Synthesizing Personal, Cultural, and Treaty Influences in Financial Decision-Making 

Treaty Relationships and Promises

In Canada, treaties are agreements between Indigenous Peoples and settlers. These treaties were created to share the land and its resources fairly. Indigenous Peoples believed in taking care of the land and sharing it with settlers, while settlers often wanted to own the land and use it for profit.

Many treaties included promises like payments, education, and land sharing. Unfortunately, these promises were not always kept. Today, treaties still affect how resources like land and money are shared. Learning about treaties helps us see why fairness and respect are important in decision-making.

Examples of Blending Perspectives

Helping Your Community: An Indigenous-owned business might balance earning money with giving back, like donating some profits to community programs.

Family Support: A family might save money together, splitting it between personal goals and helping a relative in need.

Sustainable Choices: Someone might invest in products or companies that protect the environment, helping both their finances and the planet.

By combining these influences, you can make decisions that are fair, thoughtful, and good for everyone.

What to Include in Your Mind Map:

• Specific examples from your own life.

• Lessons you’ve learned from your culture.

• Ideas about how treaty principles apply to financial decisions.

The mind map helps you see how these ideas overlap and influence one another. When you look at the final product, you’ll have a clear picture of how different influences shape your financial decisions.

4. Applying the Synthesis  

Putting It All Together in Everyday Life

Now that you’ve explored your personal experiences, cultural values, and treaty principles, it’s time to use what you’ve learned. This section will show how to apply these ideas to everyday financial decisions. When you combine these perspectives, you can make choices that are fair, thoughtful, and good for yourself, your community, and the future.  

Making Thoughtful Decisions

Here are some ways to apply what you’ve learned:  

1. Personal Reflection in Decisions

   - Think about your own money habits. Are they helping you meet your goals? For example, if you want to save for something important, you might decide to spend less on things you don’t need.  

   - Ask yourself how your choices reflect what you care about, like independence, security, or helping others.  

2. Using Cultural Values  

   - If your culture values community, think about how you can include others in your financial plans. For example, you could contribute to a family savings plan or share your resources with someone in need.  

   - Consider how your culture teaches you to manage money. Does it encourage saving, sharing, or both?  

3. Honoring Treaty Principles 

   - Treaties teach us to think about fairness and sharing resources. You can honor these principles by supporting businesses or organizations that help others, like buying from local or Indigenous-owned businesses.  

   - Sustainability is another important treaty principle. For example, you can choose to spend money on items that are reusable or eco-friendly to help protect the environment for future generations.  

Examples of Blended Decision-Making

Here are a few examples of how you can combine personal, cultural, and treaty influences in your decisions:  

1. Saving and Sharing: Save part of your income for a personal goal, like buying a bike, and use some to help someone else, like donating to a local food bank.  

2. Supporting Community Projects: Choose to spend your money on something that helps your community, like joining a cooperative or supporting a fundraiser.  

3. Making Eco-Friendly Choices: Buy products that last a long time or that help the environment, such as a reusable water bottle or solar-powered gadgets.  

Why This Matters  

When you apply what you’ve learned, your financial decisions become more thoughtful and balanced. You’re not just thinking about what’s good for you right now—you’re thinking about how your choices affect your family, community, and even the future.  

By blending personal, cultural, and treaty influences, you’re creating a way of managing money that is fair, respectful, and connected to the values that matter most to you.  

5. Assessment and Reflection  

Show What You’ve Learned

Now it’s your turn to demonstrate how personal, cultural, and treaty influences come together in your financial decisions. This assessment will help you think deeply about what you’ve learned and apply it in a meaningful way.  

Mind Map Submission  

1. Create Your Mind Map 

   - Use the instructions in Section 3 to build your digital mind map. Make sure to include:  

    - Examples from your personal money story.  

    - Cultural values or traditions that guide how you use money.  

    - Treaty principles, like fairness, sharing, or sustainability, that influence financial decisions.  

    - Show how these ideas connect by using lines, colors, or symbols.  

2. Submit a Screenshot or Export 

Once your mind map is complete, take a screenshot or export it as a file. This will be your main submission for this assessment.  

3. Write a Brief Paragraph  

In addition to your mind map, write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) explaining what it shows. Answer these questions:  

- How do your personal, cultural, and treaty influences come together in your financial decisions?  

- Why is it important to think about these influences when making decisions about money?  

This paragraph will help you explain your thought process and show how you’ve connected the ideas from this lesson.  

Final Reflection  

Take a moment to think about what you’ve learned. Answer this question in one or two sentences:  

- How will you use what you’ve learned in this handout to make better financial decisions in the future?  

What We’re Looking For 

Your work will be assessed on:  

- Creativity: How well your mind map shows the connections between personal, cultural, and treaty influences.  

- Clarity: How clearly you explain your ideas in your paragraph and reflection.  

- Effort: How much thought and care you put into connecting what you’ve learned to your own experiences.