This semester in Indigenous Studies, we have been discussing myths and stereotypes of Indigenous peoples and working to replace them with more accurate understandings and images. I have learned the importance of terminology and that terms must always be used carefully. For example, the capitalization of the ‘I’ in “Indigenous people” and the ‘m’ in “Métis” are important to the meanings of those words. I have also learned about the significance of land and land ownership to Indigenous peoples and about different types of treaties and the way different groups of people benefit from them. I’ve learned about status and how status is determined. Additionally, I’ve learned about residential schools, which is a topic that I had never discussed in depth in the classroom. Last but not least, I have learned about Indigenous people and media. The main topic I have been exploring in FNIS over the past few months is the presence and representation of Indigenous peoples in film. This is the topic of my Big Idea portfolio and through my research for this project, I have gained a better understanding of the negative effects of poor representation in the media as well as the ways Indigenous people benefit from the opportunity to use film as a platform for self-representation. This course is truly a unique and eye-opening experience.
Big Idea Project:
Representation of Indigenous People in Film