Hand Drum Making With A.A. Wright Families
Family Event: Hand Drum Making
By Gretchen Sands-Gamble
As a result of the Calls To Action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we at A.A. Wright are working with an elder from Walpole Island, Cecil Isaac, to do our part to bring indigenous ways of knowing and learning into our school in a meaningful way.
We are focused on not only bringing new opportunities to our students, but also educating staff on appropriate ways to bring First Nations culture into the classroom.
We want our students' experiences to be authentic and respectful.
We also are focusing on getting more families into the school to experience these great learning opportunities. We are hoping to form more friendships and connections with the families of students who go to AA Wright, as well as make connections with people from the community who can come in and share their knowledge and expertise with our students.
I sat with Cecil Isaac, and we came up with ways we can engage families and bring some wonderful opportunities to them.
Our first learning opportunity was making hand drums on March 5th. The response to our drum making night was tremendous.
We had 20 families come and share a meal and make hand drums in our Learning Commons. Everyone had a great time learning together! We learned the origins and the importance of the drum in First Nations culture and traditions, and each family got to work together to create their own drum. We have more events planned to share First Nations culture and invite all families to join in on our learning and fun.
Here are some quotes from students who participated:
Xander Williams, Grade 4 said, "I liked that everybody was invited. Anybody could come" Sunny Riley, grade 3 said, "I liked that we got to make drums with our family and we got Cecil to help" Danielle Isaac, Kindergarten said, "my favourite part was making the drum. " Colton Gamble, Kindergarten said, "I liked making the holes in the hide with the leather punch" Robyn Mikhaila Grade 4 said, " I liked pulling the lacing, attaching it all together. I hope that we can do something like this again."
Drums are a sacred part of Anishinaabe culture and we wanted to ensure that the drum making was done in an appropriate way. We made sure to first consult with Cecil Isaac and invite him to the school for every step of the way.
As school teachers we need to remember that if we want to include Indigenous Culture in our school or classroom we need to include someone from a First Nation, Metis or Inuit community to guide us. If you are unsure of where to start contact your school board's Indigenous Lead or Indigenous Education Special Projects Teacher. They can help you ensure Indigenous culture is being shared appropriately and protocols are being followed.
By Gretchen Sands-Gamble
As a result of the Calls To Action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we at A.A. Wright are working with an elder from Walpole Island, Cecil Isaac, to do our part to bring indigenous ways of knowing and learning into our school in a meaningful way.
We are focused on not only bringing new opportunities to our students, but also educating staff on appropriate ways to bring First Nations culture into the classroom.
We want our students' experiences to be authentic and respectful.
We also are focusing on getting more families into the school to experience these great learning opportunities. We are hoping to form more friendships and connections with the families of students who go to AA Wright, as well as make connections with people from the community who can come in and share their knowledge and expertise with our students.
We had 20 families come and share a meal and make hand drums in our Learning Commons. Everyone had a great time learning together! We learned the origins and the importance of the drum in First Nations culture and traditions, and each family got to work together to create their own drum. We have more events planned to share First Nations culture and invite all families to join in on our learning and fun.
Here are some quotes from students who participated:
Xander Williams, Grade 4 said, "I liked that everybody was invited. Anybody could come" Sunny Riley, grade 3 said, "I liked that we got to make drums with our family and we got Cecil to help" Danielle Isaac, Kindergarten said, "my favourite part was making the drum. " Colton Gamble, Kindergarten said, "I liked making the holes in the hide with the leather punch" Robyn Mikhaila Grade 4 said, " I liked pulling the lacing, attaching it all together. I hope that we can do something like this again."
Drums are a sacred part of Anishinaabe culture and we wanted to ensure that the drum making was done in an appropriate way. We made sure to first consult with Cecil Isaac and invite him to the school for every step of the way.
As school teachers we need to remember that if we want to include Indigenous Culture in our school or classroom we need to include someone from a First Nation, Metis or Inuit community to guide us. If you are unsure of where to start contact your school board's Indigenous Lead or Indigenous Education Special Projects Teacher. They can help you ensure Indigenous culture is being shared appropriately and protocols are being followed.
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