The course was in-depth and challenging. There were many facts, concepts, and histories which were complex, interrelated, and ongoing. Many subjects I only knew about superficially. These were described thoroughly and in a way which Helped me acknowledge that there is much I still need to learn about Indigenous Canadian people’s, their heritage and histories, and the ongoing colonization experience. It was especially helpful to hear about the Land and the Indigenous connection to it. It is a far more intricate connection then my own thoughts, and history with, “land”. I was pleasantly surprised to see a reference to “Mariano Aupilarjuk”. I have worked with his grandson (In Nunavut) and recently sent him a USB with over 40 drum dance songs on it. I am hoping the voice of his grandfather is on one of the songs. The songs were shared with me by a traditional singer in another NU community.

I very much appreciate being able to take this course. I learned a lot and am excited to learn more. I really enjoyed hearing from the speakers that you brought in to break down particular topics. I also appreciated the way the course was broken down into 'bite-sized' videos, none of which were too long. I also liked that you could rewrite the exam if needed. I had origionally planned on giving 4 out of 5 starts but reallly couldn't thing of a reason to take a star away so I decided to give 5 out of 5. The only thing I can think of that I sometimes found frustrating is that on my iPad I wasn't able to rewind the video or fast forward. I'm not sure if this was my device or something disabled on your end but this feature would have been helpful. The course was very well done, I learned a lot and I look forward to taking another course to further my knowledge in this area. Thank you!

Despite not being Canadian nor even from Turtle Island, I have always been interested in (appalled by ?) the situation of the indigenous peoples of northern America. Living in Europe, I have had access to a copious and varied amount of information and books about indigenous peoples of the USA, but very little is available in France about Canada, which is shocking , considering that the French were once the main colonial force in the continent. I heard about this course through Canadian writer/actor Daniel levy, and I have been absolutely thrilled by it. It's rich, easy to access despite the difficulties of english as a second language, and informative. I've had a whale of a time studying Indigenous Canada with coursera, and I hope to continue this process of educating myself on these fundamental issues, that affect us all worldwide. Thank you for this terrific opportunity

This course provided an excellent overview of Indigenous history, culture, people and land. It explored a number of topics in depth, and did not shy away from explaining how settlers tried to eradicate many elements of Indigenous culture. The module on residential schools was particularly difficult to go through, but extremely important to be aware of. In every module I learned something new (often many things) and feel I have a greater understanding of the concepts and issues than I did before taking this course. I think this should be a mandatory course that every Canadian takes. Our Canadian educational curriculum does not cover even a fraction of what was presented during this course, and presents a very one-sided view of Indigenous Canada; this course rectifies that and brings light to many important parts of history that has been swept under the rug for too long.

This course was an eye-opener. I am so glad that a social media link directed me to the link and I ended up enrolling in this course. While I was studying the chapters, watching the videos, and finishing my final quiz for each chapter, I felt that this course should be mandated for every Canadian. Most importantly, this course should be part of the Canadian Citizenship Test. Most of us who chose to live in this beautiful country would not be knowing the real history of Canada without such courses. It is very limited availability on this subject matter. The way this course was planned and delivered, was an incredible experience for me. Today, I finished the course and really feeling proud to know a little bit more about Canadian history and the lives of those who were originally the owners of this wonderful land. Thank you to those who made this course so engaging.

I am so grateful for this course. I believe it to be very important for all Canadians to know our history and relationships with our Indigenous "Relatives." The material is disturbing on so many levels and the truth hurts. I realize that the information provided is only the tip of the iceberg, but it certainly provides a framework to participate in ongoing truth and reconcilliation work with a deeper understanding of the experiences and consequences of the colonization of our First Nations people. I am grateful to others who encouraged participation in this program, most notably Dan Levy, along with others from within my Truth and Reconciliation circle. Thank you to the UofA, the scholars, speakers, and participants for their contribution. I will do my part to spread the word regarding this valuable work. It has been a privilege...blessings to all of you!

