The Painting is a Mirror

In the 1800’s, the Métis began creating large quantities of beaded items to support their families and, because of this, we became known as “the flower beadwork people.” Flower beadwork is one of the artistic legacies left to us by our ancestors. What began in 1993 as a simple attempt to transfer beadwork aesthetics onto canvas with paint has become the artistic journey I’ve been on since. This journey has led me into the depths of understanding my own culture, our worldview, and our spirituality as it relates to the natural world. This painting is called This Painting is a Mirror because it reflects back to the viewer all the beauty that is already within them. We are not separate from anything, we are born connected to the earth, with the capacity to love, to be kind, to be generous, to be gentle. As Odawa Elder Wilfred Peltier taught, "Everything we need to know is already inside of us." 

-Christi Belcourt

Métis

AVERAGE SCORE: 2.34 out of 10 points

MEDIAN SCORE: 2 out of 10 points

RANGE: 0-6 points

AVERAGE SCORE: 8.84 out of 10 points

MEDIAN SCORE: 9 out of 10 points

RANGE: 7-10 points

*4 (I learned some new skills and overcame fears and challenges pretty well. I could use my new skills in the future.)

**5 (This ended up being a fun challenge. I learned new skills and would maybe even be excited to try something like this again.

• This project was very different because it was very individualized and required a lot of personal decision-making and dedicated time to reading.

• The combination of different skills.

• It made you think outside the box and focus on things that made you happy and something you wanted to do instead of being like I have to do this.

• This project was different because I felt like I put more effort into it and got a lot done in a week before we had to present it. It was also nice to be able to do it pretty much by ourselves and see what we could do without any help.

• It was our choice and we could do whatever we wanted, being able to choose a podcast and just talk with my friends for twelve minutes was different than any other thing I've done.

• How much creative freedom we had.

• This project was different from past things I have had to do by actually having to put effort into it. It also made me realize that the work you put in will have a direct result on the grade you get.

• This project was different from other projects I have been assigned because it really pushed me to look more deeply into information about a new native culture. It also pushed me to use more context in my project.

• This project was different from other tests/papers because I had a lot more freedom and the ability to work on my own time with my own resources. This made it easier and more fun.

• The reason this project was different than others is because I got to choose what project I got to make. You gave us lots of in-class time so I could ask for a lot of help. I liked controlling what context I put on my board.

• Something I liked about this project that was so different from other projects is that we got to make it our own. We got the freedom of picking our own book and deciding what medium we wanted to do. I liked this because we got to use our ideas and make the project our own.

• This project was different from other tests, papers, and projects I have been assigned in the past because it pushed me to go out of my comfort zone and made me be able to teach others.

• This project melded together a whole bunch of different ideas into one coherent and also creative project. Instead of just writing your average boring essay about what you have read we were able to use our creativity to make something that was just better than an essay.

• It allowed me to be more hands-on and I was able to decide what to create.

• With this project, we were forced to look deeper into what we were reading and learning about. We were not just given a test that we will forget about in the next few days we were forced to actually learn the material and will remember it better that way.

• My project was going to be presented to an audience that was not my classmates and to a younger audience. Everyone read a different book instead of the same book so you really had to connect and get your own ideas from your book. It was also getting a perspective from the people we were studying and gaining a full understanding of Native people.

• By having a project that isn't just an essay where you have to get to a certain word count, it made it fun and something I was actually looking forward to doing. It also gave us the freedom to come up with different ways to show the same basic concept. Also the fact that it was going to be presented to other people than just the teacher made me want the project to be even better.

• This project gave us the opportunity to reflect what we learned rather than the teachers testing us on what they think we should know.

• Other tests and papers would just test what you already know and turn it in for a grade, but this project made you learn new skills and helped enhance the ones you already had.

• What made this project different was the fact that I didn't have to stress so much about it. I could use everything I learned from my book and know what to say about it.

• This project helped show what I learned with a poster board instead of taking a test and not doing well on it.

