Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again

Have you or your students heard of Mary Two-Axe Earley? Mary, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder from Kahnawake, was an activist and a pioneer of the modern women’s movement on this land. You can learn more about her here, here, and here.

If you have access to a CAMPUS subscription through the National Film Board, beginning this month you will be able to view Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again and have access to the study guide which connects this film with Civics/Citizenship and Indigenous Studies, and is geared towards students aged 14+.

Watch the trailer, which includes footage of Mary standing her ground against an obstinate Prime Minister P.E. Trudeau.

Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again looks at gender discrimination in the Indian Act and connects it to the crises in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, by centering Mary’s story of activism.

In this clip, members of Mary’s family read the letter from the Superintendent of Indian Affairs which informed her that she had been stripped of her Indian Status after marrying a White man.

More links and information

Here is a link to the Q & A with the filmmaker, Courtney Montour, herself a Mohawk woman from Kahnawake. Montour explains the context behind the film, including the use of the term “Indian” and Canadian law under the Indian Act. You can also read this interview with Montour from October 2021 from the Toronto Star.

  The film has won multiple awards including

• Best Documentary Short American Indian Film Festival (2021)

• Documentary Short imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Toronto, Canada, (2021)

• Best Director Weengushk International Film Festival (2021)

Finally, you can view this short video from Historica Canada, who highlighted Mary Two-Axe Earley as part of their Women in Canadian History series. This video might be suitable for older Primary students as well.

Watch the Historica Canada feature on Mary Two-Axe Earley.

Missisakis : On The Indigenous History Of The Tkaronto Islands

If you are hoping to centre the knowledge of Indigenous peoples in your teaching and bring social studies, geography, or history alive for your students, I think you will find this new short film VERY useful.

This month, the Bawaadan Collective released Missisakis: On the Indigenous History of the Tkaronto Islands. I loved watching this beautiful film and immediately thought it would be a wonderful resource to use in Junior, Intermediate, and Senior classrooms

• To discuss the limitations of the land acknowledgement

• To learn more about treaties and modern land rights from a Mississauga perspective

• To understand the significance of the Toronto (Tkaronto) Islands to the Mississauga people and how it has been used throughout time

• To introduce the concepts of land stewardship and revitalization.

The first voice you hear belongs to Darin Wynbega, who is the Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Coordinator of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation. He is followed by Margaret Sault who is the Director of Lands, Membership and Research, also at the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation.

I have often heard about the sacredness of the Islands to the Mississauga people, and this video is a wonderful testament to this long history. I am so grateful that this video was produced.

If you are teaching in or around Toronto, I think this is a must-watch.

Here is the description text from the Bawaadan Collective, who created this video.

Moving beyond land acknowledgements, Missisakis explores the history and significance of the Toronto Islands from a Mississauga perspective. As with any short film, we present an introduction to history that spans centuries. We encourage viewers to continue to explore this history, learn from Indigenous historians who can share this history, and attend to their calls to action. We wish to express sincere veneration to the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Massive Miigwetch / Nya:wen to Darin Wybenga and Margaret Sault for their supreme trust and generosity. Our approach to the research, development and concept of this video was led by our combined understanding of community engagement best practices with Indigenous partners and First Nations.

Missisakis : On The Indigenous History Of The Tkaronto Islands

Written / Directed / Score

Darin Wybenga / Margaret Sault / Bawaadan Collective

Produced in partnership with - Waterfront BIA / City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation

Versatile textbooks for Intermediate and Senior classrooms - Available in English and French!

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada & Aboriginal Beliefs Values and Aspirations - Pearson & Goodminds

These two texts, published in 2011, can most definitely be used beyond the Native Studies classroom and be useful for teachers at ALL levels who are looking to expand their own knowledge. If you are looking for a reliable resource for including Indigenous perspectives in your Law, Politics, Geography, History, Family Studies, Philosophy, or Religion & Spirituality classes, these are amazing references to ground your teaching. 

Both books are full of case studies and feature short and longer profiles of many Indigenous peoples ranging in age, experience, and profession.

These texts were written alongside a team of Advisers and Reviewers from a variety of Indigenous Nations as a resource to be used in the province of Ontario (however they do provide information about other provinces and territories). 

 

My favorite unit is #3 in Aboriginal Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations entitled Sovereignty and Self-Determination. I have not yet found another school-aged resource which covers this important topic, and does so clearly from the perspectives of diverse Indigenous peoples. 

These texts also have accompanying teacher guides, and are available in French! 

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Questions to Consider

• What additional learning do I need to undertake to assist my students to extend their learning?
• How can I interpret the curriculum to make room for Indigenous concepts, topics, or perspectives which are not included?

Interview with High School Teacher Laryssa Gorecki

 

Click here to download my interview with Laryssa! 

This month I conducted my first interview with Laryssa Gorecki, an English teacher at James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School in Toronto. She's been incorporating Indigenous content into her classroom in the West end of the city, and finding that her students from all different backgrounds have points of connection to the material.
 

Laryssa speaks to us about her unit, and addresses questions any teacher might have, including navigating her role as a relatively new learner in this area.

What does Laryssa teach?

The unit on Truth and Reconciliation examined the implications of using arts-based activities, including music, drama, and picture books, as a means to build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect. Through an aesthetic approach, students actively engaged with the themes found in various artwork, songs, and narratives by Indigenous authors and artists. The unit culminated with a project expressing cognitive and aesthetic growth in our student community.

Resources Laryssa uses:

Students created final projects which displayed their learning in the unit. 

• Academic: Integrating Academic Perspectives into the School Curriculum Dr. Yatta Kanu
• Strength and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples in Canada & accompanying teacher resource - McGrawHill 
• Dreaming in Indian edited by Lisa Charleyboy & Mary Beth Leatherdale
• Say Magazine
• The work of Kathleen Gould Lundy such as Teaching Fairly in an Unfair World. 

If you have feedback or questions for Laryssa, you can contact her via email or follow her on twitter @laryssagorecki1