Indigenous awareness presentation

2. Origins
The day was made official in
1996 by Gov. General
Romeo LeBlanc
Generations of Indigenous
Communities have honored the
summer solstice; the longest
day of the year.

3. Purpose of National Indigenous People’s Day
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. This is a day for all
Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse
cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and
Métis peoples.
The Canadian Constitution recognizes these three groups as
Aboriginal peoples, also known as Indigenous peoples. (Gov of
Canada Website)

4. First Nations
The first people arrived on Turtle
Island (North America) over
20,000 years ago.
The term First Nations applies
because they were the original
settlers.

6. Metis
Metis originated in the 18th century
(1700s); children of European and
Indigenous parents.
Metis are a distinct group and not
recognized as aboriginal by the
government of Canada for the
purpose of status registration.
The Metis flag symbolizes the creation of a new society;
the infinite symbol indicating the everlasting people.

7. Inuit
Inuit people arrived on Turtle
Island over 1000 years ago.
They originated from Siberia &
Mongolia, crossing the Bering
Strait and traveling from
Alaska to Greenland.
The Inukshuk represents Safety, Hope & Friendship. It
also served as landmark and sacred site locations.

8. Indian Status
Indian status is the legal
standing of a person who
is registered under the
Indian Act. (Gov. of
Canada)
Eligible for certain
programs and services
offered by provincial and
federal governments

9. Myths vs Fact

10. MYTH
Indigenous Peoples get a
“free ride” from government
Fact
$145M for ALL 3 indigenous groups per year,
canada-wide. (Source: Government of Canada)
$378M is given to Hamilton to create summer jobs
for 2022/2023 (Source: hamilton.ca)
Indigenous groups share the funding across
Canada; the City of Hamilton received double the
funding for a temporary program.

11. MYTH
Indigenous Peoples get free
housing and education.
Fact
You must have First Nation Indian Status
You must live (full-time) on a reservation
Your band must have available funding
This is applicable to both housing and education.
Housing is not free, even with the above
conditions being met. The housing is subsidized.
Education is also not available to all First Nations
because the third requirement is unavailable
either by band suspension of the program or
unavailable funds.

12. MYTH
Indigenous Peoples don’t pay
taxes.
Fact
Income tax earned on the reservation by status
individuals living on the reservation are exempt
from paying federal income tax. All eligible goods
bought on/delivered to reservations are eligible
for exemption. Exemptions are not automatic.
All taxes are still paid by every indigenous person
regardless of where they live, their indian status
or financial position. Tax exemption eligibility is
not automatic in most cases and must undergo a
process dependent on the exemption.

13. MYTH
Indigenous Peoples can do
what they want with their free,
ample land.
Fact
Reservation land is owned by the crown and can
only be developed in accordance to the use and
benefit of the crown. Only 6.8% of crown land is
reservation.
If you ever drive through a reservation and notice
how underdeveloped it is, it is because they do
not have legal permission to improve their
community.

14. Sacred Plants

15. Sacred Plant: Red Cedar
Cedar is used by First Nations and Metis people. Inuit do
not use this as it does not grow within their community.
Cedar is burned to carry prayers to the Creator
Cedar is used to cleanse homes of negative energy and
usher in positive energy.
The “Tree of Life” is sacred in that it provided for every
aspect of life: ceremonial, spiritual, medicinal, habitat,
transport, fashion, food, clothing and structural.
According to lore: Felling a cedar tree without prayer,
respect and gratitude often begot a curse upon an
individual.

16. Sacred Plant: White Sage
Sage is used heavily for purification
Sage has many purposes ranging from medicine pouches;
spread over the floor of a sweat lodge, wrapping sacred
implements, healing, making bad spirits sick, purify people
and dwellings, healing and calming
In some beliefs, white sage smoke is believed to provide a
barrier that prevents negative spirits from entering the
room in which the ceremony is being held.

17. Sacred Plant: Sweetgrass
Anishinaabe believe it to be the sacred hair of O’gushnan,
Mother Earth, and is often braided; the three sections
representing mind, body, and soul. Some nations believe
the three strands are love, kindness and honesty.
Sweetgrass is used in smudges, healing or talking circles
because of the healing effect. Its smoke is believed to
purify thoughts, the environment and eliminates
bad/negative thoughts.
Tobacco is offered in return for the generosity shown by
the Earth and the plant which shared itself upon
harvesting.

18. Sacred Plant: Tobacco
Sacred use of tobacco is so entwined with some Aboriginal cultures
that it literally is present at every stage of life: it is associated with
birthing rituals, courtship, marriage, death and personal prayer.
Tobacco smoke is believed to be the pathway to the spirit world, and
as such, carries all thoughts, feelings and prayers to the Creator.
If smoked, it is made into a hand-made cigar or cigarette, bundle or
in a pipe. It is never inhaled as the prayers cannot be carried to the
creator
Hunters, with their left hand as that is closest to the heart, before
and after a kill as thanks to the Creator and to the animal.
It is spread on the ground as an offering to the Earth or on the water
as acknowledgment to its critical role in life and to ask for safe
passage.

