Conflicts and Lessons in First Nations Secondary Education: An Analysis of B CFirst Nations Studies

Abstract

In the Canadian and United States public education systems, knowledge about thehistory and culture of Indigenous peoples has historically been excluded from ormisrepresented in social studies curricula. This exclusion and misrepresentationreinforces the oppression of Indigenous peoples in society at large. This studyexamines efforts to develop and teach a course that counters this history ofmisrepresentation. Through an investigation of British Columbia's secondary-levelsocial studies course entitled BC First Nations Studies, this article explores thetensions that arise in teaching about the history and culture of Indigenous peoples inthe public education system. An analysis of these tensions examines how they arerelated to deeper issues of epistemology, pedagogical values, and legitimation andthus provides useful lessons for educators teaching Indigenous studies and foreducators in general who struggle to implement education as the practice of liberationin the mainstream education system.