A. Heritage and Identity · Changing Family and Community Traditions

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Traditions

A3 A1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe some traditions and celebrations of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.
I can explain that these traditions are connected to the land and the seasons.
I can explain that some traditions were taken away unfairly, and that families and communities are keeping them strong today.
I can talk about these traditions respectfully.

Words to know

Indigenous peoples
The First Peoples of the land now called Canada: First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

powwow
A gathering and celebration of many First Nations, with drumming, singing and dancing. Many powwows welcome visitors.

regalia
The special clothing a dancer wears at a powwow. It is often handmade and has deep meaning. It is not a costume.

Elder
A person respected by the community for their knowledge, wisdom and teachings.

throat singing
An Inuit tradition. Often two people (usually women) face each other and make sounds with their voice and breath, like a friendly game.

sash
A long, colourful woven belt. The Métis sash is an important symbol of Métis culture.

Traditions that are thousands of years old

In Grade 1 you learned that First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples are the First Peoples of the land now called Canada, and that Elders share knowledge and teachings.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have many traditions. Some are thousands of years old, and people still keep them today. Each nation and community has its own traditions, languages and celebrations. They are not all the same!

Traditions connected to the land

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit traditions are connected to the land, the water and the seasons. People give thanks for what the land gives them, and they take only what they need.

Tall green wild rice plants growing in the shallow water of a calm lake, with a canoe at the shore and pine trees behind. — Wild rice, or manoomin, grows in shallow lakes. Anishinaabe peoples have harvested it from canoes in late summer and fall for a very long time. AI-generated image

Some First Nations traditions in Ontario follow the seasons. These are only a few examples. Each nation has its own.

People	Some traditions
First Nations (for example, Anishinaabe peoples)	Making maple syrup and maple sugar at the sugar bush in early spring. Harvesting wild rice (manoomin) from canoes in late summer and fall. Telling certain stories only in winter, when there is snow on the ground.
First Nations (for example, Haudenosaunee peoples)	Saying words of thanks, called the Thanksgiving Address, to open gatherings, giving thanks to the people, water, plants, animals and more. Giving thanks for the first strawberries in early summer. Playing lacrosse, a game first played by Indigenous peoples.
Many First Nations	Powwows, with drumming, singing and dancing in regalia. Many are held in the summer.
Métis	Fiddle music and jigging (a fast dance with quick steps). Wearing the colourful Métis sash. Beautiful flower beadwork. Gathering on Louis Riel Day, November 16, to remember an important Métis leader.
Inuit	Throat singing and drum dancing. Inuit games that test strength and balance, like the one-foot high kick. Sharing country food (food from the land and sea, like caribou, seal and Arctic char) with family and community.

A few examples. Each nation and community has its own traditions.

A few traditions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. Each nation and community has many more of its own.

Visiting a powwow

Many First Nations communities in Ontario hold powwows, and many of them welcome visitors. At a powwow:

The drum and singers are at the centre. Many people say the drum's beat is like a heartbeat.
Dancers come in together at the Grand Entry.
Dancers wear regalia. Regalia is often handmade by family members and has special meaning. We say regalia, not "costume", and we never touch it without asking.
Listen to the MC (the announcer). Sometimes they ask everyone to stand, or to not take pictures. Always ask before taking photos of people.

Traditions that were taken away, and kept alive

This part is sad, but it is true and important.

For a long time, many First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were sent to residential schools, far from their families. There, many children were not allowed to speak their languages or practise their traditions. For many years, Canadian laws also did not allow some First Nations ceremonies. This was wrong and unfair.

But First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples kept their traditions alive. Some families kept them secretly. Today, communities are bringing traditions back strongly: children are learning their languages, young Inuit are learning throat singing, Métis kids are learning to jig, and Elders are teaching songs, stories and ceremonies.

Learning respectfully

Use the names of nations and peoples when you can (Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Cree, Métis, Inuit).
Talk about First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in the present, not only the past. They live all across Canada today.
Some ceremonies are sacred or private. We learn about them only when communities choose to share.
Never dress up in pretend "costumes" of Indigenous clothing or headdresses. That is disrespectful.

Worked example

Example: Let's match traditions to the people

Match each tradition to First Nations, Métis or Inuit, using the chart.

