October 30, 2024

Anishinabek Education System (AES) is receiving new funding of $20M a year from the federal government to support education infrastructure and governance. AES will use the funding to ensure that AES First Nations schools have adequate resources to meet student needs and to ensure that the education system reflects the communities’ educational and cultural priorities. “The Anishinabek Education System First Nations have been largely operating and supporting their education system though programs and services funding,” said Kinoomaadziwin Education Body Director of Education Nancy O’Donnell. “The increased allocation of governance funding creates more opportunities for the First Nations to hire key education positions and to utilize all programs and services funding for initiatives that directly benefit Anishinabek students.”

Two recent stories have highlighted how generative artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting Indigenous language resources and intellectual property. Marci Becking of Anishinabek News discusses how AI is being used to create fraudulent language learning resources for sale online under fake author profiles. Anishinabek Nation Anishinaabemowin Coordinator Laurie McLeod-Shabogesic explained that she ordered a book from Amazon and found that the content had been generated by AI. The book was “riddled with inaccurate translations,” rendering it useless for learners. Becking reports that languages such as Plains Cree, Inuktitut, and Yurok are also being exploited. In a piece for The Conversation, Tamika Worrell (Macquarie University) highlighted how Indigenous peoples in Australia have been “largely ignored” in the development and regulation of AI; however, they are impacted through the theft of cultural intellectual property to inform AI and the misinformation being spread by AI, such as conflation of different Indigenous groups. Worrell writes that to begin to address this issue, Indigenous people must be involved in the creation, maintenance, and evaluation of these technologies.

Lethbridge Polytechnic’s School of Justice Studies has been gifted an Indigenous eagle feather for use in the school’s courtroom. Former Leth Polytech Indigenous Services Manager Lowell Yellowhorn gifted the feather to instructor Gord Ryall, who then gifted it to the polytechnic for use in the courtroom. Ryall explained that the eagle feather—which symbolizes trust, strength, wisdom, and freedom—can be used as an alternative to religious texts for the swearing of oaths. The feather will help Justice Studies students recognize the various ways testimony can be given in Canadian courtrooms. “The eagle feather is significant for Indigenous people who are testifying on the witness stand,” said Ryall.

A new class created through a partnership between the Nova Scotia school board and Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) will allow students in Nova Scotia to learn about environmental science through a Mi’kmaw lens. Netukulimk 12 will be offered at 13 schools across the province—including on-reserve educational organizations and Acadian and English school boards—as part of the second phase of a pilot program. “The course is guided by the principle of etuaptmumk—two-eyed seeing—while also honouring the core values of netukulimk—relationships, respect, responsibility and reciprocity,” said Nova Scotia Department of Education Director of Mi’kmaq Services Rod Francis (Qalipu First Nation). Students will learn about sustainable land use and the course will promote the use of both Western and Indigenous knowledge systems to understand the world.

The Thames Valley District School Board has announced that one of its three new elementary schools opening in 2025 will have an Indigenous-inspired name. The new school located in Woodstock, Ontario will be named Turtle Island Public School. When the school opens in 2025, it will serve 856 students in the Woodstock region and will feature a childcare centre for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The London Free Press reports that Indigenous students and those living in local First Nations communities—including all families of the Chippewa of the Thames First Nation, Munsee-Delaware Nation, and Oneida Nation of the Thames—were invited to participate in the naming process polls. “The Board of Trustees is grateful to these school communities for their thoughtful participation in the school naming process,” said TVDSB Board Chair Beth Mai.

The City of Colwood and the Piikani Nation communities are each celebrating new educational facilities this month. In Colwood, the Hulitan Early Years Centre has officially opened. The space provides trauma-informed, Indigenous-specific child care and wraparound services for Indigenous children. “We have cultural programming, we have therapists available, we have higher staff-to-child ratios,” said Hulitan Family and Community Services Society Executive Director Kendra Gage. In Alberta, Piikani Nation has received federal funding to construct a school with space for 600 students from K-12. Students who currently attend school off reserve will be able to access culturally appropriate education and Blackfoot programs. The school will also provide the community with a gathering place for community events and cultural activities. “This school will also create great learning opportunities for our students in a modern facility with all the amenities for a bright future ahead,” said Piikani Nation Chief Troy Knowlton.

The University of King’s College has expanded its Mi’kmaw Journalism Initiative to include students in the one-year Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Journalism programs. The initiative covers up to three years of tuition and incidental fees for three Mi’kmaw students each year with the aim of removing financial barriers to journalism education. “The culture of an institution and conversations in the classroom only start to change when we have good representation, and we’re starting to see that here at King’s,” said UKing’s College Assistant Professor Trina Roache. “Our growing community of Mi’kmaw and other Indigenous students are engaging in cultural activities, gathering at our Mawio’mio’kuom (Indigenous Students Centre) and starting to envision what their experience at King’s can look like.”

The Government of Northwest Territories has reportedly rejected the College of Northern Canada’s accreditation following a review. In its rejection letters, the NWT Department of Education, Culture, and Employment cited concerns such as the unclear relevance of the college’s programs to Northern Canada and its labour market; a lack of Indigenous instructors or knowledge; a projected international student ratio exceeding NWT’s cap; and a reliance on online learning, which poses challenges for remote communities. The letters also identified strengths and weaknesses in the individual programs that the college planned to offer. CBC reports that the college is still operating.

The Government of Yukon’s Department of Education is launching two Social Studies curriculum units for Grades 5 and 10. These units—which were developed in collaboration with Yukon First Nations Elders, Knowledge Keepers and former residential school students—focus on the history and legacy of residential schools in the YK and Canada. The new Grade 5 unit introduces students to the history of residential schools while highlighting the resilience of Indigenous communities, while the updated Grade 10 unit explores YK’s residential school history and its impacts. “By teaching students about the history and legacy of Indian Residential Schools, we are not only fostering empathy and intercultural understanding but also honouring the bravery and resilience of the survivors who have shared their stories,” said YK Minister of Education Jeanie McLean. “[T]hrough these lessons, we ensure that their experiences are remembered and valued by future generations.”

Kenjgewin Teg and Legend Mining Contracting have signed an agreement that will build the Indigenous skilled trades workforce in Northern Ontario. As part of this agreement, the parties have highlighted training areas of interest that include underground supervisor training, service underground common core, and basic hard rock common core. Legend will provide students with access to hands-on training opportunities. “Kenjgewin Teg is excited to be part of mobilizing skilled trades careers for Anishinabek people living in urban and on-reserve communities and their First Nations who are looking to advance sustainable development in their traditional territories,” said Kenjgewin President Beverley Roy.