Integrating Aboriginal Perspectives and Knowledge Through Storytelling Rachel Goshulak 2017
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling
RachelGoshulak
2017
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 2
TableofContents
ItTakesTime..........................................................................................................................3
PurposeoftheResearchProject.............................................................................................4TheTask.........................................................................................................................................................................................4TheJourney..................................................................................................................................................................................4ThePlan.........................................................................................................................................................................................6ResearchQuestion.................................................................................................................7
ResearchContext...................................................................................................................8
LiteratureReview.................................................................................................................10ALackofKnowledge.............................................................................................................................................................10ThePowerofChildren’sStories.......................................................................................................................................12AboriginalPictureBooks.....................................................................................................................................................15ResearchMethods................................................................................................................16SelectingtheStories..............................................................................................................................................................17CollectingtheData.................................................................................................................................................................19ResearchEthics.....................................................................................................................22
Results.................................................................................................................................23Teacherinterviews................................................................................................................................................................23PredictionCharts....................................................................................................................................................................29Stories..........................................................................................................................................................................................32Story1:MwakwaTalkstotheLoon................................................................................................................................32Story2:OurFirstCaribouHunt........................................................................................................................................36Story3:NokumismyTeacher...........................................................................................................................................38Story4:HiawathaandthePeacemaker........................................................................................................................42DataCollectionChart:StoryReportingBooklets......................................................................................................45
PredictionChartsrevisited.................................................................................................................................................47FavouriteStoryWriting.......................................................................................................................................................48Conclusions..........................................................................................................................48
TimeandEffort.....................................................................................................................50
References...........................................................................................................................52
Appendixes..........................................................................................................................54AppendixA:InformedConsent.........................................................................................................................................54AppendixB:TeacherInterviewQuestions..................................................................................................................55AppendixC:StudentPredictionChart...........................................................................................................................56AppendixD:StoryRecordingBookletandClassChart..........................................................................................57
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 3
ItTakesTime
Evenafteralmosttenyears,somethingsjuststickwithyou.Inthiscase,itwasone
particularitemonalist.AsastudentinEnglandforsixmonths,Ihadspentmythree-week
ChristmasbreaktravelingtoEgypt,LondonandNorthernIreland.Thelistdemonstrated
mynewfoundknowledgeaboutthedifferencesbetweentheUnitedKingdomandEgypt.To
thisdayIcan’tshakethisonemajordifference:thepapertowelinEnglandwasblue,and
thepapertowelinEgyptwasgreen.Thiswasquiteinterestingtomeasatwenty-twoyear
olduniversitygraduatewhohadgrownupinCanadawithbrownpapertowelsin
bathrooms.Lookingback,IwonderedwhatelsehadbeenonthatlistthatIhadincludedin
amassemailouttofriendsandfamily.Aftersomestrategicsearchingthrougholdemails,I
foundit.Altogethertherewereabouttwenty-fiveitemsonmylistofotherthingsthatI’d
observedasatraveller,orthatIhadsimplyfoundinterestingbecausetheyweredifferent.I
highlydoubtthatifImetsomeonefromeitherofthoseplacesthattheywouldbequickto
tellmeaboutthecolouroftheirpapertowels.Frommyexperienceasatravellerandasa
foreignerlivinginadifferentculture,themoretimeIhavespentinaplace,thebettermy
understandingofthatculture.MyfirstthreeyearsasateacherwerespentworkingataBC
OffshoreSchoolinChina.Despiteknowingverylittleofthelanguage,Ilearnedtoget
aroundthecity,buygroceries,payrent,bargainforagoodprice,makepeoplelaugh,and
pushmywaythroughacrowd.Whileitisstillhighlydependentonmyownpersonal
experiences,myunderstandingofChineseculturebyfarsurpassesthatofEgyptianculture.
HadIlivedinNorthernIrelandorEgyptforthreeyears,Ihaveafeelingthelistofthings
thatstuckwithmewouldlookabitdifferentthanthecolourofpapertowels.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 4
PurposeoftheResearchProject
TheTask
Inmygrade3classroomIamfacedwiththechallengeofauthenticallyteaching
aboutothercultures.WiththerecentcurriculumchangesinBritishColumbia,thegrade
threeSocialStudiescurriculumhaschangedtofocusentirelyonglobalindigenouspeoples.
Amajorpartofthistopicisthefocusonlocalaboriginalculture.Asanon-aboriginalsettler
teacherwhohasnothadtodirectlyteachthiscontentbefore,Ifeltalittleoverwhelmedat
mylackofknowledgeandexperience.Inaddition,akeyfeatureofthenewcurriculumis
theintegrationofaboriginalperspectivesacrossthecurriculum.Inthepast,effortsto
educateaboutaboriginalknowledgehavebeenfromdominantcultureratherthanthe
aboriginalvoice,creatingalackofrealawareness.Iunderstoodthattheinclusionof
aboriginalperspectiveswasmadetomoveawayfromstereotypesandnarrowvisionsof
FirstNations,butIdidn’tfeelqualifiedorpreparedtoteachtheirperspectives.Howwould
IbeabletoauthenticallyteachperspectivesandknowledgethatIknewverylittleabout
andpotentiallydidn’tcompletelyagreewith?
TheJourney
GrowingupinthepredominantlywhitemiddleclasscommunityoftheCentral
Okanaganinthe1990s,IrememberverylittleofwhatIlearnedaboutaboriginalpeoples.I
vaguelyremembercarvingananimaloutofabarofsoapandgettingtositinadarkdome-
shapedshelteratalocalmuseum.MyonlyaboriginalfriendwasagirlIwenttochurch
withwhohadbeenadoptedintoaCaucasianfamily.Theremusthavebeenmoreaboriginal
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 5studentsatthelargermiddleschoolIattended,becausetherewasaspecialroomwithan
aboriginalteacherwheretheygottogodofunthings.
Inhighschoolanduniversityinthe2000’sIbegantoseeandhearalittlemore
aboutaboriginalpeoplearoundme.ThestoriesIheardinthecommunityweren’talways
positive,butforthemostpart,theconversationatuniversitytriedtomoveawayfrom
stereotypes.FirstNationelderswereinvitedtowelcomegueststotheirlandwithmusic,
speeches,andprayersatlocalconferencesandspecialeventssuchastheopeningofUBC
Okanagan.ThefewCanadianhistoryandanthropologycoursesItookaspartofmyHistory
andEducationdegreesmusthavetalkedaboutaboriginalpeoples,buttheydidn’tprovide
mewithadeepknowledgebasetodrawontoday.Throughoutuniversity,however,Idid
becomeincreasinglymoreawareoftheimportanceofusingpoliticallycorrectnameswhen
talkingaboutaboriginalpeoples,eventhoughIwasn’talwayssurewhatthosewere.
SinceIbeganteachingin2010,Ihavetaughtinculturallydiverseindependent
schoolsinChinaandMetroVancouver,buthavenothadanyaboriginalstudentsinmy
classroom.Asaresult,whenIheardaboutthenewcurriculum,Iwonderedwhytherewas
suchabigfocusonincludingaboriginalperspectivesbutnotthoseofothergrowing
multiculturalperspectivesinCanadasuchasChinese,KoreanorSouthAsian.Iexplored
thisquestioninmoredepthinthefirstassignmentofmyMastersprogramatSimonFraser
Universityin2015.Thisinvestigationhelpedmetobetterunderstandthehistorical
injusticesinvolvingCanadianaboriginalpeoplesandtheimportanceofteachingtoday’s
studentsaboriginalcontent.Iwanttodomybesttoauthenticallyteachmystudentsabout
Canada’sfirstpeoples,andIhavesincesoughtoutprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities
inthisarea.Despitethis,I’mstillworriedattimesthatImightpassonstereotypesor
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 6incorrectperspectives.AsIbegantoengageinconversationswithotherteachersaboutthe
newaboriginalcontent,IfoundIwasn’taloneinmyquestionsandfeelings,whichIexplain
morelateroninmyliteraturereviewandresearchdata.
ThePlan
IneededawaythatIcouldfeelmoreconfidentthatIwasauthenticallyteaching
aboriginalperspectives.AsaMastersstudentintheImaginativeEducationcohort,I
naturallythoughtofusingstorytelling.Theuseofstories,toguideandemotionallyconnect
thelearnertothecurriculum,isattheheartofKieranEgan’sImaginativeEducationtheory.
Egan(2005)believesthat
Storyisoneofthemostpowerfulcognitivetoolsstudentshaveavailableforimaginativelyengagingwithknowledge.Storiesshapeouremotionalunderstandingoftheircontent.Storiescanshapereal-worldcontentaswellasfictionalmaterial(p.2).
Traditionally,aboriginalknowledgewaspassedonthroughoralstorytelling,whichaligns
reallywellwithIEpedagogy.Ilearnedthattodayaboriginalstoriesandexperiencescould
increasinglybefoundaschildren’spicturebooks.Iwaseagertoutilizethistoolasawayto
bringanauthenticaboriginalvoiceintomyclassroom.Soeager,infact,thatIcollected
authenticaboriginalpicturebookstosharewithmystudentsasItraveledacrossCanada
thispastsummerwithmybrother.IknewIwouldbeteachingaunitaboutCanada’smany
diverseaboriginalpeoplesforthefirsttime,soIwantedavarietyofstoriestosharewith
mystudents.Ihavesinceheardaboutmanymoretitleswithinthisgenre.Thisaction
researchreportisaboutmyexperienceusingaboriginalpicturebooksinmygrade3
classroomtohelpmeteachstudentsaboutthediversityofCanada’saboriginalpeoples.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 7
ResearchQuestionThecentralresearchquestionthatguidedmydatacollection:
Ø HowcanIbestuseauthenticaboriginalpicturebookstohelpstudentsunderstand
thediversityofCanada’saboriginalpeoples?
Toanswerthisquestion,Ifeltmyresearchtookmedowntwodifferentpaths.First,I
wantedtoaskmygrade3colleaguesabouttheirthoughtsandexperiencesteaching
aboriginalcontentandusingpicturebooks.Second,Ilookedatwhatworkedbestwithmy
ownstudents.Ilookatbothoftheseareasinmyliteraturereviewandresearch.Theseare
subquestionsIaddressed:
Ø Howdomycolleaguesfeelaboutteachingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectives?
Ø Howaremygrade3colleaguesusingaboriginalpicturebooks?
Ø Whatshouldateacherconsiderwhenselectingaboriginalpicturebookstoread?
Ø Whatmakesanaboriginalpicturebook“authentic”?
Ø WhatdomystudentsalreadyknowaboutthediversityofCanada’saboriginal
peoples?
Ø Dostorieshelpstudentsunderstandthataboriginalwaysoflifeareconnectedtothe
landwheretheylived?
Ø WhatdomystudentsknowaboutCanada’saboriginalpeoples’homes,
transportation,clothing,andfood?
Ø Canmystudentsidentifywhichculturalareatheaboriginalstoryisfrombasedon
theillustrationsanddescriptions?
Ø Aremystudentsexcitedaboutlisteningtoandreadingaboriginalpicturebooks?
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 8
ResearchContext Thisactionresearchprojecttakesplaceinmygrade3classroomwithmystudents
actingasparticipants.Therearetwenty-sixstudentsinmyclassconsistingoffifteengirls
andelevenboys,tenofwhomareCaucasian,tenChinese,fourKorean,oneFilipinoandone
Jamaican.TherearenoaboriginalstudentsthatIamawareofinanyofthegrade3classes.
