ATHABASCA — A new book of community stories written and illustrated by Northland School Division students is available for purchase online as part of a continued series focused on the re-introduction and reclamation of Indigenous identity and culture.
The release of the book was announced Oct. 3, and previous coverage by Town and Country can be found here.
Karen Davies, principle of the Mistassiniy school in Wabasca was a driving force behind Weaving Hearts Together, inspired by the success of Finding Fire Within.
“We decided it was such a valuable experience that we wanted to do it again,” said Davies in an Oct. 5 interview. She shared templates and tips to different schools in the division, and said “every school did it a little bit differently, because each community has its own flavour.”
Five schools in the division participated; along with Mistassiniy school, students from St. Theresa, Wabasca’s elementary school, Chipewyan Lake, Grouard Northland, and Father R. Perin — located in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo — schools contributed their re-tellings and accompanying illustrations of stories.
In Wabasca, Davies said elders and community members were invited to an introductory tea, which was followed by weekly visits to the school to speak and share stories with students — and the book isn’t the only tangible product from the visits.
“The other day, I had four Grade 9 girls come into my office and they said ‘Mrs. Davies, are we having elders come this year?’” said Davies. “We wanted to (involve) cultural reclamation and recognize the culture, and that came so naturally that (the students) didn’t even recognize that they were doing it.”
“It was a whole different way to approach things. They were still meeting the outcomes; they were still learning things; they were still making those connections and they were building those relationships, but all of those things were part of something bigger,” said Davies.
Cenovus Energy sponsored the project, donating funds that were used to facilitate the community gatherings and purchase new tools like an iPad for digital artwork for the next iteration of the series. Davies said the story-telling gatherings have already begun at Mistassiniy, who hosted the first community speaker Oct. 4.
And the students aren’t the only ones eager to continue the series. Davies noted participating elders, community members, and even parents are looking forward to the next book in the series.
“I went to an elders meeting recently and I took a box of books with me, and I gave each of them a book and they were just as excited as the kids,” said Davies. “They were really pleased and they were just joyful because they got to participate… it’s really important to them that the students and the future generation is able to carry out that culture.”
To Davies, the name of the book — Weaving Hearts Together —encompasses the spirit of the project: “The key point is that we’re trying to build our community together. We’re trying to help support kids as a community, as a family, as you know, a school.”
“Doing things together and supporting each other really brings people together, and it really does bring your hearts together.”
Lexi Freehill, TownandCountryToday.com
