Barkerville, Injustice in a Historic Town

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Name: Alyssa Mortensen (Wet’suwet’en Nation)
Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subject Areas: Social Studies, English Language Arts
Artefact /Place/ Skill: Barkerville, BC

Historic town of Barkerville:

  • Indigenous Celebrations
  • History of Barkerville as shared territory of seven First Nations
  • The mistreatment of six Tsilqot’in chiefs by Judge Begbie in Barkerville

Making Space

How might teachers prepare their students to work with this content? What background knowledge might be required?

  • Teachers may prepare their students to work with this content by topics introduced in the classroom. According to the curriculum, students are first introduced to the history of First Nations people in grade 2. In grade 3, one of the Big Ideas include students learning how Indigenous knowledge is passed onto future generations by stories, traditions and memory. In grade 4, the curriculum discusses that students should be aware of the problems that arose between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans. By grade 5, students will be able to understand colonization and residential schools and the removal of land away from Indigenous peoples (such as Barkerville).
  • It is important to note that the background knowledge needs to be of Indigenous people in the Cariboo area, specifically Southern Dakelh, Tsilhqot’in, and Secwépemc Peoples, and their history as well as the history of Barkerville. Students can understand how Indigenous peoples lived on the Cariboo territory since time immemorial and the role that Bakerville played in that history.

Practice Humility

How might non-Indigenous teachers sensitively work with this subject? What might they need to consider in their own positionality?

  • Non-Indigenous teachers can sensitively teach this subject by acknowledging that there are intergenerational survivors of residential schools and the colonization of Indigenous peoples. These survivors may find these topics extremely triggering to bring up past events within their family.
  • It is important to be aware of the students and their history that are in your class, if there are students who struggle with this topic then offer students wellness support to help them navigate through this topic. This helps to foster resilience through their trauma.
    Teachers should acknowledge that this is not only the history of Indigenous peoples but the history of Canada as a whole.
  • Non-Indigenous teachers need to consider that although this may not have affected them in a personal way, it does affect those around them.

Acknowledge Sources

What can teachers do to find good supporting resources? How should they be cited, especially when it comes to Indigenous knowledges?

  • Teachers have the ability of finding good supporting resources within their community; their local Elders hold a powerful amount of knowledge. If Elders are willing to share their knowledge then it would be one of the best resources to access.
  • As for this topic in particular, the Barkerville website has stated that Mike Retasket and Cheryl Chapmen have contributed a large amount towards the Indigenous celebrations in Barkerville and they have been attending for the past several years. Both Cheryl and Mike are from Xatsull.
  • The Lhtako Dene Nation has also contributed a great amount towards the celebrations by including youth traditional dancers from Lhtako Dene Nation to take part in Bakerville performances.
  • It is also important to note that there are more voices than what have heard, so reaching out and finding local resources that are connected to Indigenous peoples and Barkerville could be a great help.
  • As for citing, it is important to always give credit to those who have contributed towards your findings.
  • BC Curriculum Connections

BC Curriculum Connections

How does it relate to BC Curriculum?

Click on the subject area below to expand the section.

Social Studies

Big Idea(s):

  • Learning about Indigenous peoples nurtures multicultural awareness and respect for diversity.
  • Indigenous knowledge is passed down through oral history, traditions, and collective memory.
    • Author's Notes: The knowledge that is shared at the Indigenous Celebration in Barkerville is what is passed down through each nation and their oral history, traditions and memories. Barkerville would not have the traditional dancers, storytelling, and drummers if it wasn’t for the ancestors who have passed down these traditions and knowledge.
  • Indigenous societies throughout the world value the well-being of the self, the land, spirits, and ancestors.
    • The topic of land is so important to Indigenous people as we feel strong connections to the land and Mother Earth. As stated on their website, Barkerville is located in the shared territory of seven nations. Some of these seven nations are included in their Indigenous Day celebrations.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Explain why people, events, or places are significant to various individuals and groups (significance).
    • For example, understanding why land is significant to Indigenous people and why stories are so important to Indigenous people.
  • Recognize the causes and consequences of events, decisions, or developments (cause and consequence).
    • The connection made with this is the consequences of Judge Begbie’s decision to wrongfully hanged 6 chiefs back in 1864. Even hearing his name being brought up or seeing his statue in New Westminster (before being removed) could have caused the intergenerational survivors of this event a great amount of stress.
  • Explain why people’s beliefs, values, worldviews, experiences, and roles give them different perspectives on people, places, issues, or events.
    • For example, why Indigenous peoples prefer the use of oral history rather than writing on paper.
  • Make value judgments about events, decisions, or actions, and suggest lessons that can be learned (ethical judgment).
    • One of the key questions noted on the website is, “should anything be done about the loss of Indigenous lands?”.  The answer is yes, acknowledging when you are on traditional land is the first step as well as finding ways to celebrate the people that you have taken from. What I mean by this statement is exactly what Barkerville is doing, creating a special Indigenous celebration day to honour some of the nations who share the territory that Barkerville resides on.

