What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Content and Perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples?
The purpose of Treaty Education is to educate individuals on the land in which they are living on and how it came to be. It also serve the purpose of showing younger generations the ways of life in which the First Nations lived. And how the Europeans came to inhabit those traits and get us to where we are today. First Nation taught us how to use and care for the land. I feel as if It is important to tech these younger generations these ways, traditions, etc that being because it got them to where they are today. If the First Nations didn't show their ways to the Europeans there would be no world like we have today.
What does it mean for your understanding of curriculum that "We are all treaty people"?
When I hear we are all treaty people it means no matter what we learn, where we live, what we believe in and who we look up to. We are all linked together by this land, it created us into who we are today. We are all together in this journey of life within this land, the land that brought us the greatest things in life. That being food on the table, a place to put a house where memories are made, etc. Within the curriculum I think every aspect should be taught, Treaty education, African American education, etc. That being because we are all linked to the success of this land we so live on today.
So when responding to that email sent by an intern I would say. Ask your students questions, like why do you like it isn't important? or say then why do we have to learn about European history? Does the colour of your skin matter, what you find is important? open the conversation up, I know it may be uncomfortable but maybe they just don't understand the concept your trying to get at because no one has asked them these controversial or uncomfortable questions.
Then after that incorporate Treaty education into lessons like math, by showing a different strategy the First Nations used to solve a math problem.