The Seven Sacred lessons are guiding principles for all living things which Indigenous people(s) use to guide how to be and/or conduct themselves. The Seven Sacred teachings are honesty, courage, love, wisdom, respect, truth and humility. They originate from the Ojibwe Nation and have been widely adopted across Turtle Island. This lessons asks students to reflect and connect with these lessons and the animals that represent these lessons so we can appreciate the interconnectedness of all living things.

Objective:

• Learning how to live as better people by integrating Indigenous teachings.

• To interconnect our own values and existence to the land we live on and the animals that live alongside us.

Pre-reflection:

Questions you can ask your students to pre-reflect on in their journals.

• • What does living as a good person mean to you?

  • What does living a “good life” mean to you?

  • What aspects of your life do you think have influenced your perspective of being a good person or living a good life? (This can be people, culture, religion, experiences, relationships, etc…)

  • How does nature or mother nature connect with you when you think of living in a good way or being a good person?

River Mural:

The River Mural gives students a chance to see representations of animals that are significant to Treaty 6 and learn what their names are in Cree.

• • Have students read pgs 38-46 of the Legacy book and/or scan the barcode on pg 42 to get a virtual walk-through of the mural. See the app link for murals here: https://www.jhcentre.org/paint-the-rails

  • If both are inaccessible to you, students can engage with murals using the following JHC website link: https://www.jhcentre.org/the-river-university-station

**Adaptation: For younger students, there is a Coloring Book in the Additional Tools and Resources section instead. PaintTheRails-ColouringBook-Final-ForPrint.pdf

Tell students you will share a video about the principles many Indigenous nations adopt to guide them in how to live.

• • Show video on the left: The Seven Sacred Laws - As Shared by Elder Nii Gaani Aki Inini (Dr. Dave Courchene) This video shares the Seven Sacred lessons which are beautifully told by Elder Nii Gaani Aki Inini. The video uses the symbolism and lessons associated with the animals - Buffalo, Eagle, Bear, Big Foot, Beaver, Wolf, Turtle - to share how to live respectfully on Mother Earth. It is about 7 minutes long.

Activity:

Have students draw an image including one or two animals and the lesson(s) that resonated most with them. Have them include:

• • the Cree name of the animal in syllabic;

  • the name’s phonetic pronunciation; and,

  • the lesson or significance of it.

    • Students may integrate their own meanings, symbolism, values and whatever they need to connect with the meaning of the lesson and animal.

Post-reflection:

Have them reflect on their pre-reflection questions.

• Has anything they learned from the Seven sacred lessons or during the process of this activity changed their responses? How and why?

• Is there any benefit to incorporating Indigenous lessons and languages into your learning in classrooms? Why or why not?

Field Trip Extension:

Go visit the River Mural at the University as a Field Trip so students can engage with the murals in-person and practice saying animals in Cree.

From the University, head north to the river valley and walk along the river, through pehonan to River lot 11 Indigenous Art Park.

ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW), pronounced (EE-NU), is a Cree word meaning "I am of the Earth." The Art Park is situated on ancestral lands of the Indigenous peoples whose descendants entered into Treaty with the British Crown resulting in the territory opening for settlement. River Lot 11 acknowledges the historic river lot originally home to Métis landowner Joseph McDonald. The park is located within Queen Elizabeth Park in Edmonton's North Saskatchewan River Valley.

Objective:

To connect with the land by learning, using, and understanding the meaning of the names of lands we reside and benefit from.

This lesson shows the importance of remembering, honoring and using the original names of the lands we preside in in their original language. These places were given these names for a purpose and a deep meaning, by reclaiming them in everyday use we give more opportunities to engage, celebrate and learn from Indigenous cultures and their rich stories. This will help to normalize Indigenous language usage for settlers. This lesson will be focused on listening and finding the names of their own places.

Hook: podcast on using Indigenous names

The following podcast link is a 12 minute conversation JHC had with Mallory Yawnghwe. She talks about the importance of using the original names of the lands and how it empowers Indigenous peoples and particularly youth: https://www.jhcentre.org/dignity-podcast-episode-three

*Please note there is a transcript of the conversation on the above link.

Mallory is from Saddlelake Cree Nation, Treaty 6 territory. Mallory is a mother, a trusted community member, Cree language speaker and incredible business consultant whose goal is to assist Indigenous entrepreneurs with their startups.

Reflect: have students reflect on the podcast

• • What was Mallory discussing?

  • Why is it important?

  • Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

(Remember to center students on the need to critically self-reflect: do I disagree? Or do I really mean I do not understand or I need to learn more?)

Research:

Have students learn the new names of the wards they live on and learn the meaning of those names by exploring the following webpage about the ward name changes that were approved in 2020:

• • Indigenous Ward Naming Knowledge Committee | City of Edmonton

    • What is the name of the area you live in?

    • Which Indigenous language is it?

    • Why did they use that particular Indigenous language?

    • What does it mean?

    • Why did they choose this name for this area?

Share:

You can do this in different ways, one way is to have students find other students living in their wards, and collectively prepare to share the information with their classmates. Remember to tell them they need to practice proper pronunciation of the Indigenous names so they can present it.

Closing:

You can close by asking students what other places should be considered for renaming.

• • The following videos are additional resources you can share with your students.

    • 2.5 minute video for Ward Naming Committee: Edmonton’s Indigenous Ward Naming Committee

    • 14 minute video showing the process for the ward naming: iyiniw iskwewak wihtwawin documentary

Objective:

• To explore how the artistic concept of pentimento can be used to learn and reflect about the stories hidden in the land.

You may refer to pgs 46 and 52 of the Legacy book for this lesson. This lesson explores the concept of pentimento as proposed by Dr. Dwayne Donald in the video ôtênaw. This lesson will explore our connection to the land by thinking of the deeper layers, the stories that reside and are hidden deep within the land.

Hook:

Have the following definition of pentimento taken from The National Gallery on the board:

“The word pentimento is derived from the Italian 'pentirsi', which means to repent or change your mind. Pentimento is a change made by the artist during the process of painting.

These changes are usually hidden beneath a subsequent paint layer. In some instances they become visible because the paint layer above has become transparent with time.”

Pre-reflection:

• The video we are going to watch is ôtênaw, meaning “city” in Cree. What do you think the possible connection between ôtênaw and Pentimento could be?

• What is your relationship to the land you reside on? What does it mean to you?

• Show Video: Encourage students to take visual notes or write keywords as they watch the video to help with their post-reflection and discussion later.

Synopsis of ôtênaw

The documentary video ôtênaw recorded by Conor McNally is a beautiful learning resource for both educators and students. We often take for granted the land we walk on. We miss out on the multiple layers present under our feet that contain various layers and many stories that need to be heard with lessons to teach and better us. Dr. Dwayne Donald talks about the deep layers of land as we go along with him on his walk. This video is impactful and a testament to the importance of storytelling and connecting with the land. The video encourages introspection, reflection, critical thinking, and extending our vision beyond “what is seen”. This is a 40 minute video.

Post-reflection:

Have students respond individually in their journals. If time allows, students can discuss in pairs, groups or class.

• • What resonated with you from this video?

  • How does Dr. Donald use the concept of pentimento?

  • Does this video change or impact how you view your own relationship with the land you reside on? Please explain.

Objective:

• Students will reflect and create their own story in relation to the land they reside on.

• Students will share or tell their story using oral story telling.

This lesson builds off the prior lesson, Pentimento. Dr. Donald uses pentimento to refer to the multilayered stories present in the land. The deeper you go, the more you learn, the more connections you find. Although it might get complex, therein lies honesty, truth, and understanding.

Ask students to explore their relationship with the land they reside on. Everyone comes from different starting points, some Indigenous to the land, some settlers that have been here so long it is the only home they know of, some recent immigrants, and some are generational Canadians.

Drafting:

Students will start drafting their stories in relation to the land. This may be done in their journals or on separate documents. The guiding questions below can provide students with some direction.

• • What was your family's starting point on this land?

  • If non-Indigenous, do you know why your family came here? (**Note: please be aware that a question as this can be harmful for those adopted or in-care)

  • Are you aware of this land's history and the people that have lived in co-existence with it?

  • How does learning about stories of the land you walk on everyday change your perspective?

  • How do you rely on the land for everyday living?

  • Would you say you take for granted of the land you live on and those that lived before you?

  • How do you give back to the land or how do you intend to give back to the land?

  • For you, how does building community and respecting land connect with one another?

Final Copy:

Students can draft a final copy of this through writing it out as a story using their brainstorming and drafting notes.

Share:

We wish for students to share these stories using Oral Storytelling. Ideally, students should not be reading directly from a page, but speak from the heart. This is sometimes daunting for students, but when practiced and used consistently, can be improved and a very empowering practice that builds confidence.

• • Students can either present their story to the class in circle-format or they can record a video of their story to share with the class.

*Note: students' stories are rich in diversity, so you may need to make accommodations for those not wanting to share their story publicly. Sit with them and see how they can share their story without mentioning particular things they wish to keep private or offer them a way to share their story privately.

Objective:

• To share information by creating an infographic from a given timeline.

• This activity encourages students to use their creativity and knowledge to create a visual way of sharing information on how Indigenous people were displaced from their lands.

Timeline:

Have students read the Displacement of Land historical timeline on pgs 53-56 of the Legacy Book. Or use the following pdf link: The River printable timeline

Infographic:

If creating infographics is unfamiliar to students, talk about what an infographic is, what features it has, and show some examples.

• • This following image/information is taken from the following website: What is an Infographic? [Theory, Tips, Examples & Inspiration]

    • This is a great resource you can go over with students on the smartboard or have them go through themselves to discover and learn about infographics.

  • Show examples to inspire students and give them a visual idea of where they can go, you may choose to share some examples from the above link (What is an Infographic? [Theory, Tips, Examples & Inspiration]). It has a variety of examples to choose from, one of which has been included to the left.

  • For an online way to do these, students can go as simple as using Word or Google Jamboard. If school allow, they may use Canva and even Piktochart platforms.

Explain Assignment:

Tell students they will be creating an infographic based on the Displacement of Land timeline. They need to re-explain, using their own words or creative way, what they have learned to other students in a simple, visual and engaging way. Think of it as visual storytelling with the purpose to:

• 1. INFORM - spread information

• 2. CAPTIVATE - use creativity to catch people's attention

How to Start:

Some students may be fired up and can start right away, some may need a starting point. Suggest the following strategy to all students:

• A great way to start this activity and encourage brainstorming is by having students read the timeline independently and take visual notes/sketch notes as they go through it.

  • Here is a video about visual note taking: An Introduction To Visual Note-Taking

• Have them share their notes with a partner to talk out their thoughts and visuals.

• Students can then start working on drafting their infographic poster.