Lesson: Territories, Language + Treaties

Instructions

• Direct students to the Native Land website.
• Invite students to explore the world map, turning the 3 filters on and off: “Territories”, “Languages” and “Treaties”.

Activity 1

Have students complete the following task: De-activate the “Territories” filter and activate the “Treaties” filter.

• What do you notice on the map of British Columbia compared to the rest of Canada and the United States once you activate the “Treaties” filter?
• When we give a land acknowledgement at a school in Vancouver, an important word is used when describing the politics and title of the land. Can you identify what that word is?
  • e.g. “Please join me in acknowledging that we live, work and learn on the unceded traditional lands of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Coast Salish Peoples.”
• Research and note the definition of the word “Treaty”.
• Research Task: Identify 1 Treaty territory found in British Columbia or a province of your choosing. Research the First Nations group(s) involved and present its history in a format of choice (e.g. written, recorded, creative…)
• Inquiry Project: Return to the digital map and see if you can identify the First Nations group connected with another place you’ve visited in your life. Have you been elsewhere in Canada? Have you visited a city in the United States or Australia? Can you name the Indigenous territory and language of that place? Has a treaty been signed in that place? What can you learn from analyzing this map further?

Note: Many more related resources and lesson ideas are available in the English as a Second Language—Teacher Resource PDF.