Anishinabek Nation has released a new resource for Ontario secondary school students as part of the 7th Annual Treaty Recognition Week.
‘This is Our Understanding’ was unveiled in a Zoom conference on Monday.
Interim Communication Director Marci Becking spoke about how the resource looks at various First Nation issues including land development, water, and other resources, as well as what are treaties, legal obligations, reconciliation and more.
She adds it is connected to the Ontario secondary curriculum.
Treaty educator Kelly Crawford says the process of developing the curriculum, not only for secondary students but for those at the elementary level began many years ago and has been slowly developed to give students a clear understanding of what is a treaty, what is the obligations under the treaty and how there is a modern relationship regarding treaties.
She adds the development of resources for schools continue.
The meeting also included commentary from Reg Niganobe, Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief and James Marsden, the Southeast Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief who focused on the importance of relating the history of treaties to modern wants and needs and as a positive approach to reconciliation and the understanding of history from a First Nation perception.
Mike Restoule, Chair of the Robinson Huron Treaty Annuities Trust, also provided a bit of an update on the ongoing annuity case before the Ontario courts. He says they are still waiting for a response from Ontario’s five chief Justices about two appeals made by the Ontario government. He did not state a deadline as to when those resolutions will be provided to the public. He did add that once they are dealt with, the third part of the case will focus on finalizing and reaching a common agreement on annuities under the treaty.
**Written by Rosalind Russell