Chevron Left
Back to Indigenous Canada

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Indigenous Canada by University of Alberta

4.8
stars
21,724 ratings

About the Course

Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores complex experiences Indigenous peoples face today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics for the 12 lessons include the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life, art and its expressions....

Top reviews

DN

Aug 30, 2020

This is a great survey course about Indigenous Canada. As a participant, I have learned and unlearned so much about Indigenous Canadians, and more important, this course has inspired me to learn more.

JH

Feb 13, 2021

Highly recommended - I have recommended it some of my staff who are interested in both taking the course and reading the materials. I should note they are First Nations and are as interested as I was.

Filter by:

351 - 375 of 7,644 Reviews for Indigenous Canada

By Barbara H

Mar 8, 2021

I learned a tremendous amount of information - particularly the early history of Canad and how it formed. It gave me a foundation for understanding more about current events and conflicts I enjoyed the Living Traditions and the insight I gained about Indigenous art.

My one suggestion is that Week 2 has way too much information packed into one week. My head was spinning. Sometimes the short quizes ask questions that have not yet been covered by the lecture. Some of the questions in the final quizes have impossible multiple choices - more than one answer could be correct, given what was said in the lecture.

But in total, I recommend this course and feel it is doing a valuable service to the settler communities in Canada. Thank you all!!

By Heather W

Aug 10, 2021

Indigenous Studies Canada is such a helpful course. It provides such a deep and thorough insight into the traditional lifestyles of Indigenous peoples of Canada and also gave very thorough lessons into how Indigenous people interact today in this Westernized society while still making sure that their traditions thrive. Now that I have finished this course, not only do I hold more knowledge on Indigenous studies in general, I hold such respect for the Indigenous people in Canada who have experienced and are experiencing severe discrimination and racism yet they persevere and continue to fight for their land and for their rights. Thank you to the instructors for formatting such a brilliant course, I enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend!!

By Richie A

Mar 30, 2021

This is an excellent course which would be good for many many people to see and hear - all ages and all people. the historical component is simplified, as it had to have been, yet clear and hits the points which help to start people thinking about the time before and the reasons for the effects of colonization. Not that I know more but, as a researcher at Library and Archives Canada for many years, I have seen copies of so many original documents which hold so much of the recorded goings on by both sides. Great to see more awareness created by the course and to have it presently so accessibly/interactively . Now I will miss all you chatting with us online. All the best, and many thanks From Unceded Algonquin Territory Ottawa

By KERY S

Nov 7, 2020

I am not of Indigenous decent, though the history of the Nation we live in has been of great interest to me. I jumped at the opportunity to take this course. Not only to educate myself on the history of Aboriginal peoples, but to better enable myself in educating my child. I am a homeschool parent, and have been for many years. I believe that education has no expiry date. So, as a mother , and woman of over 40 years of age, I felt the need to show my child, that education is always accessible. It is important, and available to all ages, all cultures, and people. I am grateful to The University of Alberta, and The faculty of Native Studies, for making this course so accessible, informative, and interesting. Thank you, Kery Samardzija

By Sharon K

Nov 3, 2020

This course has been the most wonderful and important experience for me!

The modules were designed logically, building blocks to the end. The videos, interrupted occasionally with a surprise mini-quiz, kept me on my toes. I learned so much more than later had throughout my life and as well, from the Sunday afternoon Sunday casual study group organized by Dan Levy. Dan’s total honesty was refreshing and encouraging. We must confront our shame and sense of responsibility. Thank you so much Dr. Tracy Bear, Dr. Paul Gareau, Sara Howdle, Leah Dorion, video presenters and guest professors at the Sunday sessions. You have all gifted us with your personal time. Dan Levy, you are a very special soul. Forever grateful

Sharon Kirkham, Toronto

By Hazel J V

Sep 25, 2021

I truly appreciated learning about Aboriginal history and culture. I have spoken with many Aboriginal people, including Inuit, and have wondered why there is such a difference between folks from different areas. Now I know some of the answer.