Concepts & Content:

  • Cultural characteristics and ways of life of local First Peoples and global Indigenous peoples;
  • Relationship between humans and their environment.

Big Idea(s):

  • Interactions between First Peoples and Europeans lead to conflict and cooperation, which continues to shape Canada’s identity.
    • Author's Notes: For this Big Idea, it connects strongly to colonization of Indigenous people. For Barkerville in particular, the connection is made through Judge Begbie who had six T’Tsilhqot'in chiefs wrongfully hanged. To this day, Begbie has been known as a “hanging judge,” Premier Christy Clark has made an official statement saying that the Tsilhqot’in chiefs were wrongfully hanged and has resulted in his statue being removed from outside the courthouse in New Westminster, British Columbia.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions.
    Ask questions, corroborate inferences, and draw conclusions about the content and origins of different sources (evidence).

    • One of the key questions mentioned was, comparing and contrast of Europeans and Indigenous peoples’ views on a particular event. For example, when thinking of taking away land, Europeans may see it as a great win and an opportunity whereas Indigenous peoples will have a more negative view of the event as they have lost their land and connections within that land.
  • Differentiate between intended and unintended consequences of events, decisions, or developments, and speculate about alternative outcomes (cause and consequence).
  • Construct narratives that capture the attitudes, values, and worldviews commonly held by people at different times or places (perspective).

Concepts & Content:

  • Early contact, trade, cooperation, and conflict between First Peoples and European peoples.
  • Demographic changes in pre-Confederation British Columbia in both First Peoples and non-First Peoples communities.
  • The history of the local community and of local First Peoples communities.
    Economic and political factors that influenced the colonization of British Columbia and its entry into Confederation.
  • The impact of colonization on First Peoples societies in British Columbia and Canada.

Big Idea(s):

  • Canada’s policies and treatment of minority peoples have negative and positive legacies.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to — ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions.
    • Author's Notes: Some of the suggested activities in response to the Curricular Competencies is being able to draw a map of a certain area, students could draw a map of Barkerville.
  • Ask questions, corroborate inferences, and draw conclusions about the content and origins of a variety of sources, including mass media (evidence).
  • Sequence objects, images, and events, and recognize the positive and negative aspects of continuities and changes in the past and present (continuity and change).
  • Make ethical judgments about events, decisions, or actions that consider the conditions of a particular time and place, and assess appropriate ways to respond (ethical judgment).

Concepts & Content:

  • The development and evolution of Canadian identity over time.
  • The changing nature of Canadian immigration over time.
  • Human rights and responses to discrimination in Canadian society.
  • First Peoples land ownership and use.

Big Idea(s):

  • Cultural expressions convey the richness, diversity, and resiliency of B.C. First Peoples.
  • Understanding the diversity and complexity of cultural expressions in one culture enhances our understanding of other cultures.
  • Indigenous peoples are reclaiming mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being despite the continuing effects of colonialism.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Assess the significance of people, places, events, phenomena, ideas, or developments (significance).
  • Assess the credibility and justifiability of evidence, data, and interpretations (evidence).
  • Infer and explain different perspectives on people, places, events, phenomena, ideas, or developments (perspective).

Concepts & Content:

  • Colonialism and contemporary issues for indigenous people in Canada and around the world.
  • Diversity of B.C. First Peoples territories and communities.
  • Sacred texts, traditions, and narratives of cultures.

