This index is a list of links to information about Metis surnames that are present in Ontario and which originated primarily with the Metis of western and central Canada. It’s under develop…
Sammy Hill – Swinomish Nation, Artist and Drum Maker Pacific Northwest artist and activist Louie Gong introduces Coast Salish art to skate shoes. Norval Morrisseau, (March 14, 1932 – December…
{Source} Louis Riel's Ceremonial Sash {Source} Today is a holiday in western Canada. It's Louis Riel Day, La Journee Louis Riel, in French. A celebration of a Metis political leader and poet who is also happen to be a controversial historical figure. Here in Manitoba (a western province in Canada), Riel is considered by many to be a hero, the father of Manitoba. A figure celebrated in our local popular culture. But it is not so in the rest of Canada. Louis Riel Day is not a national holiday. I recall a trip to Casa Loma in Toronto were I first encounter an opposing view. Louis Riel was portrayed as a prisoner with his prison artifacts on display in the upper level of the castle. And my Ontario relatives revealed their eastern learning that Riel was a traitor. Nothing more. Not even a recognition that he was a talented poet. It was an extremely sad afternoon to hear and see Riel's final days celebrated as a prisoner who was hanged for treason. Decades later working, in a hotel conflicting view of Riel's role in Canadian History came to head. The new hotel manager (who originated from Eastern Canada) scolded staff for not educating her that Riel might not be an appropriate name for a banquet hall when her idea was shot down by corporate office in Toronto. Just like Canadian literature and fashion, viewpoints are regional. Truth be told, February 20th does not have any significance to any event in Riel's life. (Other provinces in western Canada celebrate Family Day instead.) Rather this provincial holiday was named by Manitoba school children in a competition to name the holiday back in 2007. Other parts of Canada, particularly Toronto, observe Louis Riel Day as November 16th, the day in 1885 when Riel was executed for treason. Whether or not you celebrate the passion of Louis Riel and his life's work, I don't know how one can deny the cultural contribution of the Metis people to our regional fashion landscape. A ceinture fléchée worn as a stole. Typically it is 3 metres in length and worn around the waist. {Source} Sew let's put aside political divides and take a look at the beautiful artistry created by the Metis people. The Metis people are associated with the Metis Sash or ceinture fléchée. The sashes were made out of brightly coloured wool and used by early fur traders as back support while canoeing. They became a commodity traded between fur traders. The sash provided the Metis people with many decorative and practical uses. On the practical end it was used as rope, towels, washcloths, tourniquet for injuries, saddle blankets, and markers. Decoratively the Metis sash was also used as a coat tie and the colours and patterns identified Metis families. Many people assume that the long fringes are a decorative feature of the Metis sash but do you know it has a practical purpose? The long fringe worked as an emergency sewing kit. They were used as extra sewing thread if an emergency mending job occurred while a voyageur was out travelling. The sash is very much part of Manitoba's landscape, just head over to the Festival du Voyageur and you'll see what I mean. But if you can't make it out there you'll just have to take my word for it. {Source} Canada's First People. "The Metis." Goldi Productions Ltd., 2007. Retrieved on 19 February 2012 CBC News. "Louis Riel's Sash Returns to Manitoba". Retrieved on 19 February 2012 Festival du Voyageur. Retrieved on 19 February 2012 timeanddate.com. "Louis Riel Day in Canada." Retrieved on 19 February 2012
DUMONT, GABRIEL, Métis hunter, merchant, ferryman, and political and military leader; b. December 1837 in the Red River settlement (Man.), second son of Isidore Dumont, known as Ekapow, and Louise Laframboise; m. 7 Sept. 1857 Madeleine Wilkie at St Joseph (Walhalla, N.Dak.); they had no children but adopted a son and daughter; d. 19 May 1906 in Bellevue (St-Isidore-de-Bellevue), Sask.
One of the things the Métis are well known for is the Red River Jig (known as "oayache mannin" in the michif language). Here's a video so you can hear the song performed by Reg Bouvette: The song has been around since at least the mid-1800s, and the Métis still jig to it. When you hear the term 'Red River Jig' it can refer to both the song and the dance. The jig was - and still is - popular at Métis social gatherings. It consists of two main parts, starting out with a basic step (see the videos below). When the music changes (a subtle lowering of the pitch) the dancer infuses his or her own "fancy steps" until the music goes back to the higher pitch, during which the dancer starts the basic steps all over again. Each time the dancer comes to the fancy step portion (also known as "the change") he/she can add a new set of steps, often getting more and more challenging with each change. To this day, dancers still compete to see who has the best moves with the most precise steps. Originally, the Red River Jig was danced by a man and woman or two competing men, but today it's often done solo. The basic step is: right, right, left, right, left, left, right, left. I used to play the drums, and when playing this rhythm with drumsticks, this rhythm is known as a paradiddle! The best way to know what the Red River Jig looks like is to simply show you. Here are a few different YouTube videos I found of folks doing the traditional Métis dance. Let's start off with a dance off! And what better way to dance the Red River Jig than in red high-heeled shoes: Here are the Genaille Girls jigging: And there you have it! Do you think you can do the Red River Jig? If you send me a video of you trying it out (and allow me to post it on this blog) I'll send you a free copy of Ox Cart Angel! Just email the video to me at: joelarnold1968 (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks for stopping by!
Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics - the only writing system that uses letter rotation to indicate vowels. Clever and beautiful!
Paul Kane’s interest was in his subject not technique, but his work left clues about his methods and tools. Read about his romanticized documentary style.
Esawa Gift & Gallery is Alberta's best native gift shop. We specializing in authentic aboriginal clothing, art, and assorted crafts. Call now 1-780-926-3515
In a previous post, I described what it is like as an Alberta Métis to come to Quebec and realise that ‘Métis’ does not mean the same thing here. I’m not a shut-in…I realis…
36" x 24" Archival digital image, mixed media 2011
Huron-Wendat chief Zacharie Vincent (1815–1886) used his paintings and drawings to change colonial and salvage paradigm narratives. Read his biography to find out more.
In a previous post, I described what it is like as an Alberta Métis to come to Quebec and realise that ‘Métis’ does not mean the same thing here. I’m not a shut-in…I realis…
Aabaakawad Anishinaabewin (Reviving Everything Anishinaabe) 22″ x 28″, Acrylic on Canvas, 2015 | Image Source: www.christibelcourt.com Christi Belcourt (b. 1966) is a Michif (Metis) visual artist and author whose ancestry originates from the Metis historic community of Manitou Sakhigan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, Canada. Raised in Ontario, Christi is the first of three children born ...
More and more children will be reading stories about the legacy of residential schools and reconciliation in the classroom this year.
The Ballendines, a Métis family from Battleford, Saskatchewan, saw four generations serve in the armed forces.
Hello! I know, I've been gone for a while. Sorry about that. You know I have been reorganizing my room. I was at school every day last week until 6 or 7 at night. I finally have my room about 95% done. However, by the time I got home, ate dinner, and graded some papers, I was just too tired to post. So, the plan was to post over this weekend. I took lots of pictures of my room and am excited to show you. That would have worked if I hadn't left my camera in my classroom on Friday! Oh well. I promise to post it all during the week since I will be back to normal hours. I also have pictures for some other posts I wanted to do this week. I was just going to post without the pictures, but it would take too much explanation. Besides, I know when I read blogs, I like pictures. In the meantime, I was thinking about how we lead such test-driven lives these days as teachers. In teaching 5th grade, I feel like I often have so much to cover that the fun stuff gets lost. We don't have time to make something, we have curriculum to learn!! But, don't we all know that some of the best learning happens in the activities and projects that are fun? So, I decided to search the web for some learning fun. Below are some art projects and just some fun stuff I've found around the web that look like something your friends and mine will enjoy. The title of each project is the link to the activity and the source for the pictures I used. Take a look. Maybe you will see something you like! Literacy Expository Writing: How To How cute is this? There is a teacher in my building that does this every year. When you see the bubble gum faces all together on a bulletin board, you can't help but smile. This idea has been around for a while. You can find it all over the web, too. That must prove it's a good one! What I like is that the writing part can be simple for younger friends, as in the picture above with just a "first, next, last" prompt. Or, for older friends, they can write the entire expository essay. The link will take you to The Teacher Wife blog. She shows the entire project in more detail. Expository Writing: DescriptionNo pictures or links for this one. However, there are some pictures on my camera at school. I'm posting this one anyway. One of the activities I do for our expository writing for description is have my friends write a description of a favorite object. We then trade papers, and based on only what was written, another friend draws the object. Without fail, my more detailed writers get the better pictures. When my friends get their pictures back, it is suddenly very clear to them what they may have left out of their description or how their writing may have confused the reader. I have them revise their writing, and they are always 100% better. Fairy Dust Pencils This is from the preschool blog Fairy Dust Teaching. She makes these pencils for her friends when she is ready to teach how to hold and use a pencil. It got me thinking. Wouldn't it be fun to have your friends make a special pencil or pen to be used ONLY for final copies or special projects? I'm not sure I would go with the glitter on the pencil. That might get awfully messy, and I would be afraid of what all that glitter would do to my pencil sharpeners. However, if you are decorating pens, I'm thinking about all the patterned duct tape they have out now. Your friends could cover pens in strips of that and have feathers poking out the top. Just thinking off the top of my head here. This might be a fun way to spark some writers. Book CoversNo pictures or links again. Well, sort of. Let me explain. This is something I have done with my friends with great success. I have them find a book they have read and take construction paper to fit it for a new dust cover. I like to do it the size of the book because we actually leave the new dust covers on the books when we put them back in our class library. For the project, they have to create an original cover illustration, and the back will have a "grabber" summary that does not give away the ending. I'm sure some of you have done this project already. Now, I actually do have a link. ReadWriteThink.org