DOCSLIB.ORG

Faith Decontie Final by Anne

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Faith Decontie Final by Anne Honouring the Memory of our Ancestors; Birch Bark Baskets Faith Decontie HONOURING THE MEMORY OF OUR ANCESTORS; BIRCH BARK BASKETS CAPSTONE SEMINAR SERIES (Re)Negotiating Artifacts of Canadian Narratives of Identity, Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 2014. Managing Editor Dr. Anne Trépanier Desktop publishing Shermeen Nizami Proofreading and final edit Emma Gooch and Ryan Lux Editorial Board Dr. Daniel MacFarlane, Amanda Murphy, Sarah Spear, Ryan Lux, Greer, Jessica Helps, Martha Attridge Bufton, Paula Chinkiwsky, Sarah Baker, Heather Leroux, Victoria Ellis, Stephanie Elliot, Emma Gooch, Cassandra Joyce, Brittany Collier, Tiffany Douglas, Anne Trépanier. Guest Editor Dr. Daniel MacFarlane Special thanks Patrick Lyons and Andrew Barrett Copyright Notice © Faith Decontie, April 2014 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy, or transmission of this publication, or part thereof in excess of one paragraph (other than as a PDF file at the discretion of School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University) may be made without the written permission of the author. To quote this article refer to: ― Faith Decontie, Honouring the Memory of our Ancestors; Birch Bark Baskets, Capstone Seminar Series, (Re)Negotiating Artifacts of Canadian Narratives of Identity, Volume 4, number 1, Spring 2014, page number and date of accession to this website: http://capstoneseminarseries.wordpress.com 2 FAITH DECONTIE Honouring the Memory of our Ancestors; Birch Bark Baskets Faith Decontie ABSTRACT The cultural practice of Algonquin birch bark basket making is a continuing distinct method of connecting to their ancestors. In the Algonquin reserve of Kitigan Zibi, birch bark baskets are a way of both honouring their ancestors and passing down traditional valuable teachings of Anishnabe culture. The once practiced assimilation policies in Section 3 of An Act Further to Amend The Indian Act, 1880, to ban First Nation ceremonial practices within Canada, is one example that demonstrates unsettling historical relationships between Indigenous people and the Canadian Government. As a result of the Canadian Government assimilation policies of banning ceremonial practices, the disconnection between Indigenous people and Canadians are apparent through public spaces such as the Canadian Museum of History in the Canada Hall. The presence of Algonquin birch bark baskets in the Canada Hall would reflect a potential positive relationship between Canadians and the First People of this land. KEYWORDS Anishnabe Cultural Practices, Unsettling Historical Relationships, Canada Hall CAPSTONE SEMINAR SERIES (Re)Negotiating Artifacts of Canadian Narratives of Identity, Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 2014. 3 HONOURING THE MEMORY OF OUR ANCESTORS; BIRCH BARK BASKETS "May we, the present, renew that pride, strengthen it, and pass it on to our children, the future" - Ernest McGregor Figure 1:Photograph courtesy of Kitigan Zibi Culture Center. In the present, Anishnabe (Algonquin) people of Kitigan Zibi have and continue to practice their cultural traditions in honour of their ancestors. Prior to European influence the Algonquin people maintained a distinct cultural knowledge, life lessons and language through animated objects such as birch bark baskets despite European influence. In contemporary society, the people of Kitigan Zibi continue to make birch bark baskets in honour of their ancestors. The process of creating the baskets is attached with a deeply spiritual significance within Anishnabe culture. Within this paper I intend to explain the diverse values birch bark baskets continue to have in Algonquin culture drawing on both Indigenous academic scholars, and relating individual experiences shared from Kitigan Zibi reserve. First, I will discuss the importance of trees within Indigenous culture, concentrating on how the trees are valued within Algonquin practices. Second, I explore the importance of understanding 4 FAITH DECONTIE the reason Algonquin people today continue to make baskets in honour and memory of their ancestors. Finally, I will explore the reasons why Algonquin birch bark baskets should have a place within the Canada Hall, at the Canadian Museum of History. I demonstrate how a birch bark basket collection has potential to reflect a positive relationship between Indigenous and Canadian culture. Sacred Trees Birch bark trees are fundamentally important within traditional