Myclassthisyearisveryactive,andIamoftenfeelingbehind“gettingthrough”curriculum
incomparisontotheothergrade3classes.Thereareanumberofstudentswhoneed
supportduringunstructuredtimes,butasaclasstheyareoverallquiteengagedwhen
listeningtostoriesorworkingtowardsaprize.
GradethreeispartoftheIntermediateSchoolbuilding,whichismadeupofgrades
three,fourandfivetotalingjustover300students.Thefourclassroomteachersofeach
gradelevelareexpectedtocollaborateintheplanningandtimingofunitsandaregiven
timetodosoeachweek.Asaresultofyearsofcollaboration,therearemanywell-known
projects,activitiesandthemedaysateachgradelevelthatstudents(especiallythosewith
oldersiblings)havecometoexpect.Duetorecentcurriculumchanges,theunitabout
Canadianaboriginalpeopleshasbeen“taken”fromgradefourandgiventogradethree.As
gradethreeteachersweusedpiecesoftheseresourcesfortheunitwetaughtaboutthe
Stó:lōpeople,alocalFirstNation,beforeChristmasbreak,butbeganfromscratchaswe
taughtaboutthediversityofCanada’saboriginalpeoples.UsingTheKidsBookofAboriginal
PeoplesinCanadabyDianeSilvey,weintroducedstudentstothesevendiverseaboriginal
culturalregions:NorthwestCoast,Plateau,Plains,Arctic,Subarctic,WoodlandIroquois,
andWoodlandAlgonquians.Todothisweusedoneteacher’sideaofvisitingeachcultural
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 9regionviathe“AmazingRace:FirstPeoplesofCanadaEdition”tolearnabouteachpeople
andplace.Myactionresearchprojectwassetwithinthisunit.
OurschoolisalargeindependentChristianschoolinMetroVancouverthatconsists
offourdivisionalbuildingsenrollingmorethan1400studentsfrompre-kindergartento
grade12.Enrollmentisbyapplicationonlyandparentspaytuitionfeesfortheirstudents
tobeeducatedonafoundationofChristianprinciples.Whileourschoolstrivestoenroll
studentsfrommanydiverseeconomicandculturalbackgrounds,wehaveveryfew
aboriginalstudents.AtthemomentIamonlyawareoftwofamiliesatourschoolwith
aboriginalbackgrounds.Unlikepublicschools,wedonothaveaboriginalsupportworkers
atourschool,butwedohaveagrowinginterestamongsomestafftolearnmoreabout
aboriginalissuesandperspectives–especiallyinlightofthenewcurriculum.Webegan
thisschoolyearwithamorningofschool-wideprofessionaldevelopmentaboutaboriginal
historyinconversationwithsomevisitors.Wearebeginningtoinvestigatehowwecan
authenticallyteachaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesthroughthelensofour
Christianworldview.Ibelievethatmyactionresearchprojectisonestepinthisdirection.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 10
LiteratureReview
ALackofKnowledge AsIlookedforliteraturethatwouldhelpmebetterunderstandmytopic,Ifound
researchaboutteachers’experiencesintegratingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesin
otherCanadianprovincesandalsoAustralia.Similartomyownexperience,acommon
themethroughoutthisliteratureisthatnon-aboriginalteachers(whicharethemajorityof
teachers)donotfeelqualifiedtoteachthiscontentbecausetheylacktheknowledgeand
personalexperience(Kanu,2005;Dion,2007;Harrison&Greenfield,2011;Scott,2013;
Donald,2013).Ina2005studyoftenpublichighschoolteachersinManitoba,Kanu
describesthebiggestchallengefortheeightnon-aboriginalteacherswas“theirownlackof
Aboriginalculturalknowledgeandunderstandingrequiredforeffectiveintegration”(Kanu,
p.57).Whiletheseteacherswereopentointegratingaboriginalperspectives,andhadeven
takensomestepstobecomemorefamiliarwiththecontent,theylackedconfidencedueto
theirlimitedknowledge.Dion(2007),aprofessoratYorkUniversity,statesthatthepre-
serviceandin-serviceteacherssheworkswithoften
Respondwithcommentsthatgosomethinglikethis“OhIknownothing,IhavenofriendswhoareAboriginal,Ididn’tgrowupnearareserve,Ididn’tlearnanythinginschool,IknowverylittleorIknownothingatallaboutNativepeople.”(p.330)
Shehastermedthispositionthe“perfectstranger”–denyinganyknowledgeorexperience
becauseof“thefearofoffending,thefearofintroducingcontroversialsubjectmaterial,the
fearofintroducingcontentthatchallengesstudents’understandingofthedominantstories
ofCanadianhistory”(Dion,2007,p.331).AcrosstheoceaninanotherformerBritish
colony,Harrison&Greenfield(2011)writeabouthowAustralian“teachersoftenlament
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 11thattheyknowlittleaboutAboriginalpeople,whilequestioninghowtheycanbeexpected
toincludeAboriginalperspectivesintheirprograms”(p.65).Theseresearchersevencite
Australianliteraturethatsuggeststhatnon-aboriginalteachersshouldnotteachAboriginal
contentbecausetheycontinuetoperpetuatestereotypes.Insomecases,thislackof
understandingwasportrayedasaresistancetoteachaboriginalperspectives.Scott(2013),
reportsontheresistanceoffivehighschoolSocialStudiesteachersinAlbertatoinclude
aboriginalperspectivesinallissuesoreventsbeingdiscussedbecausetheyfeltitwasn’t
alwaysrelevant.Theseteachersalsofeltthattherewasnotoneuniformaboriginal
perspective,butrathermanydiverseaboriginalcommunitieswiththeirownunique
perspectives.Hesuggeststhat“manyeducatorshavecometoseeAboriginalwaysof
knowingandbeingasexistingcompletelyoutsideEuro-Westerncivilizationandtherefore
unknowable”(Scott,p.35).Overall,whethernon-aboriginalteacherswelcomeorare
resistanttointegratingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesintheirteaching,thereisa
needforincreasedknowledgeandunderstandingamongteachers.
Teacherscanbecomemorefamiliarwithaboriginalcontentthroughteacher
trainingandprofessionaldevelopment.BothDonald(2013)andDion(2007)teach
educationcoursesaboutaboriginalperspectivesatCanadianuniversities.Dion’sgraduate
coursehelpsteacherstransformtheirownunderstandingsofaboriginalpeoplesbyhelping
themchallengeandchangetheirassumptions.Thisprocesshelpsteachersaddressany
biasesthatmayinfluencehowtheyteachaboriginalcontent.Harrison&Greenfieldagree
thatqualityteachingdependsontheteacher’sownunderstandingandrelationshipwith
aboriginalknowledge.Thisincludesunderstandingandusingtheappropriatelanguage
whentalkingaboutaboriginalpeoples.Kanu(2005)suggeststhatschoolsshouldprovide
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 12teacherswithteachingtrainingandprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities,inadditionto
thefinancialsupportandreleasetimetogo.Harrison&Greenfieldnotethatsome
Australianteachersfromtheiractionresearchprojecthavereceivedextratraining,butin
general,teacherswantpracticalideasofhowtoincludeaboriginalperspectives.In
conclusion,greaterunderstandingandknowledgeofaboriginalissueperspectivesis
equallyasimportantasthepracticalideasandtoolsthatteacherscanuse.
ThePowerofChildren’sStories
Children’sliteratureandpicturebooksarecommonlyusedinelementary
classroomstoteachstudentsaboutdiversity.Studiesandarticlesinsupportofthisstrategy
beganinthe1990sandcontinueintothe21stcenturyasclassroomsinbothCanadaand
theUnitedStateshavebecomeincreasinglydiverse.Mostoftheliteraturebeginsby
describingtheimportanceofteachingmulticulturaleducationandthengoesontoexplain
whystoriesareaneffectivemethodandhowtousethem.Aresearchercommonlyreferred
tointheliteratureisJamesBanks,professorattheUniversityofWashingtonandoneofthe
forefathersofmulticulturaleducation.CitedbyBainbridge,Pantaleo,&Ellis(1999),
Morgan(2009),Suh&Samuel(2011),andMcGilp(2014),Banksdefinesmulticultural
educationas“anideastatingthatallstudents,regardlessofthegroupstowhichthey
belong…shouldexperienceeducationequalityintheschools”(ascitedinSuh&Samuel,
2011,p.2).Writingin1999,CanadianresearchersBainbridge,Pantaleo&Ellisfoundlittle
researchhadbeendoneabouttheimportanceofmulticulturalstoriesandrefertothe
followingtwostudies,
Abound(1988)suggestedthatchildren’sattitudestowarddiversitytendtostayconstantunlessalteredbylife-changingevents.Morerecentlyhowever,Wham,Barnhart,andCook(1996)havedemonstratedthat
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 13
childrenwhoareexposedtomulticulturalstorybookreading…developthemostpositiveattitudestowarddifference(p.184).Sevenyearlater,Wan(2006),aprofessorofEducationatOhioUniversity,alsocites
thesetwostudiesinadditiontomorerecentresearch,whichsuggestsagrowing
recognitionoftheimportanceofteachingdiversityusingstories.Onesuchpieceof
researchthatWanhasincludedishow“Perini(2002)stressesmulticulturalchildren’s
bookshavethepotentialtosupportdiversityinthecurriculumandraiseconsciousnesson
culturalissuesthatareignoredinschools”(Wan,2006,p.141).ThisisexactlywhatWan
andotherstudiesgoontodo,whichsupportsSuh&Samuel’sclaimthat“thehumanbrain
learnsfromstories”(Suh&Samuel,2011,p.4).Egan’s(2005)IEpedagogysuggeststhat
storiesaresoeffectiveinteachingbecauseoftheiremotionalengagement.
Wan(2006)explainsathematicstorybookapproachtoteachaboutdiversity.She
states“booksfromdifferentcultures,whichrepresentthesamethemes,canbeused
togethertoteachdiversitytochildren”(p.142).WanusesCinderellastoriesfromaround
theworldtoteach,“thatpeopleofdifferentculturesaremoresimilarthandifferentfrom
eachother”(Wan,2006,p.141).Notonlycanmulticulturalstoriestobeusedtopointout
similaritiesanddifferences,butalsotheycanhelpstudents“understandwhyandhoweach
culturebehaves,believesordoescertainthings”(Wan,2006,p.142).
Morgan(2009),professorofEducationatTheUniversityofSouthernMississippi,
discussestheuseofpicturebookbiographies“tohelpyoungchildrendevelopan
understandingofperspectivesdifferentthanone’sown”(p.219).Thisisreferredtoas
takingmultipleperspectives.Morgancontinuessuggestingthat“teacherscanbegin
developingthisunderstandinginchildrenatanearlyagewhenusingwell-writtenpicture
bookbiographiesforchildrenwhichrepresentpeoplefromdiversebackgrounds”(Morgan,
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 142009,p.219).MorganexplainsthatstudentspreferthesebookstobesharedasRead-
aloudsbecause“teachersoftenusetheirvoiceinspecialwaystomakethecharactersina
bookcometolife”(Morgan,2009,p.221).Thisisparticularlynecessarywhenteaching
Primarystudentswhoarestilldevelopingtheirliteracyskills.
