The Book Trail - The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, many of us wear orange shirts. We read books and resources about treaties, and residential schools throughout the year, yet we doubt ourselves, we ask what our responsibility is in this role, and how we can deliver it here, as Early Childhood Educators.
This year, we prepared a Book Trail for the children where we read parts of the book “Shi-shi-etko” (Campbell, N., 2018) along the trail in our Forest. The educator also prepared a few props for children to stop and read a couple of pages at a time.
At the first station, children read and learned there are 4 more mornings until Shi-shi-etko goes to school. Her mother said “I want you to remember the ways of our people, […] and I want you to remember our land.” Children took a moment to notice what’s around them. A child said the trees, another said the wind. One child said “Boozhoo, Niibi” (Hello, Water) to the river.
At the second station, we read and imagined Shi-shi-etko's canoe trip with her father. Our children noticed the different colours of the leaves and shapes of the trees, but also noticed some things are the same, the land and the water.
At the third station, Shi-shi-etko was given “a bag made with deer hide and sinew” and her Yayah asked Shi-shi-etko to keep all the things she wanted to remember inside of it. Children were given a small bag, and they started to look for the things they wanted to remember, something that feels important for them, or something that they want to share with their family. A child asked to go pick an apple from the community garden, another picked a leaf, and admired it by holding it in front of their eyes for some time and whispered “rainbow leaf..” An educator found freshly grown nettle and they put it in their bag of memories. (Fresh young nettle is a rare find at the end of September!)
At the end of the “book trail”, children learned how Shi-shi-etko asked the cedar tree to “keep her memories and her family safe.” Instead of putting our memory bags at the bottom of the tree, we all thanked the trees and the forest; the land for all the gifts it offers us, and for all the ways it takes care of us. We offered tobacco, and when the tobacco ran out and the children wanted to continue showing their gratitude, they poured out some water underneath the tree.
September 30th can be heavy for many people for various reasons. Many of us, especially non-indigenous folks who work with younger children, ECEs, get confused on what we are doing, or how we are delivering it. I was fortunate to attend a workshop with David A. Robertson (the author of “52 ways to Reconcile” as well as “When we were alone”, “Black Water” and many more!!). There he said that it is important to keep sharing books that have a representation of children’s diverse background, and that the experience of children and family makes a significant effect on children’s confidence and self-esteem. Furthermore, he stated that it is also important to choose a resource that describes the harsh truth. Finding the balance between truth (what has happened) and reconciliation (what we can do for a better future) is the key for meaningful conversations.
At the last station of their book trail, Forest Nursery children also noticed:
There are few human shadows standing in the distance.
Their posture does not look kind or inviting, but rather mean or angry.
The vehicle was not a school bus, but a cattle truck.
The people on the truck don’t look happy or excited. They look sad.
In this book, this part is the description of the “truth” we must remember.
I would like to take this 2nd Monday in October to remember what has happened, what is still happening, and to think about how we can build a better future together.
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