I especially appreciate the Aboriginal concept of everything on earth working together for the good of everything. I also appreciate how sexuality was handled--inclusion and pride vs. exclusion and shame, the way I have seen many people handled. What a disgrace to European ideals.

There are a few editing errors which do not take away from the content. I'm glad I finally had the time to finish the course. I can't get some of the points out of my mind!

Thanks so much for letting me take this course.

By Abdullah B Z

Aug 10, 2023

I recently had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the "Indigenous Canada" course, and I must say, it has been an eye-opening and transformative experience. This course takes you on a profound journey into the diverse and vibrant tapestry of Indigenous cultures, history, and perspectives that have shaped our shared homeland.

Right from the beginning, the course captured my attention with its well-organized modules and captivating content. The instructors' depth of knowledge is truly commendable, and their passion for the subject shines through in every lesson. This course goes beyond surface-level information; it delves deep into the intricate nuances of Indigenous societies, their wisdom, challenges, and resilience.

By Kim l

Dec 23, 2020

This was was such an amazing opportunity to close the gap with respect to my pursuit of indigenous literature and art. My understanding of the more subtle concepts presented in the literature are better understood. Reading Thomas King’s, The Inconvenient Indian I was gobsmacked with the reference to Dead Indian and without this course I never would have gotten it. I scour the news daily now with the knowledge of references to Idle No More, AIM, UNDRIP etc., I am so much more capable of expressing empathy, anger and a litany of emotions. Thank you for the opportunity provided to learn, to grow, to feel, and most importantly to share this newfound knowledge with my peer group so they to can help change the channel. Thank you.

By Angelique D

Sep 6, 2020

Thank you so much. This course has given me the best history lesson I could have hoped for. I knew some things about Indigenous history before I enrolled but I have to say that my eyes have been opened to so much more. The lectures were interesting, engaging, thought-provoking, moving, and they have inspired me to continue with my learning. Your course has raised my awareness of the deeper roots of issues that underlie what concerns Indigenous peoples today (and of environmental issues that should be of concern to everyone). I wish this was how history was taught when I was still in school. As an educator, I hope it is how history will be taught in schools from now on. Again, thank you for this beautiful, amazing course.

By Zuzana S

Aug 18, 2020

Thank you very much for this course. I am an immigrant and have been living in Canada for 15 years. I studied at a local university and nowhere over the span of 15 years I've received a fraction of this important information. I had to study for and pass the Canadian Citizenship test - I would say the study book and the content of the citizenship test would deserve a serious revision to include "all" and not just partial information. To express my gratitude for this course I would like to say thank you for informing me, inspiring me, and motivating me to learn more. Since I've been taking this course I searched and purchased books by indigenous authors. I became a fan of "Unreserved" CBC program and much more. Thank you again.

By Kim S

Oct 5, 2021

The course complimented the basic understanding I already had of Indigenous history in Canada. I appreciated how it filled in the blanks and answered some of the questions I had. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn more about our Indigenous community members and learn about the injustices they have had to and in many ways still have to endure due to colonialism. I am encouraging others to take this course. Education is so important. This course also inspires me to do more reading and asking of questions to learn more about Indigenous culture and history. I hope to educate others from their learned misconceptions of the Indigenous. Tracy Bear has an excellent voice for speaking on the various module topics. Thank you.

By Nicole E

Jun 15, 2021

This course has opened my eyes to so many issues that I was unaware of, and has led to my seeking out further information to help me to continue my learning. This is especially poignant now, given the discovery of children's remains at the residential school in Kamloops. I am able to have discussions with others about some of the history, and I am successfully persuading several to pursue their own learning opportunities in this respect. Amazing that you have offered this course for free. THANK YOU! It is SO IMPORTANT for us to understand our history, and how our country has gotten to this place we find ourselves in now. It's way past time to do better...to be better. This provides real hope for our collective future.