Frieman&Kirmani(1997)suggest“folktalesfromotherculturesgivechildrena
windowintoanewworld”(p.39).Friemantellsofhowa“diversegroupofchildrentreated
eachothermorekindly;talkedtoeachotherinrespectfultones;playedwithchildrenwho
weremembersofethnicgroupsotherthantheirown”(p.39)afterhearingandreenacting
thestoriesoftwoIndianfolktaleswhenteachinginKenya.Asaresult,theauthorspromote
diversefolktalesas“aninvaluabletoolinbringingtogetherandenrichingstudentsof
differentbackgrounds”(Frieman&Kirmani,1997,p.42).
Inadditiontodescribingtherationalandmethodforteachingaboutdiversity,the
literaturealsomakessuggestionsonhowtousemulticulturalstoriestoconnectwithother
curriculum.Wan(2006)states“itisnotliteraturealonebuttheexperiencescreatedin
responsetotheliteraturethatdeterminethepowerofthestories”(Wan,2006,p.148).Her
suggestedresponseexperiencesincludecomparingandcontrastingdifferentcultures,
discussions,writingareportaboutthespecificcultureandcreatingamapoftheworldto
showwhereeachCinderellastoryoriginated.Kim(2006)encouragesusingstorybooks
withthesefollow-upactivities:discussions,art,writing,androle-play.Frieman&Kirmani
(1997)encouragetheuseofdiversefolktalesaccompaniedbythelearningandsharing
student’sownfamilystoriesthroughgames,music,food,sharingspecialitemsfromhome
andthecreationofaclassbook.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 15
Themajorityoftheliteratureexaminedalsostatescriteriaforselecting
multiculturalstoriesandlistsrecommendedbooks.Suh&Samuel(2011)warnsthat
usingmulticulturalliteraturemustbecarefullydonetoavoidpromulgatingoldstereotypes,andteachersmustbetaughttouseauthenticcriteriatoidentifyaccuracy,qualityandrealisticportrayalsofvariousethnicgroupsintheirlessonplans(p.6).
Suh&Samuelincludestwodetailedlistsofcriteriaforselectingmulticulturalliterature
(seeAppendixAofSuh&Samuel,2011,p.8-9).Reese(2007),aNativeAmericanteacher,
researcherandprofessorattheUniversityofIllinois,encouragesteacherstothoroughly
researchthebooksthattheyreadaloudandhaveavailableintheirclassroomlibrariesas
NativeAmericanshavebeenpoorlyrepresentedinbooksinthepast.Sheincludesdetailed
guidelinesthatcanhelpteacherschooseauthenticNativeAmericanliteraturetoread.
Morganalsomentionsassociationsthat“regularlypublishjournalsontheeducationof
youngchildrenwhichincludearticlesandbooklists”(Morgan,2009,p.221).Outsideof
NorthAmerica,You,MeandDiversity:PicturebooksforTeachingDevelopmentand
InterculturalEducationbyAnneM.DolanisanewresourcecreatedinIrelandtohelp
teachersusepicturebookstoteachaboutinterculturaleducationandglobalcitizenship
(McGilp,2014).Astheneedtoeducatestudentsaboutdiversityincreases,theresourcesto
usestoriesasthemethodarealsogrowing.
AboriginalPictureBooks
Retiredteacher-librarianMarilynneBlack’s(2008)article“Teachingabout
AboriginalCanadathroughPictureBooks”wasparticularlyhelpful.Shepointsoutthat
picturebooksareveryusefultoolstohelpchildrenlearnaboutaboriginalpeoplesbecause
“theybothtellstoriesandprovidevisualinformationatthesametime”(Black,2008,p.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 16314).Blackgivesexamplesofaboriginalpicturebookswithillustrationsthatshowwaysof
life(homes,clothing,art,transportation)andresourcesthataretiedtothelandandso
promoteasenseofplace.Herarticlementionsforty-threeaboriginalchildren’sbooksthat
wereavailablein2008anddescribesanumberofteachingactivitiesthatteachersmight
wanttouse.IncludedinthisbooklistweretwoofthebooksIhadpurchasedasItraveled
acrossCanada.Black’scommentsaboutthesebookshelpedinthedecision-makingprocess
asIselectedwhichbookstouseinmyactionresearchproject.
ResearchMethods WhenIbeganplanningmyactionresearchprojectIknewIwantedtoexplorehowI
coulduseaboriginalpicturebookswithinthecontextofmyCanadianaboriginalpeoples
unit.Initially,IthoughtIwouldusethesestoriestobroadlyteachaboutaboriginal
knowledgeandperspectivesinmyclassroom;however,thatseemedratherdifficultto
measure.AttherecommendationofmyprofessorMichaelDerbyandcriticalfriendgroup,I
narroweddownmyfocustolookspecificallyatusingstoriestomeetonebigideainthe
SocialStudiescurriculum.Whiletheuseofstoriesalsometmanyrequirementsinthe
EnglishLanguageArtscurriculum,IdecideditwaseasiesttosimplyfocusonSocialStudies
contentforthepurposeofthisproject.Sincemygrade3colleaguesandIhadalready
decidedtoteachaunitaboutCanada’sdiverseaboriginalpeoples,Ifeltitmadethemost
sensetofocusonthefollowingbigidea:
Peoplefromdiverseculturesandsocietiessharesomecommonexperiences
andaspectsoflife(BritishColumbiaMinistryofEducation,2016)
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 17SelectingtheStories
ToteachthisbigideaIdecidedtoselectstoriesfromeachofthesevencultural
regions(NorthwestCoast,Plateau,Plains,Arctic,Subarctic,WoodlandIroquois,and
WoodlandAlgonquians)thatIcouldusetointroduceeachdiverseculture.IknewthatI
probablywouldn’tbeabletofind,orhavetimetoread,thismanybookssincewewouldbe
onaracetogetthrougheachregion.TheAmazingRaceunitplanthatourgrade3teamhad
createdonlyallowedustospendtwoorthreedaysoneachregion,whichalreadyseemed
short.However,Iknewthatplanningmorewasalwaysbetterthannotplanningenough,so
Iaimedhigh.FocusingstrictlyonSocialStudiescontent,Iwantedtochoosepicturebooks
withcleardescriptionsandillustrationssostudentscouldseehowaboriginalpeoplelived
inthepast–theirhomes,food,clothing,transportation,toolsandresources(Black,2008).
Thisalsoseemedlikeamanageablewaytomeasurewhatstudentswouldlearnfrom
listeningtostoriessincethebeliefsandvaluesdiscussedineachbookmaydifferandbe
moredifficulttocompare.Iwonderedifstudentscouldlearnfactsfromstoriesliketheydo
fromnonfictioninformationbooks.Ialsohopedthatalongthewaymystudentswouldbe
abletoseehowthepeoples’waysoflifeweredirectlyconnectedtotheland,orregion,they
livedin.Forexample,thenomadicPlainspeoplelivedinteepeesmadeofpolesandhides
becausetheyfollowedthemigrationofthebuffalo.IkeptallthesethingsinmindasIchose
thepicturebookstouse.
SelectingthebooksIwantedtousetooktimebecauseIwantedtomakesureIhad
donemyresearchlikeReese(2007)advised.Ilookedfortraditionalaboriginalstories
amongthebooksIhadpurchasedandonesthatwereavailableinourschoollibrary.Ifirst
madesurethestorywasauthentic–thatithadbeenwrittenbyanaboriginalauthor,orat
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 18theveryleastinconsultationwithindigenouspeople.Next,IconsultedStrongNations,an
onlineindigenousbookstore,toseeifthebookwasincludedintheircollectionandtoread
abriefsummary.Idiscoveredanumberofresourcesthatreferindigenousbooks,butthe
StrongNationswebsitewasthemostusefulbecauseofthevolumeoftheirresources.
IntheendIdecidedonthefollowingbookstointroducethesefiveculturalregions:
Plains
Auger,D.(2006).MwakwaTalkstotheLoon.Vancouver:Heritage.
Subarctic
Bouchard,D.(2006).NokumisMyTeacher.Markham:RedDeerPress.
Arctic
Noah,J.&Giroux,C.(2015).OurFirstCaribouHunt.Iqaluit:InhabitMediaIncorporated.
WoodlandIroquoians
Robertson,R.,&Shannon,D.(2015).HiawathaandthePeacemaker.NewYork:AbramsBooksforYoungReaders.
WoodlandAlgonquians
Roy,R.,Sock,S.M.,&Mitcham,A.(2012).TheMightyGloosecapTransformsAnimalsandLandscapeMountain.Moncton:Boutond’orAcadie.
AuthenticAboriginalResources:
StrongNations-www.strongnations.comFirstNationsEducationSteeringCommittee-www.fnesc.caEaglecrestBooks-www.eaglecrestbooks.comTheytusBooks-www.theytus.comPemmicanPublications-www.pemmicanpublications.ca
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 19CollectingtheData
Oncethebookswereselected,Idecidedtocollectdatausinginterviews,document
analysis,audiorecordingsandobservations.AspartoftheAmazingRace,studentswere
introducedtoamapofthesevenculturalregionsaboriginalpeopleslivedin.Thismap
stayedonthebulletinboardfortheremainderoftheunitforreference.Ihopedthatseeing
amap,andthencreatingtheirown,wouldhelpstudentsunderstandthevastness,and
possiblysomeofthefeatures,oftheland.Thiswastheactivitythatprecededmydata
collection.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 20 Iwantedtointerviewmygrade3colleaguestolearnhowtheyfeltaboutteaching
aboriginalcontentandiftheyplannedonusingstorytelling.Icreatedalistofsixquestions
(seeAppendixB)usingsomeofmyresearchsubquestions.Becauseofmypersonal
experience,andthelackofknowledgefeltbyteachersintheliteratureIreviewed,Iwas
curiousifmynon-aboriginalcolleaguesfeltthesame.Igaveeachteacheracopyofthe
interviewquestionsinadvancesotheywouldn’tfeelsurprised.ThenIinterviewedeach
teacherindividuallyafterschooloneday,audiorecordingeachonesothatIcouldrefer
backtoitlater.
BeforeIbeganreadingthepicturebooks,Iwantedtoknowwhatmystudents
alreadyknewaboutaboriginalwaysoflife.TodothisIcreatedapredictionchartthat
allowedstudentstopredictthehomes,food,clothing,transportationandtools,materials,
resourcesforeachofthesevenculturalregions(seeAppendixC).Thisseemedtobeagood
waytohinttostudentsthataboriginalwaysoflifeoftendiffereddependingontheregion
ratherthansimplyaskingthemwhataboriginalhouseswerelike.Thechartwasprintedon
11x17papersothatstudentswouldonlyhavetorecordononepaper.Sincewehad
alreadystudiedtheSto:lo,aNorthwestCoastpeople,Iexpectedthatstudentswouldfindit
easytofillinthatcolumnofpredictionboxes.Oncestudentshadcompletedtheir
predictioncharts,Isetthemasidetohavestudentsreflectbackonandthenanalyzemyself.
Nextcamereadingthestoriestointroduceeachculturalregion.Icreatedasmall
bookletforeachstudenttowriteordrawwhattheylearnedaboutthehomes,food,
clothing,transportationandtoolsorresourcesastheylistenedtothestory(seeAppendix
D).Beforewebeganreadingthefirststory,MwakwaTalkstotheLoon,Ispokewithmy
studentsabouthoweachpeoplehadtheirownuniqueanddiversewaysoflifethatwe
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 21weregoingtotrytolearnaboutthroughthesestories.AsIread,Iwouldpausetoask
questionsorgivestudentsmoretimetorecordwhattheyhadheardorsaw.Afterreading
eachstoryIplannedtodiscussstudents’findingsaltogetherandrecordthemonaclass
chart(alsoinAppendixD).ItookanaudiorecordingofeachreadingsoIcouldgobackand
reviewinsightfulcommentsorquestionsthatstudentshadmadealongtheway.Iusedthe
recordingbookletsforthefirstthreestories,andthenhadstudentsonlylistentothefourth
story.Iquantitativelyanalyzedstudents’findingsfromtheirrecordingbookletsbyplacing
theminachartandcountinghowmanytimeseachwordwasmentioned.Ialso
qualitativelyanalyzedthedataasIidentifiedthemesintheaudiorecordingsandthe
observationstakeninmyresearchjournal.