and modern Algonquin cultural practices. In Kitigan Zibi, baskets made from trees have many different purposes such as: food storage, trading, and methods of retaining cultural knowledge.1 The baskets are created to continue on Anishnabe (Algonquin) legacy and adapted for commodity purposes as a means of living. In the area of Kitigan Zibi, there are two types of birch bark trees; the first is the wigwas (white birch) and winsik (yellow birch).2My kokom (grandmother), Pauline Decontie, once shared a story with me explaining how the yellow birch tree is a medicinal remedy for an upset stomach. The elders today who still use the yellow birch as a medicinal remedy express in comical ways how it tastes slightly similar to Pepto-Bismol. My kokom also explained how wigwas, the white birch bark tree, has multiple purposes. The outside layer is used to make various items such as: baskets, canoes, and sap. The various medicinal and creative cultural products previously stated are some examples of why the birch bark tree has continued to have great significance within the Algonquin culture. Trees continue to be symbolically and physically important within different Indigenous spiritual cultural practices in North America. Dr. A.C Ross's book, Mitakuye Oyasin, discusses the sacred character of trees among other international 1Decontie, Pauline. Personal Interview. 14 Feb. 2014. 2McGregor, Ernest, and Quebeć Maniwaki.Algonquin Lexicon. Third Edition ed. Maniwaki, Quebec:́ The Authority, 1984.Pg 29 CAPSTONE SEMINAR SERIES (Re)Negotiating Artifacts of Canadian Narratives of Identity, Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 2014. 5 HONOURING THE MEMORY OF OUR ANCESTORS; BIRCH BARK BASKETS Indigenous cultures. For instance, he explains how they symbolically and physically bring healing to the people. Ross further elaborates on the flowering tree in Black Elk's vision (a Lakota medicine man) that symbolized Wakan Tanka in the English language means the equivalent to God.3Ross explains how Lakota, Dakota and Nakota cultures all collectively practice Sun Dance ceremonies. The Sun Dances continue to be a very important spiritual ceremony that is still practiced amongst Dakota, Lakota and Nakota people. Ross describes, "the sacred tree in the center of the Sun Dance is a symbol of God, and the Sun Dance circle represents the universe".4 Ross’ interpretation of Black Elk's vision of the flowering tree is important because it explains the role that trees have within Dakota, Lakota and Nakota culture. In Algonquin culture, birch bark trees are sacred and are internalized as animated spirits that are viewed as equal to animals and human beings. Through an Algonquin lens, birch bark trees symbolically represent a reflection of the people. Simply, how one takes care of the environment is a reflection of how you take care of yourself. Methodology In Algonquin culture, symbolism remains vital. Rebecca and Philip Stein note how “[s]ymbols can stand for emotions and complex philosophical concepts that exist only in our minds.”5Ross mentions how in "Dakota/Lakota philosophy, it is believed that Wakan Tanka is the center of the universe, symbolized by the sacred tree in the middle of the Sun Dance circle".6 Mrs. Meness, an elder from Kitigan Zibi, once shared a story with me about how at every meal during her childhood, her father would spill the first sip of soup, or give the first bite of his meal to the trees outside their shack. The first spoon of soup or bite of a meal was given back into the earth to 3Ross, A. C.Mitakuye Oyasin = We Are All Related. Centennial ed. Ft. Yates, N.D.: Bear, 1989. Pg 107. 4Ross, A. C.Mitakuye Oyasin = We Are All Related. Centennial ed. Ft. Yates, N.D.: Bear, 1989. Pg 107. 5Stein, Rebecca L., and Philip L. Stein.The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011.Pg 57. 6Ross, A. C.Mitakuye Oyasin = We Are All Related. Centennial ed. Ft. Yates, N.D.: Bear, 1989. Pg 123. 