A First Nations community in Manitoba is turning to Minecraft, a popular sandbox game, to connect kids with ancestral traditions.
Manitoba’s Bloodvein River First Nation is using tools to teach students a new map in the game that includes interaction with elders, ice fishing, and dog sledding.
“I was blown away by just how beautiful it was and how much it incorporated traditional knowledge and culture,” said Karl Hildebrandt, the education technology facilitator for the Manitoba First Nations School System. “I thought this had Minecraft written all over it.”
The map features the indigenous cultures and perspectives of the Pimachiowin Aki, which is Canada’s first mixed UNESCO World Heritage site.
“It’s important for a community like Bloodvein to incorporate and integrate technology and education,” he says. “It’s so impactful and meaningful. It leads to different career pathways.
Hildebrandt highlighted the importance of “attendance and getting kids motivated to step through …