Afterlisteningtofourstories,whichwasalltherewastimeforintheend,students
revisitedthepredictionsheetstheyhadfilledoutatthebeginning.Theyusedhighlighters
tooutlinethePlains,Subarctic,ArcticandWoodlandIroquoiansboxestohelpthemfocus
ontheareaswherethefourstoriescamefrom.Todistinguishbetweentheinitial
predictionandthefollow-up,studentswrotewithbluepensratherthanpencils.Students
independentlycompletedthisfollow-upactivitysomewhatlikeatestbecausetheywere
notallowedtousetheirrecordingbookletsoranyotherresourcestohelpthem.These
documentsgavemeinsightsonstudents’finalknowledgeabouthowaboriginalpeoples
lived.Itisimportanttonotehowever,thatthestoriesIselectedandreadwerenotthe
students’onlysourceoflearningaboutaboriginalpeoples.Thestoriesweresimplyan
introductiontoeachculturalgroupwithinthecontextoftheAmazingRaceunitthat
focusedonreadingforinformation.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 22
Lastly,Iwascuriousaboutwhichaboriginalstoriesmystudentsenjoyedthemost.
Afterreadingallfourstories,Ihadthemidentifyandwriteabouttheirfavouriteaboriginal
story.Thiswasanothersourcefordocumentanalysis.AsIreadthestudents’thoughts
abouttheaboriginalstoriesIlookedforthemesamongtheirresponses.Unlikemyother
data-collectionmethods,thisonefocusedonthestudents’emotionalengagementrather
thantheinformationtheycouldgather.
ResearchEthics InordertoconductthisactionresearchprojectinmyclassroomIhadtoget
permissionfrombothmyschoolandmystudents’parents.EarlyinJanuaryIgained
consentfromtheheadofschoolandmyschoolprincipaltomoveforwardwithmyproject.
FollowingthatIsentaletterhometogetparentpermissionfortheirchildtoparticipatein
theresearchproject.Allinformedconsentletters(seeAppendixA)werereturnedsigned.
Inordertoprotecttheanonymityofparticipants,thenamesofteachersandstudents
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 23involvedhavebeenchanged.WhentalkingaboutmystudentsIhavesimplychosento
identifythemasStudent1,Student2,etc.
Results
Teacherinterviews
TeacherInterviewwithGianaHowprepareddoyoufeeltoteachAboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesinyourclassroom?
• “Idon’tfeel100%prepared,noteven90,or80,becauseI’mstilltryingtolearnandunderstanditmyself.TherearealotofthingsIlearnedthatIhadnoideaabout.OfcourseIfeellikeIcouldhavesomebiasbecauseofwhatI’vebeentold,andwhatI’veseenandheard.”
• “I’mteachinginformationtomystudentsbecauseI’mtoldtoteachit,butIdon’tknowifit’salltrue.”
• “Ilearnedaboutaboriginalsingrade3,andit’ssurenothowI’mlearningitnow,orteachingitnow.”
• “Ithinkit’simportanttomakeitasauthenticaspossible,definitely.”• “Iwantmystudentstoknowthat[aboriginalpeople]wereherefirstandtheydidliveoff
thelandandtheywerewipedout.”
Whatwouldhelpyoufeelmoreprepared?• TakingacourseorProDtolearnmoreaboutthebigquestionsandtolearnmoreabout
theirculture• Wonderingwhowrotethat?(Canitbetrusted?)• Needtobemoreinformed• “Ineedtoknowwhatexactlytheperspectiveis.”
Whatresourcesareyouusingtoprepare?Orteachwith?• “TheKidsBookofAboriginalPeoples”• Children’sstories• Librarybooks• “FortheStó:lō,Ijustreliedontheteachersupstairsandtrustedtheyhadtherightinfo–
whichIthinkisopinionatedinitself.”
Howhaveyouusedaboriginalchildren’sbooks?• “Ihaven’tusedalotofchildren’sbooks.I’mfindingitasatimeconstraint.IfeellikeI
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 24
havetofacilitatemoreforthemeventounderstandwhoFirstNationswereratherthantellingthemstorybooks.Wheninessence,perhapsmaybeIshouldbeusingmorestoriesbecausemaybetheywouldlearnmorefromthosestorybooks,butIhaven’tusedalot.Ihaveusedmaybeoneortwo.”
• “I’veusedmorenonfiction/informationbooksbutI’mnotevensureifit’struebecauseitwaspasseddown.”
Howdoyougoaboutchoosingabooktouse?• “Ilookusuallyatthedate,forsure,becauseifitissomethingthatwaswrittenwhenI
wasgrowingup,thenit’sgoingtobeverybiasedinformationbecauseIknowwhatbookswerelikethen.”
• Lookatthedate(forbias)–pre2015• Publisher• Author• MeaningfultopicthatwillhelpstudentsunderstandFirstNationspeople
Whatmakesanaboriginalbook“authentic”?• Oraltraditionstory:legendsandstories• “Ifeellikethestoriesthattellastory,oralegendaremoreauthentic”• “Itfeelslikeitsmoreauthenticwhenit’sanoraltraditionstory–likehowtheCoyote
stolethemoon.”
Giana,whohastaughtgrade3atourschoolfor14yearsandwhoI’veworkedwith
thelongest,wasthefirstteacherIinterviewed.Sheistheoldestteacherinourgradeteam
andhaspreviouslysharedaboutgrowinguphearing,andstillhearingattimes,negative
stereotypesaboutaboriginalpeople.Inthisinterviewsheexpressednotfeelingcompletely
preparedtoteachaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesbecauseshe’sstilllearningabout
itherself.Gianafeelsshe“needstoknowwhatexactlytheperspectiveis,”butthatisnot
alwayscleartoher.Sheacknowledgesthatshecouldhavesomebiasasanon-aboriginal
teacher,butbelievesitisimportanttotrytoteachthecontentauthentically.Gianaadmits
notusingmanystoriesinherteachingthusfarbecauseshefeelstheyareatimeconstraint.
Atthesametime,shealsofeels“likethestoriesthattellastory,oralegendaremore
authentic.”Whenchoosingabook,sheconsidersthedateitwaspublished,thepublisher,
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 25authorandwhetherornotthecontentisusefultoteachherstudents.Iappreciatedher
ideaoflookingatthepublisher(forbias)becauseIhadnotthoughtofthatbefore.
TeacherInterviewwithFrankHowprepareddoyoufeeltoteachAboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesinyourclassroom?
• “Ifeelsomewhatprepared.I’mlearningalittlebitmoreandsolidifyingtheinformationIalreadyknowsoIcanmakeitmoreexcitingandengagingformystudents.So,comfortable.I’mnotfrightenedbyit.I’mjustlearningandthenpassingonthenewinformationtothestudents.”
• Doyoufeelpreparedtoteachperspectives?NO• VisitedMissionsFestandfocusedonlearningaboutFirstNations
Whatwouldhelpyoufeelmoreprepared?• “IwishI’dtaughtthisalready.I’mlearningthisparticularFirstpeoplegroupforthefirst
time.”
• “It’salotoftrialanderrorrightnow.”
Whatresourcesareyouusingtoprepare?Orteachwith?• Mostlythe“AboriginalPeoplesinCanada”book• Somelinks:FNSC,gov’tofCanada,PDFs• FoundsomeBiblicalresourcesfromMissionsFest• ReadingabiographyofaMetis-Creewoman
o anadultstory(notapicturebook)withverydescriptivewriting• Alsohaveadevotionbookwrittenbyelders• “I’mfindingouttheirview,andhowtheyviewedtheProtestantscomingin.”
Howhaveyouusedaboriginalchildren’sbooks?• Notyet–willuseittointroduceeachregion• Willusebooksdeliveredfromlibrary
Howdoyougoaboutchoosingabooktouse?• Asitrelatestotheregion• Givenbylibrary• Lookforcurrentpublicationdateswithbetterperspective
o Old–1970s,oreven1980sà“Iwilltendnottolookatthatbook.”
Whatmakesanaboriginalbook“authentic”?• Whoprovidedtheinfo–ifthepeoplegrouphadinput• Fromreliablesources
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 26
Frank,whohasbeenteachingforabouttenyearsandisnewtoourschoolthisyear,
wasthesecondcolleagueIinterviewed.Intheinterviewhedescribesfeelingsomewhat
prepared,butnotfrightenedbyteachingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectives.Asmany
teachersexperience,heexplainsthathe’s“justlearningandthenpassingonthenew
informationtothestudents.”Whenaskedspecificallywhetherhefeelspreparedtoteach
aboriginalperspectives,headmitsthathe’snot.Franksharedaboutfindingsome
aboriginalresourceswithaChristianperspective,andwhiletheyarenotchildren’sbooks,
hefeelssomepartsmightbeworthsharingwithhisstudents.Forthemostpart,hehas
usedtheseresourcestoeducatehimselfabouttheexperiencesofsomeaboriginalpeople.
Frankhasnotyetusedanyaboriginalchildren’sbooksinhisclassroom,butplannedtouse
themtointroducedifferentregions.Whenselectingonetouse,helooksatlibrarybooks
withcurrentpublicationdatesbecausetheyhavebetterperspectives,unlikeonesfromthe
1970sand1980s.Tohim,anauthenticbookisonefromareliablesourceinwhichthe
peoplebeingwrittenabouthadinputinhowthestorywastold.
TeacherInterviewwithHollyHowprepareddoyoufeeltoteachAboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesinyourclassroom?
• “Foragrade3levelIfeelfairlyprepared”
• Didreadabit• “Sinceit’sthefirstyearI’vetaughtthiscurriculum,Ihavehadtousereferencebooksand
stuff,andreadthroughthingsinordertomakesurethatI’mteachingatagrade3level.”
• Doyoufeelpreparedtoteachperspectives?NO• “WellIfeelthat’satrickyonebecausetheperspectivesyou’reteachingfromarebased
onsomeoneelse’steachingorknowledge.Idon’thaveanyfirst-handexperiencereally.Livingwherewedo,ourunderstandingisn’tasgreatasitwouldbeinAlbertaoranareathathasmoreaboriginals,andsoIthinkperspectiveisatrickythingtoteachifyou’renotpartofthatcultureorcommunityorverycloselyconnected.”
• Wentontoadmitthatasanewteacherandwithnewcurriculum,shefeelsless
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 27
prepared(newtopic,newcurriculumandnewschool)
Whatwouldhelpyoufeelmoreprepared?• “Preptimetofigureoutwhat’sthegrade3targetandteachingtowardsthat”
• ProDatthebeginningoftheyearwasn’thelpfulbecauseitdidn’thelpyouteach• “It’sprovidingknowledge,butnotonhowtoteachtheseconcepts.Itwasagreat
activity,butIwon’thaveusedanythingfromthatProDforthisunitotherthanmyownpersonalunderstanding.”
o ShefindsspecificimplementationideasbestinProD
Whatresourcesareyouusingtoprepare?Orteachwith?• “TheKids’AboriginalPeoplesofCanada”byDianeSilvey• Librarybooksforkids• “Highschoolanduniversitycoursesthathavetouchedonthis–butit’sveryvagueand
notmyprimarysource”
Howhaveyouusedaboriginalchildren’sbooks?• Stó:lōunit–“Ireadacouplestories–Idon’trememberwhichones”• Noneyetuntiltheendtotieuptheunit• Storiesaren’tgreat/besttodeliverfacts• “Iprobably,truthfullywon’tuseanytilltheendtowrapitupandbeanoverarchingtype
thing.”
