builders; the current political state-of -affairs.

• Focused discussions explore topics from Residential Schools; Indigenous Identity Fraud; and Indigenous (Metis) Veterans.

• We can host a talking circle; join students to cook Bannock, have lunch and learn sessions with Indigenous students, and take part in events such as Terry Fox Day.

All presentations have a personal touch to them including poems and videos written and produced by Rob. One video that draws a lot of attention is one written and produced by Rob for the family of Terry Fox and the Fox family Metis roots.

Plus, we offer a display table where students can look and feel the Metis and Survivors flags, furs, traps, driftwood, mukluks made by Rob and more.

To add interest and draw attention – small giftbags filled with driftwood pieces with inspirational messages etc – are given away during presentations to encourage students to answer questions and participate.

 

All of this is reconciliation in action. Building understanding, and relationships through education. That is what Orange Shirt Day represents.

 

Orange Shirt Day is also a very personal story for Rob given his dad, uncle and aunt all went through the Residential School system. This too, is a part of Rob’s message for the kids. Rob helped organize Pope Francis' visit to Canada in 2022, Rob wrote a poem about his relationship with his dad which was impacted by his time in residential school, and he has videos of his dad talking before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.