19. Sacred Teachings

20. Seven Teachings of the Grandfathers
RESPECT: Treat others how you want to be
treated.
COURAGE: Live free of your fears
HUMILITY: You are a scared part of creation,
above no other man.
WISDOM: Recognize your differences and those
of others in a kind and respectful way
HONESTY: Be yourself, don’t be someone you
are not and do not imitate others.
TRUTH: Your journey is slow, keep moving
forward until you reach your destination.
LOVE: Peace within yourself, life, acceptance of
all things and graciousness with the creator

21. Respect: Buffalo
RESPECT: Treat others how
you want to be treated.
The buffalo reminds us to
respect all living things, and
in doing so we achieve a
balance that keeps us alive.

22. Courage: Bear
COURAGE: Live free of your
fears
The bear also reminds us to
be playful and to rest when
needed. It is in the balance of
these teachings that we are
taught when to be
courageous.

23. Humilty: Wolf
HUMILITY: You are a scared
part of creation, above no
other man.
The wolf is strong and
powerful alone, but finds its
greatest strength when part
of a pack. The wolf teaches
us that humility imparts
strength to families and
communities.

24. Wisdom: Beaver
WISDOM: Recognize your
differences and those of
others in a kind and
respectful way
The beaver reminds us that
we all have gifts and a
purpose in this world. It is
through the love of
knowledge that we find
wisdom.

25. Honesty: Sabe/Raven
HONESTY: Be yourself,
don’t be someone you are
not and do not imitate others.
The Raven (Sabe) is
believed to be closer to the
spirit world and reminds us of
who we are. Kitchi-Sabe
means to walk tall, or to have
integrity. It is in being honest
that we can have integrity.

26. Truth: Turtle
TRUTH: Your journey is
slow, keep moving forward
until you reach your
destination.
28 scutes around the perimeter of a turtle
shell represent the 28 days of a woman’s
menstrual cycle, which is key to the
creation of life.
There are 13 scutes in the centre of a
turtle shell; these represent the 13 moons
and the 13 times the Earth circles the sun
each year.

27. Love: Eagle
LOVE: Peace within yourself, life,
acceptance of all things and graciousness
with the creator.
The eagle is strong enough to carry all of
the teachings and flies high enough to see
all of creation. When we live by these
teachings and see ourselves as the eagle
does, we are able to love who we are.
And once we have found that balance
within, we can provide love to our family
and community. For this reason, the
eagle feather is one of the most sacred
items and must be earned.

28. Stereotypes

29. Stereotypes: Beautiful Maidens
Media often portrays Indigenous females as
beautiful, promiscuous, damsels in distress that
are objects of desire; a sexual prize for white
saviours.
Due to this stereotype, Indigenous women suffer
from high rates of sexual assaults, often
perpetrated by non-Indigenous men.

30. Stereotypes: Bloodthirsty Warrior
Hollywood has traditionally portrayed Indigenous
peoples as tomahawk-wielding savages, ready to
attack White characters and their families.
While warfare and conflict did exist among Native
Americans, the majority of tribes were peaceful
and only attacked in self-defense. American Indian
tribes had complex histories and relationships with
one another that sometimes involved combat, but
also included alliances, trade, intermarriage. Many
Indigenous peoples have no history of being
warriors.

31. Stereotypes: Medicine Men
Cinema portrays Indigenous men of magic, wise
in simplicity and have little function other than to
guide White characters in the right direction.
In all cultures (even european), there have
traditionally been individuals with an impressive
knowledge of the healing qualities of plants and
herbs. Cinema and media have created Native
American men as dim, uninformed and
subservient.

32. Stereotypes: Scalping
Hollywood has reinforced Indigenous characters
engaging in barbaric practices such as scalping
people they have killed and sexually violating
White women.
Scalp bounties were offered to white men for
each Native American scalp and the raping of
Native American women was a perk. The
scalping practice was adopted by Native
American men in return to white bounty hunters.

33. Stereotypes: Stoicism
Cinema portrays Indigenous men as one-
dimensional people who lack the ability to
experience or display a similar range of
emotions as other racial groups.
Anyone who has spent any time with Natives
know that the ‘stoic Indian’ stereotype couldn’t
be further from the truth. Natives joke, tease,
and laugh more than anyone. Native events
often leave guests with sides hurting from
laughing so much.

34. Indigenous Issues

35. Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)
Of 506 MMIW cases across 71
cities:
128 - Missing Indigneous Women
280 - Murdered Indigenous
Women
98 - Unknown Status
Average Age of MMIW - 29

36. Residential Schools
Operation: 1880 - 2004
Forcible apprehension of Native
American children relocated to
Catholic run schools where
children were exposed to
physical, sexual and emotional
abuse.
Designed to “take the native” out
of the child - Assimilation

37. Residential School Effect
Effects on mental and emotional
well-being included mental
distress, depression, addictive
behaviours and substance mis-
use, stress, and suicidal
behaviours.
Treatment received in the schools
was passed forward to newer
generations; physical, sexual and
emotional abuse.

38. Clean Drinking Water
166 Indigenous communities
have no clean drinking water.
This problem does not exist
within european dominated
communities or municipalities.
Contamination often as a result of
poisoned water by mining, oil and
chemical industries.

39. Conviction & Incarceration Rates
33% of all incarcerated male
individuals are of indigenous
background; considering they are
less than 5% of the country’s
population.
Over 50% of all incarcerated
females are of indigenous
descent.

40. Sterilization
Between 1966 and 1976, it is
estimated that more than 1200
sterilizations: 1150 women and
50 men.
Lawyer says sterilization without
informed consent has been
performed as recently as 2018 in
Saskatchewan