What is Memory… And How Do We Remember?

In this activity, students will explore the power of memory and remembrance in connection with Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Students will explore memory and how we remember as individuals and collectively as community members. This lesson connects with broader themes of Truth and Reconciliation, the impacts of colonialism, residential schools, decolonization, Indigenous rights, identity and histories.​

Activity: Part 1

First, introduce the topic by starting a class discussion using the prompt highlighted in the article on page 6: “What is collective memory? What is a collective memory you can think of? Is it an event, an experience, or something else? Reflect on your own experiences of that memory. Are there things that were unique and special to you? How were those different from the experiences of others? How were they the same?”

Next, ask students what they know and remember about maps (e.g., What are common features? What do they usually show?). 

Introduce students to the Coming Home Map (available for order or download) and how this map honours Indigenous place names in Canada. 

This map was researched and compiled by the University of Maine and cartographer Dr. Margaret Wickens Pearce. It seeks to restore Indigenous place names, while also asserting Indigenous sovereignty through places that have been disrupted by colonialism and colonial naming practices.

Teacher note: another map you might consider using is the Stories from the Land Map. This map was researched and compiled by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. It reflects Indigenous place names adopted across Canada, honouring diverse Indigenous languages and cultures. 

Have students walk up to the map and explore it using the questions below. If possible, have the map displayed in multiple areas of the classroom for smaller groups discussions:

• What do you notice? What do you wonder about this map? 
• Why do you think the title of this map is “Coming Home”? What might the creator of the map be trying to say about place and belonging by using this title? 
• In what ways does this map look different or the same as other maps you’ve encountered? What’s similar? What’s different?
• What do you notice about the names included in this map vs. other maps of Canada you have seen? 
• What kinds of memories do you think can be found in this map? (e.g., important places, events, activities, etc.)
• How do you think these memories have been passed down from generation to generation? By whom? For how long do you think these memories have been passed down? 
• Looking at the map, do you think people living in Canada remember and honour the history of the land we live on? Why or why not?

In their groups, have students sit and read the article together and summarize the ideas shared in the article. 

Have groups join another group and share their ideas to check their understandings. As a larger class, discuss what the article was about and what was learned through their reading.

Ask students to consider in what ways the article connects with the Coming Home Map. What examples can they think of?

Activity: Part 2

Have students return to the Coming Home Map and investigate the following questions in their groups. Teacher note: it may be helpful to have access to a current map of Canada to support students as they explore some of the following questions:

• Do you think these are individual or collective memories shared on the Coming Home Map? Why or why not? 
• Can you find examples in Canada of where these memories are remembered in current place names? Can you find examples where they are not? 
• What are some of the differences between how Indigenous Peoples and settlers name specific places? 
• Whose memories are usually included in naming throughout Canada? Whose memories are not?
• What might be the consequences of losing collective memory of a place? 
• What might schools and/or communities do to ensure these collective memories are not forgotten? What ideas can you think of? Teacher note: it is important to remind students that these are not just places of memory for Indigenous Peoples, rather they were and continue to be sites of significance, traditional and current territories, and places of deep cultural respect and connection.

Bring the class back together to share their ideas and reflect on their learning with the following questions: 

• How do you think your ideas are connected to Truth and Reconciliation in Canada? 
• How might you, as an individual, classroom and/or community work to ensure that memories of the land we live on are not forgotten? How might you educate your school community about what you learned so far? 
• How might I move from a place of learning to one of action?

Have students reflect using the following prompt: “I Used to Think / Now I Think” to consider how their thinking has changed throughout the activity.​

Extension/Additional Reading

Encourage students to present their findings to the broader school community in a method of their choice (awareness campaign, social media posts, PSA, Heritage Fair project, etc.) to share their learning. 

Consider broadening and deepening students’ learning by walking around the local community to investigate the place names in their surrounding area. 

• Select a site (school, community building, road or town name).
• What is the history behind this name? What connection does this name have to a particular person, activity or event? 
• What memories are visible or invisible in this name? Whose perspective do these memories reflect?
• Whose perspectives are missing from the place names in your community?

If possible, research using the resources located in local galleries, archives, libraries and museums (either in-person or online) as well as reliable sources on the Internet. If place names are connected to Indigenous Peoples, lands and/or histories, ensure that the source is from a local Indigenous community and/or Nation. 

For example, a place named using an Indigenous language should be translated by a language speaker and/or members of that community and cited as such) to ensure its authenticity and reliability. See the resources from the City of Edmonton, listed below, for examples on how a city renamed its municipal wards.

After researching a place name in the community, encourage students to think how they might educate others about these place names so that the community’s memories of this place include Indigenous perspectives. 

Consider creating a QR code or a placard that can accompany the research the students did on their chosen place name to help preserve the memory within this place. Encourage students to connect their research to the Calls to Action for all Canadians. 

Connect with the Indigenous Lead in your school board (where possible) for additional support/guidance to help deepen students’ knowledge and understanding by connecting local Elders and Knowledge Keepers. 

Encourage students to deepen their understanding by researching the ways in which communities are restoring of Indigenous place names. For example, renaming streets that were named after problematic historical figures, local schools being named or renamed using Indigenous naming practices such as naming using the land as a reference vs. after particular people, etc.​

Additional Resources

• Beck, Lauren. (2022). Canada’s Place Names & How to Change Them. Concordia University Press.
• Coming Home Map
• “Gifting Tradition: The story behind Edmonton’s ward names.” Why Edmonton.
• Indigenous Ward Naming Knowledge Committee. Why Edmonton.
• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action