Continuity and
Change: Aboriginal Title and
Rights in British Columbia
Detailed
Instructions
-
Introductory
Activity:
Discussion questions (either in small groups or as a class)
-
Take
something from a student (e.g., a
pencil, a food item, a coat); claim it as your own: is this a
legitimate claim? Then list, with students, the various bases for
ownership (historical possession, mutual agreements for an exchange,
standard practices of exchange).
-
What rights
do you and your family have in
relation to your home and your subsistence (having adequate clean, safe
water, food and shelter)?
-
Where did
these rights come from? Who
protects these rights? Who will protect these rights in the future?
[hopefully this discussion will end up with the understanding that
history is important: that rights are secured in part through claims
about what happened in the past: a rental agreement was signed, a
property was bought and these carried forward into the future on the
basis of trust between parties and the state which could enforce that
trust.]
The question of
aboriginal rights and land
title are about First Nations claims that go back to a time before the
dominion of Canadian and the province of British Columbia were
established. That, in part, is what makes them difficult.
-
Reserve
History: Powerpoint
and Timeline. Hand out Attachment #3 Aboriginal
Rights and
Title Timeline. Show “Reserve
History Powerpoint.”
Students can fill in
additional notes on Timeline. Last page of PPT: “Our future
is in the land.” Discuss what this means. Introduce
“Union of BC Indian Chiefs” whose logo has been
this for over 30 years.
-
“Key
Terms”:
(see “Attachment #1: Worksheets
for
students” and
“Attachment #2: Key Terms")
These
definitions can be discussed as a whole class, to clarify any
difficulties with meanings. Then note that Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal people might have different perspectives on each. Divide
the class into two, one group discussing and making notes on Aboriginal
perspectives on each definition, the other non-Aboriginal. Reassemble
as a whole class to discuss and have students fill in a summary of the
other group’s views on Worksheet.
-
Examination
of sources:
After a demonstration analyzing the first source (in
“Attachment #5 Primary
Sources for Students”
attachment), students work in
pairs to analyze the remaining sources for continuity and change,
filling in the “Using Evidence” section (in
“Attachment #1: Worksheets
for
students”.)
- With their
“Using Evidence”
notes in front of them, students individually complete paragraph
questions on Continuity and Change (in “Attachment #6 Student
Final Writing and Questionnaire attachment).
Notes:
Additional information
on this issue can be found in “Land Claims in British
Columbia” pp. 214-216 in Michael Cranny and Garvin Moles,
Counterpoints: Exploring Canadian Issues. This text has the wrong name
for “Delgamuukw” as well as the wrong date. Further
background can be found on “Background
on Indian Reserves in British Columbia”.
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