6 FAITH DECONTIE the roots of the trees. That intentional interaction of sharing with the spirit world and other spiritual organisms represents the equal respect shared amongst one another. The notion of equality amongst living organisms and human beings are reflected back in understanding the importance of trees. Elder Meness explained that her father giving the first bite or sip of his food was a daily spiritual practice, one that was learned and passed down generations before him. Her story reveals the value that trees have in connecting Algonquin people to their ancestors. Birch bark trees are viewed as sacred because they are spiritual animated organisms that cleanse the air, assist in healing, and supply material for medicine and food. Birch bark trees remain a crucial part of Algonquin identity because their presence keeps their spirits connected to the spirits world. Symbolic images have always been instrumental in continuing on stories, teachings, moral lessons, and cultural legacies. Stein explains how symbols are complex and more than just simple objects7 they are also artistic representations, signifiers, and a respective religious systems.8 In Algonquin culture, the images on birch bark baskets have become a method of continuing shared cultural knowledge. Some of these symbols include wave figures and half circles which represent the moon and water. In Algonquin and Midewiwin (Anishnabe spiritual society) beliefs, women are the keepers of the water. Women are responsible for cleansing the water each spring to prepare for new life to come. The wave figures and half circles are drawn on baskets represent different meanings, depending on the context in which it was created. Within a Midewiwin context, females who make birch bark baskets draw the waves and half circles as an artistic representation of their experience during the 7Stein, Rebecca L., and Philip L.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Proquest Dissertations
    MAAN PIINDE' ENG: A DEBWEWIN JOURNEY THROUGH THE ALGONQUIN LAND CLAIMS AND SELF-GOVERNMENT PROCESS A Dissertation Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the Faculty of Indigenous Studies TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada Copyright by Lynn Gehl, Gii-Zhigaate-Mnidoo-Kwe 2010 Indigenous Studies Ph.D. Graduate Program May 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-64090-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-64090-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Nnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Dispossessing the Algonquins of South- Eastern Ontario of Their Lands
    "LAND OF WHICH THE SAVAGES STOOD IN NO PARTICULAR NEED" : DISPOSSESSING THE ALGONQUINS OF SOUTH- EASTERN ONTARIO OF THEIR LANDS, 1760-1930 MARIEE. HUITEMA A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada 2000 copyright O Maqke E. Huiterna, 0 11 200 1 Nationai Library 6iblioîMque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Senrices services bibliographiques The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retaias ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in tbis thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels rnay be printed or othexwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT Contemporary thought and current üterature have estabüshed links between unethical colonial appropriation of Native lands and the seemingly unproblematic dispossession of Native people from those lands. The principles of justification utiiized by the colonking powers were condoned by the belief that they were commandeci by God to subdue the earth and had a mandate to conquer the wildemess.
    [Show full text]
  • Listen to the Grandmothers Video Guide and Resource: Incorporating Tradition Into Contemporary Responses to Violence Against Native Women
    Tribal Law and Policy Institute Listen To The Grandmothers Video Guide and Resource: Incorporating Tradition into Contemporary Responses to Violence Against Native Women Listen To The Grandmothers Video Guide and Resource: Incorporating Tradition into Contemporary Responses to Violence Against Native Women Contributors: Bonnie Clairmont, HoChunk Nation April Clairmont, HoChunk Nation Sarah Deer, Mvskoke Beryl Rock, Leech Lake Maureen White Eagle, Métis A Product of the Tribal Law and Policy Institute 8235 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 211 West Hollywood, CA 90046 323-650-5468 www.tlpi.org This project was supported by Grant No. 2004-WT-AX-K043 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. Table of Contents Introduction Overview of this Publication 2 Overview of the Listen to the Grandmothers Video 4 How to Use This Guide with the Video 5 Precaution 6 Biographies of Elders in the Listen to the Grandmothers Video 7 Section One: Listen to the Grandmothers Video Transcript 10 What Does It Mean To Be Native?/ What is a Native Woman? 13 Video Part One: Who We Are? 15 Video Part Two: What Has Happened To Us? 18 Stories From Survivors 22 Video Part Three: Looking Forward 26 Section Two: Discussion Questions 31 Section Three: Incorporating Tradition into Contemporary Responses to Violence Against Native
    [Show full text]
  • Spirit Bear: Fishing for Knowledge, Catching Dreams Based on a True Story