Big Idea(s):

  • The identities, worldviews, and languages of B.C. First Peoples are renewed, sustained, and transformed through their connection to the land.
  • Cultural expressions convey the richness, diversity, and resiliency of B.C. First Peoples.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Assess the significance of people, events, places, issues, or developments in the past and present (significance).
  • Assess the connectedness or the reciprocal relationship between people and place (cause and consequence).
  • Explain different perspectives on past and present people, places, issues, or events, and distinguish between worldviews of today and the past (perspective).
  • Using appropriate protocols, interpret a variety of sources, including local stories or oral traditions, and Indigenous ways of knowing (holistic, experiential, reflective, and relational experiences, and memory) to contextualize different events in the past and present (evidence).

Concepts & Content:

  • Traditional territories of the B.C. First Nations and relationships with the land,
  • Role of oral tradition for B.C. First Peoples,

English Language Arts

Big Idea(s):

  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • Exploring and sharing multiple perspectives extends our thinking.
  • Developing our understanding of how language works allows us to use it purposefully.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Access information and ideas for diverse purposes and from a variety of sourcesand evaluate their relevance, accuracy, and reliability.
  • Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking.
  • Synthesize ideas from a variety of sources to build understanding.
  • Recognize and appreciate how different features, forms, and genres of texts reflect various purposes, audiences, and messages.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts.
  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Use and experiment with oral storytelling processes.

Concepts & Content:

  • Story/text
    • forms, functions, and genres of text
    • text features
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • Exploring and sharing multiple perspectives extends our thinking.
  • Developing our understanding of how language works allows us to use it purposefully.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Access information and ideas for diverse purposes and from a variety of sourcesand evaluate their relevance, accuracy, and reliability.
  • Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking.
  • Synthesize ideas from a variety of sources to build understanding.
  • Recognize and appreciate how different features, forms, and genres of texts reflect various purposes, audiences, and messages.
  •  Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts.
  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Use and experiment with oral storytelling processes.

Concepts & Content:

  • Story/text
    • forms, functions, and genres of text
    • text features
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Access information and ideas for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources and evaluate their relevance, accuracy, and reliability.
  • Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking.
  • Synthesize ideas from a variety of sources to build understanding.
  • Recognize and appreciate how different features, forms, and genres of texts reflect different purposes, audiences, and messages.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts.
  • Recognize how language constructs personal, social, and cultural identity.
  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Develop an awareness of the protocols and ownership associated with First Peoples texts.
  • Use and experiment with oral storytelling processes.

Concepts & Content:

  • Story/text
    • forms, functions, and genres of text
    • text features
    • relevance, accuracy, reliability
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Access information and ideas for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources and evaluate their relevance, accuracy, and reliability.
  • Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking.
  • Synthesize ideas from a variety of sources to build understanding.
  • Recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts.
  • Recognize how language constructs personal, social, and cultural identity.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Develop an awareness of the diversity within and across First Peoples societies represented in texts.
  • Recognize the influence of place in First Peoples and other Canadian texts.
  • Use and experiment with oral storytelling processes.

Concepts & Content:

  • Story/text
    • forms, functions, and genres of text
    • text features
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their world views and perspectives.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Recognize and appreciate the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Recognize and appreciate the influence of land/place in First Peoples and other Canadian texts.
  • Access information for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources to inform writing.
  • Explore the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of texts.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize personal, social, and cultural contexts, as well as values and perspectives in texts.

Concepts & Content:

  • Text forms and genres
  • Text features and structures
    • narrative structures found in First Peoples texts
    • protocols related to ownership of First Peoples oral texts
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens understanding of one’s identity, others, and the world.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • First Peoples texts and stories provide insight into key aspects of Canada’s past, present, and future.
  • Self-representation through authentic First Peoples text is a means to foster justice.
  • First Peoples text plays a role within the process of Reconciliation.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Recognize and appreciate the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Apply appropriate strategies in a variety of contexts to guide inquiry, extend thinking, and comprehend texts.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize the impact of personal, social, and cultural identities in First Peoples texts.
  • Assess the authenticity of First Peoples texts.
  • Identify bias, contradictions, and distortions.
  • Use the conventions of First Peoples and other Canadian spelling, syntax, and diction proficiently and as appropriate to the context.