• Isthereareasonforthat?• “Ithinkstoriesaregreatandthattheyhaveagreatpurposeforlearning,butasfaras
deliveringfacts,Idon’tknowifstoriesarethemost,orthebestway…storiesalsotakeawhiletogothroughandI’dratheruseitasa‘break’fromsomethingelse.”
• Storiestaketime
Howdoyougoaboutchoosingabooktouse?• Advicefromothers(eg.AdrienneGear)• ReferralsfromsomeoneIknowwho’staughtitbefore• Library
Whatmakesanaboriginalbook“authentic”?• Writtenbysomeonefromthatcommunitywithfirsthandknowledgefromtheauthor
(importanceofaccuracy)• “Ithinkstoriescanbemostlyaccuratewherethey’repasseddown,butIdon’tknowhow
accuratetheyare.”
• Christianperspective–howdoesthiswork?• “WehavetoteachtheChristianperspective,soIthinkthatcantakeawayfromthe
story.”
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 28
Hollyisalsoanewteachertoourschoolthisyearwithone-yearexperienceteaching
gradethreeatanotherindependentschool.Thoughshehasreadalittleandfeelsfairly
preparedtoteachthisunit,shegoesontosaythatshe’snotpreparedtoteachaboriginal
perspectives.Shethinks,“Perspectiveisatrickythingtoteachifyou’renotpartofthat
cultureorcommunityorverycloselyconnected.”ShethinksmoreProDandpreparation
timewouldhelpherfeelmoreprepared.ShespecificallyappreciatesProDthatgives
teacherspracticalideasandtools.Whenaskedaboutusingstoriesshedescribes,“Ithink
storiesaregreatandthattheyhaveagreatpurposeforlearning,butasfarasdelivering
facts,Idon’tknowifstoriesarethemost,orthebestway.Storiesalsotakeawhiletogo
throughandI’dratheruseitasa‘break’fromsomethingelse.”Hollyusedacouple
aboriginalstoriesinourpreviousStó:lōunitandthoughtshewouldusemoreas
concluding“extra”activitiestowrapuptheAmazingRaceunit.Asanewteacher,sherelies
ontheadviceofothermoreexperiencedteacherswhenchoosingaboriginalbookstouse.
Toher,anauthenticbookisonethatwaswrittenbysomeonefromthatcommunitywith
firsthandknowledge.
Insummary,noneofmygradethreecolleaguesfeltfullypreparedtoteach
aboriginalcontent.Inparticular,they(likemyselfandmanyintheliterature)felt
unpreparedtoteachaboriginalperspectivestostudentsbecausetheyweren’ttheirown.
Overall,theseteacherseitherhadn’tusedaboriginalpicturebooksintheirclassroom,or
hadusedverylittletothispoint.GianaandHollybothmentionedbeingunsureofthe
reliabilityofaboriginalstoriesbecausetheywerepasseddownorally,aswellasexpressing
concernthatstoriestaketimetouse.Despitethis,allthreeofmycolleaguesacknowledged
theimportanceofusingauthenticstorieswhenchoosinganaboriginalbooktoread.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 29PredictionCharts
StudentswereaskedtofillintheboxespredictingabouthowFirstPeoplesof
Canadalivedusingtheaboriginalculturalregionsmaptheyhadcreated.Iexplainedto
studentsatthecarpetwhattheywereabouttodoandaskedthemtowritewordsrather
thanpicturesintheboxes.Theirabilitytofocusseemedlowatthetimeandoncethey
returnedtotheirdeskstheyneededfurtherinstructionstohelpthemalongtheway.I
remindedstudentsthattheyweremakingpredictions–orguesses–basedonwhatthey
alreadyknewabouttheland,orfromourSto:lounit,andthatiftheyreallycouldn’tthinkof
anythingtheycouldleavetheboxblank.Itold
themtheSto:lowereaNorthwestCoastpeopleso
thoseboxesshouldbeeasyforthemtofillin,andI
evengavethemsomehintstoremindthemofthe
importanceofcedar.AsIwalkedaroundtheroom
Inoticedthatalotofstudentsseemsslowtowrite
muchdown.Ihadonlygiventhemaboutfifteen
minutestowritedowntheirpredictions,which
clearlydidn’tseemtobeenoughtime.Iwondered
iftheydidn’tyetknowanythingabouthowaboriginalpeoplelivedlikeI’dexpected,orif
theyweresimplyoverwhelmed.Idecidedtoaskthemtwoquestionsaftertheywere
finishedtogivemesomeinsights:Howdidthismakeyoufeelandwhy?andWhathelpedyou
makethesepredictions?StudentswrotetheiranswersonthepredictionsheetbeforeI
collectedthem.Theirveryinterestinganswers,withcorrectedspellingarewrittenhere:
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 30Howdidthismakeyoufeelandwhy?
• IfeelannoyedbecauseIdon’tlikethis!!!!!!• IfeltstressedwithitbecauseIdon’tknowaboutfirstpeople• Thismademefeeldisgustedbecauseaboutthesaltedmeatandthefishscaleclothes• ItmakesmefeelverycuriousbecauseIwanttoknowmoreaboutthem• IfeelsadbecauseIdon’tgetthis• IfeelgooddoingthisbecauseIlikeresearchandIlikelearningnewthingsaboutfirst
nations• Ifeelsadbecausetheydon’thavephones• Itmakesmefeelverydifficultbecauseitisveryhardforme• IfeelexcitedbecauseIlovestudyingaboutfirstnationspeopleandtheSto:lopeoples• Funandhappybecauseitsfunsearchingthemapandwritingstuff.HappybecauseIcan
writesomuch• ThismakesmefeelcreativebecauseIimaginethatIaminthattimeperiod• ThisactivitymakesmefeelexcitedbecauseIlikelearningaboutfirstnationsandreading
books• IfeelhappydoingthisworkcauseitisfunknowingtheSto:lopeoples• Thismakesmefeelglad• Ifeellikemydreambeingaresearcher,andexcitedbecauseIcanstudytheworld• IfeelstressedbecauseIcan’tremember• IfeellikeIdidn’tgetalotofpredictions• IfeelconfidentbecauseIknowalotaboutbackthen• IfeelgoodbecauseIcanlearnmoreabouttheplacesofCanada• IfeelexcitedbecauseIlikewritingandreading.Ifeelgoodbecauseitsisaproject• Itisabittricky,butitmakesmefeelsmartandabitanxioustofinish.Ilikefinishing
thingsfastandgettingthemoutoftheway• IfeelbadandgoodbecauseIdonotliketotravelbutIloveallplaceswhenwegetthere• IfeelsadandboredcauseIdon’tknowalotaboutfirstpeople.Ialsofeelhappybecause
Ilearnmoreaboutfirstpeople• IfeeljusthappycausethisiscoolbytellingeverythingthattellsmeSto:lopeoples
Whathelpedyoumakethesepredictions?
• Ican’tpredictthehousesbecausethere’snotmuchlakesandnotmuchtreeseither• IthelpedmebecauseIknowaboutit• Themaphelpedmemakepredictions• Learningaboutdifferentlandscapeshelpedmemakemypredictions• ThisdidnothelpmebecauseIdon’tgetthis
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 31
• WhathelpedmemakepredictionsisthatIknowalotabouttheSto:lopeoplesoit’llbeeasytodotheotherareas
• Whathelpedmetopredictwasabook• WhathelpedmewasIknewwhattheydidcauseIlearneditandwhatdidn’thelpme
wasnothing• StudyingreallyhardaboutfirstnationsandSto:lopeopleshelpedmepredictaboutthe
fieldtripthatwewentonhelpedmetoo• WhathelpedmeisthatthemapshowsmethenameofitsoIknowtheterrainlike
Arcticitissnowy• Whathelpedmemakethesepredictionswasthemapthatwemade• ImadealotofpredictionsbecauselearningabouttheSto:lohelpedme• IthelpedbecauseSto:lodonothavethestuffwhatwehave• Becausewecanseetheanswersattheend• Myforgetfulbrainmadeemptyboxes• Ididn’tgetalotofpredictions• Ilookedatthebooksbecauseithadplaces• Becausewecanlearnmore• Itwasmybrainandmymapthathelpedme• Mymapthatwemadehelpedme.Thekeyandthemainparttoo.AlsoourSto:lo
researchhelped.Itwashardthoughbecauseitwasawhileago• Bytheweatherandhowbig• Theylivenearwater.Theyhavelotsofwood,etc• IdidhelpmebythinkingaboutSto:lonations• Itwasmymemoryhelpingme
Iwaseagertoreviewstudents’thoughtsandpredictions.AtfirstglanceIwasn’ttoo
surprisedwhohadwrittenalotandwhohadveryfewpredictions.Mostalloftheclasswas
abletowritesomeinformationintheNorthwestCoastboxes,andaboutathirdoftheclass
putdetailednotesinthatsection.Asexpected,moststudentsdidn’tseemtoknowmany
detailsofhowotheraboriginalpeopleinCanadalivedyet.However,manystudentsdid
predictthatpeoplelivingintheArcticwouldliveinigloos.Itprobablyhelpedthatwehad
missedthreedaysofschooltheweekbeforeforsnowdays.Despitetheoveralllackof
knowledge,Iwaspleasedtodiscoverthatmorethanhalfmystudentsfeltgood,happyor
evenexcitedmakingpredictions.Itwasinterestingtoseehowsomeofthemwereableto
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 32drawonwhatthey’dlearnedearlierintheyearaboutlandscapestheSto:lopeople,and
whilecreatingtheirmap.
Stories
IdescribethefourstoriesIreadwithmyclassinthefollowingsections.The
transcriptforeachstoryisfromtheaudiorecordingsthatweretakenasIreadthestory
andfacilitateddiscussionafterwards.IhaveincludedmyvoiceandthequestionsthatI
askedstudentsalongtheway(inbold),studentresponses(initalics),andsomenarrative
ofwhatelsehappened(regularfont).Discussionoftheresultscomesafterwards.Students
weretakingnotesduringthefirstthreestories.
Story1:MwakwaTalkstotheLoon
MwakwaTalkstotheLoonisa
storybyartistandstorytellerDale
AugeraboutayoungCreemannamed
Kayaswholoseshisgifttohunt
becausehegetscaughtupinlistening
tothepraisesofotherpeople.The
storytellsofhisjourneylearningto
huntagainwiththehelpoftheElders
andtheBeingsthatliveinthewater.
