Hadih, tansi, atelihai, aanii, kuei, Ɂedlanet’e, boozhoo, kwe’, hau, oki!

The Moose Hide Learning Journey is designed to support teachers in offering just such a learning environment while providing students with opportunities to explore alternative values and perspectives that respect and honour women and children. The following steps provide guidance to help students to find the moral courage, integrity and confidence to embark on their own personal learning journey about the truths for Indigenous women and children, and all women and children, in this country related to violence and discrimination.

Step 1 - open my eyes

Explore the truths about violence against Indigenous women and children in Canada, in your home territory, in your home community. This might be in the form of…

  • Research news articles on line
  • Examine the statistics found in the 107 plus inquiries, commissions and reports that have been undertaken over the past 50 plus years on a national and regional scale.
  • Research the stories of survivors of violence or the families of those women and children lost to violence in your community and across the country.
  • Hear the testimony and experience of survivors of violence or the families of those women and children lost to violence in your community.
  • Explore the root causes of violence against women and children historically and currently.
Step 2 - My own backyard
  • Who was harmed?
  • By whom were they harmed?
    • Acts of racism
    • Random acts of gender based violence
    • Family members
  • How did this happen?
  • How does this continue to happen?
    • Structural violence
    • Domestic violence
    • Unresolved trauma
    • Gender Violence
    • Societal norms
    • Disconnectedness of humanity
    • Desensitization to violence
    • Apathy
  • What can we do to change this?
  • What can I do to impact change in my own life?
Step 3 - In to Me I see
  • Examine the roles of women and children in your family and community that has molded your ideals and perspectives.
  • Highlight positive, respectful, honouring views about women and children and build on your strengths in this area.
  • Deconstruct the negative, inaccurate and disrespectful views about women and children that you have developed to determine where they come from.
  • Create an action plan for yourself to alter your thinking to bring yourself to a better path.
  • Create an action plan for yourself to effect change in your own family, class and community.
Step 4 - Keep the Fire burning

Changing societal norms, long standing worldviews and unacceptable actions does not happen through isolated activities.  Create a classroom or school wide plan to ensure that learning is ongoing, actions and activities happen throughout the year and that learning happens at every grade level.

Consider making Moose Hide Day an annual event in your school. Your Moose Hide Day will be a great way to honour and celebrate the actions for change that have happened over the year and to commit to next steps in the year to come.

Some Moose Hide Campaign events could include:

  • Walks to end violence
  • Fasting ceremonies in high schools OR fathers fasting for the women and children in their lives in elementary schools (Read more about fasting here.)
  • Ceremonies to honour women and children in the traditional ways of the people of the territory
  • Ceremonies to honour men who are walking the path of honour in their value for, and treatment of women and children.

Send us a new story, video, newsletter or other communication about your Moose Hide Day activities each year highlighting the good work being done in your school.