Why is studying Aboriginal History Important?
Most of the Land that makes up Canada is treaty territory. This means that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people entered into agreements that eventually formed the land we live on today. We simply can not eliminate Canada’s history of colonization from the identity of today’s idea of Canada. Simply because it is not a pretty story. Being able to think critically about the history of Canada and its relationship with Aboriginal people will provide people with a deeper understanding of Aboriginal studies.
“Historical knowledge is no more and no less than carefully and critically constructed collective memory. As such it can both make us wiser in our public choices and more richly human in our private lives.”—William H. McNeill, Why Study History? (1985).