ThebookisaboutKayaslearningthelessontogivethankstothelivingcreaturesthatgive
themselvestohimandhispeopletohavefood.ItisthewinneroftheAboriginalChildren’s
BookoftheYearAwardin2006.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 33Story1:MwakwaTalkstotheLoonWhatdoyounoticeabouttheland?It’sveryimportantthatwepayattentiontotheland.Keepitinmindbecauseitwillaffectyourotheranswers.It’sadifferentlanguage–that’swhyIhaveahardtimesayingit.IstoppedtryingtopronouncethewordsbecauseIhadn’tpracticedinadvanceLookatthepicture.Whichboxesdidyoufindsomethingfor?Lotsofchatteraboutwhattheyfind–studentsweregoodreportersIoftenreferredthemtolookatthepictures.Student16:(makingpredictionsandveryeager)Student2:“dotheyallhavelonghair?”Idon’tknow.Youcanlookatthepicturesandwecanfindout.YoumakeaguessbasedonwhatyouthinkandknowIemphasizedandrepeatedwordsattimes.eg.BirchbarkbasketsStudentseagerlycallingout“teepee”whentheysawitDiscussedthatthelandinthisstorycouldbeplainsorsubarcticIencouragedstudentstomakeconnectionstootherregionsifitlookedsimilarWhydoyouthinkKayaslosthisway?“Waterbeings”–whatdoesthismean?Student:FishIpointedouttheyarefreshwaterfishbecausethesepeoplenotneartheocean.ReferredtotheCanadamapandthemapstudentscreated.Thefishgivethemselvestothepeople.Whatdoyouthinkitmeansthatthey’vegiventhemselves?Student1:theyletthemselvesbecaught.Theysacrificedthemselves.Whatdoesthatmeantheymustdo?Student1:theydie.Doyouknowanyoneelsewho’sdonethis?Student1:MosessacrificedanimalsStudent23:JesusonthecrossWhat’sanothernamefortheoldones?Student:theeldersMakesureyourecordeverythingyousee.Whatdoesitmeanbybeings?Student:animals
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 34Student10:noonegotthemostobviousthing–waterStudentsareinterestedintheCreewords.HoldupyourboardssoIcanseehowmuchyou’vedone.Whatinthestoryseemsdifferentandmakesyouthink?Student5:theytreattheanimalslikehumansbecausetheycallthembeingsStudent:talkingtoanimalsStudent1:therearedifferentspirits,butthereisonlyonespirit–theHolySpirit.Itseemsweirdthatthey’reworshippingtheanimalspirits.Theytreatedthemlikehumans.Icommentedonhowthisshowsushowimportantanimalsweretothem.Studentswerestartingtogetprettytiredofsittingatabout29minutes.Thelast5minutesofdiscussionweredifficulttomaintainfocus.Whatdowehaveincommonwiththem?Student:weworshipsomethingStudent:wehonoreldersWhat’sdifferentfromthePlateaupeople?Student:birchwood,notcedarWereviewedthisstoryaloudatalaterdatebeforewereadthenextstoryIemphasizedthatIonlywantedstudentstotellmewhatthey’dwrittendownintheirbooklet.Whatlessonsdidwelearninthisstory?Student1:theimportanceoffishStudent5:don’tbeproudStudent9:theimportanceoftheirvoicesbecauseMwakwaneedsittocalltotheloonWhat’smissingifthisisaPlainsstory?Student:Buffalo
ThisstorywasusedtointroduceaboriginalpeoplewholivedinthePlainscultural
region.AsthiswasthefirststoryIreadtomyclass,Imadesuretofrequentlyremind
studentsalongthewaytorecordthingstheysaworheardabouthowCreepeoplelived.
Thestoryhassomefantasticdetailedpicturesthatincludetheflatgreenland,teepees,
animalskinclothing,andsometoolstheyused.Studentswereeagertorecordwhatthey
foundandwantedtotalkandsharetheiranswerswitheachother.Theyquestionedwhy
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 35therewerenobuffalointhepictures,whichtheyhadalreadylearnedwasanimportant
resourceinthePlainsregion.Throughoutthestorymystudentswereverycuriousabout
theCreewordsthatwereincluded.
Thestorystartedagoodconversationwithmyclassaboutaboriginalpeoples’
relationshipwith,andperspectiveof,animals.Whentheauthordescribesthefishgiving
themselvestothepeople,mystudentswerequicktounderstandthatthismeanttheywere
allowingthemselvestobecaughtorsacrificedforthepeopleandindoingsothatthey
woulddie.TheymadeconnectionstostoriestheyhadheardintheBiblewhereanimals,
andthenlaterJesus,weresacrificedforpeoples’sinssothatothersmightlive.Onestudent
pointedoutthatthesepeopleprayedtoandworshippedmanyanimalspirits,andhowthat
wasdifferentfromwhathehadbeentaughtandbelievedtherebeingjustoneHolySpirit.
WediscussedhowthisshowsushowimportantanimalsweretoCreepeople.
Withallthestopsalongthewaytorecordanddiscussthestory,thebooktook
almosthalfandhourtoread,causingmoststudentstobeprettytiredofsitting.Asaresult,
Idecidedtosavethegroupdiscussionaboutourresultsforanotherday.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 36Story2:OurFirstCaribouHunt
OurFirstCaribouHuntisamodern
storybyJenniferNoahandChrisGiroux
abouttwoInuitchildren,Nutaraqand
Simonie,whogoontheirfirsthuntingtrip
withtheirfather.Theytravelona
snowmobileandsleepinaniglooasthey
huntforcaribouandfishforarcticchar.
Throughoutthestorytheauthorsteachabout
traditionalInuitvaluesaboutthetreatment
ofanimals.
Story2:OurFirstCaribouHuntGuesswhichregionthisbookisfrom.MosteveryonethoughttheArcticregionbecauseofthesnow,ice,parkaandhillsonthefrontcover“Beforecontact”–IbrieflyexplainedthismeantbeforesettlerscametocreatewhatisnowCanadaandtheUnitedStatesIexplainedhowthisstoryismodernPayattention,likedetectives,forwhat’s“modern”andwhat’snotinthisstoryRemembertouseyourspecialglassesorlensesforwhat’smodernandwhat’snotWouldyouliketosleepinatentonthesnow?Student:whatareresources?ThingstheyusefromthelandStudent17:I’vegotsomuch!Listencarefullytothispart.IcontinuetoemphasizekeywordsAgain,itwashardtoreadthewordsintheotherlanguage
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 37“Invitethecariboutogivethemselves.”Whatdoesthisremindyouof?Student:thefishsacrificefromthelastbookStudent:Jesus!Student1:theyhadguns?(Remember,thisisamodernstory.)Student1:likeGodStudent23:theyprayedtotheanimalsbeforetheygavetheirlifeStudent9:likewepraytoGodinthemorningorbeforeweeatWhoaretheythanking?Student9:they’rethankingtheanimalsYoucantakeyournotesasyoulisten.“Todaywearejiggingforigaluk”Student1:what’sigaluk?Student23:fish–becauseyoucanseethebagandit’sonlybigenoughforfishItsaystheyusedallpartsoftheanimal.Whoelsedidthat?Student23:theBuffalo!We’regoingtoreviewthestory.Let’sbeveryfast! Beforeevenreading,studentsshowedabasicunderstandingofthefarnorthby
easilypredictingthisstorywasfromtheArcticregion.Iexplainedtostudentsthatthiswas
amodernstory,sotheyneededtocarefullythinkabouthowInuitpeoplemayhavelivedin
thepast.AspartofthisintroductionIusedtheterm“beforecontact”withmyclassasI
triedtoexplainthatwewantedtolearnabouthowtheInuitlivedbeforeEuropeanscame.
Whiletheclothingandtransportation(snowmobile)aremodern,thecharactersmakeand
sleepinaniglooandhuntforanimalsliketheirancestorsdid(minustheriflesofcourse).
Likethepreviousstory,theauthorstalkabouthowanimalsgivethemselvestothepeople
andhowitisimportantforInuithuntertogivethanksbacktothem.Thistimestudents
wereabletomakeconnectionstotheCreepeopleinMwakwaTalkstotheLoonaswellas
totheBible.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 38
Beforereadingthisstorywereviewedournotesandthelessonslearnedfromthe
previousstoryandIrecordedthemonagroupchart.Afterthat,studentssatforanother
fortyminutesaswereadOurFirstCaribouHunt.Ittookmuchlongerthananticipatedand
otherstudentsorthematerialstheywereusingweredistractingformanystudents.Itoo
wasgettingalittleanxioustofinishbecauseadulthelpershadcomeintoourclassroomand
werewaitingatthebackforustofinish.Asaresult,Idecidedtomakesurethenextstories
anddiscussionsdidnotlastthatlong.
Story3:NokumismyTeacher
Thisstory,byformerteacher,
principalandnowaward-winningauthor
DavidBouchard,isaboutanaboriginalboy
havingaconversationwithhisNokum,or
grandmother.Thestoryiswritteninboth
EnglishandCreeastheboyaskshisNokum
whyheneedstogotoschoolandlearnto
read.Hewouldratherlearnthetraditional
waysthroughstories,songs,drummingandsinging.Thoughtheboy’sNokumdidnotgoto
school,sheunderstandsitisimportanthergrandsontolearntoreadinthisnewworld.By
theendofthestorytheboyisconvincedanddeterminedtolearntoreadatschool.
Story3:NokumismyTeacherStudentlistenedtotheaudiorecordingthatcamealongwiththebook.Ipauseditatpointstoaskquestionsandgivestudentstimetolookatthepictures.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 39WhatdoyouthinkNokummeans?Student10:teacherStudent:grandmotherWhatdoyouthinkitmeansby‘thewhiteworldismeantforme’?Student:EuropeansWhoisthisboytalkingtohisgrandmother?Ishealsointhewhiteworld?Student:noStudent7:he’soneoftheFirstNationspeopleOnthebackofthebookitsaysit’sbytheNorthernCree–agroupthatlivesintheSubarcticarea.Sothisstoryisaboutaboytalkingtohisgrandmother.Student1:that’snottheirculturethough….butthat’sintheprairiesMaybeIgotthebooksmixedupStudent1:isitSubarcticthough?Writewhatyousee.Ithinkit’ssubarctic…IexplainedhowIputitinthesubarcticcategorybecausethebackofthebooksaysitsfromtheNorthernCree.TherewasalotoftalkamongstudentsaboutwhetherthisstoryisfromtheSubarcticregionorthePlainsregionbecausethereareBuffalointhepicturesStudent1:it’ssortofinthePlainsthoughbecauseofManitobaandSaskatchewanCreesingingheardontheCDStudent10:he’shorrible!You’rehorrible!(talkingaboutthesinging)IstoppedtheCDasthestudentswerediscussingamongstthemselves.InoticedIheardacommentmade.Student10,yourcommentsaying,“thesingingishorrible”–isthatthekindofthingthatwouldbekindtosaytoanyone?Student:noRemember,didtheyhavepianos?Didtheyhaveguitars?Students:noDidtheyhaveinstrumentsthatpeopleplaynow?Students:NoStudent9:theyhaddrumsTheyhaddrumsandtheirvoices.Discussedthattheyuseddifferentinstruments–mostlydrums.Timeranintolunchsowecamebacktodiscussthebooklaterintheafternoon.Wehavetoreviewwhatweheardinthestory.Whoarethecharacters?Student12:boyandgrandmotherWhatwastheboyaskinghisgrandmother?Student5:whyhehadtogotothewhitepeoples’school
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 40Didthegrandmothergotothattypeofschool?Student1:noWhatwasthecluethatshedidn’tgotothatschool?Student13:shedoesn’tknowhowtoreadHowdidfirstpeoplepassontheirstories,andhistoryandinformation?Student10:bydrumsandmusicStudent7:storytellingStudent:youdidn’tneedtoreadYou’reright,theypassedthemonthroughstorytelling.So,doyouthinkyou’dneedtoknowhowtoread?Student9:noBut,doyouthinkit’snowimportantfortheboytoknowhowtoreadnow?Student21:yes,becauseifyoucan’treadyoudon’tknowanythingDoesanyoneelsethinkifyoucan’treadyoudon’tknowanything?Student16:No,it’snotlikethat.Youknowhowstoriesarelikepasseddowngenerationtogeneration?Well,whenitgetstohimhewon’tknowhowtoreadittothem.Butremember,whattypeofstoryisit?Inanoraltraditionyoudon’tneedtoknowhowtoread,sotheywereabletopassthemon.Butnow,islifethesame?DothesepicturelooklikelongagobeforeEuropeansarrived?Students:yesOk,butdoallthepictureslooklikelongago?Identifythedifferencesbetweenthepictures.Student23:noStudent7:housesStudent9:sometimesifyoudon’treadbooksyoudon’tknowhowtowriteReferredbacktoStudent1’scommentaboutthestorybeinginthePlainsregioninsteadoftheSubarcticregion.Whatmadeyouthinkit’sthePlainsregion?Student3:flatlandStudent23:teepeeandbuffaloStudent19:deer,Answerstakenbyaskingrandomstudents“bysurprise”TellmesomethingIdon’thavealready.Whichcategorydoesitfitin?Somepeoplewereveryeager.Continuedaskingrandomly–thisworkedbestsofar.Student:Iwasgoingtosaythat!LookedbackattheAboriginalPeoplesofCanadabooksections:PeoplesofthePlainsandPeoplesoftheSubarcticWhichstorydoyouthinkbestshowedthePlainspeople?NokumismyTeacherORMwakwaTalkstotheLoon?Discussionfollowed
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 41 StudentsgottolistentoNokumismyTeacherbeingreadaloudbytheauthorfrom
anaudiorecordingthatincludedsinginganddrummingbytheNorthernCree.Thiswasa
uniqueexperiencethatallowedstudentstohearCreevoicesandmusic,andlatersomeof
theirlanguageaswell.Itprovidedtheopportunitytotalkaboutappropriateandrespectful
languagetousewhendescribingotherpeoples’culturalpracticesthatstudentsmayfind
surprisingordifferentatfirst.Studentswereencouragedtothinkabouttheresourcesthat
aboriginalpeopleusedtocreatemusicalinstruments,suchasdrums,thatwerefoundon
thelandtheylivedin.