• We were able to look into what we wanted to do for our project and have fun setting it up.

• It was more fun because we had creative freedom.

• it was more interactive, personal, and had more creative freedom.

• The first thing is I had to drive 200 plus miles to get the stuff I needed for it. The project also needed more attention then I thought it was gonna take.

• It put more work into it because it wasn't just a boring test.

• I usually] [think "like this could be easy just have to get it done and it doesn't have to be great it just has to be done."

• This project was something that I was actually interested in and enjoyed so I put in a lot of effort and time unlike other classes where I'm bored and the work isn't valuable to me and I don't put in much effort.

• I thought different and acted different by at first I had no clue what to do and honestly I just kinda sat there for the first couple days and didn't fo anything. After the second day I finally asked for help and came up with a good plan to get me started and I actually finished my whole project.

• I actually tried on this one, really no need to put any effort into my other classes.

• Well i definetly took my time planning on how to even make my project and i was alot more thorough with my planning that i usually am.

• I started to put more effort into other assignments. I used the tools that i learned in this class to help me succeed in this class.

• I acted differently because I really focused on this project, but I had a hard time being organized.

• I thought more outside the box and had more ideas than I usually would because of the freedom I had and the resources I had.

• I had to put a lot more time into this project and prioritized completing it. I had to think more in depth about the characters in my novel and i generally don't have to do that.

• I was very nervous when I found out I had to read a book then do a project on it because I am not a very good reader. Once I started reading my book I realized I could do this and it shouldn't be as hard as I think it will be.

• Other tests, papers, and projects I usually just throw together and don't try as hard because some other teachers just give good grades for assignments just being done and being turned in on time.

• For the other ones in this class it was nice to be able to just simply be allowed to utilize my skills instead of being forced to memorize facts that really do nothing for me. Compared to other classes that force you to memorize things it was a nice refresher to have simple, easy to follow things in this class and, aside from a few, most of the other classes tests are jokes.

• I had to think about what symbols to choose to represent my painting and that made me think differently about the knowledge i gained from the book.

• I don't learn the material in other classes I just fake it and get by but with this class we had to know what was going on at all times she would push us until we knew what we were doing on our own. She would not let us just get by, she wants to see us knowing the material and succeeding with it.

• I acted different because I usually do not read and I had to read a book which honestly was beneficial and I really liked my book. I thought deeper because my book described history from a Native perspective and it made me question some of the things that I had been taught. At first I thought that reading a book was not necessary in order to do a project because we had already learned so much in this class but it was definitely good to read a book by a Native author.

• Normally for other tests or papers, I'll just bang it out the night before and just be fine with the grade that I am going to get because most finals at our school are pretty easy. For this project though we had to plan out times that we would do it to make sure the quality of work was very good.

• I acted more serious about this project because it was something I actually had to present and get a full understanding in order to teach younger students, rather than studying for a night and forgetting everything then next day.

• I honestly enjoyed it because I was able to get help from people who are more experienced in the thing that I was trying to do, so I was able to ask for help easier and I was able to move forward with little mistakes.

• I didn't have to stress about it. It was beneficial to me by how we approached it and how much was taken off my shoulders.

• I thought this was a great way to show the teacher what I have learned from my project.

• I was not in a rush to finish like I was with the others so I was able to take my time and like it some good information and add some extra details

• It was a little hard to get it done in time but other than that I think that it was easy to complete.

• I honestly struggled with this project to a point this end of the year has been so stressful and I have been in a bad place mentally so that definitely has affected my performance and thinking but overall I liked this.

• I thought it was gonna be long and hard. At the end of it I just needed to suck it up and finish it and put 100%.

• Because it was more creative.

• We read a whole book so having that base structure of a project helps because you are already in when you finish the book so you might as well try your best if you already did one part.

• I acted differently because I was actually interested and the work was meaningful.

• I think I thought differently because for this project I had to come up with something I wanted to do and not just a project that a teacher would assign.

• Because we are taught and have an expectation in this class.

