Imagine two Indigenous people. One is very assimilated into mainstream culture while the other is very traditional. In the community, list off six traits that may be expressed by each person. Consider things like the language they would speak, the holidays they would or wouldn’t observe, how and where they were educated, and how comfy they would be working with you. Perhaps if less mainstream - their first language might be an Indigenous language, they might be more weary or less depending on their experience with healthcare, they maybe observe traditional holidays More assimilated - perhaps they are not as fluent in an Indigenous language, they may be embedded in communities beyond Indigenous ones, perhaps they are not as knowledgeable about traditional practices,

Did Lesson 5 surprise you? Can you see how thinking of working in a First Nation community in the same way as taking a job in a foreign country is helpful? It did surprise me, but it made a lot of sense. It made me reflect on the learner position we often take when travelling, and it is another level of humility that makes a lot of sense in this context as well. How locals are regarded as the experts they are and are very much relied on to a point, in some cases, of vulnerability.

Prejudice - preconceived thoughts and opinions, often negative Discrimination - actions taken based on prejudice - treating someone different based on their identity/experience/etc - all with real implications Oppression - discrimination at the systemic level - government, workplace, structures, society Internalized oppression - when people who experience oppression internalize the discrimination against them (start to believe it) - a goal of oppressors.

I was familiar with a lot of what was shared, i feel each time I get to hear about it, it adds a new lens and detail. I was not familiar with the War in the Woods

Prompt: Think of a time when your cultural lens had you expecting something about a new place or a new person, an expectation that was later proven to be wrong. Share your experience in the community. My mother was born in the Philippines and my father's parents are from Jamaica and St. Lucia. In what was my very limited understanding (Still growing) of culture I assumed that my family living in Canada were really representations of the individuals back in their home countries. I remember going to Jamaica as a child and having this assumption affirmed - similar physical traits, food and accents among the people I happened to visit with. I went to St. Lucia and everything was different, I remember being confused. The people sounded different and looked different than my family in Canada. This is my earliest memory of learning about rich diversity within cultures, specifically my St. Lucian and Jamaican heritages that has stuck with me.