Future Vision Project - Vision Artifact and Reflection LIBE 477B

The Okanagan Valley is a part of the traditional, unceded territory of the Okanagan (Syilx) people.  The stories of the Okanagan (Syilx) people tell of a time when Okanagan Valley was home to beings who were neither humans nor animals, and the First People had yet to arrive.  When the Creator saw that the First People would arrive into this dangerous environment, he gave Coyote (Senklip) the special task of protecting and teaching the First People how to live on the land.  The trickster Coyote often displayed both his strengths and his failings, and his antics were used in stories told by the People to teach their history, culture and beliefs.  The Okanagan (Syilx) people were still telling these stories and actively practicing their customs when the first significant group of European settlers came to the Okanagan Valley (Louis, 10).

Painting of Senklip by Okanagan (Syilx) artist Sheldon Louis https://boundbyafeather.wixsite.com/boundbyafeather/gallery

The stories and history of the Okanagan (Syilx) people are not widely known outside of the Okanagan community.  Too few who live and work on our traditional territory know the traditional stories about Senklip or even the more recent accounts of the experiences of Okanagan (Syilx) children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.  Despite growing up on the Okanagan Indian Band Reserve, I, too, was unaware of the traditional stories as well as sad history of residential schools.  The stories and histories of our country's First Peoples, both the inspiring and the dismaying, should be learned by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people alike for Reconciliation to truly take place.  We must as the Honourable Justice and Senator Murray Sinclair, the Chair of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), suggests "learn from it" and move forward together.

Sinclair has also said, "Education has gotten us into this mess, and education will get us out." He has been vocal about how education is essential to Canada's journey toward reconciliation, and suggests that teachers must present a more "balanced" version of Canadian history that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of Aboriginal peoples (Brown).  In fact, the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommends 94 Calls to Action, including Education for Reconciliation: "Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples' historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students." (TRC, 331)

Significantly, the British Columbia Ministry of Education has heeded the TRC's Call to Action #62.  It has changed its curriculum and requires teacher to integrate Aboriginal content and perspectives in all subjects and at every grade levels.  As an Indigenous person, I know this change is remarkable and something to celebrate; as an educator, I know this change may be intimidating for teachers with little knowledge of Aboriginal peoples.  As an Indigenous person and a teacher, I feel I can make some small contribution to Reconciliation efforts through sharing my understanding of Okanagan traditions and history with colleagues who might not otherwise feel confident incorporating this learning into their classrooms.  I hope to establish myself as a knowledgeable resource for teachers wishing to integrate local Aboriginal content and learning in my district, as well as for teachers throughout the Okanagan Valley.
       
To share my knowledge and resources for Okanagan (Syilx) culture and history, I chose to create a website as my artifact.  While I first considered creating a blog, as I've had previous experience blogging for this course,  I felt that a website would be easier for teachers to navigate and find needed information quickly.  This website will allow me to share resources, videos and lesson plans with Okanagan Valley teachers looking to integrate learning about local Okanagan (Syilx) people.  The website will offer resources for upper elementary and secondary teachers and students, with resources that match the maturity of the age group.  For example, there are video interviews with residential school survivors in the secondary section, while there will be suggestions for age-appropriate picture books and novels about residential schools in the elementary section.

The website Okanagan Teacher is thus named because I am a teacher of Okanagan (Syilx) descent and also because the content is aimed toward teachers working in the Okanagan Valley. I created the website using Google Sites, a free and user-friendly website creation platform.  I chose Google Sites based on the suggestion of a Technology Mentor Teacher in our district.  He indicated that the website creation tool used by the district was not as user-friendly nor widely used by teachers in our district.  As all district teachers have a district Gmail account, I felt that using Google Sites allowed me to easily share access to the Okanagan Teacher website.  I also wanted the website to be easily available to teachers throughout the Okanagan Valley who are searching online for information on Okanagan (Syilx) culture and history, and Google Sites rather than our district website tool would allow for that to occur more easily.



I plan to share a link to the website on my blog, as well as on my Twitter @mrssakakibara and possibly my school district's Twitter account.  I also plan to look into having a link to Okanagan Teacher placed on the school district webpage.  I anticipate that principals in my school district may wish to share this website with their staff at a staff meeting.  Perhaps in my new district role, I could connect with classroom teachers and share my website through an informal "lunch and learn" or or during a Professional Development session devoted to integrating Aboriginal content and learning. I look forward to applying to what I've learned about effective professional development in this course.  My goal is that all teachers in the district will be aware of this resource, and that they see value in students learning about the people whose land they are situated on.

As mentioned in my previous blogpost, I see this "artifact" as more of a "work-in-progress."  Currently, only one page has content: Okanagan (Syilx) Children at Residential Schools.  I plan to continue to post more resources and links in my new district position in Aboriginal Learning.  I also wish to post some of the lessons, slideshows and handouts I've personally created for teaching my Social Justice 12 class about Okanagan (Syilx) children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.  While I've been very appreciative of other educators who freely share their ideas and resources online, I've always been hesitant to do so myself, as I lacked the confidence to declare myself an "expert" on anything. However, the importance of sharing my knowledge as an educator and Indigenous person persuaded me to heed Will Richardson's advice and "share everything (or at least something)."  This website is "my something," and I hope it will contribute to Reconciliation in some small way.

References

Brown, Louise.  "Q&A: Murray Sinclair: Time to Right the Wrongs of the Past on First Nations Education." Toronto Star. December 7, 2015.  Retrieved March 24, 2019 at https://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2015/12/07/qa-murray-sinclair-time-to-right-the-wrongs-of-the-past-on-first-nations-education.html

CBC News. "Senator Murray Sinclair Responds to Senator Lynn Beyak's Residential School Remarks." Youtube.  Retrieved March 24, 2019 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVjHGNreBkU

Okanagan Teacher. Google Sites. Retrieved March 24, 2019 from https://sites.google.com/view/okanaganteacher/home

Louis, Shirley. Q'Sapi: A History of the Okanagan People as Told by Okanagan Families. Penticton, BC: Theytus Books, 2002.

Louis, Sheldon. Senklip.  Painting.  Retrieved March 24, 2019 from https://boundbyafeather.wixsite.com/boundbyafeather/gallery

Richardson, Will.  Why School? Why Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. (Kindle Single). TED conferences, 2012.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation of Canada. Volume One: Summary.  Toronto: Lorimer, 2015.