Ferguson, K. (2022). Homeland of the Métis Nation: A critical inquiry into the hidden curriculum at Winnipeg’s Upper Fort Garry. In E. Lyle Re/humanizing education (pp. 186-199). Brill|Sense. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/yorkvilleu/detail.action?docID=6992983
Background on Métis History:
Profound and persistent misunderstandings about Métis people.
150 years ago, during the Manitoba Act, Louis Riel took an anti-colonial approach against Canadian land surveyors trying to take over Métis land.
Negotiated Manitoba's entry into Confederation, securing a Bill of Rights for Métis people.
Sir John A. Macdonald overthrew the Métis government, leading to the expulsion of Métis people from their homes.
Louis Riel's Legacy:
Riel is viewed as a hero by some and a traitor by others due to his actions in defending Métis rights.
Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum:
Examining the hidden curriculum in public spaces in Winnipeg, particularly at Upper Fort Garry.
Hidden curriculum conveyed through semiotic sources like imagery, spatial dynamics, and interaction between discourse and ideas.
Aims to disrupt settler coloniality in public spaces and creatively address doubts, fictions, and silences.
Refiguring Presences:
Advocates for disrupting settler coloniality through sociopolitical and cultural integral inquiry, processes, and analysis.
Utilizes a/r/tography and pop-up soil art installations to rehumanize and educate in public spaces.
Observations at Upper Fort Garry:
Louis Riel's presence at the fort is ostracized, with his only picture located outside.
Heritage wall at the fort juxtaposes historical significance with corporate sponsorship.
Artist creates Louis Riel sculpture from dirt on the sidewalk to provoke passerby reflection on his presence and the dispossession of land.
Emphasizes the role of land as both a medium and message, highlighting historic tensions still present.