good workshops

I had a terrific time yesterday and today with grades 5-7 students.
While one 'clan' enjoyed learning from the variety of centres: turtle calendar puzzles, word play/language tools with stamps for Oneida words, Travel Turtle Island game and others, my group made corn husk dolls or wampum strings over the two days. Students were respectful and I trust we made good friendships. [shout out to Kaswentha]. I'll be curious to know what their responses will be to the short questionaire I left. Thanks so much to the teachers who invited me and the students who were also so gracious ;).

When we brought the tree in, the weather was freezing, so I also wanted to bring in the ceramic turtle I'd had in the garden. It seemed natural to place it under the tree ... just need the eagle atop now eh? I usually bring in a cedar for xmas season but this year we came upon this 'pine' at the right price, so now we have the symbol that is so familiar to Hotenoshone: the white pine, the symbol of peace, our medicine atop 'turtle island'/N. America. Now I'd like to make the clans and other symbols to hang on the tree ... elements of our opening address: K^tsyokhwa/the people, Yukhinu:lha/Mother Earth, Onu'kwat/medicines etc.

Wasu:tehs

What a great weekend ;) ... met more neighbours and enjoyed family and friends who dropped by during open house ...and yummy Indian cookies!
After making more cookies this morning, it was time to get back to making more iris folded and layered cards for family & friends this Wasu:tehs /Long Nights, a season for storytelling and giving.

These are some of the cool bone beads and turquoise I purchased in T.O. I've turned the beads into these beautiful bracelets and necklaces shown here ... look forward to the "studio sale" this Sat. & Sun. Dec. 3 & 4 10 - 2 [-ish as the kids say] ... hope to have fresh Indian cookies too!

Met fine folks at the 3 day Circle of Light Aboriginal Education Conference in T.O. I think the most inspirational parts were hearing the student panels. Those kids are so courageous and dedicated ... some had such difficulties trying to stay in school, having to leave their families to stay with strangers while attending schools that were much larger, more populated and far from familiar things. Most adults wouldn't want to endure such challenges even for a good job! I attended some workshops about various things some of the northern communities are doing infusing local culturally-based knowledge into the curriculum, learned more about PLC's [professional learning committees] as well as reaquainted and made new friendships. Now I have more clarity about what is being done [or not as usual with fed. funding] for and with our First Nations students to help them receive meaningful and relevant education that will result in them having good employment prospects. My perceptions of what the Ont. Ministry of Ed. needs to do was made even more clear with regard to delivering programming to new teachers and especially the boards' duties to provide all students with a wider knowledge of our shared history and current practises in native communities. ... all in all, a good conference where more sharing than usual was expressed.

summertime fun

Was your vacation as great as mine? For three weeks in July I sat in a public school desk chair being attentive [mostly] and when not in 'the chair' was reading/writing, reading/writing and reading/writing. It's a 2 yr. Master of Education program that will continue through full time work or otherwise. If I get the job I've applied for this time, I'll be driving an hour to and from work daily, but hopefully it will be rewarding and the winter weather will be kind to me [we'll be doing 6 Saturdays/Sunday for 2nd term of M. Ed. also :-!]

The family reunion weekend at Wildwood Camp was a hit, even thru the rain ;)... lots of kids biking and playing around. The Hallowe'en theme was a great hit and tho' we weren't aware of it til we got there, we dug around the RV and found bristol board for crown-making and used bingo dabbers for painted "dot/jewels" ... one smart little girl made Mickey Mouse ears from black cardboard which her friend had to then make too! Wow, it sure paid off in candy! ;D
[note to self: keep glitter 'n' glue on board]

As we can see, been busy with the "Last Wedding West of Here" ... was a beautiful day, beautiful site and beautiful people. The neat thing shown here besides the couple is the two logs tucked up in between the rocks behind the newlyweds. They're at a height of over 20' in the surge channel where the Japanese tsunami waves set them during the high tide. Yes, that means that when the water was at its height, this whole area where we're standing would have been under water! Lots of other big logs were brought in at that same time and were very useful for seating and building a stairway up the hill which both sides of the families helped construct. ... all in all, a great time tho' much too short ;)

