Posted on April 9, 2018 by Jiah Dzentu
A group of learners in Lutsel K’e got a taste of just how hard their ancestors worked to clothe themselves at a first-time traditional moosehide tanning camp last week. “When I’m doing moosehide tanning, I often think, ‘yeah I’m doing one, it’s so hard, but what if I had to do 10 just to make […]
A group of learners in Lutsel K’e got a taste of just how hard their ancestors worked to clothe themselves at a first-time traditional moosehide tanning camp last week.
“When I’m doing moosehide tanning, I often think, ‘yeah I’m doing one, it’s so hard, but what if I had to do 10 just to make sure that my family had the clothing that they needed to stay warm?’” said Stephanie Poole, a community member in Lutsel K’e who participated in the tanning camp. “It gives you a real appreciation for all of the work that our ancestors did.”
Around 10 to 15 people took part in the 10-day camp, some of whom slept on-site while others trekked out to the campsite each day, located near the townsite at the outlet to Stark Lake river. https://norj.ca/2014/06/lutsel-ke-traditions-kept-alive-with-tanning-camp/
Posted on by Jason Bruce
How do you stretch the boundaries of the definition of education to meet the needs of students in the North Peace area?
Sage Birley is an Aboriginal Support Worker who provides emotional, social, and academic support for First Nations and Métis students in the North Peace area. He works as a liaison and helps connect youth with various supports the community has to offer. Sage largely understands the need to engage students and stretching boundaries in terms of how we define education.
Posted on by Jiah Dzentu
A regional on-the-land program for stewardship activities in the Dehcho region.
A regional on-the-land program for stewardship activities in the Dehcho region.
Posted on by Richard Stecenko
Demian Lawrenchuk has led a Christmas break school program that focuses on land-based cultural activities in Gillam, MB.
Demian Lawrenchuk is from Fox Lake Cree Nation in Manitoba. Lawrenchuk is in an apprenticeship program with community Elders, who are teaching him about the traditional use of land, plants, and animals. He volunteers his time at both Fox Lake School and the school in Gillam, Manitoba where he has led a Christmas break school program that focuses on land-based cultural activities. The activities included making and setting snares; catching animals (rabbits, martins, etc.); skinning, tanning, cooking, and making clothes out of them. The program offers students an opportunity to reconnect with the land and reinforce a sense of cultural and historical continuity with their ancestors. During the 2017-2018 school year, he has shown the grade 4-8 classes in Fox Lake how to garden vegetables, clean certain kinds of fish, plant medicine, skin a martin, and make a drum.
Posted on March 27, 2018 by Laura Forsythe
The Métis have often been called “The Flower Beadwork People” – a nickname attributable to their extraordinary floral beadwork designs, which are well-known in Métis culture.
The Louis Riel Institute (LRI) has continued this tradition through The Flower Beadwork Circle, a group that meets every Wednesday evening to keep the craft alive. During these meetings, members work on individual beading projects and share their knowledge and ideas for beading ideas, patterns, and techniques.
For more information on The Flower Beadwork Circle, click here.
Posted on March 20, 2018 by Anne Marie Jackson
GOBA educates the community on healthy eating, exercising, and offers support for those diagnosed with cancer or are in remission.
Located in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories, GOBA supports those affected by, diagnosed with, or are in remission from, cancer. The staff and volunteers help deliver the program within the community and on the Land. The program embraces the K’asho Got’ine Peoples traditional cultural practices that relate to healthy lifestyles involving diet, medicines, and exercise. GOBA runs year-round and more information can be found here.
Posted on by Anne Marie Jackson
Angela Grandjambe describes some of the land-based education activities in the Sahtu region of the Northwest Territories.
Angela sits on many different boards. She has sat on the SDEC (Sahtu Divisional Education Council) for many years. Leaders help promote and ensure Traditional Knowledge and Practices are articulated in the school curriculum. Angela’s K’ahsho Got’ine background in positions, as such, help reinforce the Dene peoples values, systems, beliefs and practices.
Posted on by Richard Stecenko
The Kenanaw program was created by Elders as a way to develop teachers in the North.
The Kenanaw Learning Model is an education system that served Aboriginal people well for generations throughout time and history. It is about identity, a place of belonging, community history, roles and responsibilities of generations of families and the process of handing down knowledge in a larger context, the community that supports and nourishes the heart, mind, body and spirit. For Ininiwak, the Cree, the education system was transmitted through the families and communities as represented in the Kenanaw Learning Model. https://www.ucn.ca/sites/academics/facultyeducation/programs/bacheloreducation/kenanowmodel/Pages/Kenanow-Model.aspx