What has changed in terms of your perspective with First Nations people? What has led to this change?

I think my perspective of First Nations people has grown a lot in this course. I’ve learned a lot of new information and I think overall developed deeper respect for other cultures that I previously knew less about. I have enjoyed learning about unique cultural traditions and found learning about Aboriginal story telling very rewarding. First Nations culture is different compared to my usual life and it’s always interesting to learn about other cultures who live differently than me. It’s also interesting to be learning about cultures so close to my own home. Many First Nations groups we discussed are close to our area, so I feel connected to the information we are learning. I think what has really contributed to my growth in perspective is the connection to the material and the feeling that it is very important to me. I’m growing up in a world where we are actively trying to heal the relationship between Aboriginal people and the government and education is the first step. I feel obligated to take this information when I’m given the opportunity to, so in the future I am properly educated and don’t accidentally internalize unfair and harmful stereotypes that have affected First Nations for many years. I think something else that benefited my learning was hearing First Nations people’s perspectives on the topics we were discussing. Sometimes this was a speaker in class which was a very rewarding experience for me, but the “First Nations voices” sections of textbook were also interesting and worthwhile to read. I loved the nature walk we did once, and it really helped me enjoy learning about different world views and different and unique uses for resources. I liked being outside and taking notes on information that was genuinely interesting because almost all of it I had never heard before. I also liked being able to reflect on my learning in my journal because it let me really process and understand the information I was learning and applying. I will leave this course with a changed and evolved mindset.

“Positive Personal and Cultural Identity (Values/Cultural Contexts)” Reflection

I think that BC First People 12 has helped me grow my values. Before entering this course, I did have an idea of some issues that First Nations were faced with, but I did not know enough to truly have well developed values and opinions on those issues. Now I feel more educated which has let me develop and improve my values based on facts. Another thing I have learned in this course is more context surrounding residential schools. I’ve been learning about the atrocities of residential schools since elementary school and overall do think I had a good understanding of them. What I was missing was the understanding of how residential schools have also affected people’s perceptions of First Nations people. Residential Schools led to many harmful and derogatory stereotypes that have persisted to this day. I learned a lot about this in the course and was able to add to my earlier understanding of residential schools and learn more about people’s experiences there.