These started from sticks I purchased at the market a couple Saturdays ago. Just for fun, I stuck them in a glass vase and filled it with colourful plastic beads so they would stand nicely on the kitchen table ... don't know why I put water in as I recall now when as a youngster we had dry pussywillows on the buffet. Anyway, it's been cool to see the changes as they sprouted roots, winding around and through the beads. Then came the greenery, so now I have to decide if I want to plant them around the yard. This is a great classroom visual for youngsters to watch how roots and buds change ... realizing the pussywillows are alive. Latiy^thos/Planting time ;)

This is the guide I use to teach the Kanuhelatuksla/Thanksgiving Address on the felt board. The felt pictures are colourful and I use Oneida language just as we do when speaking it at gatherings. Students and teachers enjoy hearing the language and usually try to say some of the picture words.
We begin with:
Akweku uska tsi ^twahwe'nu:ni: ukwa'niku:la' /Everyone as one, we will wrap our minds, thoughts.
T^twatanuhela:tu: k^tyohkwa/we will thank the people
tsi' sheku ^wa:tu: ska:n^:/we can have peace
^twanuhtunyuhe'ke/we will all be happy.
Ta:ne:tho n^yotuha'ke: ukwa'niku:la/so be it the way it will be, our minds, our thoughts.
Then Yukhinulha'/Mother Earth and move on to the plants, trees, animals, waters, birds, thunderers, sun, moon, stars, 4 messengers, Skanyataliyo/Handsome Lake and finally, Shukwaya'tishu/Creator.

I've been working with wampum beads lately; going into the schools to show students the 2Row. They've been very cordial and interested in the stories as well as the beadwork itself. We make string wampum with the 2Row pattern as it's easiest to do in the short time available. I usually start with introductions in the Oneida language, interpreting as I go. Then I do the short form Kanuhelatuksla/ga-new-hey-law-duke's-law ... Thanksgiving address. The French immersion students especially enjoyed the language aspects and the part about how the word Iroquois came to be what we're called as a people rather than our own name of Hotenoshone/hoe-den-o-show-nay or Longhouse People. Iroquois is from the French, who, when they experienced the tenacity and guerrilla-like warfare of our warriors as 'we' sprung up from the grasses, bushes or down from the trees, they called us snakes ... specifically adders. It may seem like an insult, but after learning more about our history, I am proud of that name tho' I use it only in the context of teaching. The French and British both realized the value of having our warriors on their side tho' most of our people wanted to stay neutral in their disputes. Only fighting for our survival was necessary. One good read is Pierre Burton's The Invasion of Canada 1812-1813.

Now that K^kwi:te/Spring is here I think of the Medicine Wheel which serves to remind me when I give thanks to the 4 directions; beginning in the east: thanking Ethwatsiha/our older brother the Sun ... that he shine his healing rays on those in Japan, the Middle East and all there to be in peace. Then the south to those in Australia, South America and all there to have peace of mind. Next the west, where California sits on a fault line with it's nuclear plants; and also the north, where the ice caps are shrinking, tar sands are polluting and too many oil wells exist. When I burn the 4 medicines

I ask Sonkwaiy^tisu/Creator for balance and peace in the hope that we will make better choices for humankind.

She:koli ... this is the moon time of Wahta/Maple when we tell the story of how maple sugar was 'discovered'. There are a variety of versions as one might expect for something as ancient as maple. One storybook I like is MAPLE MOON by Connie Brummel where a little boy goes walking in the woods and watches a squirrel sipping sap from a branch. When he also tastes it, he finds it sweeter than any water he's ever drank. He races back home to get a hatchet to try getting more water from the tree. ... I'll leave the story there for you to find out more on your own ;) ... so this photo shows the felt storyboard I've made to go with the story. Maple sap is the first medicine of the new year; it's our 'spring tonic.' We make mention of it in our Thanksgiving Address to acknowledge it as the leader of the trees.