• I think I acted differently because of that planning paper you gave us and had us fill out before we were able to work on our project.

• I think I acted differently because of the expectations of the teacher. She wants us to do things the right way so we can not just succeed in this class but life as well.

• I think I acted differently because I wanted to get a good grade and I actually enjoyed my book.

• I acted and thought differently because of the freedom and time I had to work on this. Most teachers will want something due in a couple days but I had lots of time to plan and come up with ideas to decide what idea was better or what I wanted to create.

• I think I acted and thought differently for this project because this class is really important to me. I knew it had to be done on its due date. No exceptions.

• I think I acted differently because I have never done something like this and I didnt know how it was going to turn out. Once I figured out we all have different projects I was nervous because I thought there was no one I could really go to for help but I was wrong.

• I think I acted and thought differently for this project because this is a class that I really care about doing well in and I knew that doing the bare minimum was not going to cut it for this project.

• I did it because of the availability to do what I wanted. When I can do what I want for a project or at least similar to what I want I can actually enjoy the process of making the project. When I enjoy making something I never really feel any lack of motivation like I do with other kinds of projects in other classes.

• Im not used to creating paintings or artwork so I had to think of a way to use what I learned and formulate it into art.

• I don't know I just took this class seriously and knew that Dr. Hibbard would grade it on how she expected it to be and knew what we could accomplish.

• I think that I acted and thought differently for this project because I had never done a project like this and the project really makes you think about how history is portrayed and how important it is to get a full understanding of Native people. I think that I thought differently because this project makes you and it was very good for me to have to do something differently and approach it differently then I normaly would.

• I think I tried harder on this project because it was something that I actually enjoyed doing. It was a different project for everybody in the class and I think it was fun competing to see who did the best.

• I think I acted and thought differently through this project because I understood the context behind native culture and actually worked to fully understand origin stories and teach the materials.

• I think I acted and thought differently because I was able to actually admit that I didn't know what I was doing instead of pretending that I did and taking to people in private about it.

• I think I thought differently because it didn't just take an hour and 30 minutes to sit down and stress about, it was interactive and helped me learn and teach.

• I thought it was a fun way to do this instead of taking a test.

• I think that I was able to get more information and think more on what I want to do for it rather than rush to get it done as fast as I can.

• Other tests are more "structured" like you know exactly what's going to be on it and you study for it or compile more information.

• Stress and lack of time

• I acted not good in the beginning I admit and thats on me but i realized that if i just put in the work and time ill be fine.

• How to make venn diagrams, storyboard, and write a thesis.

• Thinking and management skills.

• I discovered a lot more knowledge about Native American culture and Native American authors.

• I developed more in-depth thinking skills, I learned to connect documents and people who wrote those documents. As well as asking more when I read something and dissecting each sentence or paragraph.

• I learned how to make a podcast. How to use all the tools in order to make one. Learned that Jack has a great radio voice as well.

• Close reading, corroboration, contextualization, and sourcing.

• I developed some writing skills that I will carry with me and I discovered so much like digging deeper into an assignment to have a better understanding.

• New skills I developed were being able to be more in-depth with papers and use context. Also, my notetaking became better.

• I discovered thinking outside of the box - most teachers want everyone to do something the same way and not be creative.

• A new skill I think I have developed is time management. I usually don't get projects done on time but for this one I did.

• Some new skills I developed were note-taking and outlines. We learned how to note take in the beginning of the year and by the time I needed to present those notes ended up being super helpful. The outline is what made my project because if it weren't for that it would have been all over the place.

• I discovered the skill of planning out a project before doing it and it may take a couple of tries throughout this project.

• The skill that I really feel like I developed was the ability to derive different ideas out of completely different sources. This project and class overall has helped me to read between the lines not only for messages but also for facts. It helps develop ideas in my head that wouldn't have ever formed without the foundations this class and project provided.

• The project helped me develop more creativity.

• I developed many skills throughout this course such as not procrastinating because I will fall behind, note taking more efficiently, how to write a paper to my intended audience to the best of my ability and many other skills throughout the year.