By KJ E

Dec 17, 2023

Incredible and much-needed course. My maternal family is Mohawk from Kahnawá:ke. It was really wonderful to go through so much content about my own people. And also to learn more about other nations. There are so many distinct native communities with cultural uniqueness, it would take many courses to look at each one but this course did such a great job of going in depth wherever possible and looking at the larger nation groupings here. This is a really important course for the general public to be utilizing and ought to be required for everyone. The course information covers history, arts, culture, spirituality, family, philosophy, sex and gender as well as socio-political movements, and more. Loved it! Niá:wen, thank you!

By Linda H

Sep 19, 2020

I very much appreciated the teachings in this course. It was informative, as a Canadian, for me to understand the colonization of these lands and the effect it has had on the Indigenous communities. It also frustrates me to know that a lot of this has been and is happening and that the education system (particularly as I grew up) didn't teach any of this - it was, and is, happening "on my watch"!

The resilience of the first peoples here, their culture(s) and activism are inspiring, individually and collectively, and I resonate with the systemic injustice that has been demonstrated in this course. I am more aware.

Thank you for this . It has made me a bit less ignorant of the lands and peoples where I was born and raised.

By Angelika F

Oct 21, 2021

I want to thank everyone involved in producing such an informative course to help educate, inform and teach on Indigenous Canadian history and to current times. I think every Canadian should take this course. May it build unity, understanding, love and respect for our Indigenous brothers and sisters and help in reconcilliation, healing and restoring us all into healthy and loving relationships.

It deeply saddens me that so much pain, injustice and suffering has and continues to be enacted upon Indigenous people. I can stand up and be a voice of change through my actions. It starts with unlearning, relearning and learning all over again. This course was successful in facilitating this change that starts in me. Thank you!

By Monika V

Jul 2, 2020

I am internationally educated and had a strong desire to learn about Indigenous culture. Finding this course online is really helpful. Moreover, it is flexible and nicely delivered. I just carefully heard the instructors and enjoyed it while learning. Though at times, I felt a very narrow margin in quiz so far the questions are concerned still in case , I couldn't clear the quiz in 2 or 3 times , it was again thrilling to go over and over again.

I humbly thank Tracy Bear and her team for their perseverance and doing their job so beautifully. I really appreciate Leah's paintings and the way she depicted all shades of indigenous lstruggles against colonism with the help of symbols. Her paintings are really telling a tale!

By Barbara C

Nov 15, 2020

I loved this course. Besides giving me the possibility to approach a subject I did know little about, it inspired me to go on and search for more information about Indigenous Canada. I liked also the structure of the course, with readings, videos, interviews and the beautiful paintings. Thanks to the teachers and their narratives it was easy to follow. I hope in the future there will be more courses on Indigenous in Canada and North America, that will go deeper into the diversity of the indigenous populations, their culture and uses, their worldviews. Expecially now that we face the consequences of climate change, we should look more and learn from the indigenous perspective on our planet and the universe we live in.

By Michelle M

Sep 13, 2021

I really enjoyed this course. I started it when the Early Childhood Centre that I am an Early Childhood Educator level 3 at had to close because we had a staff member who contracted COID 19 and we all had to self isolate. I was going crazy and needed something to. I was on Facebook and my niece had posted something about this course and so I decided that I wanted to learn more about Indigenous people and that this would be a good way to do that. I really enjoyed the course and learned a lot. I couldn't afford to pay for the course at the time and so when I saw that I could take it for free I was very happy and very glad that I was able to complete the course, and passed it which I was very proud of myself for.

By Jason H

May 5, 2023

I was surprised how much I learned from this course. It does an admirable job of balancing traditional culture, history and contemporary concerns. I feel I have a better understanding of their perspectives. Very good. Although I have much to learn about these issues, I became interested in them through credible reports that the “enlightenment” in France and the ideas of Rousseau were likely influenced by Canadian First Nations by their social and legal systems and oratorical elegance. Though only a Small part of a big tapestry, I would have liked to see something about this, as it places the clash of colonial perspectives Into even broader significance. Thank you for your efforts which are appreciated.