has a book jacket maker online. Your friends can just plug in all the information and it will generate the book jacket. You can select to do just he front cover, front and back, or the full dust cover. You can also select if you want it done in color or black and white depending on the printer you have available to you. Math Favorite math joke of my friends: What did the social studies book say to the math book? Dude! You've got problems! See, they are as corny as I am. We are a perfect fit! Anyway, here are some fun math artsy things for ya. The O.R.E.O. ProjectHave you seen this one? Sadly, I saw it after I had already finished teaching the concepts of mean, mode, median, maximum, and minimum. However, I'm thinking it will be fun to do during those last couple of days of school when my friends have already essentially checked out. The link above will take you to the project instructions, but if you want to see real life application, visit Rundee's Room blog. It is a great blog to follow. If you visit her site, you will see exactly how she conducted the activity. This may not be so much about art, but in the end they can make some crazy Oreo sculptures. Math About Me This is a great project for the beginning of the school year. Your friends create a poster that shows all the numbers that are important in their lives. Shows how math is all around us, and it could be a great get-to-know-you activity. I'm thinking if you wanted to do this later in the year, you could require your friends to use other number names that the class would have to figure out. For example, instead of saying I was born on May 8th, they might say they were born on four squared divided by two. The would write the equation of course, I just couldn't figure out how to type in an exponent! Math Maps I really like this, but there was no link. I found this on Pinterest. The link above will take you to the board it was posted on, but the link is "uploaded by user" so it doesn't take you to a web page. However, the comment notes that the kids are given a set of directions to follow so that the map includes parallel lines, intersecting lines, perpendicular lines, a variety of angles and geometric shapes, and more. I'm thinking you could probably write your own directions for this. Maybe not directions as much as just saying your map must include X,Y, and Z. Then, it's up to your friends to be creative. Science and Social Studies source Honest to goodness, when it comes to science, that picture above says it all for me! Science is my least favorite subject to teach. I really feel as if it is a different language sometimes. However, I find when I do hands-on projects or activities with my friends, we all understand the concepts much better. What follows may not be science experiments but more art centered activities. Teaching Landforms This is from the Crayola web site. They give you all the directions. Of course, they endorse all their projects in the process. However, I was thinking this would be a great way to include an environmental aspect to the lesson by having your friends use old magazines to do this. They could tear out pages that have the colors and textures they are looking for. They could also search at home for any stray papers that might work. Lava in a Cup This is very cool! This is an area of science I don't cover, but I would love to try this anyway. The supplies and steps are super short and simple. It's the last step, sprinkling salt on top, that makes the "lava" bubble up and down the glass. Sedimentation This is from a home schooler's blog. This one actually follows scientific method and involves just a few simple materials to conduct the activity: rocks, sand, soil, and a jar. Then, like in the picture above which is from the blog, your friends can recreate their results. I would probably do this as a small group activity rather than have each friend do their own simple to keep the mess and supplies to a minimum. YOU MUST GO TO THIS PHYSICS WEB SITE!!!Have I made myself clear?! Just kidding! But really. You must go to this web site if you teach anything to do with physics. It is all about making laptop books (interactive notebook?) for a variety of physics concepts. Honestly, all our notebooks should look like this. Guaranteed to keep your friends interested and involved. It takes what I did with my Newton's Laws of Motion flip charts to a whole new level. Here's a couple of pictures from the site for the light and sound laptop book to give you an idea. Open it up, and. . . ta da!!!! I'm thinking you could add each component as you teach it. There are many more fantastic ideas on this site. I really like the magnetism book. Native American Stories I have done this one! The link above will take you to the Canku Ota web page, a Native American online newsletter. The page will have the two pages below, as well as some other coloring pages. For this project, I've had my friends write the story of a Native American tribe we have studied. In writing the story, they use the symbols above to replace words as often as they can. I've also done it as a fiction writing where they write a personal narrative telling about their day as if they were a Native American. Instead of regular paper, I give them brown butcher block paper and a black Sharpie to write their story. Then, I have them crumple and recrumple their paper until it is wrinkled and soft as buffalo hide. They are always amazed at how the paper becomes soft as fabric. If time allows, you can always go back with paint and color some of the symbols. It's a fun project. So, there you have it. Just a few fun projects to spark some thinking. How can we bring a little fun back in to our classrooms? I'll be back on Tuesday with some pictures of my classroom and some other posts during the week. Until then, have a great Sunday!