    Spirit Bear: Fishing for Knowledge, Catching Dreams Based on a True Story LakE BEArbine Dream Chipewyan: Nati Michif – Prairie: Pawatamihk Nipissing Dialect – Nishinaabemwin: Bwaajgan Innu – Montagnais: Paumu Innu – QC: Puamun Blackfoot: Papokan Quechua (Peru): Musquy Noray House Dialect – Cree: Pawahmowin Algonquin: Wejibaabandam Saulteaux: Pawatan Mushkego (Swampy) Cree: obwamowin Māori: Moemoea Anishinaabemowin: Bawajigan Carrier: Wahlelh Inuktitut: Sinakturtuq Dene: Nats’e’te Dream Chipewyan: Nati Michif – Prairie: Pawatamihk Nipissing Dialect – Nishinaabemwin: Bwaajgan Innu – Montagnais: Paumu Innu – QC: Puamun Blackfoot: Papokan Quechua (Peru): Musquy Noray House Dialect – Cree: Pawahmowin Algonquin: Wejibaabandam Saulteaux: Pawatan Mushkego (Swampy) Cree: obwamowin Māori: Moemoea Anishinaabemowin: Bawajigan Carrier: Wahlelh Inuktitut: Sinakturtuq Dene: Nats’e’te Dream Chipewyan: Nati Michif – Prairie: Pawatamihk Nipissing Dialect – Nishinaabemwin: Bwaajgan Innu – Montagnais: Paumu Innu – QC: Puamun Blackfoot: Papokan Quechua (Peru): Musquy Noray House Dialect – Cree: Pawahmowin Algonquin: Wejibaabandam Saulteaux: Pawatan Mushkego (Swampy) Cree: obwamowin Māori: Moemoea Anishinaabemowin: Bawajigan Carrier: Wahlelh Inuktitut: Sinakturtuq Dene: Nats’e’te Dream Chipewyan: Nati Michif – Prairie: Pawatamihk Nipissing Dialect – Nishinaabemwin: Bwaajgan Innu – Montagnais: Paumu Innu – QC: Puamun Blackfoot: Papokan Quechua (Peru): Musquy Noray House Dialect – Cree: Pawahmowin Algonquin: Wejibaabandam Saulteaux: Pawatan Mushkego (Swampy)
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Strengths and Challenges in Implementing a System of Care Model in American Indian Communities
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 467 100 CG 031 679 AUTHOR Cross, Terry L.; Earle, Kathleen; Solie, Holly Echo-Hawk; Manness, Kathryn TITLE Cultural Strengths and Challenges in Implementing a System of Care Model in American Indian Communities. Systems of Care: Promising Practices in Children's Mental Health, 2000 Series. INSTITUTION National Indian Child Welfare Association, Portland, OR.; American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC. Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. SPONS AGENCY Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (DHHS/PHS), Rockville, MD. Center for Mental Health Services.; Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC . REPORT NO VOl-I PUB DATE 2000-00-00 NOTE 103p.; For the 1998 series, see ED 429 421-423. CONTRACT 6-URI-SM51807-04;H237T60005 AVAILABLE FROM For full text: http://cecp.air.org/promisingpractices/ PUB TYPE Reports - Research (143) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MFOl/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *American Indian Culture; *Child Health; Children; *Community Programs; Cultural Influences; Family Life; Mental Health; *Mental Health Programs; Models; Program Descriptions ABSTRACT Reports show that mental health services for Indian children are inadequate, despite the fact that Indian children are known to have more serious mental health problems than all other ethnic groups in the United States. This monograph examines five American Indian children's mental health projects funded by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). These projects have developed extraordinarily creative and effective systems of care largely based in their own cultures and on the strengths of their families. The goal of this work is to examine promising practices that implement traditional American Indian helping and healing methods that are rooted in their culture.
    [Show full text]
  • The Teachings of the Bear Clan: As Told by Saulteaux
    THE TEACHINGS OF THE BEAR CLAN: AS TOLD BY SAULTEAUX ELDER DANNY MUSQUA A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Education in the Department of Educational Foundations (INEP) by Michael Roger Relland Prince Albert, Saskatchewan 1998 © Copyright Michael Roger Relland, 1998. All rights reserved . In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection . I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done . It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission . It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make any other use of material in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to : Head of the Department of Educational Foundations University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK 11 Abstract The Saulteaux Nation is comprised of 7. major clans the larger of which is the Bear Clan .