This course was enlightening. Each module was fascinating, informative and it opened up not only my eyes but my mind. I now have a whole different perspective on what I thought was our Canadian history. I can definitely state the education I received both in high school and post secondary did not reveal the whole picture on the many important events, happenings, and special moments that shaped our Canadian history as this course did. I am appalled at the treatment received by Aboriginal peoples at the hands of the First Settlers and the continuation of this mistreatment even to the present day. I have a brand new outlook and I will incorporate this new knowledge into my everyday life. Thank you for the great work that went into the development of this course. I hope many more will partake in this course and develop a better understanding of our history.

This was a very enlightening course. I already knew some - not all - of the history, but little of the cultural background. One of my favourite modules was the last one, about Indigenous art. I previously knew so little about today's Indigenous artists! My only criticism - a mild one - is that insofar as the course deals with colonial powers that have interacted with Indigenous people, the focus is almost exclusively on England rather than France (and where French names occur in the videos, they are often mispronounced). Some of the relevant history is not understandable without a bit more emphasis on the "French fact" - which played a crucial role, for instance, in the genesis of the Métis people. If the course is ever updated, I suggest that an extra module be added to cover this aspect - ideally, with the involvement of a francophone Indigenous historian.

From the worldview lesson at the outset to the powerful lesson on Indigenous Canadian art at the close, this course informed and surprised. It was difficult to learn the history, and infuriating to realize I grew up being told a skewed colonial story. In particular, the chapters on urban Indigenous communities and Indigenous women broadened my understanding of the pervasiveness and danger of stereotypes and patriarchal practices. Thank you to Dr. Bear, the presenters, and all who worked to assemble and present this course.

I have a single suggestion for improvement. I liked the music used as background for many of the videos, but it never changed. One track in particular consisted of two alternating pitches and a repetitive drumbeat. It was extraordinarily distracting, and I could find no way to silence the background music and listen to the lecturer alone.

Este curso me ayudò a entender la ubicaciòn de las culturas aborigenes y su transmision cultural, asi como las dificultades que aun tienen para proteger su legado y mantener sus tradiciones y soberanias sobre los territorios que sus antepasados cuidaron. Me interesò continuar estudiando sobre los pueblo originarios de canada para entender mejor la realidad actual y còmo es posible una integraciòn respetuosa y evolucionada en estos tiempos modernos.

Los primeros merecen nuestro respeto, ademàs demostraron tener una organizciòn suficientemente efectiva para vivir en armonìa y protegiendo la naturaleza. Es mi opiniòn que en este mundo moderno, es necesario tambien conocer las tecnologìas y demàs facilidades para vivir mejor, sin afectar a nadie y menos al medio ambiente.

Muchas gracias por este excelente curso! Me cambiò completamente la percepciòn de Canadà.

How different would our Canada, our world, be if instead of trying to assimilate the indigenous peoples we had explored, embraced and adopted their view on Mother Earth and our relationship to our land and to community? I personally find in current times, many of us so unsatisfied, so disillusioned with hectic schedules and constant stress when really we are just completely disconnected from Mother Nature and respect for our environment and each other. This course amplifies the price, the darkness of colonization, capitalism and total disregard for what should be sacred. Too much has been lost, too many lives lost in horrific ways and Canadians need to recognise this truth and hope the Indigenous ways can still help save us all. Thank you to Tracy Bear, her team and Leah Dorion for educating us with skill, knowledge, honesty, strength and sensitivity.

Thanks to the presenters and Dr Paul Garneau for providing this course! It's been 40 years since I was in University, and there was a bit a learning curve with the online aspect of it, but I got through that.

What a pleasure it has been! To learn so much so quickly was so satisfying and useful.

Parenthetically, it was Dee Brown's book in 1970 (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) that got me interested in the subject of the people who lived here long before colonization by the Europeans. He said early on in the book that we should look EAST, not WEST when examining how Indigenous peoples reacted to this fundamental event.

Although that book taught me a lot, this course taught me more, most especially about the specific experiences of Indigenous people, and their nature in this land.

Congratulations on a job well-done. You've made me a better man...

Chris Betcher

I found the course to be an excellent beginning to understanding the Indigenous issues in Canada. I grew up in Port Arthur during the 40's and 50's. I knew, vaguely, about the Reserves around Fort William and Lake Nipigon, but I don't think I ever met or interacted with an Indigenous person.

