8th+Fire+Series

Since it has been 7 generations since European contact, an Anishinaabe prophecy states that the current 7th generation as the people who bring about the renewal of the Anishinaabe people. Therefore there is hope that the next generation will bring about the 8th fire, as the generation that brings harmony and justice between the settler and Aboriginal population. Through the stories and voices of Aboriginal people themselves; this series gives a passing history of economic, political and social problems this population. However given the series’ namesake, the episodes attempt to highlight solutions for the future and achievements of Aboriginals.
 *  II. ****//8th Fire: Aboriginal Peoples, Canada & The Way Forward //****. Dir. **** Denis Paquet and Paul Morin. Host ****Wab Kinew. CBC, 2012.Web . 14 Feb 2012. < **[]>

 For curriculum documents on this reading of history, look to Alberta’s “Education is Our Buffalo” and “In Our Own Words” which discuss the 7th generation. Cirriculum.org's “Aboriginal Literatures Resource” discuss the 4th and 5th generation through examination of Beth Cathburt poem “Four Songs for Five Generations”. This series trailer summarizes Aboriginal history from epidemics post contact up to the present hopes. Steve Keewaten Sanderson, a graphic novelist, notes that within his familial history he is only four generations removed from his grandfather who still hunted buffalo.
 * 8th Fire trailer ( **[|http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire//2011/11/tv-series-8th-fire.html] **) **

Sometimes "Concrete Indians", urban Aboriginal people are “fast joining the country's urban middle class and bringing their culture with them”. More than half of Canada's Aboriginal population now lives in cities and they are challenging stereotypes. Episode snippets could be shown for any discussion of stereotyping (i.e. Lesson 1) or during any discussion about urban First Nations people.
 * EPISODE 1: Indigenous in the City ((http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire//2011/11/indigenious-in-the-city.html) **

EPISODE 2: It's Time! (http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/2011/11/its-time.html)
This episode illustrates the “economic, demographic and moral imperative to fix Canada's troubled 500-year relationship with Aboriginals”. Episode snippets will be good for Lesson 9 or in any discussion of social action, economics and money throughout the play.

Episode 3: Whose Land Is It Anyway? (http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/2011/11/whose-land-is-it-anyway.html)
“An evocative look at the role that land plays in the conflicted relationship with Aboriginal peoples and the rest of Canada.” Episode snippets would fit well into Lesson 3 or other discussion about land and geographical boundaries.

Episode 4: At the Crossroads (http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/2011/11/at-the-crossroads.html)
“This episode discusses Aboriginal communities’ feisty and self-confident youth; the ‘Seventh Generation’ who are taking new pride in their heritage and pointing the way forward to a new relationship.”