THUNDER BAY – Teaching Indigenous children about their culture and heritage is at the heart of the newly named Shkoday Abinojiwak Obimiwedoon’s mandate.
It’s a way to go above and beyond what they’ll learn in a traditional classroom, and because they start at such a young age – 18 months in some cases – it ingrains the teachings with Indigenous youth, the idea being it will stick with them for life.
That’s important, said Shkoday board president Paul Francis, Jr., who on Thursday watched along with dozens of parents as 65 young students celebrated their graduation from various levels of the Aboriginal Head Start program, which takes in students up to age six.
“What makes it really distinct is the culture is really the heart of this program,” Francis said. “You see the beautiful facility here. We have a sweat lodge. They’ll learn teachings. We’ve had people bring in animals and elders will show them how to skin them.
“All this stuff will be normal to us like it was before. Daily we do the medicines and the songs and prayer and language – learning common words. That’s the big difference that sets us apart from other programs.”
The ceremony itself is an important reminder of what the youngsters have accomplished.
“By having each child graduate, we are promoting that sense of belonging and contentment. This is a time of wonderment, exploring and learning which is one of the steps that promote growth in a child. The Aboriginal Head Start program encourages children on their academic learning and broadens their life experiences by encouraging a connection to their education,” said executive director Marilyn Junnila.
“Children learn by seeing and doing. Graduation ceremonies promote their learning by children seeing their classmates and themselves graduating from one classroom to another.”
Parent Amanda Moddejonge said the program has been critical for her whole family, saying when children are happy, so is the household.
She said her daughter found the program on her own and decided she wanted to take part.
“The program has helped her develop confidence. It’s helped her get to know people in the community and when you’re not from somewhere, it’s really important to get to know what the community is all about in order to fit in a whole lot better,” Moddejonge said.
“She was a very, very shy, introverted child who is now involved in track and field and just got third place in wrestling. Three years ago, there’s no way she would have done that.”
Learning about her heritage is also key, Moddejonge said.
“I can’t teach her the cultural aspects of being Indigenous,” she said. “So when we go back to our community she is able to participate in the cultural events and feel comfortable doing it.”
The program also announced it had changed its name to Shkoday, which means fire, an important connection to Indigenous culture.
