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| Come Walk in My Moccasins Newsletter
December 2015
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In this issue:
Children's Books: Arctic Animals and Fiddle Dancer
Oral Story: The Three Sisters
Indigenous Recipe: Three Sisters Soup
Hero: Pauline Johnson
Medicine Wheel: Centre (Inner Fire)
Medicines and Plants: Healing and Spiritual Plants
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| | Arctic Animals
This bilingual board book introduces infants to the names
of various Arctic animals and Inuit cultural items. Text appears
in English, Inuktitut syllabics, and Roman orthography, meaning
that even non-Inuktitut speakers can sound out the Inuktitut words contained in this book. (excerpt from strongnations.com)
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| Fiddle Dancer
Fiddle Dancer tells the tale of a young Metis boy, Nolin, and his growing awareness of his Metis heritage and identity while his "Moushoom," or grandfather, teaches him to dance. Authors Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton masterfully weave a childhood story rich in Metis culture and language. This delightful story captures the importance of Elders as role models, a child's apprehension at learning new things, and the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Sherry Farrell Racette provides many beautiful illustrations for the book. (excerpt from strongnations.com)
Fiddle Book includes a CD/DVD and is the first book in a trilogy. Other titles in the trilolgy are Dancing In My Bones, and Call of the Fiddle.
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| | The Three Sisters
The
Three Sisters are much more than staples in Indigenous cooking. Hear the legend of The Three Sisters in this 3 minute video told by Marcie
Asselstine, Algonquin and Early Years Educator at The Child Centre in Sharbot Lake.
Marcie uses dried corn, gourds, and beans to help very young children use their senses of sight,
taste, smell, touch and sound to understand and remember the story.
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| | Three Sisters Soup
After you've listened to the oral story of The Three Sisters, you may enjoying making Three Sisters Soup. Children may enjoy measuring and adding ingredients, stirring and talking about the appearance, smells and taste of the soup as you create it together.
Angela Litchfield also tells us how to adapt this recipe for vegetarian and vegan diets.
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| | Pauline Johnson
Poet
and actress Pauline Johnson is the only person to be buried in Stanley
Park, British Columbia. Though of mixed ancestry and a woman at a time when Indigenous peoples and women were not highly regarded, Pauline endeared herself to Canadians. Her ability to see and share her view of the world, nature, and
people shaped her world as well as ours today.
Hear about Pauline Johnson's remarkable life in this 3:30 minute video.
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| | The Medicine Wheel is a framework for understanding Indigenous peoples. It embodies a wealth of teachings about health, maturation, relationships and more. The Medicine Wheel is sometimes referred to as Four Directions since it is represented as a circle that is sectioned into four quadrants that point north, south, east and west. Yet the Medicine Wheel has three additional directions - above (sky), below (earth), and centre (self).
Dionne Nolan, an Algonquin Knowledge Keeper, offers insight into how awareness of the Centre can help individuals discover and maintain balance in our lives. Dionne describes the significance of this Centre. "We all have a fire inside of us that we are responsible for maintaining. We do this through our behavior and through the relationships that we build with ourselves and others. The teaching that corresponds with this direction is love."
When we feel out of balance and need to regain stability, we can use the Medicine Wheel to identify our current stage of life, then look across our inner fire to discover the teacher(s) who may be best able to help us regain balance.
See diagram that shows the 8 Stages of Life and Inner Fire.
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| | | In previous issues of Come Walk in My Moccasins we have highlighted the plants that serve as ceremonial medicines. Sage, tobacco, cedar, and sweet grass, however, are not the only plants that are considered medicinal and life-giving. Many plants are known for their healing properties for sickness and disease. Others plants represent a spiritual connection with Mother Earth. For example, the Haudenosaunee hold several ceremonies — like the Sap, Seed, Strawberry, Bean, and Green Corn ceremonies — that honour the interconnectivity of plant and human life.
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| | | | | | | | Sources for Aboriginal books:
Aboriginal Book Lending:
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| | | | | | | | | Healing Blanket Making Workshop, Kingston
Wednesday, December 9
View Event
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| | Full Moon Ceremonies, Kingston
Wednesday, December 23
View Event
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| | | Aboriginal Family Literacy Circle Partners:
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| | | | Copyright 2014 Aboriginal Family Literacy Circle
1178 County Road #8, K7R 3K7, Napanee, Canada | | | |
