Yukon First Nations Cultural Heritage

Traditional learning & teaching Potlatch Annual gatherings Hand games Arts as a teaching story Weaving words Sacred places Oral language and tradition

Historical Timeline

• 1847 – First institution in Abdenberg, Germany. 12 children who were in very degraded state, physically and intellectually were institutionalized.

• 1883 – Sir Francis Galton coined the term “eugenics”.

• What is eugenics?– Means “well-born”– Negative eugenics – played on fears of “race

degeneration.” At this time working class poor were reproducing at a greater rate than successful middle and upper class members of society.

Eugenics

• An expression in a book, “Allowing the Destruction of Life Unworthy of Life” by Karl Binding, and psychiatrist Alfred Hoche, both professors. According to Hoche, some living people who were brain damaged, mentally retarded, psychiatrically ill, were "mentally dead", - "human ballast" and "empty shells of human beings". Hoche felt killing such people was useful. Some people were simply considered disposable. Later the killing was extended to people considered 'racially impure' or 'racially inferior‘. (Wikipedia)

Residential Schools

Brief History of Residential Schools

• In the 1870’s, the Government of Canada partnered with Anglican, Catholic, United, and Presbyterians churches to establish and operate boarding and residential schools for Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) children.

• The intent of the Residential School System was to educate, assimilate, and integrate Aboriginal people into Canadian society. In the words of one government official, it was a system designed “to kill the Indian in the child.”

• Attendance at residential schools was mandatory for Aboriginal children across Canada, and failure to send children to residential school often resulted in the punishment of parents, including imprisonment.

• The federal government and churches operated over 130 residential schools across Canada. The number of active schools peaked in 1931 at 80. The last federally-administered residential school closed in 1996.

• It is estimated that there are approximately 80,000 Residential School Survivors alive today.

Intergenerational

"Intergenerational Impacts" refer to the effects of physical and sexual abuse that were passed on to the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Aboriginal people who attended the residential school system.

Intergenerational survivors face on a day-to-day basis:

• Alcohol and drug abuse; • Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

and fetal alcohol effect (FAE); • Sexual abuse (past and

ongoing); • Physical abuse (past and

ongoing; especially, but not exclusively, of women and children);

• Psychological/emotional abuse; • Low self-esteem; • Dysfunctional families and

interpersonal relationships; • Parenting issues such as

emotional coldness, rigidity, neglect, poor communications and abandonment;

• Suicide (and the threat of suicide); • Teen pregnancy; • Chronic, widespread depression; • Chronic, widespread rage and

anger; • Eating disorders; • Sleeping disorders; • Chronic physical illness related to

spiritual and emotional states; • Layer upon layer of unresolved

grief and loss; • Fear of personal growth,

transformation and healing;

Perception Check!

• It’s human nature to form perceptions quickly based on immediate value judgments.

• Often time we have evaluated incorrectly and react based on judgment.

• Observe Describe Interpret Evaluate• Gain insight into your own values. Don’t judge

someone from another culture by your own cultural values until you know them and their cultural values.

Cultural Competence

• “To work towards cultural competence, we must look within and without for a deeper understanding of ourselves and the cultures of the people we serve.” (Jerome H Hanley)

Moving Towards Cultural Competence (Jerome H Hanley)

• The most important ingredient in cultural competence is self-knowledge.

• Second vital ingredient is experience. The best teacher is first hand experience with a culture.

• The third ingredient is positive change.

Visible and easy to identify

9/10th of culture is hiddenFrom view (deep culture)

Jerome H. Hanley

The Cultural Competence ContinuumFive Progressive Steps

James Mason (1993)

Organizational and individual assessment1.Cultural destructiveness: attitudes, policies and practices that are destructive

2.Cultural incapacity: not intentional but lacks the capacity to help the minority group or community

3.Cultural blindness: Provide services with the expressed intent of being unbiased. “we treat all the same”, “melting pot theory”.

4.Cultural pre-competence: Recognizing Cultural differences and making efforts to improve.

5.Cultural competence: accept and respect cultural differences, continue self-assessment of cultural awareness and proactive.

Here’s What…

1931 Yukon Residential Schools Established

1951 Ind. Act transfers education of YFN to Territorial Gov’t

1960s – Last Residential School closes

1973 – Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow

1990 – Education Act Amended in response toTogether Today for Our Children Tomorrow

1995 – Four Self-Gov’t Agreements signed

2005 – Learning Centre opens to re-engageYouth who have left school

So What…

Yukon Public Schools

Communication Toolbox

Tools for communication New Horizons