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Geography
and Land Use
"Please open my tent flap so I can see my land once more
before I die." - (from a story told by George Blondin:
Deline, Jan. 1991)
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Primary Objective:
The Dene elders have said that the land,
Mother Earth, is life itself. If life is to continue,the
land must be cared for. Students will understand the
importance and meaning of their relationship to the
land. The land has meant life and death to the people.
The story of Dene people is told in the names given to
places on the land including historically used places,
and in the stories which come from there. Students will
know that there are places identified in legends that
have a 'living force', places that are sacred. The
elders see that the children must become keepers of the
land. Children must be given love of the land. From love
will come respect, care, a sense of responsibility, a
pride of tribe and homeland, and identification with the
ideals connected to |
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Students will:
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See the land as full, rich and life giving.
(K-6)
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Know that traditional land etiquette
protected the land in the same way as
environmental practices of today intend to
protect the land. (K-6)
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Know that the Dene have always attached much
importance and meaning to the land. The land has
meant life and death to the people. Most areas
that were named were somehow significant to the
survival of the people. Know the Dene names:
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Important landmarks around the
community. (K-3)
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Traditionally important hunting areas.
(5-6)
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Places where people camp frequently.
(3-6)
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Historically used trails. (6)
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Places where significant things happened
long ago. (5-6)
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Understand the Dene perspective in which
land is something to be respected and adapted
to, rather than conquered. (5-6)
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Be aware of economic factors relating to
demand for land and use of land. (6)
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Be familiar with environmental practices.
(K-6)
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Experiences:
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Visit, explore and study important landmarks
around the community. (K-6)
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Mapping with elders. (5-6)
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Begin student involvement in research for
Dene land use. (5-6)
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Spend quiet and reflective time on the land
during changes in seasons and/or in weather so
that students can see, taste, feel, hear and
smell the land and its subtle changes. (K-6)
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Have students keep a record of all that they
see which comes from the land over a period of
time. (K-4)
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Students sit in their own space in the bush
very quietly for some time, and then go back to
class to report on what they saw, felt, heard.
(K-6)
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Students, with the help of the teacher,
identify members of the community they would
like to have come to class to talk about
Spiritual Powers of the land. (5-6)
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Research ways of using the land which are in
keeping with the Dene perspective about the land
(e.g. resource and trapping outposts). (6)
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Write stories that describe use and
preservation of the land into the future. (6)
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Describe what can be done to attract
tourists to the local area. (6)
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Students will:
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Know that each region was occupied by
certain tribes. (5-6)
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Know that place names are evidence of a
history and a past with the land. It is the
most important piece of evidence the Dene
have to show that they have used the land
since time immemorial. This is what gives
the Dene rights as users of the land, and
has been crucial in the land claims
negotiation process. Dene place names are a
form of recorded Dene history. (5-6)
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Be familiar with the concept of "user's
right": families tend to use their own space
for hunting and trapping over the years.
(3-6)
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Know that the Dene have traditionally
named places by describing them rather than
after people. Naming after people appears
somewhat arrogant to the Dene. (5-6)
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Experiences:
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Visit historically significant and
important places and learn their story.
(5-6)
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Locate historically important places on
a map of the region. (5-6)
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Have students exposed to and interact
with artifacts from the land. These can be
obtained in the form of kits from the Prince
of Wales Museum in Yellowknife. (3-6)
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Have members of student's family come to
class to mark family hunting or trapping
territory on a class map. This can be done
during parent teacher meetings. (3-6)
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Compare the way that Dene traditionally
named land with the way that the non-Dene
have named land. (5-6)
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Share information with others about
historical geography and names. (5-6)
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Compare Dene situation with southern
Canadian native land situation. (6)
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reserve lands
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use of land
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