Seven Grandfather Teachings
In the Anishinaabe language, this word means “state of having a fearless heart.” To do what is right even when the consequences are unpleasant.
Bravery/Courage
Memories conveyed orally are considered to be true and reliable, and can help communicate truth from the heart, not just truth from the mind.
Stories
A series of agreements signed between the Crown and First Nations between 1871 and 1921, covering much of present-day Canada.
The Numbered Treaties
A United Nations declaration that affirms the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, including rights to land, culture, language, and self-government.
U.N.D.R.I.P.
This stage of life is represented by the white quadrant on the medicine wheel.
Elder
Do not deceive yourself or others.
Truth
Nothing happens in isolation. Everything is influenced by and has an influence on everything else.
Relationship
A process or policy aimed at erasing Indigenous cultures by forcing people to adopt the dominant society’s language, values, and ways of life.
Assimilation
The right of a people or nation to decide their own political status and control their own social, cultural, and economic development.
Self-determination
What is the Cardinal direction of the medicine wheel that is also associated with adolescence?
South
This animal reminds us to be humble.
Wolf
FNMI people believe that everything happens when it should: when fish spawn, when birds make their nests, when bears hibernate, and when the seasons change.
Time
Designated parcels of land set aside by the government for First Nations, often limiting movement and access to traditional territories.
Reservation System
A worldview emphasizing shared responsibility and the idea that the health of individuals, communities, and the land are interconnected and beneficial to all parties.
Mutual Well-Being
This quadrant colour of the Medicine Wheel is associated with spirit.
Yellow (East, birth, tobacco)
This animal is the closest to the Creator.
Eagle
Worldview
Land that was never surrendered or signed away through treaty.
Unceded Land/Territory
A concept that encourages using the strengths of both Indigenous ways of knowing and Western knowledge together.
Two-Eyed Seeing
This quadrant of the medicine wheel contains sweet grass.
White (North, Elder)
This animal is the model of courage and bravery.
Bear
Integrating Indigenous Ways of Knowing into our understanding of the world helps dismantle this system of restrictive and biased learning that places knowledge systems from White Europeans at the forefront.
White Supremacy
The authority of a nation or people to govern themselves and control their land without external interference.
Sovereignty
Rights that Indigenous Peoples hold by virtue of their existence as peoples, not because they were granted by governments.
Inherent Rights
This quadrant of the Medicine wheel pertains to the body.
Black (adult/West)