BAC STUDENTS AND ARTS ED / ELEMENTARY ED STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN PROJECT OF HEART
Learning about the history of Indian residential schools in Saskatchewan ( ELIT 202 and DLNG 425 )
In the winter term , ELIT 202 students from Shuana Niessen ' s class and DLNG 425 Bac students from Dr . Heather Phipps ' class engaged in Projects of Heart led by Niessen . Students created commemorative tiles to honour former students from several Indian residential schools in Saskatchewan . Phipps arranged to have emerging Elder-in-Residence Joseph Naytowhow smudge the tiles . Smudging the tiles is important because of the effort that was put into creating them , and to honour the survivors who are still struggling , says Naytowhow . " You want to send the energy out , you don ’ t want to make it stagnant , and you want to keep it connected . Smudging is beautiful that way . It helps release if there are any emotions ." Naytowhow also played his flute and drum and enacted a story in which he portrayed his grandmother ' s experience of him being taken from his grandparents at the age of 6 and placed in a residential school . Dr . Anna-Leah King accompanied Naytowhow in teachings and songs .
Student comments : " Doing the Project of Heart opened my eyes to the deeper history behind the stories I ’ ve have always heard . There were many more stories and experiences than I could have anticipated . It made my heart break about all of the experiences that innocent children had to endure . I am grateful to those who have been brave enough to speak out about what happened at residential schools ." Nikki Cairns .
" The Project of Heart experience was a very good learning experience for myself . I found it rewarding because in researching the different residential schools it gave me a chance to gain a better understanding . While researching I was appalled that they were still running in the later 90s . ... I found colouring the chips very therapeutic but also felt peace in the classroom . It is something I believe I will do more research on in the future and found this project to be an amazing learning experience ." Mitchell Smith .
Doing a Project of Heart , an inquiry based , hands-on , collaborative , intergenerational , artistic journey of seeking truth about the history of Indian Residential Schools , is now even more accessible with the newly translated French version of the resource Shattering the Silence : The Hidden History of Indian Residential Schools in Saskatchewan / Rompre le Silence : Lever le Voile sur les Pensionnats Autochtones en Saskatchewan . English and French versions can be downloaded at www . bit . ly / SK _ IRS ( For more information about Project of Heart visit : www . projectofheart . ca / sk ) �
Education News | Page 7