The KAIROS Blanket Exercise

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise

In 1996, the Aboriginal Rights Coalition worked with Indigenous elders, Knowledge Keepers, and educators to develop an interactive way of learning the history most Canadians are never taught. The KAIROS Blanket Exercise was the result; an interactive and experiential teaching tool that explores the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in so called Canada. It has since been offered thousands of times and the fourth edition was released in 2016.

During this 2 to 3-hour workshop, participants step on blankets representing the land and into the role of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. They are guided by trained facilitators, including Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, who work from a script that covers pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, resistance and much more. Participants read scrolls and respond to cues in the script. The KBE concludes with a debriefing, conducted as a talking circle, during which participants discuss the learning experience, process their feelings, ask questions, share insights, and deepen their understanding.