|
Missionary Debate Background: Discuss the meaning of the words mission and missionary. Talk about what the missionaries did. The missionaries lead church services, ran schools and hospitals, taught agriculture, provided food to those who needed it, and took a role in the leadership of the community. This missionaries would also have to construct their own homesite, tend a garden, go hunting and make the long journey necessary to haul supplies. George McDougall also would make journeys back East to make reports and request funding. Be sure that the students realize that the missionaries work was not limited simply to church services or religion. Working as peacemakers between the warring tribes was an important part of their job, as was teaching agriculture. Both peace and the ability to live by farming in one area instead of traveling around was considered important if the natives were to be converted and the land made available for others. The missionaries also wrote letters to the government, asking that something be done to prevent the sale of alcohol, which was wreaking havoc on the natives lives. More background information about the McDougalls and other missionaries can be found at http://www.smokylake.com/history/mission.htm The Debate: The goal of this activity is to look at how a particular missionary family would have affected various people. Divide the students into pairs or groups, or let them work as individuals. Assign each student a character to play in the debate and give the student time to research, think about and discuss his character with his classmates. Then have each student make a short presentation telling something about his character and how the mission affected the character's life. Have a teacher-led debate giving the students time to reply (in character) to what one another have said. The following are some suggested characters, together with online resources and some questions for the characters to think about. Most of the questions have more than one possible answer. H.B.C. Officials: John McDougall: What part of your job do you love most? What have you learned from the native people? How do you see Methodism benefiting the natives? Why do you see yourself, in particular, as being a good missionary? An Oblate Missionary: Maskepetoon: A Cree Elder: How are the missionaries making your life easier? If you have not converted, then how does it feel to watch others convert? If you have converted, why did you choose to convert? A young Christian Cree: A non-Christian Cree: A free trader: Georgiana McDougall: A Metis Settler: Looking Beyond the McDougalls:
Conclude the debate by reviewing the different themes and emotions
discussed. Discuss how different people today feel looking back on the
issue a hundred years later. Discuss some of the consequences of the
missionaries, such as the loss of native culture. Discuss how the
missionaries helped build up the trust that lead to the signing of
treaties and the creation of reserves, but also how some of the
missionaries had other ideas about how the reserves should be large enough
to create an "Indian nation". Discuss the residential schools and
how the government and churches worked together. Discuss the problems both
the government and the churches are facing today dealing with the question
of residential schools. Let it be understood that the McDougalls and other
missionaries meant well, even if their actions lead into other events
which were not beneficial to the native people. Return to the Teachers
Resources Menu
|
||