Thedetailedpicturesinthisbookreallygotstudentsthinkingaboutthelandthe
Creelivedon.AsItoldstudentsthatthemusicisbytheNorthernCreewholiveinthe
subarcticarea,onestudentinparticularwasquicktospeakup.Basedontheteepees,
feathersandbuffalothathesawinthepictures,hethoughtthatthisstoryfitintotheplains
regioninstead.Thissparkedadiscussionamongsttheclassthatcontinuedevenafterthe
storywasfinished.WelaterusedTheKidsBookofAboriginalPeoplesinCanadatolearn
moreaboutwhereCreepeoplelive.ItturnsouttherearemanyCreepeopleswhocovera
vastareawhichincludesthesubarcticandplainsregions.Iwasencouragedtoseethat
studentswereabletomakeconnectionstowhichlandanaboriginalpeoplelivedonbased
ontheirwaysoflife(livinginateepee)ortheresources(buffalo)theyareusing.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 42Story4:HiawathaandthePeacemaker
HiawathaandthePeacemakerisa
bookbylegendarymusicianandsongwriter
RobbieRobertsonwhoheardthisoralstory
asayoungboyfromanelder.Itisabouta
Mohawkmanwhowantsrevengeafterhis
familyhasbeenkilledandvillagedestroyed
inabattle.Instead,hemeetsthe
Peacemakerwhoconvinceshimthatonly
forgivenesscanbringhealingandthat
fightingamongtheirpeoplemuststop.The
storyisaboutHiawathaandthe
Peacemaker’sjourneytospreadthemessageofpeace,powerandrighteousnesstoeachof
thesixnations,whichlaterbecameunitedastheSixNationIroquoisConfederacy.
Story4:HiawathaandthePeacemakerThisisaFirstNationsstory.Whatdidwelearnaboutfirstpeoplesfromtheotherbooks?Student1:theylearnedbystoriesStudent20:theytoldhowthingshappenedthroughanoraltraditionSotheydidn’tactuallypassaphysicalbookalong,theytoldthestoryoutloud.ThesestoriesIreadtoyouwereonesthatwereallstoriesthatwerepasseddown–otherthanmaybetheCaribouHuntone.Now,canmostfirstpeoplesreadnow?Theyalsoliveincities,towns,andhouseslikeusnow.Theydon’tliveinlonghousesandteepeesanymorebecausetheworldhaschanged.Theyknowhowtoreadandwriteandtheywrotethesestoriesnow.Explainedsomeexamplesofdifferentfirstpeoplegroups,anddiscussedsomespecificnames(Inuit,Cree,etc)Thistimewe’regoingtodosomethingabitdifferent.We’regoingtolistenandnotwrite.Students:yay!
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 43Listentothestoryreallycarefully.Also,thinkaboutwhichpeoplegroupyouthinkthisgroupmightbefrom.Student:woodland!Youhavetrainedyoureyesandearslatelytogatherinformationfromthestory.Youdon’tneedtowriteanythingdown,butasyoulistenenjoythestoryandstillseewhatinformationyoucangather.Student23:stone?Thatwouldsink!HowcanastoneStudent10:Iknowonething.Thisisafalsestory.Thisisatransformstory.Student:Mohawk!Doeshelooklikeapeacemakertoyou?Students:No!Whatdoeshelooklike?Student:fighterStudent:warriorStudent1:aghostorsomethingStudent20:peoplewhocometokilleveryoneStudent7:someonewhowouldbetellingstoriesStudent15:hedoeslooklikesomeonewhowouldbetellingstoriesbecausehe’swearingacostumeorsomethingStudent19:hekindoflookslonelysometimeThinkaboutanythoughtsorconnectionsthatyoumighthavesofar.Studentssharedpredictionsandconnectionstootherstories.Cananyonethinkofanotherpeoplethatcarriedthismessageofpeaceratherthanwar,loveratherthanhate,orunityratherthanfear?Student7:Christians,becauseJesussaidweshouldloveourenemiesWhenIreadthisstorythefirsttimeitremindedmeofsomething.Student3:Oh!Oh!Oh!ZacheuswhenhegottoseeJesusStudent16:yousaidyousawkidsclimbingatreeandthisissomeoneclimbingatreeStudent15:itremindsmeofGodbecausehe’llliftyouupintoheavenStudent1:whenJesussavedthethreemeninthefire.IthoughtofthembecausetheytrustedGodandhesavedthem.Student19:itkindaremindsmeofGodbecauseGodisapeacemakerStudentsgaspingastheylistenStudent25:thethreewomenwhocamerepresentthewomenwhocametowashJesus’bodyStudent18:thecrossthatJesusdiedofwasmadeofatreeThisisafirstpeoplesstory.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 44Student9:thisisaChristianstorytooStudents:oooooo(atthepicture)Student:Medusa!Student:Satan!Student16:that’sSatan.That’sobviouslySatan.Whyisitsoobvious?Student16:becauseofthesnakesStudent23:heturnedintoasnakeforadisguiseStudent20:thatremindsmeofoneofmymemoryversesthatIreadinmyBible.Anyoneelsefindanythingthatmadethemgowow?!Student23:Ireadinabookaboutsomethinglikethis–thatSatanwasinadisguiseinsnakeform.That’swhylotsofusarethinkingit’sSatan.IhearlotsofcommentssayingthatthismustbeaChristianstory,butremember,thisisaFirstNationstory.Howwouldtheyhavehadthesestories?Justwonder.Student:thetreeoflife!
Eventhoughthisstoryislongerandhadtobereadovertwosittings(20minutes
beforelunchand30minutesafterwards),Ihadaverycaptiveaudience.Studentswereglad
totakeabreakfromwritingnotesandlookatthebrightlycolouredillustrationsinstead.
Together,thetextandillustrationsgaveapowerfulpictureofgoodandevil,peaceand
fighting.Throughoutthestorystudentsexpressedmanyconnectionstootherstories,most
ofwhichwerefromtheBibleonceagain.Theywereexcitedtosharetheircommentsand
predictwhatwouldhappennextwiththesixnations.Thenextdaystudentsalsoread
abouttheSixNationIroquoisConfederacyinTheKidsBookofAboriginalPeoplesinCanada
aspartoftheAmazingRace,butIdon’tthinktheywerenearlyasengagedastheywere
duringthisstory.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 45DataCollectionChart:StoryReportingBooklets
Afterreading,Ireviewedthereportingbookletsthatstudentswroteinwhile
listeningtothefirstthreestories.Student’sanswershavebeenwritteninthechartbelow
wherethenumberinbracketsindicateshowmanystudentsputthatasananswer.The
mostpopularanswers(inblue)accuratelyreflectthepicturesanddescriptionsinthe
storiesthatwereread.Thissuggeststomethatthemajorityofstudentswereabletoeasily
identifybasicwaysoflifeoftheaboriginalpeoplesinthestories.
MwakwaTalkstotheLoon(Plains/Subarctic?)
OurFirstCaribouHunt(Arctic)
NokumismyTeacher(Subarctic/Plains?)
Homes Teepee(23)Lodge(22)Tents(3)Fireinside(2)Longhouse(2)Birchtrees(1)Pithouse(1)
Igloo(24)Tent(20)-canvasSnowhouse(8)Modernhouse(3)Shack(1)Teepee(1)
Teepee(20)Woodenhouses(9)School(7)Tents(6)Church(4)Cabins(3)Tents(3)Igloos(3)Loghouse(1)Lodge(1)
Food Moose(22)Fish(20)Salmon(13)Geese(13)Loon(13)Deer(5)Birds/wingedones(4)Apple(1)Buffalo(1)Berries(1)
Caribou(24)Fish/ArcticChar(23)Fox(3)Snowice(1)Deer(1)Steak(1)
Deer(18)Buffalo(18)Fish(4)Wolf(4)Birds(3)Horse(2)Fox(2)Elk(2)Hay(1)Eagle(1)Bear(1)Wilddogs(1)Coyote(1)Caribou(1)Horses(1)Rabbit(1)
Clothing Animalskins(11) Animalskins(13) Birdfeathers(16)
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 46
Mooseskin(7)Birdfeather(7)Goatwool(7)Deerhide/skin(6)Antlers(5)Bark(5)Drewpicture(4)Sinew/animalstring(4)Fishscales/skin(3)Furs(2)Moccasins(1)
Jacket(11)Furs(8)Polarbearfur/skin(4)Pants(4)Mittens(3)Hat(3)Wool(3)Boots(2)Blanket(2)
Animalskin(16)Jacket(4)Fur(4)Hats(4)Jackets(3)Pants(3)Deerantlers(1)Grass(1)Shoes(1)
Transportation Canoe(25)Walking(14)Toboggan(10)Swimming(4)Horse(3)Snowshoe(2)
Sled/toboggan(18)Snowmobiles(12)Walking(5)Snowshoe(1)
Sled/Toboggan(12)Horsewagon(10)Horses(6)Dogsled(5)Sleigh(4)Dogs(3)Car(3)Walking(2)Canoe(1)
Tools/Resources Bow/Arrow(23)Birchbarkbaskets(18)Drums(9)Spears(8)Dryingracks(4)Mats(3)Animalskins(3)Bowls(2)Mooseantlers(2)Water(2)Cedar(2)Antlers/furforhats(1)Ropes(1)Nets(1)Grass(1)Northernlights(1)
Rifle/gun(15)Skins(14)Snowknife(12)Bones(11)Lanterns(8)Antlers/horns(6)Stove(3)Caribou(3)Arrow(3)Bags(3)Snow(2)Ice(2)Sinew(2)Wool(1)Bucket(1)Fire(1)Dogs(1)Rope(1)Sleepingbags(1)
Drums(15)Bowandarrow(9)Wood(7)Hockeysticks(6)Buckets(5)Fire(4)Hammock(4)Candle(3)Mats(2)Books(2)Horses(2)Horns/antlers(2)Trees(1)Hay(1)Sinew(1)Beds(1)Rope(1)Lamp(1)Dryingrack(1)Pot(1)Bowl(1)Buffalo(1)
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 47PredictionChartsrevisited
Thistimestudentsseemedmuchmore
confidentandcomfortabletofillintheboxes
ofthecharttodemonstratewhatthey
learnedaboutdifferentaboriginalpeoples.I
thinkitprobablyhelpedthattheywere
excitedtowritewithapenandthattheyhad
lessboxestofillinthistime.Moststudents
wereabletocompletelyanswereachsection
eveniftheyguessedforsomeanswers.
