Free Aboriginal Resources for Teachers

After you watch the Elders’ Stories video collection at PathoftheElders.com, check out “The Battle for Aboriginal Treaty Rights” in the CBC’s Digital Archives Website. 

Through 17 short video and radio clips, the archives let you watch media coverage of Aboriginal issues spanning from 1971-1999. 

Stories includes the 1985 Haida blockade, the funeral of Anthony Dudley George in 1995, the standoff at Gustafsen lake in 1995, and the Donald Marshall victory in 1999. 

These digital archives are fascinating not only for their content, but also for seeing how media coverage of Aboriginal issues changed over the 30-year span: compare the interviewer’s language and attitude in the first clip in 1971 with the final clip in 1999! 

1971: "Why Treaty Rights are Worth Fighting For"

Why Treaty Rights are Worth Fighting for.

The CBC Digital Archives Website.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Last updated: March 10, 2004

1999: Donald Marshall wins Supreme Court Victory

Donald Marshall Wins Supreme Court Victory

The CBC Digital Archives Website.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Last updated: March 16, 2004.

If you’re a teacher looking to introduce Aboriginal issues into the classroom, these video and audio clips provide a great starting place for discussing land claims and treaty rights with your students. 

You could also compare the experience of watching the media coverage to watching the Elders’ videos on Path of the Elders. 

While CBC’s digital archives give an overview of some of the major challenges facing Canada’s Aboriginal peoples, the Elders’ videos allow a more intimate glimpse of the day-to-day experiences growing up in an Aboriginal community. 

For more free resources like the CBC’s digital archives, check out the Teachers’ Guides at PathoftheElders.com!

Collette Jackson, Content and Marketing Specialist at BlackCherry Digital Media, is writing on behalf of On the Path of the Elders, a free online educational resource that explores Cree and Ojibway history and culture, and the signing of Treaty No. 9.

Check out On the Path of the Elders at pathoftheelders.com.

For more information, email us at info@pathoftheelders.com.

Created in partnership with BlackCherry Digital Media, Archives Deschâtelets, the Doug Ellis Collection at Carleton University, Our Incredible World (Pinegrove Productions), the Mushkegowuk Council, Neh Naak Ko, the Archives of St. Paul University, Carleton University, and Wendy Campbell, Educational Consultant (Learning Methods Group).

This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy. Created with additional financial assistance from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Inukshuk Fund.

Elders' Stories Video Collection Lets You Share in the Oral Tradition

While you’re busy getting ready for the upcoming contest by playing the games at PathoftheElders.com, don’t forget to check out some of its other features!

The Elders’ Stories video collection is one of the most valuable resources at Path of the Elders.

Honouring the oral tradition, here you have the rare opportunity to listen to Elders share their stories and memories.

Often recorded in Cree, these videos not only give you compelling glimpses into Mushkegowuk culture and history, but they are also part of our efforts to preserve and promote the Cree language.

While the Elders' Stories video collection is fascinating for its content, it’s also an important record of our country's past from an Aboriginal perspective.

Are you an educator?

Our Teachers’ Guides provide detailed information on how to integrate the Elders’ Video Collection into your lesson plans.

Here are some of my favourite videos:

1)    Staying in school - Path of the Elders

This video is a fascinating glimpse into some of the challenges Aboriginal students faced in residential schools as they struggled to maintain their traditional way of life.  Edmond Edwards describes having difficulty paying attention in class because he was thinking about getting ready for the fall hunt, and how it was difficult to learn English when his parents only spoke Cree.

2)  Life then and now - Path of the Elders

How was life different in the early 20th century? John Kataquapit describes some of the changes he's seen over his lifetime, including moving from dog teams to ski-doos, and the advent of running water.

3) Starvation - Path of the Elders 

Emile Sutherland shares some of the stories his father told him about the methods his people used to combat food shortages. He talks about how everyone used to share in the food when a caribou was killed.

4) Marriage, parents, responsibilities - Path of the Elders

What was life like from a woman's perspective? Anna Bella Solomon talks about her wedding, her experiences raising her siblings and her own children, and her duties towards her parents.

Do you have a favourite video?

Collette Jackson, Content and Marketing Specialist at BlackCherry Digital Media, is writing on behalf of On the Path of the Elders, a free online educational resource that explores Cree and Ojibway history and culture, and the signing of Treaty No. 9. 

Check out On the Path of the Elders at pathoftheelders.com.

For more information, email us at info@pathoftheelders.com.

Created in partnership with BlackCherry Digital Media, Archives Deschâtelets, the Doug Ellis Collection at Carleton University, Our Incredible World (Pinegrove Productions), the Mushkegowuk Council, Neh Naak Ko, the Archives of St. Paul University, Carleton University, and Wendy Campbell, Educational Consultant (Learning Methods Group).

This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy. Created with additional financial assistance from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Inukshuk Fund.

What Does New Media Mean for Oral Traditions?

Listen to Mary Linklater describe women’s work in the Mushkegowuk Cree community:

Women’s work - Path of the Elders

Or listen to Gilbert Faries recount a Cree myth:

Why the squirrel has red eyes - Path of the Elders

Video and audio clips are just one of the ways On the Path of the Elders seeks to reinforce the Aboriginal tradition of oral history.

In addition to the extensive video and audio collection, On the Path of the Elders’ role-playing game (RPG) encourages players to learn from their Elders through conversations and observation. Furthermore, the difference between the government and the Aboriginal’s view of the spoken word is highlighted in the Negotiating Game, where the player renegotiates the signing of Treaty no. 9.

Through each of its features, On the Path of the Elders is committed to celebrating the oral tradition. Indeed, one of the site’s original purposes was to provide a familiar space where youths could listen to and learn from their Elders. 

But what does it mean that we’re blending oral tradition with new media?

The chosen method of transmitting knowledge throughout generations reflects a community’s fundamental values and beliefs.