Indigenous Storytelling Month

Stories about responsibility, respect, relationship, and reciprocity are being shared with students in School District No. 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap) during Indigenous Storytelling Month.

SD83 Indigenous Resource Helping Teacher Meredith Rusk, who put together the resources, explains stories have been a traditional way of “coming to know” for Indigenous people.

“The themes within the stories inform us about our cultures. The process of story telling connects the people to the story and the teller. Traditional or life stories can teach us about how to be in the world in a respectful, responsible, and reciprocal way and continually establish and maintain interconnected relationships with all things inclusive of people, plants, animals, and minerals.” she says.

“Stories educate the mind, body, and spirit.”

Each Monday of the month will focus on one of the principles of responsibility, respect, relationship, and reciprocity at an age-appropriate level. For example, one of the suggested stories for the elementary schools during the focus on responsibility is on How Bear Gets a Short Tail, an Indigenous story which has the message to think before you do something.

During the week of Family Day, where the focus is relationship, families will be encouraged to share stories about their life experiences with their children, or pass along stories that their parents or grandparents shared with them.

“The idea for putting together this month of sharing stories was driven by our belief in Students First! It is vital to integrate Indigenous cultures and perspectives throughout everything we do so that students in SD83 experience rich culturally relevant learning, and we move together through Truth and Reconciliation in a meaningful way,” explains District Principal of Indigenous Education Mishel Quaal.