MINDS ON
River Stories
Offered by Dr. Sorouja Moll
Objective: Students will explore their histories, personal narratives, communities and sense of belonging, culminating in the creation of a collaborative visual representation with the aim of deepening their understanding of community, empathy and the interplay between personal stories and collective identity.
Materials:
- Dean Atta's I Come From
- "I Come From" Poem Template
- Writing utensils and paper and/or computer access
- Student photos or drawings of themselves
- Large pieces of craft paper (approx. 4 ft.) cut into long, winding, curvy pieces ("river") - one/student
- Large, uneven craft paper circle ("bay")
Directions:
- Invite students to create a short poem about where they come from using poet Dean Atta's I Come From as a point of inspiration. Invite students to use the I Come From poem template as a way of structuring/beginning their writing. (Before they begin writing, let them know they will be asked to share at least a few lines, so should be mindful of creating something they are comfortable sharing.)
- Ask students to draw or share a photo of themselves that they would be willing to share.
- Provide each student with their "river."
- Invite them to write sections from their poem on their river. They may choose to add drawings as well.
- Position the large paper bay in the centre of the space. Completed rivers will be attached as if flowing into the bay. The rivers can converge into the central paper bay from any side.
- Invite students to paste their photos of themselves in the central bay.
- Decide as a classroom community where you want to display your community river.
- Invite students, as they wish, to share (parts of) their poems with one another.
Debriefing Questions:
- How did creating your poem make you feel?
- If you chose to do so, did anything surprise you or stand out to you while sharing your story with your classmates?
- How did seeing and hearing everyone's stories impact you?
- In what ways do you think sharing personal stories like these can help build a stronger sense of community in our classroom?
- Have you ever heard "all my relations"? What does this Indigenous worldview mean? How might it connect to how we think about family, where we come from and where we belong?
Possible Extensions:
Research Project
Have students delve deeper into the historical context and cultural communities of where they live by creating a digital, interactive piece. Students might explore factors such as political events, economic conditions, or cultural changes that influenced their community's history. Collecting images and pieces of text, students can present their research.
Creative Writing
Encourage students to expand on a specific event or aspect of their family story they are curious about and would be willing to share through a fictionalized narrative. This could involve imagining scenes or dialogue based on historical or personal details, offering a deeper exploration in the vein of The Diviners.
Exploring Christi Belcourt's The Wisdom of the Universe
Offered by Summer Bressette
Objective: Students will explore Christi Belcourt's painting, The Wisdom of the Universe, as a way to engage in new thinking about Métis culture and artistry.
Materials:
Directions:
- Begin with Christi Belcourt's painting projected on the wall. (Do not yet share the title of the painting.)
- Lead students through Facing History's "See, Think, Wonder" strategy to guide students' analysis.
- Then, ask students to identify as many plants and animals as they can in the piece.
- Share that the piece depicts 220 species of plants and animals in Southwestern Ontario that are extinct or nearing extinction. Many of these are medicinal plants.
- Share the title of the piece and ask students to reflect on and respond to the following in discussion as a class, in small groups or individually:
- Why do you think this piece be called The Wisdom of the Universe?
- What do you notice about the form and style of the painting?
- What do you notice about the amount of symmetry in the piece?
- How might the symmetry be reflective of the title of the painting and the intentions of the artist?
- Share the Art Gallery of Ontario's video about commissioning The Wisdom of the Universe.
- How did watching this video and learning about Christi Belcourt as a Métis artist confirm, challenge or provide new thinking about the painting and about Métis culture?
Debriefing Questions:
- In what ways does experiencing this painting prompt new thinking about your responsibility toward the universe? What might it look like to have empathy for plants and animals? How might empathy be a step toward reconciliation?
- In what ways did the title of the painting, along with the artist's intention, align with or challenge your initial impressions of the artwork?
Possible Extensions:
Nature Walk
Take a nature walk and see if you come across anything identifiable from the painting, researching which of these are medicinal plants and, if so, how they are used.
Revitalizing Flora and Fauna
It is not only people who have been displaced and harmed by colonialism. Take time to learn about other plant or animal species impacted by colonization, such as the pawpaw fruit. Look into the pawpaw revitalization project by Dan Bissonnette of Windsor, Ontario. How does it make you feel to know that a fruit is nearly extinct from this area because of deforestation? Discuss the broader implications of human actions on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Visual Art by Meryl McMaster
Conduct the same exercise as above with a Meryl McMaster photograph such as Do You Remember Your Dreams. McMaster's work is a key visual art inspiration for The Diviners creative team.
Becoming Better Treaty Partners: Relationships Between Indigenous and Settler Communities
Examine relationships between Indigenous and settler communities. For example, since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have seen incredible solidarity between Indigenous and Ukrainian communities, a symbol of which is the kokum scarves. Read the following article by Brian Forrester at APTN. What struck you about this story? What other stories about relationships between Indigenous and settler communities do you know or might you learn about? How might these stories influence settlers to become better treaty partners?