Page 13 - CCCA 295084 Magazine_Summer 2019

{ LegaL innovaTion }

liVing ouT hiSTory:

uSing BlAnkeTS To leArn 500 yeArS oF indigenouS hiSTory

By Abigail Cheung

picture something you hold dear to your heart. Now imagine Indigenous history and legal traditions is
how you would feel if it were unexpectedly taken from you. essential to practicing from a place of cul-
tural sensitivity and awareness.
That is the aim of the KaIrOS Blanket exercise (KBe),
“a unique, participatory history lesson—developed in inclusion… now
The idea to offer the KBE fowed from
collaboration with Indigenous elders, knowledge keepers and McCarthy Tétrault’s partnership with
educators—that fosters truth, understanding, respect and the Martin Family Initiative’s Indigenous
Mentorship Program. Through this pro-
reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.” gram, more than 40 staff from across
the country have spent time with and
planned events for the Indigenous teenag-
Bringing history to life a blanket was either folded or removed to ers they mentor. It has been the starting
The KBE was introduced in response to show land had been taken and groups had point for many to educate themselves on
the Report of the Royal Commission on been displaced. Indigenous history and the issues facing
Aboriginal Peoples in 1996, and has been The exercise demonstrated the extri- these communities.
updated several times to include new in- cable tie between culture and land. Seeing It also fts into a new initiative we
formation, such as the 2015 Truth and your blanket folded or removed created a launched last fall, Inclusion Now. The goal
Reconciliation fnal report. sense of loss and frustration, and even an- is to elevate and accelerate our commit-
Curious and wishing to learn more ger and guilt. I am grateful to our instruc- ment to diversity, inclusion and social re-
about Indigenous peoples’ histories in tors, who are willing to share a traumatic sponsibility. It addresses challenges faced
Vancouver, I participated in the session history to educate others. by Indigenous peoples, women, racially
offered at McCarthy Tétrault. diverse people, members of the LGBTQ2S
Participants were invited to bring a Truth Before reconciliation community, people with disabilities and
blanket with sentimental value. Two in- Growing up, I was not exposed to much religious minorities at our frm and in the
structors led the exercise: one represent- Indigenous history or culture. My frst community.
ing Indigenous peoples and the other glimpses into Indigenous history in Cana- For me, a blanket has helped me ex-
representing European settlers. They in- da came while I was a student at Osgoode pand my perspective. I look forward to
structed us to spread out our blankets on Hall Law School in classes like Property changing the conversation in my network
the ground, each of them touching. This and Constitutional Law. At Osgoode, I when it comes to Indigenous issues, and
would represent land. also participated in the Anishinaabe Law helping ensure reconciliation and mean-
Then we covered 500 years of Indig- Camp. The camp gives students and fac- ingful inclusion are achieved. ❚
enous Peoples and settlers’ interactions ulty members a taste of Anishinaabic legal
in my immediate community. Our guides concepts and principles, pedagogies, and
taught us about Turtle Island, an Indig- modes of reasoning. Abigail Cheung is an associate
at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in the
enous name for North America, and how Learning more of the truth of our Labour & Employment Group
the world came to be from the Indigenous shared history continued from there. At in Vancouver. She advises and
perspective. They covered small pox out- my bar ceremony last March, the presid- represents management on a
breaks brought by the settlers, and the ing judge reiterated the importance of range of labour, employment and
forced assimilation of children via the res- all lawyers familiarizing themselves with human rights matters. She is en-
idential school system sponsored by the the recommendations of the 2015 Truth thusiastic about pro bono contributions, volunteering
Canadian government and various Chris- and Reconciliation fnal report, at a mini- with the YWCA Mentoring Program for high school
students and serving on the Board of the Federation
tian denominations. For each interaction, mum. I believe a deep understanding of of Asian Canadian Lawyers.

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