    [Show full text]
  • Treaty Rights and Subsistence Fishing in the U.S. Waters of the Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River, and Ohio River Basins
    Treaty Rights and Subsistence Fishing in the U.S. Waters of the Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River, and Ohio River Basins June 2012 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Product of the GLMRIS Team The Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Team consists of a regional, collaborative effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), including various District and Division offices, as well as Corps Centers of Expertise and Research Laboratories. Products of the GLMRIS Team are also made possible in collaboration with various federal, state, local, and non-governmental stakeholders. Page intentionally left blank. TREATY RIGHTS AND SUBSISTENCE FISHING IN THE U.S. WATERS OF THE GREAT LAKES, UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND OHIO RIVER BASINS Prepared by Angela Kappen, Timothy Allison, and Bruce Verhaaren Environmental Science Division Argonne National Laboratory for The GLMRIS Fisheries and Economics Team U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District June 2012 Prepared by Angela Kappen, Timothy Allison, and Bruce T. Verhaaren, Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill. Work supported under Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request W81G6602391126 from the U.S Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers Chicago district, through U.S. Department of Energy contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. About Argonne National Laboratory Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. The laboratory’s main facility is outside
    [Show full text]
  • Algonquin Law on Access and Benefit Sharing Larry Mcdermott and Peigi Wilson
    Exploring the Right to Diversity in Conservation Law, Policy, and Practice ‘Ginawaydaganuk’: Algonquin Law on Access and Benefit Sharing Larry McDermott and Peigi Wilson Abstract Ginawaydaganuk, which is loosely translated as the interconnection of all things, is an Algonquin law outlining our responsibilities to each other and the earth. It is the basis of an 18th-century agreement between the French, the English, and the Algonquin to respect Algonquin law and share the resources of Algonquin territory. Three centuries later, Canada and the other parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are negotiating a new access and benefit sharing regime, but in doing so, Canada is ignoring its historic and current obligations to the Algonquin and other Indigenous Peoples in Canada. This paper explores the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples in Canada from environmental decision-making, the resulting decline of Indigenous cultures, and the interrelated decline in biological diversity. It argues that reconciling the rights of Indigenous Peoples with State sovereignty in an Access and Benefit Sharing Protocol is an essential means to support the retention of Indigenous cultures and reverse the decline of biological diversity. A new international law on access and benefit sharing (ABS) is currently being negotiated by the 193 Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The discussion of access to and sharing of benefits from genetic resources and Indigenous knowledge brings into focus conflicting worldviews about the
    [Show full text]
  • Difficulties Encountered in Researching Non-Status Algonquin in the Ottawa Valley
    Hidden Communities: Difficulties Encountered in Researching Non-Status Algonquin in the Ottawa Valley JOAN M. HOLMES Ottawa This paper explores some of the difficulties encountered while researching communities of non-status Algonquin/Nipissing people living on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. Three non-status communities are currently involved in documenting their history in order to obtain recognition as aboriginal communities from provincial and federal governments. This paper outlines some of the obstacles being faced in the preliminary stages of the research which depends upon archival documents, church and census records, and oral history interviews. BACKGROUND The traditional lands of the Algonquian-speaking Algonquin and Nipissing nations included the watershed of the Ottawa River, which drains a wide swath of land from Lake Temiskaming in the north along both sides of the Quebec-Ontario boundary south to Long Sault or Carillon, a point in the Ottawa River just above Lake of Two Mountains. The Ottawa River's tributaries on the Ontario side include the Rideau, Mississippi, Madawaska, Bonnechere, Petawawa, and Mattawa rivers. The earliest recorded claims of Algonquin and Nipissing chiefs and leading men clearly and consistently described the Algonquin and Nipissing territory as stretching along the Ottawa for a distance of 117 leagues, over 300 miles of canoe navigation from the Long Sault to Lake Nipissing.1 From the early 18th century onwards the Algonquin and Nipissing traveled down the Ottawa River annually to a Sulpician mission, initially located at He aux Tourtes and then at Lake of Two Mountains, where the Ottawa River empties into the St.