Concepts & Content:

  • Text forms and genres
  • Common themes in First Peoples texts
  • Reconciliation in Canada
  • First Peoples oral traditions
    • purposes of First Peoples oral texts
  • Protocols
    • protocols related to ownership and use of First Peoples oral texts
  • Text features and structures
    • narrative structures, including those found in First Peoples’ texts
    • form, function, and genre of texts
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens understanding of one’s identity, others, and the world.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • First Peoples texts and stories provide insight into key aspects of Canada’s past, present, and future.
  • Self-representation through authentic First Peoples text is a means to foster justice.
  • First Peoples text plays a role within the process of Reconciliation.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Recognize and appreciate the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Apply appropriate strategies in a variety of contexts to guide inquiry, extend thinking, and comprehend texts.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Identify bias, contradictions, and distortions.
  • Use the conventions of First Peoples and other Canadian spelling, syntax, and diction proficiently and as appropriate to the context.

Concepts & Content:

  • Text forms and genres
  • Common themes in First Peoples texts
  • Reconciliation in Canada
  • First Peoples oral traditions
    • purposes of First Peoples oral texts
  • Protocols
    • protocols related to ownership and use of First Peoples oral texts
  •  Text features and structures
    • narrative structures, including those found in First Peoples texts
    • form, function, and genre of texts
  •  Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their world views and perspectives.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Recognize and understand the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Recognize and understand the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Understand the influence of land/place in First Peoples and other Canadian texts.
  • Evaluate the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of texts.
  • Apply appropriate strategies in a variety of contexts to comprehend written, oral, visual, and multimodal texts, to guide inquiry, and to extend thinking.
  • Recognize and understand personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts, including culture, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic factors.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Discern nuances in the meanings of words, considering social, political, historical, and literary contexts.
  • Identify bias, contradictions, distortions, and omissions.

Concepts & Content:

  • Text forms and genres
  • Text features and structures
    • form, function, and genre of texts
    • elements of visual/graphic texts
    • narrative structures found in First Peoples texts
    • protocols related to the ownership of First Peoples oral texts
  • Strategies and processes
    • reading strategies
    • metacognitive strategies
    • oral language strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text deepens understanding of one’s identity, others, and the world
  • First Peoples texts and stories provide insight into key aspects of Canada’s past, present, and future
  • First Peoples literature plays a role within the process of Reconciliation
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed
  • Self-representation through authentic First Peoples textis a means to foster justice.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Demonstrate awareness of how First Peoples languages and texts reflect their cultures, knowledge, histories, and worldviews.
  • Access information for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources to inform writing.
  • Evaluate the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of texts.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize and identify personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts, including gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic factors.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Recognize and understand the role of story and oral traditions in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Recognize and understand the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Assess the authenticity of First Peoples texts.
  • Understand the influence of land/place in First Peoples texts.
  • Identify bias, contradictions, distortions, and omissions.

Concepts & Content:

  • A wide variety of BC, Canadian, and global First Peoples texts.
  • A wide variety of text forms and genres.
  • Common themes in First Peoples texts.
  • Reconciliation in Canada.
  • First Peoples oral traditions:
    • the legal status of First Peoples oral traditions in Canada
    • purposes of oral texts
  • Protocols:
    • protocols related to ownership and use of First Peoples oral texts
    • processes related to protocols and expectations when engaging with First Nations communities and Aboriginal organizations
  • Text features and structures:
    • narrative structures, including those found in First Peoples texts
    • form, function, and genre of texts
  • Strategies and processes:
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • The examination of First Peoples cultures and lived experiences through text builds understanding of Canadians’ responsibilities in relation to Reconciliation.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Recognize the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Recognize the influence of land/place in First Peoples and other Canadian texts.
  • Evaluate the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of texts.
  • Recognize and identify personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts, including gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic factors.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Identify bias, contradictions, distortions, and omissions.

Concepts & Content:

  • Text forms and genres
  • Reconciliation in Canada
  • Text features and structures:
    • form, function, and genre of texts
    • elements of visual/graphic texts
    • narrative structures found in First Peoples texts
    • protocols related to the ownership of First Peoples oral texts
    • the legal status of First Peoples oral tradition in Canada
  • Strategies and processes:
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Understand and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples
  • perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view.
  • Understand the diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.
  • Understand the influence of land/place in First Peoples and other Canadian texts.
  • Evaluate the relevance, accuracy, and reliability of texts.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to analyze ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize and analyze personal, social, cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts, including
  • culture, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Discern nuances in the meanings of words, considering social, political, historical, and literary contexts.

