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Come Walk in My Moccasins Newsletter
December 2020
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In this issue:
Books: Animals, Immi's Gift, Neekah's Knitting Needles, 100 Days of CreeOur Words: Mohawk Language with Jennie & RyanOur Music: Cedar Song Our Arts: Featured Artist: Leo Yerxa Our Stories: Last Leaf to Fall & The Night Before Solstice Our Traditions: Story Telling with Thomas King Recipe: Cedar Tea |
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| Story telling is a very important tradition to Indigenous Cultures. It is not only a story, it is also how teachings are gifted to children. It is especially important during the winter months when activities like planting and harvesting can not be done. It is a time for rest and reflection.
Reflection question:
What kinds of stories can you share with your children or what stories would you like to share with your children at this time?
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Animals (English/Inuktitut)
Infant and Toddler
Let’s sing about Arctic animals!
Based on a children’s song by popular Nunavut band The Jerry Cans, this song book teaches the names of different Arctic animals and the country food made from them.
This is an Arvaaq Book. Books in this series are intended for infants and very young children and are designed to help children develop physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills. (excerpt from Strongnations.com) |
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Immi's Gift
Preschool and Kindergarten
Two children half a world away from each other are connected in an unexpected way in this timeless, fanciful story.
Way, way up north in a snow-covered frozen world, a young girl breaks a hole in the ice and fishes for her supper. But instead of a fish, at the end of the line is a small, brightly painted wooden bird. She ties it onto her necklace, next to a small wooden bear.
Day after day her fishing pole brings up more colorful surprises from the swirling sea under the frozen ice. She decorates her igloo with the beautiful treasures, and animals come from far and wide to visit with her and share stories of faraway lands. When it is time to move on, she visits the fishing hole one more time and drops the little bear from her necklace into the water.
Faraway, a young boy walks along a beach in the hot, hot sun. He throws a colorful object into the water. Then something catches his eye. There washed up on the beach is a small wooden bear...
Karin Littlewood has crafted a simple, affecting story of how individuals around the world connect and even enrich each other's lives. Her beautiful full-spread watercolor illustrations vibrantly depict the story's shifting locations-from the frozen Arctic to the tropical shoreline, linked together by the vast and diverse world that exists below the sea.
(excerpt Strongnations.com) |
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Neekah's Knitting Needles
Primary
Neekah’s great-grandma, Mumma, knit all her life. Her Grandma Dorothy knits, her mom knits, and all her aunties knit. Even some of Neekah’s uncles knit. And Neekah wants to knit too. Every year she asks her mom if she can learn, and every year she hears, “Be patient. Your hands aren’t quite big enough yet.”
At last Neekah is ready to learn, her head and heart bursting with the colourful patterns and designs she will create with the wool. She sits down with her mom, holding the wooden needles Grandpa Carl has made for her and the wool from Auntie Joni’s wool shop. But knitting a toque for Grandma Dorothy is not as easy as she had imagined.
From award-winning author Sylvia Olsen comes a lyrical celebration of the tradition of Cowichan knitting among the Coast Salish peoples and the joy of creating something with your hands. Combined with Sheena Lott’s exquisite watercolours, families will love to share this cozy, loving story that carries the clicking of knitting needles down through the generations to a young girl holding her first set of needles. (excerpt from Strongnations.com)
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100 Days of Cree
Adult
As an Elder once said, "Learn one Cree word a day for 100 days, and emerge a different person."
In 100 Days of Cree, Neal McLeod offers us a portal into another way of understanding the universe--and our place within it--while demonstrating why this funny, vibrant, and sometimes salacious language is "the sexiest of them all" (according to Tomson Highway).
Based on a series of Facebook posts, the 100 short chapters or "days" in the book present a chain of related words, some dealing with the traditional--the buffalo hunt, the seasons--and others cheekily capturing the detritus of modern life--from Internet slang to Johnny Cash songs to Viagra.
The result is both an introduction to the most widely spoken Indigenous language in Canada and the opportunity to see the world, and ourselves, in another way. (excerpt from Strongnations.com)
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| Mohawk Language Learning
Learn to say "peace" in Mohawk with Jennie and Ryan. (.41 second video) |
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| Cedar Song
Cedar is one of our four sacred medicines. Algonquin Elder, Judi Montgomery shares a song to honour the cedar tree. (1:45 minute video) |
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This month we're featuring Ojibway artist and author, Leo Yerxa.Click the link to read this touching story about Leo's life journey that led to his artistic achievements. This tribute is from an art exhibit held in Thunder Bay from September - December 2019. Many thanks (chi miigwech) to Maxine, Leo's partner, for sharing this with us for the newsletter. |
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| Portrait of Leo Yerxa
Discover art through the eyes of Ojibway artist and author, Leo Yerxa. (8:29 minute video)
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| Last Leaf First Snowflake to Fall
This animated short film is subtitled and read in Anishinaabemowin and features art by Leo Yerxa. (5:45 minute video) |
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| Thomas King - The Truth About Stories
Listen to this five part series on traditional story telling with Thomas King.
