Indigenous Culture Based Learning in Alberta Curriculum

Please note that the teachings and videos featured on this website are based on the Woodland Cree Peoples’ ways of knowing and being in the Northwestern region of Alberta. The knowledge, customs, protocols, and practices shared here have been gained through a lifetime of teachings from family and Elders, deeply rooted in Cree/Métis spiritual and subsistence lifestyle.

APLC acknowledges that we all have different teachings and different protocols and practices in our own communities, and encourages users to consult with their local Elders regarding local practices and customs. This website represents the way of passing knowledge as it was taught to Wapastim. Ninaskamon.

Indigenous Culture Based Learning in Alberta Curriculum

The resources found on this site were developed by Alberta Professional Learning Consortia (APLC) as a result of grants from Alberta Education to support implementation. All resources have been reviewed and approved by various Cree and Métis Elders and Knowledge Keepers in northern Alberta.

 

 

Background and History

Nothing can replace the valuable learning experience that happens, in person, with Knowledge Keepers and Elders, on the land or in our classrooms. However, for teachers and students that may not be able to consistently access those experiences, we have created this website.

Influenced by the learning needs of students in their communities, the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Educational Authority (KTCEA) procured a grant to develop a common consistent curriculum that included connections to Nehiyaw (Cree) ways of knowing and being. 

From the summer of  2019 to the summer of 2023, Northwest Regional Learning Consortium (NRLC) of the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC) partnered with the KTCEA to host various grade level teachers and over 20 Elders and Knowledge Keepers for workshops, to collaborate on embedding connections to Nehiyaw (Cree) ways of knowing and being into the four core subjects of Alberta curriculum documents from Grade 1 to Grade 12. These documents were made available to the province as ARPDC resources, through the creation of the website in 2020. 

In 2023/24, ARPDC redesigned and refreshed the website to reflect Alberta’s updated Kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum documents and to include culture based teaching videos and learning resources to support classroom instruction. ARPDC Designers of Professional Learning, along with a team of over 10 Cree and Métis Elders and Knowledge Keepers, updated, created and vetted the many resources across the site. 

The Nehiyaw suggestions found in the curriculum documents on this website can also be directly linked to Outdoor Education courses and High School CTS Natural Resources courses, including Environmental Stewardship; Forestry; Primary Resources; Wildlife.

 

 

 

Participating Elders stated: 

“The website honors Cree and Metis teaching. I’m very proud to see cultural teachings being shared”. (Evelyn Noskey, Loon River)

“I love how it focuses on the beauty, strength, complexity and depth of our cultures.” (Cheryl Devin, Metis District 8)

“As a Cree Elder, living the life of a Nehiyaw, it is heartwarming to see our culture and language is being taught with our belief of the interconnectedness of all living things in mind. It is how we live our life.” (Kathleen Laboucan, Woodland Cree)