• I learned how to make a podcast and also how to just bullet point main points and then go off of them instead of writing out everything you are going to say. I also was able to work with little kids and developed an understanding of how they think and act on a major topic. I also developed skills to work in a group and with other people and how to really look into what the author is trying to tell you. In all developed a better understanding of Native culture and how important it is to have that understanding.

• By doing a podcast with two other guys it really developed our teamwork because if one person wasn't going to do anything the whole project would be terrible. I also really had to use the information we learned from our native American Unit because that is what our podcast was about.

• I developed time management skills by not putting my readings off til the last minute and working to understand them. Additionally, I worked on public speaking by talking to younger children.

• I was able to ask for help and I also learned how to properly thread a sewing machine and I was able to use it where I was comfortable.

• I discovered the skill of teaching and comprehending better.

• I discovered that I can shorten text to make it easier for me to be able to write.

• i think that i got way better at finding and getting formation from the small details in things like books or in videos

• Making a podcast I feel like I developed how to put things into words better.

• i learned a lot about charts and organizers, how to make podcasts.

• I discorved the importance of other point of views and how they are just as important

• The way the board turned out with all the information.

• That I tried my best and focused.

• I am most proud of how efficiently I finished the book considering I was working really hard on my AP class when the project was first assigned.

• Im most proud that I finished my project in time, I really didn't think that I was going to finish it in time.

• I am proud of our perseverance throughout the whole project. It started off terribly but we just kept recording and eventually it turned out great.

• I am probably most proud of my diorama in this whole experience. I think i did a decent job on it.

• I'm most proud of my ability to work hard at something I may not enjoy as much.

• I am most proud of myself because I really pushed myself.

• I am most proud of finishing my book and how the look of my board turned out.

• I am most proud of how many students I have informed about Native American history and reservations.

• I am most proud of just completing the project.

• I am most proud of the fact that I was able to create something I have never done before and it didn't go terrible.

• Honestly, I'm just proud of the project that I achieved. I have been itching to write something of this sort for the entire school year and I put a lot into it right here at the end and I honestly am just happy with what I ended up accomplishing.

• How my painting turned out.

• I am most proud of getting my final project finished and using the skills that we have learned throughout the course to create it.

• I am most proud that although I could further my understanding I have the main ideas and understanding of Native people and culture. I also proud of my project and the way that it turned out. I was proud that I was able to read a book by a Native author and gain knowledge from the book and dig into the text and the meaning of it.

• I am most proud of the fact that I was able to learn about native culture and actually have fun.

• I am the most proud that I was able to overcome being shy in order to teach younger students about origin stories because I never got that opportunity when I was younger.

• I am proud of the outcome of the whole experience.

• I am most proud of how I approached the younger kids we presented to and how I got to learn more about them.

• I am proud that I found an interest in reading books again from this project.

• I am proud of the time I put into it and I am happy with how the project turned out.

• The podcast turned out way better than I thought it was going to.

• The 3 podcasts I was included in making

• That at the end I made the right choice

• Nothing that I can recall.

• Went over my options more instead of doing the first thing I saw.

• I wish I had spent more time thinking about different types of projects and created something more original.

• I wish that I listened more instead of just going along with it.

• paid more attention early on

• probably planned things better

• I wish I worked harder at the beginning of the unit and not be so lazy.

• I was I would've asked more questions and been more talkative during this unit.

• I would have possibly put more colors onto my board to attract the little kids.

• Honestly, I feel like I did a pretty good job. I don't think I would have done anything differently.

• Soemthing I wish I did differently was taking more notes at the beginning of the year.

• If we were starting this unit over, I would try to make my podcast better by improving my ability to talk about a book and its importance.

• I would have just given myself more time for everything, mainly my project.

• Take more time deciding what else should go in my painting. I definitely should've added more details.

• Just stay on top of work and ask more questions when I had the chance.

• I think that I could have taken better notes when I was reading my book.