    [Show full text]
  • Enduring Understandings
    Enduring Understandings Black River Falls School District Introduction and Overview Act 31 is the Wisconsin law that resulted, in part, from significant controversies in Wisconsin related to treaty rights in the northern part of the state in the 1980s. Broadly speaking, the law is a soft mandate for educational institutions prescribing several things, as embodied in five specific statutes: CHAPTER 115.28 (17)(d): Treaty-based, off-reservation rights (focus on Chippewa), CHAPTER 118.01 (c)(7)(8): Human relations, understanding different cultures and value systems (notably, American Indian, African-American, and Hispanic) CHAPTER 118.19 (8): Pre-service Requirements for Wisconsin teachers (beginning 1 July 1991) CHAPTER 121.02 (1)(h): Instructional materials, texts, LMC materials that reflect cultural diversity and pluralistic nature of American society CHAPTER 121.02 (L)(4): Beginning September 1991 (specifically) as part of Social Studies curriculum, instruction in history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the federally recognized tribes and bands located in Wisconsin – 2 exposures in elementary grades (K-8) and at least once in high school. How districts approach this work, of course, varies greatly. In the Black River district, we have been working with various applications of Act 31 since 1990 and have gradually developed curriculum within various courses to reflect the spirit of the law, including a high school elective specifically devoted to First Nations history, with an emphasis on the Ho-Chunk story. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and nearly 30% are non-white, the majority of those having native heritage. Our ability to help all students understand diversity is important in our community and certainly in the world beyond our community, and we take that role seriously.
    [Show full text]
  • The Anishinabe Way of Life
    The Anishinabe Way of Life Hook - As the Calendar Turns Ask two students to act as recorders at an easel or chalkboard. Have one write the headings ‘Spring’ and ‘Summer’ on the board, and the other write ‘Fall’ and ‘Winter.’ Have students think about their four-season lifestyles: list common activities that fit under the each seasons. For example, ‘shoveling snow’ should be listed under Age range: 7 to 9 years Winter, ‘visiting the cottage’ under Summer, ‘harvesting crops’ under Fall. Then ask Time: three 60 to 75-minute the students to think about what they eat during each season: list various plants sessions and animals that are best by season. For example, asparagus and rhubarb in Spring; berries, lettuce, mushrooms in Summer; oats, corn, squash, honey in the Fall; fish can Resources: be caught in Winter. • art supplies and props as required Explain that this chart tells a great deal about changes in their their lifestyle 1 set To Everything There throughout the seasons. Now they are going to learn about the lifestyle of the • is a Season clue cards Anishinabe people across the four seasons. (1 card/student) • class sets of The Anishinabe Classroom or Outdoor Activity: Way of Life teachings, and To Everything There Is a Season The Travelling Song (Heart Beat) and Mègwetch Song 1. In preparation for this activity (Thank You) song sheets. - Copy and cut out a class set of To Everything There is a Season clue cards. - Create a set of four signs, one for each season, using the Algonquin and Learning Outcome: English names of the seasons.
    [Show full text]
  • 2.3 Algonquin History in the Ottawa River Watershed
    CULTURAL HERITAGE 17 2.3 Algonquin History in the Ottawa River Watershed James Morrison, Sicani Research and Advisory Services The history of the Ottawa River watershed is inseparable from the history of the Algonquin Nation. Though their territory was once considerably more extensive, the Algonquin heartland has always included the entire length of the Ottawa River, from its headwaters in north-central Quebec to its outlet near Montreal. At present, there are ten federally recognized Algonquin communities, with a total population of approximately 8-10,0001 (for more detailed information on these communities, see Appendix F). Nine of the Algonquin communities are in Quebec. Proceeding from northwest to southeast, these are the Abitibiwinni, Timiskaming, Eagle Village (Kebaouek), Wolf Lake, Long Point (Winneway), Kitcisakik (Grand Lac), Lac Simon, Mitcikinabik Inik (Algonquins of Barriere Lake) and Kitigan Zibi (River Desert) First Nations. In Ontario, members of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan (at Golden Lake) First Nation make up the only recognized Algonquin community, though three other Ontario First Nation communities, Wahgoshig, Matachewan and Temagami, are of at least partial Algonquin descent. Compared to First Nations in most other parts of Canada, the ten Algonquin communities have very little reserve land. By far the largest parcel is the River Desert Reserve belonging to the Kitigan Zibi Algonquins. Consisting of approximately 43,000 acres, it is located near Maniwaki, Quebec. The Timiskaming First Nation has a Reserve of approximately 5,000 acres at the head of Lake Temiskaming, Quebec, very close to the Ontario border. This Reserve, originally some 69,000 acres in size, was set apart by the Province of Canada in the period 1851-53, as was the River Desert Reserve.
    [Show full text]