Teaching Lessons for Curriculum - Indigenous Perspectives

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Long Stalk Brings the Message from the Ancestors...

The East End Park East Van Stories Series Whirling Rainbow goal is to build a bridge of friendship and understanding between the children and youth of the Traditional Hopi community of Hotevilla, the Original People of Turtle Island, Traditional teachers throughout the world, and the children and youth of our East Vancouver community and Greater Vancouver region. Through building bridges of relationship, knowledge, understanding and cooperation, with respect for the Original People of Turtle Island, children are given the gift of love and respect for their own cultures. The Storytelling experience showcases curriculum for Indigenous Cultures, Exploration and First Contact.  

Long Stalk’s story is a gift to acknowledge and honor the Indigenous children; to recognize the gift of their collective ancestors, who welcomed all into their circle of community and shared experience upon our Mother Earth; and to recognize their stories as first stories into the circle of education; with stories that are inclusive of the Original People’s history, culture, and spiritual traditions. While set in a contemporary story format, the open-hearted stories give children pathways and examples toward self-empowerment and transformation. In addition, Long Stalk’s story is a gift to honor and welcome all children growing up on Turtle Island into the Circle of All Our Relations.

How Long Stalk Became a Flower is the first book in the series, and it was designed to engage the youngest of listeners and readers into the series. It is a stepping-stone story, building toward more complex themes and language in consecutive books. The storybook content is designed to support Language Arts, Creative-Arts, Self-Awareness and Self-Reflection. 

The Story finds the main character, Long Stalk, emerging from the heart of the Great Star Above, Great Spirit's home. He is a universal hero manifesting the message of Love in his journey to become whole and complete; and through that journey is given the Dream of Peace to bring forward into the world.

Storytelling is part of the Indigenous oral tradition, and it is my goal to bridge the modern contemporary form of storybooks and the oral tradition of storytelling, through the Storytime Circle and Sharing and Talking Circle. As a link, Long Stalk’s character and the archetypal characters of Grandfather Sun, Mother Earth, Father Sky, Moon, The Great Spirit Guardian of the Rainbow Flower Kingdom, Rainbow Daughter and others, become the transmitters of Indigenous knowledge and sacred teachings throughout the series. Children are introduced to a magical world within an Interactive Storytime setting. Children are given the opportunity to become a part of the story through dressing up in regalia capes, and accessories, and entering a visual world designed to engage the imagination, sensory, and concrete experience; while listening to traditional music of the Hopi, and contemporary music of Jon Anderson of Yes and Kerry Dixon. (Jon Anderson gifted the series the opening credit roll lyrics and vocal song for the Storytime Circle and future animated series)

The Sharing and Talking Circle presents the opportunity to show treasured items I have acquired over the years, and share the special experiences connected to each sacred item. It will give children the opportunity to see and feel indigenous artifacts, Mother Earth objects, sacred drums, rattles and more. The Sharing Circle will give children a concrete experience of art in motion and history, as they feel stones and crystals, play on Drums and Rattles, hold Westcoast weaved cedar baskets, headdresses, spoons and bowls, and more. 

The Interactive Storytime, Sharing and Talking Circle extends the story of friendship through the opportunity to create, in holding and feeling sacred Mother Earth objects that can inspire children's conversations in the classroom and playground. Teachers can extend the story experience to the classroom by having the children draw pictures of their favorite Sharing Circle items; have the children build a spelling B from their favorite items from the sharing circle, such as rock, crystal, rattle, feather; or by having their own Show and Tell of sacred items from their cultural traditions. There are many classroom extensions to be imagined and implemented. 

 The Interactive Storytime experience also introduces the children and youth to the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy of the Traditional Hopi Elders, (now passed on), the Sioux, Nehiyawak (Cree), and others, who tell of the time when the children of the people who came from other lands, would want to learn from the Traditional Teachings of the Original People. They would come together, to work and help restore the balance on Mother Earth, for all of us to live in Peace. 

I will also share other stories and knowledge I have been given; for example, the prophecy of the Hopi Elders that told of the time when the spiritual power would come down from the north along the northwest coast to the Salish Sea to the People of the Western Door. This power would then travel across Turtle Island to the Eastern Door of the Kanienkahaka, of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, where the spiritual power would ignite to return back across Turtle Island. 

There are many prophecies of this time of awakening, returning, joining and remembering, throughout our collective knowledge and history; and it is my creative effort and dream to be a part of bringing these stories and knowledge to the world of children; to help build a bridge of understanding and connection for the children and youth to find their sacred place and space in this time within the Dream, and Sacred Story, of the Original People of Turtle Island, and the People who have come from across the waters.

Through the Hopi Prophecy, the Great Law of Peace, the Flower of Life, the Tree of Life, and the traditions of the Northwest Coast People, who are the Keepers of the Western Door of Turtle Island, and one of many holders of the Hopi Prophecy, our children become Turtle Island Children; a part of the Great Work of restoring, saving, and healing our Mother Earth for all life, by building bridges with open hearts, to listen and share each other’s stories of migration, experience, traditions, and solutions, to a world that has almost forgotten their children.