Monday February 2nd, 2015PED3138 Section A First Nations, Inuit and Métis Education: Historical Experiences and Contemporary Perspectives

Learning Goals

● The Morning Dance

● The Sun Dance

● The Potlatch Ceremony

● Shaking Tent

● The Vision Quest

● The Hidden Curriculum – Answering Some of Your Questions

Morning Dance

● Also known as the Wabeno

● Ojibwa of South Ontario, amongst many groups of people, perform it every spring

● Dance pays homage to the “tree of the universe”

● All people fast and cleanse beforehand

● Male elder plays drum and leads the dance in a clearing around the selected tree

● Everyone touches the trunk of the tree to give thanks

● Takes place from dawn to noon

● Big feast of meat and fish is served at midday

Sun Dance

● Very important to the Great Plains Nations

● Spans over 8-16 days in early summer

● Banned by the Canadian government in late 1880s

● Circle is an important symbol; sun = giver of life

● People dance around a central cottonwood pole (symbolic of the tree of the universe)

● Some dancers embed sharp wooden hooks deep into their chest then connect the skewers to leather thongs that trail from the pole – pull back thongs to tear flesh = tethering

Sun Dance Continued

● Scars bear witness to faith

● This ritual is a sacrifice to the Creator

● Be enduring pain, people historically have hoped to avoid famine, war, disease, etc

● Celebrate renewal, reconnection with all creation

● Piercing dance is once again being practiced today

● You can ask Roy about his experiences

Potlatch Ceremony

● Banned by the Canadian government in 1884 because it was “backwards and wasteful”

● Practiced especially by Northwest Pacific Coast Nations

● Feasting, distributing wealth, sharing songs and dance

● Host gives feast to celebrate an important event (for example a marriage)

● Ban lifted in 1951 and ritual is still practiced today

Shaking Tent

● Represents beliefs and values about supernatural world and its close relationship to the living

● This ritual always takes place at night

● Used by Aboriginal groups form the Subarctic to the Great Lakes

● Communicate with spirits through shaking tent

Shaking Tent Continued

● 4-8 poles in the ground form a circle about 1m in diameter

● Wooden hoop at top and bottom, cylindrical shape wrapped in birch bark/hide, open to the sky so spirits can enter

● People who request ceremony make trade with shaman who intercedes with spirits, asking for lost objects, missing people, communicate with ancestor, predict outcome of events, etc

Vision Quest

● Rite of passage to adulthood

● Seeker first purified (confession)/desire to atone, usually in a sweat lodge

● Youth is “put up on the hill” where he/she fasts, prays, and endures the elements for a few days awaiting a vision

● Shaman helps to interpret vision/message

● If unsuccessful, person would have to try again

What You Want To Know

● Classroom Management

● Report Cards

● Bullying

● LGBTQ

● Resources

● How to involve a disengaged student

● How to make a rubric

Coming Up

● Next week – Guest Speaker Roy Barnes - People’s Sacred Pipe Carrier, Inipi (Sweat Lodge) Leader, Sundance Keeper and Chief of the Unity Sundance in Richmond, Ontario

● February 16th – No class (Family Day)

● February 23rd – Oral Presentations (35%)