Lesson 1: Aboriginal Leaders, Heroes, and Role Models Lesson 2: Historical Leadership Roles in Aboriginal Societies Lesson 3: Resolving Conflict Lesson 4: Leadership and Government in Iroquois Society

Historical Leadership Roles in Aboriginal Socities

Students will research the historical leadership roles from two different Aboriginal groups and compare and contrast them in chart format. Students will want to ask:

1. What were the qualities of a good leader?
2. How was a leader chosen? Who participated in the decision making?
3. Was their only one leader per group or more than one? What was the reasoning behind this?
4. What was the leader’s role in times of conflict with the community or another Aboriginal group?
5. How is a leader chosen today?

Once the students have collected the information and placed it in chart form initiate a class discussion that compares their findings of Aboriginal culture to contemporary times. Do people chose leaders today based on any of the same principals? What are the different types of roles that leader’s may have in today’s society? What is the role of leader’s when Canada deals with conflict today?

Depending on the class size and time allotment it is possible to engage students in a role play activity in which they acted out the qualities of a leader and the expectations of a leader based on their research assignment material.