By Jon Perez
Elaine Sutherland believes education and further discussion on the lives of Indigenous Peoples could further inform non-Indigenous persons and debunk misconceptions about their people.
Sutherland, Education Director for the Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC), was the facilitator of a four-part Treaty Learning Series that ended on Saturday, November 25 at Queen’s House in Saskatoon.
The St. Philip Neri Parish Truth and Reconciliation Committee hosted and organized the event in cooperation with the OTC. The learning series started Oct. 28.
Sutherland and her team walked the participants from “Before Treaty,” “At Treaty,” “After Treaty,” to “Today.” The workshops were open to all.
Elaine Sutherland, Education Director for the Office of the Treaty Commissioner (Photo by Jon Perez)
Sutherland said more work still needs to be done to educate the public, particularly non-Indigenous people, on reconciliation, colonization, and the relationship that First Nations had with the British and Canadian governments.
“My goal is to educate the public about the treaties. People want to talk about reconciliation until they are blue in the face, but they want the sugar-coated version,” said Sutherlan
“Let’s talk about the truth. I thank everyone for being with me. Seeing the people in here, gives me hope for a better tomorrow,” said Sutherland.
She stressed the importance of updating the school system’s curriculum on the history of Canada after hearing from most of the people who attend her learning sessions that they did not know this history.
“They are still teaching the 30-year-old curriculum guide on the history of Canada. They updated Language Arts, Math and Science,” said Sutherland. “I found out a few days ago that they are currently working on updating the Social Studies curriculum guide to include Indigenous content.”
Sutherland, who was raised Catholic, added the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Church remain a touchy issue, especially in relation to residential schools, calling it “a can of worms.”
“We know the ones who are at Church right now, they are not the ones who did those things. But is hard to reconcile on what the Church did as an organization; what the Church did to Indigenous Peoples,” she said.
She added she is only one voice in the Indigenous community and can’t speak for everyone but she has a good relationship with the Church after growing up a strong Catholic due to in part of her late father.
Sutherland also debunked the most common myths and misconceptions about Indigenous Peoples such as that all First Nations are the same, receive a lot of free money, do not pay taxes, and get free trucks. “First Nations peoples have treaties among themselves prior to European contact and all treaties are not the same. I pay taxes just like you, but if I, as a status Indian with my card, work on reserve status land, then I don’t pay taxes,” she noted.
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Reporter Jonathan Perez is a parishioner at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon.