My Artefact / My project
Core Competency Reflection
In this course, we learned through the journal activities. I learned more accurate information about First Nations people and how land was an important part of their way of life. Land was not just property but it provides food, medicine, and materials, and it was deeply connected to culture and identity. First Nations people practiced stewardship, meaning they took care of the land responsibly to make sure it stayed healthy for future generations. However, European settlers affected their lives by taking land, ignoring their traditions, and creating government policies that caused long-term harm. The course also covered First Nations peoples’ systems of trade, governance, and culture before the contact of settlers. This course also explored how residential schools were used to take Indigenous children from their families and erase their culture. Many faced harsh treatment, and the effects still impact communities today. We also looked at the roles of women in First Nations societies. Women were active in trade, passed down knowledge, and acted as cultural connectors during the fur trade. This showed that women often held more respected roles than in settlers societies at the time. To Conclude, My perspective on First Nations people has changed because I now have a better understanding of their history, culture, and the challenges they continue to face. Before this course, I didn’t fully realize how deeply connected they are to the land or how much damage was caused by colonization and residential schools. I also learned to recognize the strengths and systems that existed in their communities long before settlers arrived. Now, I see the importance of respecting Indigenous knowledge, traditions, and their ongoing efforts to protect their rights and identity. This helped change my perspective because I now understand that the injustices they experienced were not just in the past but still affect communities today.