Red Turtle Creations: Bio

Red Turtle Creations: Bio

Bio

She:koli, it's Patsy Day ... an Oneida Turtle Clan member and O. C. T. I share cultural knowledge relative to our own students and the greater population as our blended history and heritage needs to be passed to the next generations. I've studied and taught over the recent 20 yrs. in the region and at Oneida. Born in London to a native Mother who later lost her status through government policies, since overturned [Bill C31] through the long tough struggles of many.

I am honoured to be asked to your classroom to see the bright faces of our future.
I create puzzles, board games, felt board stories and more about Turtle Island/this land we live in and the Hotenoshone/People of the Longhouse and how we use the 28 day Moon Cycle of Ceremonies. Stories and activities are usually about the time of year we a presently living, as would be in our communities. Some language acquisition is also presented from the introduction to main themes throughout ...also social songs and traditional music may accompany.

These are fridge magnets for weather words in Oneida ... there are also word only magnets to match and practice. eg. today's weather word was:

Wa ni sli yo/Nice day! as in lovely outside ;) Wah knee slee yo

Today was also an historical one for me personally, as I was asked to participate in Native Cultural Day at the first school I attended. It was across the street from the orphanage where my mother took me at the time. [cira 1957] We lived two streets over from the school in an upstairs apartment [the kind with steep steps outside the building] but when government policies crashed down on my mother's marital status after separation, she was forced to walk me around the corner to the orphanage. So, ya, a much better day today!

6 Nations symbols

She:koli Swakwe:ku/Greetings Everyone ;) ... what a wonderful Kohsla:ke/Winter we're having! lol ... most have trouble seeing the seasons' gifts, but this one is a time of reflection and development.
Yukhinulha/Mother Earth and creatures are in the re-birthing process. New life is on the way. Ta:ne tho niyotuha:ke ^kwa'nikula
... and so shall our minds be. [Say go lee, Swah gway goo go sla gay you key newl ha ... dah nay toe nee yo' due ha gay oo gwa' nee go la]

The colouring page I'm working on is part of the TRAVEL TURTLE ISLAND Colouring Book. It is an interactive workbook for cultural and language acquisition. This page will use cut-outs to sort symbols relating to Nation designations.

Yaw^ko Teyokokat/Thank you Melissa, for the beautiful Tsyoka/Raven feather. I used the beads you also gifted. Peote stitch on the quill with a leather lace to hang after each use in thanking and cleansing; burning tobacco, sweetgrass, sage, cedar. Onu'hkwat/Medicines ease our way to the spirit world. When we look up to the sky and see the Big Dipper straight overhead, it is time for Tsha'tekohselh^/Midwinter Ceremonies. We thank the Creator for all the gifts we've received throughout the year and ask that we may be blessed with the same in the year ahead.

Here's a mini "Eagle Staff" I make and use for teaching. This one has a medicine wheel, using the 4 colours along the shaft to hold the feathers. In a school setting I've also used the feather placement to incorporate the Seven Grandfather Teachings. Our grade two's practised cursive writing on a paper feather to impart the messages of the 7 teachings: Respect, Truth, Bravery, Kindness, Humility, Love and Wisdom. Using a simple stick of their choosing they decorated it when the writing process was complete. Each day brought a new teaching which we would engage at every opportunity. It is a simple and memorable activity that can be done at any time of year. Many wanted to make more staffs to give family members. :)

Ho'ia:n [ho yawn]/Happy New Year! Shown here is a tunic and skirt I'll wear to Tshya'tekohselha [jaw day go sale ha]/Midwinter ceremonies this wknd. The tunic has special signifigance as it is made from calico received in Wisconsin when we celebrated the Treaty of Canandiagua [1794]. For many generations now, Hotenoshone [ho day no shown eh]/Longhouse people have received calico, originally one 'bolt' per family as part of the treaty in payment for the land shared with the Europeans. We must continue to acknowledge this practise for our future generations. Nowadays, we receive approx. 1-2 yards; enough to make a dress ... so I made the tunic and a large lined bag. The skirt shown is one given by Khe'k^:ha[kay go ha]/my older sister: Yew^nano'tu [yea wah na node]/She likes to read. The design shows the celestial tree with rows of corn edging the front. These designs are ancient quill and bead symbols that have been passed down. Cuffs and collar are also edged in white beads; a usual custom.