Are schools giving us all of the facts?

Page 4

Editorial

Several years ago, one of the greatest criticisms about education curriculum materials focusing on Native people, history and issues had to do with how Natives were portrayed and the existence of multiple inaccuracies, omissions and negative stereotyping. Simply put, certain materials did not present a true reflection of the Native world and often, such material was counter-productive, due to biased viewpoints within the text.

To compensate, Alberta Education embarked on a mission which, on the surface, appeared as if it might resolve the enigma. It unveiled a plan that would hopefully right the wrongs of curriculum. The province established the Native Education Project (NEP), a department that would organize, promote, monitor and fund the development of Native textbooks for use in schools throughout the province. The labor was conducted by local representatives of the Native and non-Native community ? what the NEP coined as "a mutualistic mode" and involved teachers and lay people.

Last month, the fifth of a series of nine books on Native people rolled off the presses. Visually, they are very attractive and well illustrated but how accurate and meaningful are they?

Just how "mutualistic" have the writing projects been? How many of the participants were Native and how many were non-Native? What amount and type of input did the two groups have in what was ultimately produced? Is the end product a factual and fair representation of the subject matter?

The books now in print include two about eh Metis and one each on the Blood, Peigan and Sarcee Indians. Already, behind the scenes, there have been some rumblings that the books are not what they should be, that they require modifications. If such is the case, who will see to it that changes are made? If the concerns are not true, there is no need to pursue the matter further.

Who evaluated the material is a legitimate concern of the Native community. This leaves us with one final question. What ratifies the material produced and what qualifies them to do so?