Nova Scotia · Grade 11
Mi'kmaw Studies 11
Nova Scotia’s Grade 11 social studies course, from Introductory to Spirituality.
- Units
- 6
- Lessons
- 10
- Skills
- 21
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 3 skills
Introductory
Worldview and Perspective
Worldview and perspective in history and culture
I can explain how a person's worldview and perspective shape how they interpret history and culture, and why this course centres the Mi'kmaw worldview.
Skill 1.1
Mi'kmaw Society and Early Relationships
Mi'kmaw society before European contact
I can describe key features of Mi'kmaw society before European contact and explain why it was a complete, sophisticated nation.
Skill 1.2
Early relationships with other nations
I can explain the different relationships the Mi'kmaq forged with other First Nations and with the French and English, and show the Mi'kmaq as active partners in them.
Skill 1.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 1.1
- the importance of worldview and perspective on interpretations of history and culture
- 1.2
- an understanding of Mi'kmaw society before European contact
- 1.3
- the different relationships that were forged by the Mi'kmaq with other First Nations and with the French and the English
Key ideas
Worldview = the whole set of beliefs, values, and relationships through which a people understands the world; it is not the same as 'opinion.'.
Mi'kma'ki, the Mi'kmaw homeland, was organized into seven traditional districts, each with its own leadership.
The Mi'kmaw worldview is relational and land-based - people, land, animals, and ancestors are connected (captured in Msit No'kmaq, 'all my relations').
A seasonal round moved communities between coast and interior to use the land's resources responsibly (an expression of Netukulimk).
History is interpreted, not just recorded: who tells it, and from which worldview, changes which facts are seen as important.
Watch out for
- Thinking there is one 'neutral,' worldview-free version of history - every account is told from somewhere.
- Assuming pre-contact Mi'kmaw life was 'simple' or 'primitive' - it was a complex, well-adapted society.
- Treating 'the Mi'kmaw perspective' as a single opinion rather than a deep, coherent way of understanding the world.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 1 skill
Independent Study
Designing a Mi'kmaw Inquiry
Designing and conducting a Mi'kmaw research project
I can design and conduct a research project that critically investigates a historical or contemporary Mi'kmaw issue, using respectful methods and Mi'kmaw sources.
Skill 2.1
The official wording · 1 outcomes
- 2.1
- Critically investigate and inquire into historical and/or contemporary Mi'kmaw issues by designing and conducting a research project
Key ideas
A good inquiry starts with a focused, open question about a real issue (e.g. a treaty right, language revitalization, a community initiative).
Research respectfully: prioritize Mi'kmaw authors, community sources, and first-voice materials; check the worldview behind every source.
Critical investigation weighs evidence, notices whose perspective a source carries, and avoids repeating stereotypes.
Findings are presented honestly and give proper credit to Mi'kmaw knowledge and knowledge-keepers.
Watch out for
- Treating any website as an equal source - source quality and worldview matter, especially for Mi'kmaw topics.
- Presenting Mi'kmaw knowledge without crediting the community or knowledge-keeper it came from.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 7 skills
Governance
Territories, Complexity, and Inherent Rights
Pre-contact territories and civilization
I can investigate the early territories and complexity of pre-contact Mi'kmaw civilization, including the districts of Mi'kma'ki and how they were governed.
Skill 3.1
Inherent rights as first occupants
I can explain the inherent rights of the Mi'kmaq as the first occupants of the land and how they differ from government-granted rights.
Skill 3.2
Governing Structures, Nationhood, and Treaties
Comparing pre- and post-contact governance
I can compare pre-contact Mi'kmaw governing structures with the post-contact structures imposed on the Mi'kmaq, and explain what changed and why it matters.
Skill 3.3
Pre-Contact Mi'kmaq Nationhood
I can explain the concept of pre-Contact Mi'kmaq Nationhood and the evidence that the Mi'kmaq were a self-governing nation before contact.
Skill 3.4
The Concordat of 1610
I can explain what the Concordat of 1610 was and why the Mi'kmaq understand it as an early nation-to-nation relationship, not a surrender.
Skill 3.5
The Peace and Friendship Treaties
I can explain the Peace and Friendship Treaties - what they established, what they did not surrender, and why they mean 'we are all treaty people' in Nova Scotia today.
Skill 3.6
Discriminatory policies and social injustices
I can evaluate the adverse effects of discriminatory policies, legislation, and social injustices - including those faced by First Nations women and veterans - on the Mi'kmaq and other First Nations.