• I don't think I would have done anything different. I feel like I learned a lot from the unit just the way I did it.

• If we were starting this unit over I think I would give myself more time to perfect everything instead of cramming it all into a couple of days.

• I wish I could have been more on top of getting the book finished so I wasn't still reading while everyone else was working on their projects

• I wish I could've put more effort in because I feel like I was very last minute so be more prepared.

• I wish that I had known a little bit more about this unit before I started it.

• i just wish i was able to do the stuff i am now from the beginning because it would have made things so much easier to finish

• Managed my time better.

• i wish i would have managed my time better and set up a schedule for myself

• That I did it right and didn't cheat throughout the project.

• It would probably be more enjoyable to the fact that there was a project at the end, so I would focus more and be more interested.

• Less homework and more hands on stuff and more outside thinking than typical school.

• I would be more interested and engaged and put a lot more time and effort in to my work.

• School would be different because I don't want to say that I would be smarter, but that's how I think I would feel if we did more projects and units like this.

• I'd give more effort and actually enjoy being here.

• Well school in general would probably become a lot more stressful because even though making the diorama was fun it was also very stressful making sure that I wasnt behind on time.

• I feel like it would be more enjoyable if we had more stuff like this in my other classes

• It would be better because I actually retained the information and used it

• I think school would be more fun and not so degrading of creative minds.

• I think I would be able to retain information a lot better. Making my board pretty but educational helped me remember exactly what was in certain spots and where I had to point when I talked.

• School would probably be more fun but definitely more stressful.

• I think school would be a lot more fun if I could do more projects and units similar to this one because I really enjoyed doing this and I learn better when doing projects.

• I would actually enjoy what I am doing in class. As I said earlier, when I enjoy my work I am motivated to go above and beyond for it. I would love to see other classes adapt things like this so that I can completely enjoy something and make something really fun and impressive.

• I think I would be a little more enthusiastic about starting a project.

• I think I would learn a lot more and would be prepared for college in other classes, not just this one.

• I think that school would be a lot more fun and I would look forward to it more. I also think that I would be able to learn more and really get a better understanding instead of just learning something to take a test. I think that all around it would be very beneficial to do more projects like this.

• I think I would be way more involved and really buy into a lot more classes.

• School would seem a lot more interesting to me and I feel I would be able to learn better if we did more projects similar to this one. However, it would be a lot more stressful.

• I would be able to look forward to going to school every day and I would have motivation to get up and say "What fun new project will I be doing today?"

• I think school would be a lot better because I could learn better study skills and time management.

• I am better with hands-on learning and being able to show the teacher what I have learned.

• it would be a lot less stressful and feel more like something I want to do rather than something I have to do

• It would be better mentally but I'd be a little stressed about getting everything done in time and my commitment level to it.

• it would be better and less stressful

• im not sure i think it should just be the same.

• I would probably take this information into the social world and into college.

• Try and share to younger kids that Natives are a pretty big part of history and there are things to learn and things to be grateful for.

• I think I am going to read more Native stories because I enjoyed the one I read so much.

• I think I would like to study more about Native American Culture.

• I think I might actually ask these guys to start a podcast, it was cool to do. Maybe get more into the studies of Native Americans.

• i might try to be more inclusive whenever I am doing projects or assignments by showing multiple different viewpoints.

• Its really taught me that you have to work hard, and its taught me you have to be informed on what your talking about.

• I would like to read similar books to the one I read for my final project and maybe even take a course of Native American Studies in college.

• I want to learn more of my culture as a Native and possibly take some college classes to help make reservations better or get Natives back more land.

• I think I will try to read more books about Indigenous people and try to keep up with the changing laws on the reservations around me.

• In the future, I would like to read more books like this one. I have never really been interested in books like this and would never choose one but after reading one it makes me want to learn so much more.

• Based on what I learned from this experience, an action that I might take in the future is thinking differently when encountering Native people in life, due to being able to understand more about their culture.