Two women face each other and throat sing.
A family jigs to fiddle music and wears a woven sash.
An Anishinaabe family harvests wild rice from a canoe.

1. Throat singing is an Inuit tradition.
2. Jigging to fiddle music and the sash are Métis traditions.
3. Harvesting wild rice (manoomin) is a tradition of Anishinaabe First Nations.

1 = Inuit, 2 = Métis, 3 = First Nations (Anishinaabe).

Worked example

Example: How did this tradition change?

Read this story about a made-up family.

When Nookomis (Grandma) was a little girl, she was sent to a residential school. She was not allowed to speak her language there, and she forgot many words. Today, her granddaughter Maya learns Anishinaabemowin at school and at a summer language camp. Every Sunday, Maya teaches Nookomis a new word, and Nookomis remembers more words, too!

Then: Nookomis was not allowed to speak her language at residential school.
Why it changed: an unfair rule stopped children from speaking their languages.
Now: Maya is learning the language, and she is helping Nookomis remember it.
What it shows: the language was almost lost, but the family is bringing it back. The tradition is growing strong again.

The language was taken away by unfair rules, but Maya's family is keeping it alive today.

Hands-on activity

Listen, learn and give thanks

Pick one or more:

A. Listen and learn. With a grown-up, find a video shared by a First Nations, Métis or Inuit organization or artist of a powwow drum song, a Métis jig or Inuit throat singing. Listen carefully. Talk about what you heard and how it made you feel.

B. A thanks circle. Many Haudenosaunee gatherings begin by giving thanks. Before supper, take turns giving thanks for one thing from the land or water (like clean water, apples, trees or snow).

C. Seasons wheel. Draw a circle and split it into four parts for the seasons. In each part, draw one tradition from this lesson that happens in that season.

Find out: Is there a powwow or Indigenous cultural event near you that welcomes visitors?

Your turn

Name the three groups of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Name one First Nations tradition.

Name one Métis tradition.

Name one Inuit tradition.

What do we call the special clothing worn by powwow dancers?

Why were many traditions almost lost?

True or false: First Nations, Métis and Inuit traditions only happened long ago.

More practice: warm-up

In which season do people collect maple sap at the sugar bush?

What is the Anishinaabe word for wild rice?

What instrument is at the centre of a powwow?

What colourful woven belt is a symbol of Métis culture?

What should you do before taking a photo of someone at a powwow?

More practice: on your own

Why do many First Nations, Métis and Inuit traditions follow the seasons?

Why should we say regalia and not "costume"?

What is country food, and what do many Inuit families do with it?

How are communities keeping traditions alive today? Give two examples.

What happens on Louis Riel Day?

Challenge

How is the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address like Canadian Thanksgiving in October? How is it different?

Why do you think it matters that Maya's grandma is learning her language again from Maya?

Some ceremonies are private. Why is it respectful to learn about them only when communities choose to share?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Who are the First Peoples of the land now called Canada?

Which is an Inuit tradition?

Powwow dancers wear...

Which is a Métis tradition?

Why were many First Nations, Métis and Inuit traditions almost lost?

Which sentence is true?

Wild rice (manoomin) is harvested in...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have many distinct traditions, often tied to the land and seasons, that continue today. Residential schools and laws (for example, the former bans on some ceremonies) tried to stop these traditions; communities kept them alive and are revitalizing them now. The 2023 revision of Ontario's Grades 1 to 3 social studies curriculum strengthened required learning about First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and this lesson is part of that.

How to help at home:

Find out whose traditional territory you live on, and look for local Indigenous cultural events or powwows that welcome the public (check the host's visitor guidelines).
Choose books, music and videos made by First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators.
Visit a sugar bush in early spring if one near you offers visits, and talk about who first made maple sugar here.

Talking about residential schools: keep it short and truthful: children were taken from their families and not allowed to speak their languages; this was wrong; communities are bringing their languages and traditions back. Reassure your child that they are safe. Details are not needed at this age.

Avoid stereotypes: no "dress-up" costumes or headdresses; speak about Indigenous peoples in the present tense; use specific nation names; and remember that the examples here are a small sample. If your family is First Nations, Métis or Inuit, your own family's and community's teachings come first.