This report was prepared by the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS)
for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. A long-time supporter of the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS), Tim Thompson (Mohawk, Hotinonshón:ni) has said that the time has come for our curricula and our classrooms to prepare us for “our beautiful walk together.” Walking in Beauty is a concept he presented at a 1998 meeting about how to improve Aboriginal Studies secondary school curriculum in Ontario.
In 2000-2001, the CAAS conducted a national Student Awareness Survey, measuring awareness, attitudes and knowledge of facts about Aboriginal Peoples’ histories, cultures, worldviews and current concerns. Five hundred and nineteen young adults (460 Canadian, 35 Aboriginal and 24 Newcomer students in first year university and college courses across Canada) responded to this 12-page survey. This report shares their answers.