cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by demented-pixie
Today we had a videoconference with people from all over North America. There were some from Edmonton, Mexico, Hinton, Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. It was called Aboriginal Wisdom, and it was about sustainability and how to live with Mother Nature. I learned about how a morning song works. People stand in a circle and play the drums and sing a special song in Cree. An elder gave us a blessing so that Mother Earth nourishes us and we are all connected. I also learned that oral traditions means learning from stories because back in the day the First Nations people didn’t have books so they learned from stories. The elders used them to guide young children. We made a medicine wheel. It has four different sections to show the directions (North, South, East and West), seasons, life cycle and animals. The medicine wheel teaches you about yourself through emotions, physical self and beliefs. You should NEVER stop learning!
Reanne is a Grade 4 student at Millgrove School who likes using the SMARTBoard and Social Studies because you get to learn about history. She likes to watch ringette, and is excited about playing it next year.
This was a special experience, wasn’t it? Listening to the drums and the morning song gave me goosebumps. It was interesting that we used today’s technology to connect to people across North America, to learn about how Aboriginal people use centuries of traditions of connections to the world around them. Thank you for doing such a great job of presenting your Medicine Wheel to all those sites!