"In his 2003 Massey lecture, award-winning author and scholar Thomas King looks at the breadth and depth of Native experience and imagination. Beginning with Native oral stories, King weaves his way through literature and history, religion and politics, popular culture and social protest, in an effort to make sense of North America's relationship with its Aboriginal peoples."
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Indigenous Language Resources |
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| Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest With the help of fluent speakers we are reclaiming our Indigenous languages & cultures. We sing, play games and do special projects. All are welcome!
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Anishinaabemodaa - Waking Up OjibweThrough a series of programs and partnerships the Anishinaabemodaa initiative is focused on providing Anishinaabemowin instruction from preschool through to post-secondary.
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| Ojibwe.net This site represents many things, most of all, it is evidence that Anishinaabemowin is alive and well. A living language must be spoken fluently and used creatively. We have created this cyber space so that the ancient sounds are not lost and can be connected to anyone willing to listen, learn, and labor with us in the effort to maintain Anishinaabemowin. |
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First Voices Kids
Interactive online resource for helping children learn words and phrases in 50 different Indigenous languages on Turtle Island!
Mohawk Words and Phrases
Translations in print and audio formats
Michif Language Resource
Translations in audio, video and print formats
Anishnaabemowin - Our Language Our Culture
Ojibwa language booklet
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Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na provides Mohawk language and culture programming at the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory (the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte). They run several programs, including Totáhne (At Grandma's House) for preschool children, Kawenna'ón:we Primary Immersion (K-4) and Shatiwennakará:tats, a year long program for Adults. |
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Online Anishinaabemowin
Free Ojibwe classes Monday - Friday 11 am
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Turtle Island Conservation Curriculum- Based Activities Guide
The Toronto Zoo’s Ways of Knowing Partnership Turtle Island Conservation programme shares the hopes and goals of our First Nation partners in the commitment to preserve wild life and wild places for those yet to come.
The TIC programme partners with Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee First Nation communities in Ontario, to incorporate Traditional Knowledge into turtle and wetland conservation programming.
The intention of this partnership is to bring together Traditional Knowledge Keepers, Elders, First Nation community members, and TIC programme team members to support cultural and natural history priorities of the individual community, while building awareness with non-Aboriginals.
The programme employs First Nations youth and is guided by a First Nation Advisory group.
All knowledge and teachings remain with the partner community, while awaiting their decisions on how the information is to be used.
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| Beauty in Movement: An Indigenous Guide to Physical Activity Pamphlet about the importance of physical activity and ideas to get children moving
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| Gathering Communities Making Connections A list of resources and services for people of Indigenous
Ancestry, and for those who work with them |
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Canoe Kids
A family book for readers of all ages that explores Indigenous cultures through authentic Indigenous voices
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Sources for Indigenous books:
Indigenous Book Lending:
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Magnetic North: voices from the Indigenous Arctic, ONLINE
Thursday, December 3 |
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| Water Teaching with Elder Shirley Williams, ONLINE Tuesday, December 8 |
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| Healthy Indigenous Families/Healthy Indigenous Communities, ONLINE |
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| Protecting Our Water: Water Based Learning and Indigenous Perspectives, ONLINE |
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Indigenous Art Adventures with Lance Cardinal, ONLINE
Saturday, December 12 |
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| Indigenous Knowledge 101: Where is it and Who has it - A Teaching, ONLINE Thursday, December 17 |
| | | Land as a Teacher: Water Walk with Grandmother Vivian Recollet, ONLINE Saturday, December 19 |
| | | Online Art and Storytelling Workshops January 2021 - May 2021 |
| | We need YOU!
Help us become more inclusive of the many First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples among our readership. Share an Indigenous recipe, song, or traditional art through Come Walk in My Moccasins. Contact aflccanada@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a guest contributor.
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| | Indigenous Family Literacy Circle Partners:
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| Come Walk in My Moccasins is created by the Indigenous Family Literacy Circle and sponsored by Journey Together through Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. |
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Copyright 2016 Indigenous Family Literacy Circle 465 Advance Avenue, Napanee, Canada | |
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