Revision as of 23:35, 24 November 2020

Unskat: What is it?

Nation name: Unskat (means One)

History

History (Chris)

Tionantati people lived there

French Settlers came to Huron area of Canada in early 1600s for the fur trade

In exchange, the settlers would give them weapons

For those settlers who stayed back after the fur trade, in order to stay with the community, they had to learn/adopt their ways of life and contribute to the community in an active manner

Coexistence ensued, ppl in France heard about this new nation that was forming and then some decided to come and learn too

Present Day

Language

French and Indigenous Languages mix (Vittoria & Amanda & Dilpreet)

In the wikimedia page, combine certain Indigenous & French words together and use them from time to time within the writing

Links to those words

- not a new language, a developed hybridization of Huron

Some words can stay Indigenous bc it is still the main language

French didn’t overrun the area

Culture

Days Devoted to Traditional Events

Specific day for traditional stuff (Vittoria)

-To keep Indigenous beliefs/traditions alive

-Cultural songs, dances, stories, celebrations

-“Holidays”

--“Confederation” when the french and huron officially united as one and became Unskat Day (Le Jour d’Unskat)

Fashion

Fashion (Dilpreet)

How do they dress at school?

Uniforms

How the french influenced that

School System

Structure

Would there be a school system? (Amanda)

-The french-influenced in structure in some ways, but content is heavily based on IK systems

-Story of the Bean

--Why it’s important to incorporate IK systems into the school system

-what age does school go until? --> 16

-Tionantati ppl spirituality is interwoven into curriculum

-Year --> if show a higher aptitude, understanding, have knowledge, they can advance --each year builds on the foundation of previous years

Dates & Times

When is school? (Vittoria)

Less days

Change it from Monday to Friday to something different

Names of the days of the week & months & times of the year

School in the summer and the winter off or vice versa

Not in the fall bc harvest

Curriculum & Education Pedagogy

Language Classes

“French class” would be learning both languages (Vittoria, Amanda & Dilpreet) French less important than Indigenous

French only at one time of the day like now

French class” would be learning both languages

French less important than Indigenous

French only at one time of the day like now

Extra Language Classes for Learning French

Extra language classes (Dilpreet)

Extra classes on certain days of the week Both Indigenous and the descendants of French settlers attend the same schools and are taught under the Indigenous-dominated curriculum, where the focus is on the teaching of Huron culture, language, and the traditions of communities. Despite the focus on developing Huron communication, literary, and language skills in the mainstream school curriculum whilst focusing on Indigenous pedagogy, parents have the choice of enrolling their children into extra French language classes either after-school in community centers or during the weekend on Saturday mornings. Many parents choose this option in order to strengthen their child’s relationship and connection with their French heritage and history, as a way to help develop their bilingual skills, or in order for them to communicate easily with members of the French community who had a hard time learning Huron and/or communicating in it.

Celebrating Culture at School

How culture is celebrated at school (Dilpreet)

Diversity and inclusion & celebrating that

How they incorporate both

Health, Nutrition, Outdoor Education, & Spirituality

What would education look like in terms of learning about health, nutrition and outdoor education? (Christine)

Students learn about healthy eating in Indigenous culture and traditional foods which include eating wild game, meats and seafood such as caribou, deer. moose, ptarmigan, quail duck, wild turkey, pheasant, beaver, muskrat, black bear, trout, salmon, pickerel, perch, bass, and smelt. Grains include barley, bannock, oatmeal, and wild rice. Fruits and vegetables include blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, corn, squash, and potatoes. Traditional recipes include Moose and Elk, Moose Meatloaf, Elegant Elk Stew, Easy Venison Chili recipe, Boiled Deer Tongue, and Beaver Stew (see below).

Easy Venison Chili Recipe

• 1 pound ground venison

• 2 cans of kidney beans (16 oz)

• 1 can tomato juice (1 qt 14 oz)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 3 drops of Tabasco sauce

• 1 small onion (diced)

• 2 sticks of celery (diced)

• 2 Tbsp chili powder

• 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

Brown meat and onion. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Boiled Deer Tongue

• 1 deer tongue

• 1 tbs. salt

• 4 peppers, whole

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 cloves, whole

Wash deer tongue well then cover with water in pot. Add spices and salt and simmer covered until tender. Remove from water and peel off outer layer before serving.

Beaver Stew

• 1 beaver (8-10 lbs.)

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 med. onions

• 1-2 garlic cloves

• Celery leaves - optional

• 4 carrots diced

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2tsp thyme

• Flour

• Salt and pepper

Remove all fat from beaver. Cut beaver the same way as you would a rabbit. Soak overnight in saltwater. Marinate in buttermilk. Parboil until about half-cooked in water with the bay leaf, onions, garlic, celery and seasonings. Drain, roll in flour and brown in bacon fat, season with salt and pepper. Bake in covered pan in a moderate oven until tender. Gravy may be made from the drippings.

https://www.nwac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2012-Diabetes-Traditional-Foods-and-Recipes.pdf

Outdoor Education and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Students learn about ecosystem conservation, how to identify wild life such as animals, insects, wild berries, wild foods and edible plants. Students learn which plants are safe to eat, which berries edible versus poisonous, the health benefits of medicinal plants and the spiritual uses of these plants. Students learn that there are 500 species of wild plants which provide food for Aboriginal peoples, such as root and green vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms and wild chives, and specifics of some of these plants.

http://www.hscdsb.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/plantfoods_indigenous.pdf

Tobacco

Students learn about sacred plants such as tobacco and how it is used medicinally and spiritually. Students also learn about tobacco misuse and how to prevent it.

https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/tobacco-aboriginal-people

Math, Geography, & Science

(Amanda)

In addition to learning language, health, & nutrition, students also learn math, geography, and science in intertwined lessons that teach students basic skills. This allows students to relate what they learn to their everyday lives, as in life, nothing is ever truly separate and isolated.

Blanket Making

For example, students learn blanket making. These lessons incorporate math through the addition, subtraction, and division involved in the creating process. The geography and science come into play in terms of the design and colour of the blankets. This lesson enables students to learn an important skill while fully appreciating and understanding how these domains are intertwined in their daily lives.

Math Catchers

Students also learn traditional Huron stories through creating and using Math Catchers. This is a creative take on Dream Catchers as it allows students to explore math and science through

--

https://vimeo.com/45859201

Biology, Astronomy, & Farming

Science & astronomy (Dilpreet)

Story of the Bean & crop growing

Technology

In schools, technology is not widely used. There is more focus on outdoor education than on use of technology in the classroom. There is also more emphasis on hands-on learning, discussions, and use of oral traditions to teach and learn.

In terms of research, students are able to use computers and the internet, but most of the assignments that students complete rely on their knowledge of their natural environment that they interact with on a daily basis. Computers are available through importing and exporting, however this is done on a very small scale.

For example, students, at the age of 10, must complete a community assignment where they have to go into their communities to observe, explore, and then critically assess and analyze their communities, and how things work together to make their society work.

(Amanda, Dilpreet, Chris)

Important Links

Dialectal Dictionary

References

Huron Words http://www.native-languages.org/wyandot_words.htm

Group Members

• Christopher Jean
• Dilpreet Jass
• Vittoria Pileggi
• Amanda Guerrieri
• Christine Salib