Photo: Audrey Aamodt something simple. You might simply go to the other stations as your action.”
Road to Métis Identities: Kendell Porter says,“ We wanted to focus our exhibit on Métis people, on the four main communities in Treaty 4( Lebret, Lestock, Willow Bunch, and Fort Qu’ Appelle). Métis people are often left out of the conversation, and we also wanted to address some of the myths and stereotypes people believe about the Métis.”
Being a Treaty Person:( Photo( L-R): Kelsey Hintze, Daicy Vance, and Kaitlin Corbin) Kaitlin Corbin says,“ We mapped out the prairie provinces and then the treaty areas. We have a game to see if you can put the treaty numbers down on the map.” Kelsey Hintze says,“ The biggest thing is just for people to understand that everyone who lives in these provinces is a treaty person: everyone lives within numbered treaties.” Kaitlin Corbin says,“ I’ m still anxious about teaching about treaty, but I am a lot more ready than I used to be. This wasn’ t part of my education growing up, so coming here … it’ s a lot more useful.”
Telling the Truth about Residential Schools:( L-R) Hailie Logan and Kate Paidel wanted to raise awareness about Indian residential schools, and the importance of adding resources, such as I am not a Number, which can be used with Grade 3 students, into the curriculum throughout the grades and subject areas. Kate says,” I have learned way more that I thought I ever could. I know taking this into the classroom is still going to be uncomfortable for me, but I know I am not going to stop … It’ s important to me.” Hailie says,“ For me it is important for my
students to feel represented. I want all of my students to feel that they matter, and that they have a place on this earth and in my classroom.”
Road to Connecting Languages:( photo includes Instructor Audrey Aamodt). Zakk Tylor( R) and Amy Arnal( Front L) set up a guessing game to promote languages. Amy says“ Our table is about making relationships between Settler Canadians and Indigenous people through languages. On our campus, we have three towers named Kīšik( Saulteaux word for‘ sky’) Paskwāw( Cree word for‘ prairie’) Wakpá( Dakota word for‘ river’).” Zakk explains,“ We see people taking these names for granted and they don’ t know what they mean. The three names reflect the three aspects on the Treaty 4 flag that remind us that the Treaty lasts as long as the grass grows, the sun shines, and the rivers flow.” Reflecting on her education with the Faculty of Education, Amy says she is“ keeping the growth mindset and always learning. We’ re not pretending to be experts, but we do feel equipped to teach about reconciliation.” It was organizer Shelby Vandewoestyne’ s( holding map in photo above) job to hand out maps to the Roads to ReconciliACTION and in her words,“ entice people” to visit the booths. From her experience, Shelby says,“ I was able to see different perspectives at the University: people who are really interested and people who aren’ t. This shows me that there is going to be resistance going into schools in the future. In the spaces we will be working, we will need to create inclusivity and work to break down those barriers.”
Organizers: Getting coffee and Timbits, setting up stations, and handing out maps; this crew of organizers,( L-R) Ashlyn Paidel, Keigan Duczek, and Jessica Weber, were holding this event together while promoting conversations about reconciliation. Jessica says,“ We are trying to spark conversations.” Keigan says,“ So by doing this we are coming out of our box and making ourselves uncomfortable.” Ashlyn says,“ The hope is for the discussion to at least be started about reconciliation and what our aim, reconciliAction is all about.” Keigan adds,“ We’ ve been promoting the hashtag # reconciliAction just to keep the conversation going after today.”
Blanket Exercise: Teacher Sheena Koops and several students from Bert Fox High School came to the event to talk about the Blanket Exercise. Sheena Koops says,“ We’ ve been invited here today as people who facilitate the Blanket Exercise regularly, to have conversations about the Blanket Exercise. Our booth is called Complicating the Canadian Story: Conversations with the Oski-pimohatahtamawak, a name given to us by Elder Alma Poitras.”
Michael Starr-Desmonie( L), a Bert Fox Grade 12 student, has been leading the Blanket Exercise for almost a year.“ I love doing this. I love doing the Blanket Exercise, so people can understand what my people actually went through … I do this for my elders. Last year someone said,‘ Your people are invisible these days.’ I said,‘ I’ m going to prove you wrong.’ People went through a rough time at residential schools, sexual abuse, physical abuse … they didn’ t eat normal food; they ate leftovers. They were tired, starving … My family went through that same stuff. [ Residential school ] put impacts on our history, as kids growing up— what we went through as children— made us stronger, made us who we are today. I’ m very proud and honoured to do [ the Blanket Exercise ] each and every time, and speak my heart out to people. I’ ve done the Blanket Exercise about 20 times; it’ s emotional. Each exercise, we have a talking circle. The circle means a lot to us. It’ s a comfort zone. All around you, the circle of life, a big family that supports you. It takes lots of guts and strength, and lots of heart as well. I gain a lot of respect these days.”
Bert Fox student, Shandan Peigan( R) says,“ We want to share our history, get it out there, because no one really learns about it in high school. I think we should get it in our education system by Grade 9 or end of Grade 8, so people know where they come from and know what happened in the past. We can’ t do anything about it, but we can talk about it and learn from it. It feels good leading [ the Blanket Exercise ] but it’ s not just me leading: we are a team. We all have
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Education News | Page 13