Not once in those years was I ever exposed to information that would help me appreciate the people on reserves, or the issues that lead to how they arrived there. I hope that some of that mistake are being better addressed now in our schools.

When I worked as a teacher in North Bay, I had Indigenous students in a few of my classes, most from the North Bay and a few from the North. Most were excellent people, One became a prominent lawyer in the Maritimes. The very few that were "problems" where problems because of their personalities and actions, not their indigeneity.

I found this course to be very informative, educational and eye-opening. As a 76 year old non-Indigenous woman I was always sympathetic to the treatment of First Nations peoples by the Canadian Government but I was not aware of just how bad it was. Many of my friends are also sympathetic but have many misconceptions about some Indigenous actions. I now feel more confident to explain to them the reasons why Indigenous people are becoming more vocal about their rights or lack of rights. This course was recommended to members of the Catholic Women's League of Canada by our National Headquarters. I hesitated to take the course at first because my memory isn't as good as it used to be, but with a lot of reading over and over again I was able to pass my modules. I am considering taking another course in Indigenous studies but not for a while. Thank you.

In June 2017, I was extermely lucky to visit Mashteuiatsh, a First Nations reserve in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It was a life-changing experience and upon my return to San Francisco, CA I came across this course. I really wanted to understand more and this course has met my expectations beyond my wildest dreams. It's very well done, both intellectually challenging and emotionally powerful. I look forward every week to the new content. I would recommend it to anybody who lives in the Americas and like me is Caucasian and "had no idea". There is another reason why I really enjoy this course : I have been many times to Canada and some of my best friends are Canadians. This course is an excellent introduction to the history of their country. As a conclusion, this is one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken on line.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course becasue it allowed me to learn on my own, without intereference from some micro-managing "thought-leader" who does not know more than I do and is only looking to fill in some boxes for her bogus doctorate in education. I absolutely loved the multiple choice tests at the end of each module. Most of all, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from Indigenous peoples, who provided concrete lectures and readings for further study. This has not been the case at my school board, and it speaks volumes when you are being asked to teach about Indigenous people and your emplpyer does not provide a pre-approved list of books, films, and myriad other resources -- something this course does beautifully. This course has helped to put me on the right path, and I will defintely be recommending this to my bewildered colleagues.

The course, "Indigenous Canada," offered to me an awareness of the dignity of the First Nations peoples. Living in Hawaii I realize many parallels between the Canadian Indigenous history and culture to the aboriginal Hawaiians. Also I connected to my ancestry as a Flanders who ancestress was Jane Flanders. The book, "The Flanders Family From Europe to America" by Edith Flanders Dunbar states Jane was an Indian woman who belonged to the Sandusky Tribe. She was taken into court for using vile words to colonial Puritans. The topics that Dr. Bear and Dr. Gareau included gave perspectives from historical indigenous Canada to modern day indigenous Canada. Leah Dorion's beautiful artwork was a perfect complement in telling this story. Listening to Leah explain the topics in the painting was a true joy. Thank you to all involved in presenting this course.

An amazing course--startling, painful portrait of the genocide of the First Nations of Turtle Island as well as the triumphal resistance and resilience of the past and current activists. This course was a labour of love for me. It was so horrendous to learn the collective and personal tragedies of the Indigenous peoples.

The College of Alberta Psychologists made taking an Indigenous awareness course mandatory for the 2023-2024 year. They only required eight hours but I had already taken a six hour Indigenous awareness course in 2022 so for this year I wanted to fulfill a higher expectation for myself as a white Registered Psychologist. Thank you, or ekosi maka. I am indebted to the Native studies Department of the University of Alberta and the many, many individuals who told the story and lived the story! Kenneth Duncan, M.Ed., R. Psych. (AB)

This has been an exceptional learning experience, one that I feel has given me a deeper understanding of matters, policies, patterns, and backgrounds I knew only surface bits and piece about prior to taking this course. I began to truly enjoy hearing the voices of those presenting and found it to be a thorough well balanced experience with guidepoints and key concepts clearly phrased and noted throughout the presentations. It was far from easy to recall some of the historical material without really paying attention or even going back and listening again, so I am impressed with the challenging and creative elements that kept me wanting to come back. I will miss hearing the instructors and seeing the artwork...and the theme music! its been very inspirational as well as humbling to be part of such an important educational process. THANK YOU!

