Incorporating FNMI Knowledge

Infusing FNMI content will be a priority of mine. I believe that it is important that
students know about the different communities around them, as well as the history of the land
that we are on. To me, incorporating or infusing means just that. FNMI content is not a
sidenote, or a topic that is covered once everything else is done. FNMI content needs to be
actively and continuously incorporated into all subject areas. Knowledge of culture, games,
traditions, and stories should be heard throughout the curriculum.
It is important that I do my best to educate students on FNMI history and culture, but it
is equally, if not more, important that FNMI voices are heard. This can be done by inviting
community members into the classroom to talk about their histories. This would also be a way
to increase community involvement and connections in the classroom. However, incorporation
does not always need to be this elaborate. Hearing FNMI voices can also come from watching
videos about FNMI history, or engaging with text, video, or audio that is produced by FNMI
people.
Recognizing special days or events during the year can help educate and incorporate
FNMI content into the classroom. For example, recognizing orange shirt day and learning about
the origins of it could turn into a lesson. Reading Phyllis’s Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad and
having students reflect on the story would be a good way to give meaning to orange shirt day.
Incorporating FNMI games or activities into physical education, using FNMI related examples
for math questions, or learning indigenous names for places on the map are all ways to infuse
FNMI knowledge into the different subject areas.
I recognize that doing all of these things will require an ongoing effort and commitment
to the incorporation of FNMI content, but I believe that it is worth the effort. Over time and
with practice, incorporation of this content should become second nature. Rather than taking a
break from a lesson or unit to talk about FNMI content, it will be infused and inseparable from
the lessons.