Bob Gronowski
FNSS Curriculum Integration Project
Grade: 11
Lesson 1: The Team Game
Time: 1 hour
Topic:
Self Government & the Indian Act –“ The Team Game” will portray paternalism and inequality.
Rationale:
The Indian Act of 1876 has caused inequities between Native and non-Native people. Selfgovernment would help to alleviate the inequality.
Materials and Resources:
4 dictionaries
Overhead projector
“Indian Act of 1876” Notes for transparency included
Reward for the winning team (jelly beans)
Main concepts:
 The Indian Act was imposed on aboriginal people.
 It has been a hindrance to Native culture and economic development.
 Self government would help provide stability and allow for self-reliance
 Students will become aware of how the Indian Act contributed to the destruction of
self-determination by Native people.
 The Indian Act did not provide equality for all people living in Canada.
 The current fight for self-government is a just cause.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
 Demonstrate awareness of the provisions of the Indian Act and its impact on the citizenship
of Aboriginal Canadians
 Demonstrate understanding of the history and present status of Aboriginal land claims and
self-government in Canada
 Recognize connections between events and their causes, consequences, and implications
 Identify elements that contribute to the regional, cultural, and ethnic diversity of Canadian
society
 Develop and express appropriate responses to issues or problems
 Reassess their responses to issues on the basis of new information
 Describe the role of Canada’s First Nations peoples in shaping Canadian identity
 Demonstrate the ability to think critically, including the ability to;
o Define an issue or problem
o Develop hypothesis and supporting arguments
 Communicate effectively in written and spoken language or other forms of expression, as
appropriate the social sciences.
Vocabulary in Material:
Assimilation
Colonialism
Indian Act
Indian Agent
Enfranchise
Impose
Paternalism
Ward
Self Government
Planned Learning Activities:
Split the class into two teams of relatively equal size (boys/girls, blue/brown eyes). Tell them that
they will have 20 minutes to compose as many words as they can out of the word “paternalism”
and that the winning team will get a better mark. Have team “A” select a captain however they
wish. Team “B” may choose a captain from the two students with the shortest hair. Give each
team captain a dictionary and keep one for yourself and another teacher. Team “A” must check all
words with their captain and then every 5 words with you before they may be added to their official
list. Team “B” must check with their captain as well, but the captain must get approval from the
teacher for every two words, before adding to their list. The 2nd teacher would ideally be located
down the hall. The 2nd teacher must look up every word, keep a copy of the list and occasionally be
“too busy” to look up each word on demand. Team “B” should occasionally be given jellybeans to
keep them happy. Call time after 20 minutes and have each team read their list of words from their
“official” lists. Award the winning team with “bogus” bonus marks. A reflective writing should be
done at this time. (Fairness, different rules etc.) After the writing is collected discuss what
happened. Draw a brief comparison between Natives and non-Natives and the Indian Act of 1876.
Homework Assignment: Write a definition of paternalism in your own words and give a minimum of
two examples.
Assessment/Evaluation:
1. Participation during the “team” activity.
2. Write one or two paragraphs of reflective writing after the “team” activity.
Extensions:
Gifted Student Activities:
Research self-government issues in Australia, Africa, or South America. Current Federal
Government interest in making changes to the Indian Act and possible motivation may be
researched.
Special Student Activities:
What is the difference between being told what to do and choosing what to do? Is it better to
choose or have choices? Write, draw or talk about examples: cleaning your room, doing chores,
etc.
