Ey Swayel (Good Day)
Thanks for following Indigenous Storywork News & Updates. Three resource items have been added to the web site. The first is an open access article, which I wrote about Indigenous storied memory. The second is a video where Drs. Georgina Martin, Elder Elsie Paul, and I, talk about Indigenous storytelling traditions and Indigenous storywork, and the third is a link to a BC elementary school curriculum that used Indigenous stories and formed the basis of Indigenoous storywork in the 1990s.
My intention is to continue to add items that use Indigenous storywork principles and approaches. If you have suggestions for materials that might fit this area please send them to me.
Regards, Jo-ann Q’um Q’um Xiiem
Here is a little overview of an interesting project currently underway in Stó:lō territory.
Opening the Basket: Sharing, Revitalizing and Reconnecting the Stó:lō Sitel Curriculum. The Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre developed an elementary Social Studies school curriculum many years ago. This curriculum was called, Stó:lō Sitel (Sitel is a basket used to store treasured items). An important component of this curriculum included Stó:lō stories developed in cooperation with the Coqualeetza Elders. In British Columbia, the Ministry of Education has redesigned the provincial curriculum, which includes Indigenous perspectives, content, and approaches from kindergarten to grade 9 in all subject areas. The Siyá:ye Yoyes Society, which includes public and First Nation school representatives has partnered with the Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre, and other educators to revitalize the use of Stó:lō stories for educational purposes and to work with teachers so that they can use these stories in respectful and responsible ways.
This project is timely because a pressing issue in the Stó:lō territory relates to instruction of Indigenous topics and Indigenous worldviews in K-12 school curricula using respectful teaching/learning approaches, and carried out in partnership with Indigenous communities/organizations. Teachers who are concerned about their teaching practice, Stó:lō members who have questions about Indigenous inclusion, educators with successful pedagogical experience, and a community cultural centre will inform this multi-faceted issue through discussions and workshops to develop a cooperative regional plan about Stó:lō curriculum.
This project officially began in January 2020 with funding from the Vancouver Foundation. A Working Group of representatives from the Coqualeetza Cultural Education Centre and 9 school districts including Coquitlam, New Westminster, Surrey, Maple Ridge, Langley, Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Fraser/Cascade provide planning oversight for this project. Twenty plus teachers convened by the Working Group will create and share their teaching approaches for the Stó:lō stories from Sept-Dec 2020. A web site will be available in the Fall of 2020 that includes the results of the teachers’ workshops, teaching resources, and other pertinent information.
INDIGENOUS STORYWORK 