Wow, this was an incredible day. In fact I have so much information to share from this day that it might take me a few days of typing to get it all typed up.
I was invited to participate in a Smudge Ceremony at the beginning of the day at the Public Schools Office with other Metis and First Nation members of the Saskatoon Public Schools Office. During a Smudge individuals use smoke, from burning sage, sweetgrass or tobacco to cleanse their body and mind. Women must wear long skirts or have their lower body covered with a long shawl to show respect. Women are regarded as very powerful because of "moon time", menstruation and for this reason must cover up. Henry lit the sage so that it produced smoke and then showed me that we use our hands to direct the smoke to ears, mouth, eyes, heart and body. The process is designed to cleanse. Everyone is sat in a circle and in a clockwise direction everyone is able to offer a prayer to the creator following the Smudge. I did note that there was always a general prayer for individuals who were missing from the circle.
I was then taken to Brightwater Science and Environmental Education Centre which has been designed to educate students in the area of Science and the Environment and Aboriginal Perspective. The building itself has been designed to be a rich learning space with a medicine circle in the middle of the open space. There are computer labs and a kitchen. The whole building is made from local materials and built in a direction that will absorb optimum warmth. The building is designed to be environmentally sustainable, there are pipes under the floor with the intention of being able to use this as a means of heating the building eventually.
Away from the education building itself is the cultural learning area where there is a traditional Tipi that students are taught correct protocol and cultural traditions. Henry lit a fire in the Tipi and we sat on Wolf fur blanket for warmth while he shared songs that would have been sing in the morning. He explained that women enter the Tipi first, walking around the fire in a clockwise direction and would sit opposite the men in the Tipi. These are large structures able to fit families, or in these instances a class group of 20. Henry showed how with a small gap created at the base of the Tipi air circulation carries the smoke from the fire out the top of the Tipi. Snow would have been used up the sides of the Tipi for insulation. Henry is a traditional musician who has one many awards drumming in Powwow across Canada and the USA. He uses his skills to engage many Metis, First Nations and non-Indigenous students. This was a unique experience that I am truly thankful of Henry and Auntie Faye for. Something I will never forget.
Henry also very quickly (as it was freezing and we had walked through shin-deep snow) the sweat ceremonies and buildings that are also present at the site.
Following this visit Auntie Faye and I went to Westmount Community School to look at a unique Metis cultural classroom. I would compare the program at the school to music programs that I have seen in NSW schools where a specialist teacher takes all year groups and classes one at a time and develops their understanding of Metis culture. Auntie Faye is a part of this program and is teaching the students Michif, which is a Metis language that involves both Cree and French, as part of the students cultural lessons. The classroom is filled with posters of Michif words, Metis ways of learning and showing respect.
I was able to spend a little bit of time with a year 6/7 class who were looking at the making of Manitobah Mukluks, a type of traditional footwear made from fur and hide. Manitobah Mukluks are still made traditionally, all designed and produced by local First Nations and Metis people. The difference, it is felt, is that people who contribute to the making of this footwear are paid appropriately for their hardwork and skill and thus are able to pass these skills onto their children and grandchildren. This means that the traditional skills required to make beautiful traditional Mukluks can be maintained. The students discussed the importance of maintaining and preserving culture.
Auntie Faye is very happy with the program, the Metis classroom and teacher is the only one of it's kind in western Canada. However, Auntie Faye did say that she hopes that Metis and First Nations culture can be taught through more than just the Arts. She hopes that First Nations and Metis culture and traditions begin to be taught through Science, Geography and History in ALL classrooms.
Henry joined as Westmount Community School and discussed integrating a drumming program for boys and the implementation of cultural protocols into the cultural program to improve self-confidence and self-esteem of male and female students. For example having wraps for the girls to wear as they enter the classroom as a means of teaching them respect in another culture. Henry also hoped to introduce Smudge Ceremony, but wasn't sure whether he would be allowed to given that it is a public school. To introduce the music program and protocols it was decided that inviting parents along to be involved would be the best way to begin. I really like that any change or anything new in these traditional programs is shown to parents and discussed with parents to begin with. I think it is really important to seek what parents want for their children.
Auntie Faye took me to the Saskatoon Gabriel Dumont Institute to finish with. This is a cultural centre with local traditional and contemporary artworks and crafts. The silk and beadwork displayed is breathtaking. There is an area set up to look like a traditional Metis shack, both Faye and Karen expressed that this is what they would have grown up in. Karen showed me pieces in the house that would have been made by the occupants using the materials they had access to in order to stay warm. For example rugs. Auntie Faye explained to me that Metis people prefer to be neat and organised in their space.
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