Youth build self-esteem through curriculum

Thanks to the Dene Kede curriculum, students from the Northwest Territories are beginning to demonstrate the confidence and respect of their Aboriginal heritage.
The Dene Kede curriculum is used by schools throughout the Northwest Territories to incorporate Dene language and culture into the classroom.
Shannon Payne, the Aboriginal education co-coordinator for Yellowknife Education District No.1 (Yk-1) tells Windspeaker that the Aboriginal children have really begun to demonstrate more confidence and self-esteem, and are beginning to participate more in all aspects of school.
"The children love it. In the camps (held as part of the curriculum), our Aboriginal students become the subject area experts and students who are shy and withdrawn in the classroom will show a remarkable confidence in their traditional knowledge and bush skills," she said. "Conversely, we are starting to hear non-Aboriginal kids say, "I wish I was Aboriginal!" Something unheard of even 5 years or 10 years ago."
This curriculum, which has been around since 1993 is for all schools throughout the Northwest Territories, although in communities that are predominantly Inuit, there is another document called "Inuuqatigiit" that is used.
"The curriculum is very important for creating awareness about the traditions, perspective and lifestyle of the Dene people, especially here in Yellowknife, where we are guests in the land of the Yellowknife's Dene First Nations," said Payne. "It is critical for our students to understand and respect the original peoples of this land. Also, because of the history of trauma and suffering that Aboriginal people have faced as a result of 100 years of residential schools, we have generations of Aboriginal communities who have had their culture almost completely eradicated. It will take time to rejuvenate the culture and language to a sustainable level. Our Aboriginal children are now starting to raise their heads with pride and proclaim, "'I'm Aboriginal."
According to Payne, Dene Kede is made up of over 50 themes, such as drum, rabbit, fish, dog, trapping, earth medicine, caribou, geography and land use and sun and moon.
"Themes are organized according to grade level, for a more co-ordinated teaching approach, although themes can be and are covered in more than one year depending upon the school," he said. "Teachers incorporate these themes into their other curricular areas - mainly language arts, social studies, and science. For example: a teacher may do a grade five science unit on photosynthesis, using the earth medicine theme to support the teaching, then go out on the land to tap trees, following it up with a writing assignment for LA. Our goal is to approach Dene Kede in a very holistic manner."
There are camps held as part of the curriculum, which also have seen a great response from students.
"Most of our camps are co-ordinated by the district, and we also have a few school initiated camps. Examples of activity stations include: snaring, dry meat preparation, fish preparation, moose hide scraping, and bannock making, beaver and muskrat skinning, story telling, language station and nature walking."
The objective of the curriculum according to Payne is the Elders say that as individuals, as a people, and as a species, "we must become capable in order to survive. The Dene Kede curriculum works for survival through our children. The children are viewed as our pathway into the future. It is hoped that if our children are given Dene perspectives to guide them in establishing good relationships with the land, the spiritual world, other people, and themselves, not only will our identity be maintained, but also we will all be closer to survival."
All in all the Dene Kede curriculum has had a positive impact on both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.