Other Integration Opportunities:
1. Voting rights and legal representation in Parliament.
2. Violation of democratic ideology.
3. Discussion of political ideology.
Resources Used and Supplementary Materials Available:
The Indian Act and What It Means, Union of B.C Indian Chiefs, 700-73 Water St., Vancouver, B.C.,
V6B1A1
Shaking off paternalism, Darshan Lindsay, A3-A4, Capital News, May 4th, 1994, 2495 Enterprise
Way, Kelowna, B.C., V1X 7K2
The Inherent Right to Self-Government, Fred R. Fenwick, 40-41, Law Now, Feb/ Mar. 1999
What’s the deal with treaties? B.C Treaty Commission 2000 (video and booklet) 203-1155 West
Pender St. Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2P4
Course Manual, First Nations Study 1, Open Learning Agency
Bringing BC Together, The Nisga’a Treaty, Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Victoria B.C., 1998
Web Sites
Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada, Denis Wall, Ph.D. www.ualberta.ca
Negotiations Completed on Westbank First Nation Self-Government Agreement www.aincinac.gc.ca/nr/prs/m-a2000/2-00148_e.html
Indian Act, Department of Justice,
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/I-5/index.html
Canada’s Native Peoples, About Canada, www.pch.gc.ca/csppec/english/about/native/index.htm#SELF-DETERMINATION
NOTE: Indian Act Information Transparency information below:
General Features Of The Indian Act of 1876
 the first of many versions
 determines who was “Indian”
 status meant that you qualified under the Act
 losing status meant losing your community
Defining “Status Indian”
 any male person of First Nations blood belonging to a band
 the children of such a person
 his wife
 women lost status by not marrying a status person
 status could be lost if born out of a legal marriage
 status could be lost if you were out of the country for more than 5 years
Enfranchisement
 under the Act a First Nations person could not vote
 could vote if after a three year probation period they:
- became literate in English or French
- were free of debt
- had strong moral character
 could vote if they earned a university degree or:
- became a doctor
- became a lawyer
- became a priest
- became teachers
Enfranchisement Con’t
- given the vote meant that full rights as a citizen also applied
- could own land
- could consume alcohol
 given a portion of home reserve land to own
 this meant that the Indian Act no longer applied to them
 they could not go home to live with their families
 this section of the Act was repealed in 1985
Band Government
 replaced any traditional governments the band may have had
 chief and counsel elected under supervision of the Indian agent
 chief could be thrown out of office by the Canadian government for
dishonesty, intemperance, immorality or incompetence
Powers of the Band Council
 the care of public health
 observe order and decorum at assemblies
 repression of intemperance and profligacy
 prevent trespass by cattle
 maintenance of roads, bridges, ditches and fences
 construction and repair of school houses and public buildings on
reserves
 establish pounds and appoint a pound keeper
Indian Lands
 reserve lands are property of the Canadian government
 are held “in Trust”
 couldn’t be sold, mortgaged, leased or seized without govt. consent
Indian Agent
 Canadian government appointed representative
 controlled everything the Indian Act dealt with
 could veto band decisions
 issued passes to allow Natives to leave the reserve
 agents were gradually phased out
Potlatch/Sundance
 ceremonies outlawed in 1884 through an amendment to the Act
Pursuit of Claims
 was made illegal for a lawyer or anyone else to accept money for:
- pursuit of land claims
- pursuit of any issue involving First Nations people
General Government Policy
 main thrust was assimilation
 wanted to replace Native culture
 the main tool was the residential school
Bob Gronowski
Lesson # 1
Self Government & The Indian Act
Grade 11
Summative Criteria:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Criteria
Ratings
Comments
_________________________________________________________________________________
Game was used to
extract interesting and
relevant information
4
3
2
1
pertaining to the reality
of paternalism/unfairness
_________________________________________________________________________________
Student demonstrates
an understanding of
the important ideas
4
3
2
1
about the topic (through
interaction and activities)
_________________________________________________________________________________
The student uses effective
communication throughout
4
3
2
1
the discussions
_________________________________________________________________________________
Group participation and
cooperation
4
3
2
1
_________________________________________________________________________________
Is able to appreciate another
perspective and value
4
3
2
1
its worth
_________________________________________________________________________________
Reflective writing entry
demonstrates a clear
understanding of concepts
4
3
2
1
studied
_________________________________________________________________________________
Reflective writing
entry is organized and
4
3
2
1
easy to follow
______________________________________________________________________________
Homework assignment is
completed with a minimum
4
3
2
1
of 2 examples given
________________________________________________________________________________
Total:
/32
Key:
4-Powerful
3-Good
2-Basic
1-Beginning