Lesson at a glance
You'll collect information on the current state of your land division, including data from the most recent census, community and cultural organizations, and any work or projects being done to restore Indigenous cultural or physical landscapes.

What we are looking at here are cultural preservation and community developments today.

Key Concepts: Population statistics; cultural preservation; local action.

Lesson Outcomes: You will:

• analyze the population breakdown for your census tract
• compile a list of community cultural groups
• plan a course of future development for your area.

Tools

• Census figures or population data for your area or island entity
• Zoning map of your area, if applicable
• A local telephone directory -- Yellow Pages.
• Graph paper

Exercises

Exercise 1: People
Website: Onwards > People

Using census data, look at the population breakdown for your area with particular attention to the following categories:

• Ethnic Origin
• Age
• Income

Use graph paper to make simple bar-charts to show the structure of the population in terms of each of the above three categories.
Discuss what this information tells you about your community.

Exercise 2: Land Use and Zoning
Website: Onwards > Village

Traditional land division systems produced self-sustained units in which all necessary resources could be found. Looking at the zoning map (and other maps, as necessary) of your land division today, discuss the new “land-use” zones that have arisen. Compare these to what you know about traditional zones.

Is your area “self sufficient?” Or do you have to travel outside of it to get what you need. If you need to go elsewhere, where do you go?

Exercise 3: Community
Website: Onwards > Village

The purpose of this exercise is to call attention to what is going on in your community.

Identify the active community groups in your area that are focused on cultural or environmental issues, with particular attention to those with indigenous focus. For example:

• Dance or Music Schools
• Canoe Clubs
• Language Immersion programs
• Arts

Are these popular activities? What do you think about the importance of preserving these arts and traditions?

Exercise 4: Replanting
Website: Onwards > Replanting

This page focuses on both physical replanting—preserving or recreating the environment and/or restoring traditional agriculture, or cultural replanting—restoring and preserving cultural practices. You can focus on either, or both.

We looked at agriculture on the Land > Planting page. To what extent does agriculture—traditional or otherwise—remain in your land division? Are you fed directly from your land?

To what extent does education promote and preserve cultural values? Compare to other communities.

Exercise 5: Sacred Sites
Website: Onwards > Sacred Sites

In Lesson 2—“Native Place”—and Lesson 5—“Footprints”—we looked at important cultural sites in your area.

How are these sites being treated today?

What laws, practices, or policies protect and preserve them?

To what extent are these sites utilized by the community today? Do you feel they should be? Or should they be left alone? Is it appropriate for tourists to visit these sites?

Exercise 6: Onwards
Website: Onwards > Farewell

You have now collected a great deal of information about your land division, and are intimately familiar with its history and transformation, its resources and its people.

If you were a Government Planner, what would you want to do for the future of your area? Use a blank map of your land division and create a vision of the future you would like to see.

What would it take to get from the present situation to the future you envision?