Student learning
I will:
- Show how storytelling connects people to the past and to each other
- Identify patterns that show the interdependence of all living things
- Recommend how to protect an environment that means a lot to me
- Examine maps and images
- Dramatize stories
- Infer relationships between words and nature
This lesson emphasizes the interconnectedness of all life, place and history. This interconnectedness is called Wetapeksin or Kci Mawawsultimok. (Please see additional resource Teaching about the Mi’kmaq p.151 for further explanation) All things have spirit that, in turn, reflect the interdependence of life and the harmony we seek to maintain in the world. Interdependence starts with pattern recognition through seeing, living and understanding. By observing, memorizing and comparing, patterns become evident. This lesson does this through the exploration of three rivers. One is Wolastoq (Saint John River) and the others are the Restigouche and the Miramichi, both Mi’kmaq Rivers. Please do the study on the river which best serves your community.
In the story of the Creation of Wolastoq (Saint John River), we are shown that storytelling that occurred over hundreds of years ago still has meaning. The landscape is storied – places connect people to the past and to each other. For example, giving thanks to all that is around us leads us to acknowledge the interdependence of life. The relationship between thinking and doing is critical – living what you know is at the heart of Wetapeksin or Kci Mawawsultimok. By seeing yourself as living with the environment and being part of the cycles of life, you are viewing the world from the inside out rather than the outside in. Remembering how Wolastoq was created, Wolostoqewiyik (Maliseet people) take on the responsibility for keeping it as it is. This sense of responsibility formed the foundation of many of Indigenous peoples’ ideas in Treaty negotiation.
