I was taught through a western eurocentric lens in school in the 80s and 90s. What’s more, through the French Immersion system, I was told that I was being taught the minority perspectives of the French (now Quebecois,  Acadiens, etc.). And yet, where were the voices of First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) peoples?

The history and geography courses focused on eurocentric experiences in Canada; apparently, Jacques Cartier “found” Canada. I remember analyzing the drawings of interactions amongst the French, English and various FNMI peoples and thinking that the Europeans looked distinguished, educated and civilized while the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples looked uneducated and primitive. I do not recall if we were explicitly taught this, but I do not doubt that there were subtle or even not-so-subtle instances that reinforced the view of the “backward Indian”. I recall us tittering in grade 5 at loincloths and bare chests. The teachers never seized the opportunity to teach us any sort of cultural proficiency, thereby reinforcing our primitive, stereotypical and prejudiced views. When learning about the Haida people in grade 6, the unit focused on Emily Carr and the lens through which she saw the people, cultures and the land. The barren land devoid of any people.

As evidenced in some of the examples above, much of the hidden curriculum focuses not so much on what is said or taught, but rather on what is left out. Missing perspectives from many different First Nation, Métis or Inuit peoples; European-drawn territorial boundaries; Sir John A MacDonald’s photo hanging in some schools; token drawings or artwork which depict the old way of life of FNMI people and freezes them in time; the celebration of FNMI peoples who helped the English or the French conquer the other (depending on which part of Canada one lives in); the teaching of subjects in isolation (modelled after the Industrial Revolution); the focus on sciences which are based heavily on inductive and deductive reasoning and exclude observation and land-based learning; the teaching about free markets and the idea that the more we consume, the richer we are and the healthier our economy becomes, etc.

A few years ago, cognizant of my gaps in knowledge and richness of experience, I returned to school to start my formal education about the histories, cultures, traditions, worldviews and beliefs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples from their many different perspectives. I began taking AQ courses at Queen’s University and OISE, and became entirely engrossed in what I was learning and discovering….. about histories and profound and multi-dimensional concepts of equilibrium, reciprocity and the practice of gratitude. I was astonished to discover so many bodies of knowledge, histories and ways of knowing that were kept hidden from me and settler communities by the Canadian government. I ended up taking 3 AQ courses (First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples: Understanding Traditional Teachings, Histories, Current Issues and Cultures, Parts 1-3) and 1 ABQ course (Intermediate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies) and obtaining an Ontario Post-Grad Certificate in First Nations, Metis and Inuit Studies from Queen’s. I continue my informal education daily as a settler ally and a lifelong learner.