In our Words
What does oral tradition mean?
Passing on teachings, stories, or traditions through word of mouth (orally).
What are residential schools?
Residential schools were government-sponsored religious schools that were established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture.
Restoring relationships, a sacrament in the Catholic Church focused on forgiveness.
What is a trickster?
Often considered cultural heroes, tricksters are credited with protecting (and in some cases, creating) human life. As their name suggests however, tricksters are also associated with rule-breaking. They are curious pranksters who frequently cross and challenge boundaries, as well as ignore social harmony and order.
Name one of the three main Indigenous groups found in Canada
Metis, Inuit, First Nations
What day occurs in September when students wear a colour to remember residential schools?
Orange Shirt Day
Who made an official apology on behalf of the Catholic Church in 2015?
Pope Francis
What is a shaman
A spiritual and physical healer in many Indigenous communities
What is a Wampum Belt?
A wampum belt is a ceremonial or diplomatic belt made of beads from seashells that have symbolic meanings and record important events or agreements between Indigenous peoples or with European colonizers
What are some of the lasting impacts of residential schools?
A variety of possible answers.
Which Canadian Prime Minister made an official apology seeking Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous communities and those impacted by the residential school system?
Justin Trudeau.
What is one of the four sacred plants?
Tobacco, Sage, Sweetgrass, red cedar.
What is a treaty?
A treaty is a written agreement between the Government of Canada and an Indigenous group that sets out the rights and obligations of both parties on issues like land, resources, governance, and culture
What does cultural genocide mean?
It is the intentional destruction of a culture, such as its language, religion, or traditions, by another group that seeks to erase its identity or assimilate it
Name a step/action that we can make to "walk forward together" towards truth and reconciliation?
A variety of possible answers.
What is the Great Spirit?
The Great Spirit is both within everything around us and beyond our everyday experiences. It’s like a powerful, loving energy that connects us to nature and the universe
What is the Gradual Civilization Act (1857)
The Gradual Civilization Act (1857) was passed to have Indigenous people assimilate into European culture.
In what decade did the last residential school close in Canada?
1990s
Who is the creator of orange shirt day?
Phyllis Webstad.
What is animism?
The belief that everything in the world is alive. All things, human and non-human, have spirits or souls, and that the person or animal lives on after death through the presence of that spirit.