Concepts & Content:

  • Appropriation and reclamation of voice.
  • Text features and structures:
    • form, function, and genre of texts
    • features and structures of First Peoples texts
    • narrative structures found in First Peoples texts
    • protocols related to the ownership of First Peoples oral texts
  • Strategies and processes:
    • metacognitive strategies
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies

Big Idea(s):

  • The exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
  • Oral and other texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
  • First Peoples texts and stories provide insight into key aspects of Canada’s past, present, and future.
  • Self-representation through authentic First Peoples textis a means to foster justice.
  • First Peoples voices and texts play a role within the process of Reconciliation.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Analyze how First Peoples languages and texts reflect their cultures, knowledge, histories, and worldviews.
  • Access information for diverse purposes and from a variety of sources and evaluate its relevance, accuracy, and reliability.
  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
  • Recognize and identify personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts, including gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic factors.
  • Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the role of story and oral traditions in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs and points of view.
  • Assess the authenticity of First Peoples texts.
  • Analyze the influence of land/place in First Peoples texts.
  • Examine the significance of terms/words from First Peoples languages used in English texts.
  • Identify bias, contradictions, distortions, and omissions.

Concepts & Content:

  • A wide variety of BC, Canadian, and global First Peoples texts.
  • A wide variety of text forms and genres.
  • First Peoples oral traditions:
    • the legal status of First Peoples oral traditions in Canada
    • purposes of oral texts
    • the relationship between oral tradition and land/place
  • Protocols:
    • protocols related to ownership and use of First Peoples oral texts
    • situating oneself in relation to others and place
    • processes related to protocols and expectations when engaging with First Nations communities and Aboriginal organizations
  • Text features and structures:
    • narrative structures, including those found in First Peoples texts
    • form, function, and genre of texts
  • Strategies and processes:
    • reading strategies
    • oral language strategies
    • metacognitive strategies

First Peoples’ Principles of Learning

Which First Peoples’ Principles of Learning apply?

  • Learning is embedded in memory, history and story.
    • This principle connects with the topic of Barkerville’s Indigenous Celebrations because Barkerville is based on history and stories. Although it took some time and patience, Indigenous people are now rightfully added to this history and are being acknowledged for their contribution and sufferings.

Inviting Community

What is one way that teachers could work with community members for this project?

  • One of the main contacts that a teacher could access in the School District #28 is Patty Kimpton. She is the District Principal of Aboriginal Education and has access to contacts within the local First Nations in the surrounding Cariboo area. She would be a great contact for teachers who need assistance with contacting the Indigenous communities directly for resources as she would be a fellow co-worker to those who work within the school district in Quesnel.

Indigenous Perspectives

How does your lesson relate to decolonization or reconciliation of education?

  • This relates to reconciliation of education because the Indigenous Celebrations offer so much knowledge from our people through local resources. They showcase traditional cultural performances by people of the Lhtako Dene Nation in Quesnel. They also showcase other Nations such as the St’at’imc bear dancers and the Xatśūll dancers and drummers. This allows our community of Quesnel to be recognized through the Lhtako Dene Nation but also brings us all together by inviting other nations in to showcase their traditions and knowledge. In the CBC article Retasket said that he believed the work being done in Barkerville to acknowledge Indigenous peoples was an act of reconciliation.
  • There is a CBC article related to the topic of incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the history of Barkerville and they have hired Mike Retasket, a former chief of the Bonaparte Indian Band from the Shuswap Nation. The education contact is Judy Mooring and her contact information is available on http://www.barkerville.ca/groups/

Additional Resources & Comments

Here is a list of websites and news articles that have offered great insight through the Indigenous celebrations at Barkerville, some include commentary from Mike Retasket and James Douglas.

This resource is a great deal of help towards the topic of Indigenous peoples’ contribution towards Barkerville Historic Town. Explaining that there were in fact Indigenous people who played a huge role in the Gold Rush but were not acknowledged.

Barkerville has a huge impact on Quesnel as it is so close. School District #28 (Quesnel) take their students for field trips there every year to hear about the history of the gold rush. This historic town plays a large part in students’ lives, it gives them an exciting new way of learning about history, a history that Indigenous people need to be recognized in. Not only does it influence the city of Quesnel but also tourists who travel all over the world to see the historic town. Imagine the impact that it can make on tourists, locals, and even ourselves if they include the proper history of Indigenous people in Barkerville today and acknowledged their part in the history of the Gold Rush.