Skill 3.7
The official wording · 7 outcomes
- 3.1
- the early territories and complexities of pre-contact Mi'kmaw civilization
- 3.2
- the inherent rights of the Mi'kmaq as the first occupants of the land
- 3.3
- the pre-contact and post-contact Mi'kmaw governing structures
- 3.4
- the concept of pre-Contact Mi'kmaq Nationhood
- 3.5
- the Concordat of 1610
- 3.6
- the Treaties of Peace and Friendship
- 3.7
- the adverse effects of discriminatory policies, legislation, and social injustices (including those faced by women and veterans) on First Nations in Canada
Key ideas
Mi'kma'ki spanned the Maritimes and part of the Gaspe, organized into seven traditional districts.
Pre-contact: self-determined governance through district chiefs and the Sante Mawiomi (Grand Council), rooted in Mi'kmaw law and consensus.
Each district had its own leadership (a district chief and council), coordinated through the Sante Mawiomi (Grand Council).
Post-contact: the Indian Act (1876) imposed a band-and-elected-council system designed by the Canadian government, not the Mi'kmaq.
Territory was understood as a shared relationship of responsibility, not private property.
Watch out for
- Thinking the Mi'kmaq had no organized government before Europeans - the district system and Grand Council are sophisticated governance.
- Assuming the band-council system is the Mi'kmaq's own traditional government - it was imposed by the Indian Act.
- Picturing Mi'kma'ki as small - it covered a large, well-defined territory.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 4 skills
Culture
Cultural Bias and Oral Tradition
Cultural bias and views of First Nations
I can analyze how cultural biases have distorted views of First Nations peoples in the past and present, and identify ways to challenge those biases.
Skill 4.1
Oral tradition and cultural continuity
I can explain the role oral tradition plays in maintaining Mi'kmaw cultural continuity and identity across generations.
Skill 4.2
Elders and Cultural Expression
The continuing role of Mi'kmaw Elders
I can explain the important roles Mi'kmaw Elders continue to have in maintaining cultural values and passing on knowledge.
Skill 4.3
Traditional and contemporary cultural expression
I can explore traditional and contemporary expressions of Mi'kmaw art, craft, music, dance, and literature, and explain how the culture is living and growing.
Skill 4.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 4.1
- how cultural biases have impacted views of First Nations peoples both in the past and in the present
- 4.2
- the role oral tradition plays in the maintenance of Mi'kmaw cultural continuity and identity
- 4.3
- the importance of the roles Mi'kmaw Elders continue to have in maintaining cultural values
- 4.4
- traditional and contemporary expressions of Mi'kmaw art, crafts, music, dance, and literature
Key ideas
Cultural bias is judging another culture by your own culture's assumptions - it produced harmful, false images of the Mi'kmaq.
Elders are respected knowledge-keepers who carry language, history, ceremony, and teachings, and guide their communities.
Past bias justified colonization, the Indian Act, and residential schools by portraying First Nations as 'inferior' or 'in need of civilizing.'.
Their role is ongoing and contemporary - Elders teach in schools, guide ceremonies, and advise on governance today.
Present-day bias appears as stereotypes in media, sports mascots, and 'single-story' portrayals that flatten diverse nations.
Watch out for
- Believing cultural bias is only a thing of the past - it persists in today's media and institutions.
- Thinking 'Elder' just means 'an old person' - it is a role of earned respect and responsibility.
- Assuming 'all Indigenous peoples are the same' - this pan-Indigenous flattening is itself a bias.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 5 · 3 skills
Education
Traditional Learning and the Residential School System
Traditional education and how it changed
I can describe traditional Mi'kmaw educational practices and explain how they changed over time.
Skill 5.1
The Indian Residential School System
I can explain the origins, goals, and impacts of the Indian Residential School System, including the Shubenacadie school, and why this history matters for reconciliation.
Skill 5.2
Regaining control of education
I can explain the efforts of First Nations communities to regain control of their own education, including Mi'kmaw-led education in Nova Scotia.
Skill 5.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 5.1
- traditional educational practices within Mi'kmaw culture
- 5.2
- the origins, goals, and impacts of the Indian Residential School System
- 5.3
- the efforts of First Nations communities to regain control of their own education
Key ideas
Traditional Mi'kmaw education was experiential and relational: children learned by watching, doing, listening to Elders, and living on the land.