As a 68 y/o white male from the U. S., this course was eye opening and very educational. While the course focused on Canada and the Indigenous/First Nation issues, I felt it also mirrored the struggles and unfairness that First Nation Peoples in the U. S. face and still face today. I'm new, sad to say, to the conversation about injustice within the Indigenous Peoples community. I was taken that the art that is beautifully presented at the end of each module included, as a point of leadership, nearly all male figures because I learned that it was women that decided much of Indigenous life and are particularly important now in 2020 as we forge ahead both in Canada and the U. S. I was hoping to see women portrayed in art in a more positive, more forward-leaning place in the depiction of Indigenous future. Thanks for an outstanding course!

This course is a start to educating and presenting a better understanding of what the Indeginous communities, it's history, it's values and movement is about. For this course to be effective on an educational stand point of view it will need to continue to offer the more courses on these lines to be effecive so that the 400,000 people that enrolled can can continue to learn and be educated of Indigenous communites. You have a good platform you need to reach a bigger audience.

Education is the key. Funding to offer these courses (free) is the other key.

I have an understanding of the plight of the Indigenous people and the effects of colonization. i would like to understand more of the present day roles, workings of self governace of Indigenous communities.

Thank you for your time. The presentation was great. Dave Delaney 506-349-4723

I learned a lot from this course. I thought it was presented very well- organized, methodical in it approach with a balanced view. I had taken a aboriginal womens studies course at Athabasca University this past year so was familiar with the powerful and engaged group of women who got together to fight the inequities in the Indian Act. These women are heroes- SHEroes. I did feel that there wasn't enough information on the Sixties Scoop or any real reference to the term, which may be for a reason, but felt it should be hightlighted to people understand the history of abuse to those families. I thought all the presenters did a wonderful job, telling their parts and were all compelling and engaging. I would love to do another one- that drilled down even further. Thank you for making this course available to us. Thank you Brenda Norfolk

This is the second course I have taken on my journey to understand a part of my own history of which I was completely unware until the death of my mother. I was 28 years old and at the reception after her funeral, I was made aware that not only my maternal grandmother but my paternal grandmother both had Mig 'Maw heritage (at that time the term used was Mic Mac). I am embarrassed that I never followed up on it as I simply thought of it as part of my history and got on with life. More recent work on T&R has made me want to know more and while I am pretty sure that my mother and father were sheltered from any racism (I don't think others knew they had Indigenous blood) I wonder at what point my ancestors were subjected to it. This course has been exceptional in giving me a bit of background and I intend to seek more information.

I really loved this class. I grew up in ND and currently live in Minnesota, so my knowledge of Indigenous people in Canada was quite limited. I have Indigenous friends in Saskatchewan and the class helped me to understand some of their families' history and converse with them about a variety of issues. The course instructors were very knowledgeable and professional, and the topics were easy to follow and engaging. There was a great deal of history and wide range of topics covered in the 12 lessons. The class has inspired me to continue to learn more about Indigenous people in North America and follow the politics and issues more closely. I appreciate having the opportunity to take this free online class, and will explore other Coursera classes that are available. Thank you and I wish you all the best in future endeavors!!

I am sorry that the course is over. I looked forward to getting into “my Studies” when the days work could be put aside. Carrying the part of studies being worked on, be it at the Doctors office or waiting for an appointment was normal. While reading I remembered some of the information presented. My Great Aunt and Uncle shared a lot with me as a youngster, I wish I asked more of them. If I have a regret, it would be not being in a classroom situation learning the course material. I would have been one of your older students at 71 years but learning and absorbing information from youth is enlightening and energetic. Just an aside only redid one test module as I believed I could do better. I wanted to accept the grades I obtained In my first attempt by studying hard. Thank You for giving me the interest to further explore.