By Amber E

Nov 2, 2020

It was very interesting and educating. I enjoyed the intro music to each session and having the printed notes. It took pressure off pausing the video and taking notes. I live in the PNW of the US and while this is based for Canada, I have noticed quite a bit of relevance to this course. In reading the signs and notes at various spots in our area. The information was there all along, but I never understood the information and the relevance so it's been awesome to see it in my everyday life. The information and relevance has been there all along, but it was never presented to us this way in our education system so I'm grateful for the information in this course and would be interested in other courses like it.

By Sarah L

Oct 26, 2020

I really enjoyed this course and while I realize that this is the tip of the iceberg, it was a great introduction and has given me a few things to investigate further. I did want to point out too (sorry) that in the final lesson, there were a couple of inconsistencies - Enspanola, Sask in the reading material is Espanola, Ontario in the video, Calgary Winter Olympics of 1986 in reading and 1988 on video, and Rebecca's Belmore's "Fringe" in reading materials and "Trace" on video. Thank you so much for providing this course free of charge. It really was a privilidge. My first baby-sitter (also my best friend's mom) is a Residential School Survivor so I found that topic especially interesting. Thanks again.

By WILLIAM R

Aug 10, 2022

I was really sorry when the course ended. It was completely enjoyable and wonderful to get history presented by Indigenous people. Nothing like the way it was presented during public and high school .

I grew up in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) and can recall perhaps one Metis student in classes during the 1950's. Quite a different story now and sad to see my hometown getting the label of "the racist capital of Canada" but seemingly doing everything possible to earn if.

Every elected politician and law enforcement worker (police, lawyers, judges) should be required to complete this course as should as many other Canadians as possible.

Thank you so much for the experience and kudos to the presenters!!

Bill Rajala

By Heather R

Oct 4, 2021

This was a very long course but all material was needed and excellent. Despite enjoying it, it took me quite awhile to finish it but it was not due to lack of interest. Like Black History, Indigenous History is also missing from our curriculum. Or if it is there it has colonialism views. Personally, I think every Canadian needs to take this course. I have told many people about it and was pleased that some have shown an interest in taking the course or have taken it in the past. I would love to be able to be given permission to use the University of Alberta and the Indigenous Canada logos on my website to advertise this course.

I wonder is there a Community to address Canada to make UNDRIP legally binding?

By Sandrine B

Jul 20, 2021

Chère faculté, Je vous remercie de nous offrir ce cours sur l'histoire, la culture, les combats, les tragédies, les injustices et les victoires de la communauté indigène. J'ai beaucoup appris et j'ai beaucoup de respect pour le peuple indigène. Il est vibrant, captivant, vivant et il force l'admiration. Il a puisé dans sa diversité, ses échecs face à la colonisation européenne et il a constamment observé et appris de ses ancêtres. J'espère sincèrement que le processus de réconciliation nationale, de restitution des terres et de reconnaissance des peuples indigènes va avancer. C'est notre histoire et nous devons la reconnaître, l'apprendre et la partager dans toute sa diversité. Avec une profonde gratitude.

By Ewan B

Jan 4, 2021

This was a wonderful course and filled some gaping holes in my knowledge. I guess the biggest hole was my belief, as an elementary school student in the 1960's, of believing that the residential school system had ended. To understand that it continued until 1996 devastates me. I first became interested in Indigenous relations in Canada when I watched the episode in "Canada: A People's History" that described the British genocide of the indigenous peoples by the distribution of small pox laced blankets. I believe in equality for all and this course further pushes me to teach this distinction and the needs that we, as European Canadians, must work diligently to accept native cultures, land claims and rights.