Knowledge included survival skills, ceremony, language, law, and values - taught by family and community, not in a separate 'school.'.
Colonization and imposed schooling disrupted this system, aiming to replace Mi'kmaw ways of learning with settler ones.
Understanding traditional education sets up the contrast with the imposed residential school system.
Origins: church-run, government-funded schools were created to assimilate First Nations children and 'take the Indian out of the child.'.
Watch out for
- Thinking the Mi'kmaq had 'no education' before schools - they had a complete, effective system.
- Assuming imposed schooling was an 'improvement' - it was designed to erase Mi'kmaw ways of learning.
- Believing residential schools were ordinary schools - they were assimilation institutions that caused deep harm.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 6 · 3 skills
Spirituality
Traditional Spirituality and Creation Stories
Traditional Mi'kmaw spirituality
I can explain key beliefs, customs, and values of traditional Mi'kmaw spirituality and how it connects people, land, and all relations.
Skill 6.1
Creation stories, identity, and sense of place
I can explain the significance of Mi'kmaw creation stories to Mi'kmaw spirituality, identity, and sense of place in the world.
Skill 6.2
A Blend of Two Traditions
The blend of Catholicism and Mi'kmaw spirituality
I can compare 17th-century Catholicism and traditional Mi'kmaw spirituality and explain the unique blend of the two found in many Mi'kmaw communities today.
Skill 6.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 6.1
- the beliefs, customs, and values of traditional Mi'kmaw spirituality
- 6.2
- the significance of the creation stories within Mi'kmaw spirituality, identity, and sense of place in the world
- 6.3
- traditional Mi'kmaw spirituality so as to better understand the unique blend of the two that exists in many communities today
Key ideas
Traditional Mi'kmaw spirituality is relational: all things are connected (Msit No'kmaq, 'all my relations'), and the Creator, land, and community are woven together.
From the 1610 relationship onward, Catholicism spread in Mi'kma'ki, but many Mi'kmaq did not abandon traditional spirituality.
Values include respect, reciprocity, and responsibility to the land (Netukulimk - taking only what is needed and caring for the source).
Instead, the two were woven together - a distinctly Mi'kmaw blend that holds both, rather than one replacing the other.
Customs and ceremonies (e.g. smudging, the sweat lodge, the sacred fire, honouring the four directions) express and renew these relationships.
Watch out for
- Treating Mi'kmaw spirituality as 'nature worship' - it is a relational understanding of all creation, not simple worship of nature.
- Assuming Catholicism simply replaced Mi'kmaw spirituality - many communities blended the two.
- Thinking spirituality is a separate compartment - in the Mi'kmaw worldview it runs through everything.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
Which course?
Nova Scotia has 3 social studies courses for Grade 11. Here they are side by side.
- African Canadian Studies 11ACS117 units · 46 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversModule 1: Evolution and Change · Module 2: Elements of the African Diaspora · Module 3A: Impact of Colonial Expansion · Module 3B: Struggle for Identity · Module 4: Independent Study · Module 5: In Pursuit of Justice · Module 6: The Journey toward Empowerment
- Canadian History 117 units · 31 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversIntroduction · Globalization · Development · Governance · Independent Study · Sovereignty · Justice
- Mi'kmaw Studies 11This course6 units · 21 skillsNo provincial examWhat it coversIntroductory · Independent Study · Governance · Culture · Education · Spirituality
What a university, college or program asks for is theirs to say: check its admission page, and your school’s course guide.
The official curriculum
This page follows Nova Scotia’s own curriculum for Mi'kmaw Studies 11.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Mi'kmaw Studies 11 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Mi'kmaw Studies 11 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 34
- Fillable fields
- 1,372
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Mi'kmaw Studies 11
What is Mi'kmaw Studies 11?
Nova Scotia’s Grade 11 social studies course: 6 units and 21 skills, from Introductory to Spirituality.
What units are in Mi'kmaw Studies 11?
1. Introductory, 2. Independent Study, 3. Governance, 4. Culture, 5. Education and 6. Spirituality.
Is there a provincial exam for Mi'kmaw Studies 11?
No. Nova Scotia gives no provincial exam for Mi'kmaw Studies 11.
What comes after Mi'kmaw Studies 11?
Global Geography 12 and Law 12.
Can MapleMind help with Mi'kmaw Studies 11?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Mi'kmaw Studies 11, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
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