Indigenous Education

Wampum Belts

Principals representing all 102 schools at HWDSB received symbolic, beaded wampum belts Sept. 13, 2017, in a ceremony that highlighted the Board’s commitment to improve relationships with Indigenous people, knowledges and practices.

The Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt, to be displayed at each school, represents a treaty relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Anishnaabe with respect to sharing the land and resources therein.

Schools and departments will use the wampum as a teaching and learning tool, agreeing to keep it visible, accessible and safe for all to use; they may work with Indigenous staff or community members to broaden understanding and use of the wampum.

“Thank you for continuing to push us and lead us,” Director of Education Manny Figueiredo said at a meeting of principals. HWDSB accepted a wampum at the Board level in June, 2017, and has adopted a new community-vetted Land Acknowledgement that is said before meetings.

HWDSB’s commitment to Indigenous education emerges from a context that has seen Indigenous knowledge historically excluded and marginalized in Canada. Ontario has committed to working with Indigenous partners in education, with a focus on closing the achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.