NORTHEAST — The North East School Division will provide learning opportunities at various schools for February's national storytelling month within the division.
“Different schools have different needs, and we have been working together to support Indigenous ways of knowing in our classrooms across the division,” said Penny Mohr, NESD Indigenous education consultant.
In Carrot River, they have incorporated storytelling as part of the learning in Wildlife Management. At LP Miller in Nipawin, they are incorporating storytelling and how drama techniques are involved in one of their lessons.
Mohr said schools throughout the NESD are building relationships with First Nations and Métis people. Various schools within the division are inviting Elders or Knowledge Keepers into their classrooms. Porcupine Plain Comprehensive School will be beginning a relationship with the Métis Nation. They participated in the Unity in the Community event on Feb. 10, and Elder Rita DeCharme will provide Métis teachings and Michif language lessons beginning in February.
Since 2004, the Library Services of Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples (LSSAP) committee has coordinated Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month. Storytelling Month. The goals of SAS Month are:
- To support and promote First Nations, Metis & Inuit oral storytelling traditions in Saskatchewan
- To celebrate First Nations, Metis & Inuit history, language & culture
- To promote cross-cultural relationships and understanding by promoting storytelling as an important foundational cultural activity
- To facilitate and grow a living oral storytelling collection.