• In particular, after reading my book it really makes me want to delve deeper into a lot of the subjects discussed within the book because they were really just that interesting.

• I really enjoyed my book that I read, so i think I would try to seek out similar books in the future

• I think I would look into Native American studies in college. It was fascinating learning about history through Native perspective rather than the white perspective.

• I think that I will start to read books and when I am reading really try and learn from the book.

•  I now think about Native people differently and realize how important it is to understand different cultures. I think that I am able to have conversations to try and get a better understanding of cultures and really have a better grasp on learning about Native and other cultures.

• I think I will approach Natives with a lot more respect and read more text that is by Native authors to try and get the real story of their culture.

• Some actions I might take as a result of this activity are reading similar books by Native authors, because after this lesson I find their culture as well as all of their stories very Interesting.

• I will most likely take Native American studies in college and I would probably read more than being on my phone if I could find books similar to Firekeeper's Daughter.

• I might start reading actual books because hearing about other people's books and presentations intrigued me to maybe pick a book up and read it.

• I might take a Native American studies in college. I love learning about their culture and I also really connected with this unit.

• I might read some more because I was never interested in books tell now

• Find more ways to be an activist for Indigenous people.

• I am more eager to learn about Native American studies and how to write an essay

• The action and thought of always talking in both accounts of a story and not just one side.

• I am definitely taking the Native American unit because I am part Indian and I find their cultures very interesting. I have always respected Natives, but hearing what happened to them in the past makes me have more for them.

• I will be taking away that there are different ways to look at things and interogate things more aggressively and really think about what's going on.

• I will be taking away project planning, essay planning, and note-taking skills.

• What I will take from this whole year is the ability to ask questions and ask for help, as well as dissect a document or paper a little harder than I've been doing.

• How to write a paper and always be participating in class.

• Probably just being more creatively free.

• From this year in history I will be taking away with me an extremely hard work ethic in school.

• I will take away that note-taking and actually using context in my papers and worksheets is very important.

• I will be taking away a couple of skills like close reading, contextualization, being more open-minded/being creative, and I will probably forever remember the knowledge I learned.

• I think I will be taking away how much I actually learned and remembered. From Manifest Destiny, to The Middle Passage and The Second Middle Passage, the Relocation Act for Native people. I have learned a lot in this class that I will always remember.

• I have never really learned how to take notes the correct way so that's what I will be taking away from this class the most because I will have to use it for the rest of my life.

• From both this unit and this whole year in history class, I think the biggest thing I will take away is the things I learned about Indigenous people and how to properly write a paper.

• Absolutely the skills and some of the facts. Mainly, the skills will be something that will help with things other than just a history class with primarily the writing skills being utilized everywhere. Also, I'm a big history nerd so a lot of the facts were just really interesting to me.

• The way Dr. Hibbard has taught us to think has really helped me develop a clearer thought process

• I will take away how much grieving and hurt Natives are still going through to this day.

• I will be taking away a better understanding of Native poeple and their culture. I will also be taking away better writing and note-taking skills. I am also able to go through text underline the main points and really break it down to what it is trying to say. Throughout the year I have developed many skills that not only help me with history class but really help me with all my other classes.

• I won't only be taking away the great skills that I have learned throughout the year but also a new mindset when meeting people of different cultures.

• From this unit, I will mostly be taking away better writing skills. Throughout the whole year of this class, I feel as if we took a great amount of time on writing which was very beneficial and will stick with me for life.

• Overall I will take away the fact that I can now make clothes and I will want to make more clothes

• I will take away the fact that we learned way more in-depth about Native Americans than we have ever because we always have been taught the same story every year but this year was different.

• I think I will take away from this whole entire experience is getting deeper to know more about our history and the connections we can make.

• I think that I will keep using the new way I find information because it was easier for me to get the things I needed to make the project possible.

• The different ways each Indigenous people experience racism and or colonization.

• Sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, close reading.

• Im gonna take that even if the work is hard there is always a room for improvement and that everyone vocies need to be heard.