Overall,sixteenoutoftwenty-sixstudents’
answersweremostlyaccuratebasedonthe
storiesweread.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 48FavouriteStoryWriting
OnthesamedayIfinishedreadingthefourthstory,Ihadstudentschooseandwrite
abouttheirfavouritestorywehadreadandwhy.InfirstplacebyalongshotwasHiawatha
andthePeacemakerwith18votes,andthencameMwakwaTalktotheLoonwith3votes
andlastOurFirstCaribouHuntwith2votes.IwonderedifHiawathaandthePeacemaker
wassuchapopularchoicebecauseitwasmostrecentintheirminds,orbecausetheydidn’t
havetotakenoteswhilelistening.Student1confirmedmyonesuspicionwhenhewrites
“theotherstorieswereboringbecauseitwasn’tfuntowriteandread.”Studentsmentioned
avarietyofthingsaboutthestorythattheyfoundinteresting,(thestonecanoe,Tadodaho’s
healingfromsnakesandscales,thepeacemaker’sappearance,theillustrations),butthe
mostpopularreasonswereconnectionsthatstudentsmadetotheBible.Infact,halfof
classwroteabouthowitseemedlikeaChristianstorybecauseofthevaluesthatwere
beingtaught,theChrist-likecharacterofthePeacemaker,oranotherBiblestoryor
characteritremindedthemof.
Conclusions
Asteachersbegintointegrateaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesintotheir
teaching,Ithinkthatpicturesbooksarevaluabletoolstheycanuse.Myinterviewswithmy
gradethreecolleaguesandtheliteratureIreviewedbothshowalackofconfidencefor
manyteacherswhenitcomestoteachingaboriginalperspectives.Readingauthentic
aboriginalchildren’sbookscanintroducesomeoftheseperspectivestostudentsasthey
didinmyownclassroom.Anexampleofthisisthediscussionthataroseabouthow
aboriginalpeopletreatanimalswhilereadingMwakwaTalkstotheLoonandOurFirst
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 49CaribouHunt.Whetherornotateacher’sbeliefsandvalues,orthoseoftheirschool,match
thosepresentedinthestories,theclassroomisalwaysagreatplacetotrytobetter
understandanother’sperspective.
InmyactionresearchprojectIpracticedusingstoriestohelpmystudentslearn.I
setouthopingmystudentswouldlearninformationabouthowdifferentaboriginal
peoplesinCanadalivedinordertomeetonebigideaintheSocialStudiescurriculum.A
coupleareasofmyresearchshowstudentsstartingtorecognizesomeofthesedifferences.
Mydatacollectionchartsuggeststhatthemajorityofstudentscouldidentifywhattypeof
home,orfood,eachaboriginalpeopleusedwhilelisteningtothestory.Thediscussion
aboutwhetherornotthestoryNokumismyTeacherfitsintothePlainsorSubarcticculture
areademonstratedthatstudentswerebeginningtounderstandhowcertainresources
(buffalo)fitintospecificareasofland.IntheendIfeellikethestoriesprovidedmore
insightsthanthefact-findingboxesIhadcreated.Thestoriesintroducedstudentstoa
varietyofthemessuchasthetreatmentofanimals,oraltradition,andrespectforother
cultures’differences.IndoingsoIalsoaddressedtheotherthreeSocialStudiesbigideas:
Ø Learningaboutindigenouspeoplesnurturesmulticulturalawarenessandrespect
fordiversity.
Ø Indigenousknowledgeispasseddownthroughoralhistory,traditions,and
collectivememory.
Ø Indigenoussocietiesthroughouttheworldvaluethewell-beingoftheself,theland,
spirits,andancestors(BCMOE,2016)
ItisencouragingtoseethatbyusingthesefourbooksinmyclassroomIcouldaddress
manyconcepts,butIthinkIwouldusethemdifferentlynexttime.Duetothedistractions
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 50studentsencounteredwhilenotetaking,andtheincreasedengagementwhentheyonlyhad
tolisten,Iprobablywouldn’thavethemlistentoastoryjusttogatherfacts.NexttimeI
wouldmakeanefforttointegratemySocialStudiesandEnglishLanguageArtscontentto
usemytimebetter.IwouldreadaboriginalpicturesbooksduringLanguageArtstoteach
aboutbothstoryelementsandthemes.Ithinkthatwouldhelpmesavetime,whichis
somethingIoftenfoundIwaslosingduringthisactionresearchproject.BecauseIread
mostofthestoriesduringmySocialStudiesperiods,Ithengotfurtherbehindonthe
AmazingRaceactivities.LikeGianaandHollymentionedintheirinterviews,storiestake
time.Forme,IfeelthatthetimeIhadtospendwasworthit.ComparedtotheAmazing
Raceactivities,Ithinkthepicturebooksdidabetterjobofintroducingstudentsto
aboriginalperspectivesandaboriginalpeople.Ratherthanreading“aboriginalpeoplethink
________”theysawitpresentedthroughthecharactersinthestory,whichismore
memorable.Studentstodaycanalsolearnthroughstorytellinglikeaboriginalpeople
traditionallyhaveformany,manyyears.
TimeandEffort
Mybiggesttake-awayfromthisactionresearchprojectisthatwhetherI’mteaching
mystudentsaboutaboriginalknowledgeandperspectives,orlearningmoreaboutit
myself,ittakestimeandeffort.AtfirstIwasfrustratedthatmyclasswassomuchslower
gettingthroughtheAmazingRaceunit(itlastedaboutfiveweeksratherthantheintended
twoorthree),thatreadingthestoriesalwaystooklongerthananticipated,andthatasa
teacherIdidn’tfeelpreparedforallthenewcurriculumIhadtoteach.Iwasespecially
irritatedthatwewereracingthrougheachaboriginalculturalregionwhentherewereso
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 51manythingstolearn,andseeanddo.Itwasthisemotionthatgotmethinkingabout
learningaboutothercultureslikebuildingarelationship.Itmayseemfastertorunaround
andcollectfacts(andoftenwedo),butit’sdifficulttoreallygettoknowsomeoneuntilyou
takethetimetolistentothemandspendtimewiththem.Ofcoursethiscanbetrickyina
classroomwhenthepeopleyouarelearningaboutarenotphysicallythere,butIwantto
suggestthatlisteningtotheirstoriesisagoodstart.Insteadofracingthroughevery
culturalregionintwotothreeweeks,Ithinkitwouldbuildgreaterdepthand
understandingifstudentsweretolingerandlearnaboutoneparticularculturalarea,
listeningtotheirstories,readinginformationandusingtheirhandstocreatelikethose
peoplewouldhave.AsateacherIcanalsocontinuemyownjourneyofunderstandingby
readingandlisteningtostoriesofaboriginalpeople.Likemyexperiencestravelingand
learningmoreaboutaplaceasIreallyspenttimethere,Ithinkthesamecanbesaidofmy
journeytobetterunderstandaboriginalcultureandpeople.Ittakesmytimeandeffortto
listenandlearn.
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 52
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IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 54
Appendixes
AppendixA:InformedConsentFebruary6,2017
DearParents,
IamcurrentlyworkingonmyMasterofEducationinCurriculumandInstructionthroughSimonFraserUniversity.Thisprogramenablesmeasaneducatortoreflectuponmypracticeanditsimpactonmyteaching,aswellasonmystudents’learning,withtheintentionofdevelopingmyownbestpractices.AspartofmystudiesIhavedevelopedaninquiryprojecttoexaminehowauthenticaboriginalchildren’spicturebookshelpstudentstobetterunderstandthediversityofCanada’smanyFirstPeoples.Ianticipatethatmyinquirywillprovidemewithinsightsofhowtoeffectivelyteachaboriginalcontentinthenewgrade3SocialStudiescurriculum.Itwillalsohelpmetoreflectonmypracticeasaprofessionalandimprovemyteaching.
Myinquirywillbeprimarilyinformedbasedonmyownobservationsandreflectionsonmyworkasateacher.OverthecourseofthenexttwomonthsIwillalsocollectstudentworksamples,surveys,reflections,interviews,videos,andphotographstoinformmyunderstandingofmypractice.Allelementsofmyinquirywilltakeplacewithinthecontextofmynormalinstructionandpractice.
Thisletterofinformedconsentispartofmyethicalresponsibilitiesasateacher-inquirer.Iamaskingyourpermissiontouseyourchild’sworksamples,surveys,reflections,interviews,videos,andphotographstopresenttomembersofmygraduatecohortandmyinstructorstodemonstratemyownlearning.Aspartofmyresponsibilityasaneducator,professionalismaroundissuesofconfidentialitywillbeensured.Consistentwiththeethicalprotocolsofteacherinquiry,ifyourchildismentionedinthepresentationofmywork,analias(pseudonym)willbeusedatalltimestorespectandprotecthis/herprivacy.Iwouldliketoreassureyouthatregardlessofmyinquiry,myethicalbestpracticesasateacherwillremainthesame.
Thisinquiryprocessisnotintendedtoassess,place,orevaluateyourchildinanyway,butwillservetostrengthenmyteachingpractice.Regardlessofyourdecision,theintegrityoftherelationshipIhavewithyourchildwillnotbeaffected,andyoucanwithdrawyourconsentatanytime.
Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcernspleasedon’thesitatetocontactmeatrgoshulak@pacificacademy.netIfyouagreetogiveyourpermission,pleasesignbelow.Returnonesignedcopyandkeeptheotherforyourownrecords.
Thankyouforyourconsiderationinthismatter.Ilookforwardtohearingfromyou.
Sincerely,
RachelGoshulak
Child’sfullname:__________________________________
I,______________________givepermissionformychildtobeincludedinRachelGoshulak’sinquiryandforthecollectionofworksamples,surveys,reflections,interviews,videorecordings,andphotographsasdescribedabove.
Parent/guardianSignature:_________________________
PrintedName:___________________________________
Date:_________________________________
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 55AppendixB:TeacherInterviewQuestions
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 56AppendixC:StudentPredictionChart
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 57AppendixD:StoryRecordingBookletandClassChart
Peoples of the
______________________________
Title: _________________________________________
______________________________________________
What did you learn about people living in the
______________________________ region?
Homes
Food
Clothing
Transportation
Tools/Resources
Anything else?
IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 58