Season Five - Episode Ten - Elaine Sutherland

Educating people of all ages and cultures is what drives Elaine Sutherland. 

For nearly 25 years, she taught in schools, mostly as a kindergarten teacher, and helped her peers incorporate Indigenous history and teachings education into their classrooms. Today, you can find Elaine at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner where she is the Director of Treaty Education. 

The history of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner is interesting.

It was created in 1989 by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the Government of Canada to guide both parties through their differing views on Treaties. For those unfamiliar with Treaties, in Saskatchewan they are the formal agreements between the Crown and First Nations with their expectations and obligations.

11 numbered treaties were negotiated after confederation and between 1871 and 1921. They cover the territories from present day Ontario to Alberta as well as parts of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. In Saskatchewan, there are six treaties: Treaty 2, treaty 4, treaty 6, treaty 8 and treaty 10. Saskatoon is in treaty 6 territory. 

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner’s vision in our province is to promote respect and understanding of Treaties, and to support Treaty parties in maintaining and enhancing the Treaty relationship through dialogue, neutral support, assistance with resolving disputes, and commitment to the Treaty principles.

I would strongly recommend spending some time on the OTC’s website as there some great online resources available and it’s just interesting learning about this organization.

Learning is a theme in this episode as it’s something Elaine Sutherland firmly believes we should all be doing no matter where we are in our lives. 

For the past two years, she has been teaching the importance of treaties to people in our city, our province and across Canada. She left a highly respected teaching career to take on this role and it has not always been easy. 

However, you will hear why this work…why sharing the stories of treaties with businesses, organizations and especially teachers, as well as strategies to help on their learning journey, is so meaningful to Elaine. 

You will also hear in this episode how Elaine’s new two day education session called the Treaty Learning Journey is connecting with participants here in Saskatoon and throughout Saskatchewan.

Thank you so much to Elaine for sharing her story on the podcast and to the Office of the Treaty Commissioner for its cooperation and support. 

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This is the Season 5 finale of YXE Underground and I can’t thank all of you enough for supporting my podcast. Whether you’re listening to or sharing the podcast, or maybe you’re telling a friend to check it out, or you’re buying podcast swag that support local organizations…thank you so very much! 

I had no idea this podcast would go on for five years and it really is a privilege sharing these stories with you. Thank you for the opportunity to do so. I can’t wait for Season 6 to launch in September and you might hear a summer bonus episode or two between now and the fall. 

If you have any recommendations when it comes to people or organizations that should be featured on the podcast, I would love to hear them. Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or fill out a nomination form on the website. You can also drop me a line on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I know there are so many people in Saskatoon making a difference in our community who are flying under the radar so let’s get them on the podcast and share their stories. 

I hope you have  a safe and wonderful summer and be on the lookout for a few bonus episodes in July and August before Season 6 begins in September. 

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis