Indigenous Education

Hi George Jay Students & Families! Here's a brand new book that was just released last month called We are Water Protectors. I was really looking forward to this book's release, and was so excited to finally hold it in my hands! This book highlights a young water protector's worldview and relationship with water. Water is sacred, water is alive, water is medicine. Water is something that connects us with all other living beings; "we are all related." I hope you find this book as powerful and inspiring as I do!

-Mrs. Neilson :)

Listen to author Carole Lindstrom, who is Anishinabe/Métis and tribally enrolled with the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe in Nebaska, read aloud We Are Water Protectors here.

*(Double click on the bold link above to view the video.)

Lekwungen Territory, which has been home to and stewarded by the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations since time immemorial, is surrounded by water. The name Lekwungen means "place to smoke herring", which leads me to understand that the waters surrounding this land we live and learn on used to be plentiful with herring.

Reading We Are Water Protectors made me think about my own relationship with (and responsibilities to) water as a settler here on Lekwungen Territory.

Below are some questions I've been asking, and I invite you to consider ask together with your family:

• How am I relating to/with water (in this place)?

• With whom am I connected in a web of relations on Lekwungen Territory?

• What are my responsibilities to water (and the other living beings) in this place? How can I live these out?

An additional invitation: Spend some time by the body of water nearest to where you live (using safe physical distancing measures) or watch the beautiful video Lekwungen: A Place to Smoke Herring. What do you feel, notice, or wonder in this place? What Indigenous names, teachings, or stories (of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations) are connected to this place?

An additional resource you may find useful: https://www.songheesnation.ca/downloads/lekwungen-brochure-pdf.pdf

Hello from Meegan (otherwise known as Beacon Hill)! What a beautiful and special place to be able to spend some time. I am grateful to have learned from Cheryl Bryce, who is the lands manager and a knowledge holder within the Songhees Nation, that the name Meegan means “a place to warm your belly”. If you take a walk through Meegan this month, you may notice the beautiful purple flowers in bloom... these are camas flowers! As I understand from Cheryl’s teachings, camas (or Kwetlal in Lekwungen) is a very important plant to the Lekwungen peoples which thrives within the Gary Oak ecosystem.

As part of the Online/On Land series put on by Open Space Victoria, Cheryl Bryce takes us on a guided walk through Meegan. In this video, Cheryl shares many valuable teachings about the plants (including Kwetlal) which call Meegan home, about practices utilized by her ancestors that were critical to maintaining and preserving these lands and plant beings, along with some stories connected to the land in this place. I hope you enjoy this virtual stroll with Cheryl through Meegan as much as I did… I learned so much from her. Hay’sxw’qa, Cheryl, for so generously sharing your teachings and knowledge with us in this way!

(Video can be accessed through clicking the embedded link above, or through the pasted video icon below.

*For further reading, a fantastic resource created by Cheryl can be found here.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, the deputy provincial health officer, is encouraging families to get outside safely together, and a visit to Meegan is a wonderful way to do that. While you are there, keep an eye out for Kwetlal and spend some time noticing and learning from this special plant.

Some questions I invite you consider:

• What do you see, think, or wonder when you look at camas?

• Why is camas so important to the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations?

• What gifts does camas give?

• What can camas teach us?

• What can I do to demonstrate reciprocity or give back to the land in this place?

An additional invitation: You are welcome to document your family's visit to Meegan, and share any photos or reflections with me at mneilson@sd61.bc.ca. I will do my best to respond to each and every student or family I hear from! :)

Back in November 2019, Grade 1 students at George Jay were honoured to have a visit from author Monique Gray Smith, who is of Cree, Lakota and Scottish descent. While at George Jay, Monique read aloud her book, My Heart Fills with Happiness. As part of the TD Grade One Book Give Away, all grade 1 students were gifted a signed copy of Monique’s book.

In this video, Monique reads aloud her book, My Heart Fills With Happiness.

Grade 1 students, we encourage you to grab your book and follow along! If you don’t have a copy of Monique’s book in front of you, sit back, relax, and simply enjoy Monique’s beautiful reading of her book, My Heart Fills with Happiness.

*(Click the bold link above to view the video.)

Hay’sxw’qa, Monique, for taking the time to share your wonderful book with us!

George Jay students and families, I have some exciting news! Monique Gray Smith has just released a new book, entitled When We Are Kind. As soon as I heard the title, I immediately made a connection to George Jay’s school-wide focus:

I am kind to myself. I am kind to others. I am kind to this place.

When We Are Kind offers inspiring reminders about the power of kindness and the many forms it can take.

Monique kindly reads her new book aloud to us in this video. I invite you to take a few minutes to listen and enjoy When We Are Kind - either by yourself or with your family.

At the end of the video, Monique asks: How does it feel when somebody is kind to me? How does it feel when I am kind to somebody else?

Thank you, Monique, for sharing your book with us and for the beautiful reminders about the importance of kindness. We have the opportunity each day to show and experience kindness in so many ways!

How can you show kindness today? What is one way that you have already experienced kindness today?

For those who are interested, a hard copy of When I Am Kind can be purchased online here. The French version, Nous sommes gentils, is also available here.

Located on W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) Territory, SṈIDȻEȽ (pronounced sneed-kwith) is a sacred place to the W̱SÁNEĆ people. It was explained to me by Tsartlip Elder STOLȻEȽ (John Elliott Sr.) that SṈIDȻEȽ was the place of the W̱SÁNEĆ creation story and the site of the first W̱SÁNEĆ village. Commonly referred to today as Tod Inlet, the traditional name of this place, SṈIDȻEȽ, means “place of the Blue Grouse”. STOLȻEȽ tells more about the significance of SṈIDȻEȽ here.

Right before spring break, I had the opportunity to visit SṈIDȻEȽ with Ms. Boutillier, Ms. Flannigan, and Mme. Rebecca’s Kindergarten classes. While visiting SṈIDȻEȽ, George Jay students took time to notice and name some of the other living beings who call SṈIDȻEȽ home. Although no Blue Grouse could be spotted, students did notice and say hello to WĆEĆEĆE, the sacred stream that was the first bathing place of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. What a beautiful and special place SṈIDȻEȽ is! HÍSW̱ḴE to the W̱SÁNEĆ people, for your care for and stewardship of this place, and for sharing SṈIDȻEȽ with us.

Who are the plant beings that call SṈIDȻEȽ home? Which plants can be used for food and/or medicine? What caused disruption in this place, and what is being done to restore harmony and balance at SṈIDȻEȽ?

While access to SṈIDȻEȽ is currently closed (due to COVID 19 provincial park closures), we have the opportunity to visit virtually!

As a continuation of the Online/On Land series put on by Open Space Victoria, Sarah Jim, an emerging artist and a member of the W̱SÁNEĆ nation from the Tseycum village, takes us on a guided walk through SṈIDȻEȽ. In this video, Sarah shares her knowledge of native plants, along with pointing out some of the introduced or invasive plant species that are currently living in SṈIDȻEȽ. She also tells about the important work being done by SeaChange at SṈIDȻEȽ to restore balance and health to the ecosystem.

What an incredible gift we have in this opportunity to learn from Sarah in this way! HÍSW̱ḴE (thank you), Sarah, for sharing your heart, knowledge and teachings with us!

You can check out Sarah’s art at https://www.faroutart.ca/, or follow @faroutart on Instragram.

For anyone wanting to be part of the restoration work happening at SṈIDȻEȽ, check out Mysteries of SṈIDȻEȽ on Facebook.

A story that is of significance to the W̱SÁNEĆ is their creation story, which tells of the first human, SȽEMEW̱, who came to earth as a drop of rain in the place called SṈIDȻEȽ.

Recently, the story of SȽEMEW̱ was shared publicly in a beautiful (and non-traditional) format: A short video illustrated by Sarah Jim and narrated by Tiffany Joseph in both SENĆOŦEN and English. The video is available here.

As you watch, I invite you to consider the following questions:

• What did you notice, think, or wonder as you listened to this story?

• How is water significant in this story?

• Why is SṈIDȻEȽ an important place for the W̱SÁNEĆ people?

• What can I learn from this story?

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM to Sarah, Tiffany, PENÁĆ, and to all the W̱SÁNEĆ storytellers who kept this story alive, and for your generosity in sharing it with us.