Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Talking about being Métis

Alaskan brown bear, scouting for fish.:
Photo by kid_proquo on Flickr
I have been invited to come and talk to Sophie's class about being Métis - the teacher requesting a presentation on who the Métis people are.  However, I am thinking of beginning with a discussion about stereotypes that the kids have about indigenous people and use that conversation as a means to explore the historical and modern lives of the Métis/indigenous peoples.  I really want to show that our people still exist, maybe show where some of the stereotypes come from and discuss why they might want to question those messages.  For example, I want to bring some of the bead work I have completed - showing the connection to the past and the artistic traditions of indigenous peoples, but highlight that the images in these pieces are Minecraft characters and modern.  I was thinking of similarly using a Shibastik song to show someone pulling from the tradition of drum music in writing rap. 

I want to think of a couple of other similar examples.  I thought that this would be a more engaging presentation that the usual spiel about where we come from - not that this information isn't important, but given limited time and attention I want to show that we are a dynamic culture, not a historical footnote.  I would love it if you could share any examples you think would work.  Is this the right message to share?  What would you share?

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