Gerry’s Legacy: Giving high school students an appreciation for their heritage and the environment

The Fisher River Cree Nation’s focus on the environment is as deep as it is wide. Their efforts include the Fisher River Conservation Areas Initiative and working toward establishing a protected area, and their long list of eco-friendly development projects includes a utility-scale solar farm; solar-powered greenhouses; eco-tourism activities and accommodations along the shores of Lake Winnipeg; and a state-of-the-art water and sewage treatment plant that helps protect the lake… but it doesn’t stop there.

In 2012, the Fisher River Cree Nation incorporated traditional knowledge into the school curriculum, giving students the opportunity to get out on the land and gain a greater appreciation for their culture and the wilderness around them.

Gerry Mason* was a teacher at Fisher River High School for 35 years, and in 2007, he left the classroom to take his students outside. It was the start of a new high school credit, called Knowledge of our Ancestors, or—as the students like to call it—Outdoor Education.

“I’ve seen throughout the years, the students coming up through the school system, they have less and less knowledge of what our people did—how our people lived.”

The program was founded in the belief that the land is the teacher. As such, the land—with heavy influence and guidance from Elders in the community—has become the curriculum. It’s about passing on traditional knowledge through immersive experiences.

“It allows us to incorporate our history and current events into our lessons. It’s not just about fishing or hunting and gathering, it’s about getting familiar with who we are and where we came from.”

Gerry says the best part of teaching the class is seeing the look on a student’s face when they grasp a new concept for the first time.

“We call it blood knowledge,” he explained. “It may be something they’ve never done before, but it often comes so naturally. As the elders would say, [the knowledge] is in there, we just need to bring it out in them.”

Getting the students into nature allows them to see the effects of climate change first-hand. Whether it’s lower water levels in the rivers and Lake Winnipeg, or changes in wildlife behaviours and patterns, climate change is not a concept Gerry needs to teach—it’s happening right in front of them.

“The youth in the community have a real appreciation for the land and all of the things connected to it,” said Chief David Crate, Chief of the Fisher River Cree Nation. “They’re learning about harvesting animals, but they’re also learning about respecting their habitats—the land. They’re learning important life lessons that they’ll carry forward for the rest of their lives.”

As the community’s Elders continue to age, imparting their wisdom has never been more important. Thanks in large part to Gerry, passing on traditional knowledge of the land—how to respect and protect it—is a legacy that will be felt by the Fisher River Cree Nation for generations.

Fisher River Cree Nation received $225,000 under Canada’s Nature Legacy for the Conservation Areas Initiative, to consult local communities, rights holders, and stakeholders in the region to design an effective, regionally tailored conservation proposal using both traditional and western knowledge. Efforts on this front continue, with the hope of protecting more of the natural landscape so it can continue to provide sustainable economic opportunities and support the FRCN lifestyle and culture.

*Sadly, Gerry Mason passed away since he was interviewed for this article. We hope his words will continue to ring true and this story will pay tribute to the legacy he leaves behind in the Fisher River Cree Nation community.