Putting indigenous identity at heart of Grade 7/8 program

Miyo Pimatsowin: Cree for "the Good Life"

http://thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatchewan/culture-class-thunderchild-puts-indigenous-identity-at-heart-of-grade-78-program

Read how a school and community are using language and cultural heritage to envigourate the educational program for their students.

"...The knowledge students gain in Miyo Pimatsowin is practical and helps them connect to their home and history. Children are excited to go to school again, Chief Wapass said, because they are rediscovering who they are.

"I told them Miyo Pimatsowin is a very special program. You're going to learn respect, to love yourself as a Cree person and language and culture is number one here. We have to love ourselves for us to grow," she said. "They'll carry that knowledge on for the rest of their life." said Doreen Carrier, Grade 7 and 8 teacher.

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Canadian "Native" Flag Design

Created by Curtis Wilson, a Kwakwaka'wakw artist

https://nabdllc.com/products/canadian-native-flag

"An important piece of symbolism contained in the flag design includes red side bands, which represent K'utala-Salmon. Salmon seemed the perfect way to convey the importance of family, friendships, and strength in numbers. Salmon are known for dependability and renewal. Kwakwaka'wakw people think of them as a provider and a symbol of fertility and good health. The salmon is the source of life for our people and we depend upon the salmon as our main food source in the past, present, and hopefully the future. Also, the design within the maple leaf symbolically represents the head of a killer whale in the shape of an oval. The killer whale head is surrounded by some traditional use designs called split "U" shapes."

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