BIG LAKES COUNTY — The Northland School Division is partnering with the Peavine Métis Settlement to integrate local stories and culture into their curriculum.
Superintendent of Schools Gord Atkinson has been designated by the NSD’s Board of Trustees to work with the settlement to develop curriculum that reflects Métis culture and traditional stories at Bishop Routhier School.
The Peavine Métis Settlement is located northeast of High Prairie, within Big Lakes County. The community currently has a population of 993 members, on a land base size of 82,364 square hectares. The economic diversity is oil & gas, agriculture, construction, forestry and transportation, and are recognized by the province of Alberta as one of eight Métis Settlements in the province.
In the community, hunting, trapping, fishing, making dry meat, smoked fish and making traditional clothing are still standard practices, with moccasin making, moss bags and beading traditional hide jackets still regarded as integral in teaching youth about the Métis culture. The Northland School Division originally met with the Peavine Métis Settlement back on November 6th, 2018, and currently Area 1 Associate Superintendent Shelley Willier has been assigned to work on the project at this time.
Also announced at the latest NSD Board Meeting, was the Board’s Submission of Proposals for the Indigenous Languages in Education Grants. Lorraine Cardinal-Roy, the Director of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learner Success, updated the Board of Trustees regarding four proposals from the Board.
The first proposal discusses the expansion of professional learning for Indigenous language instructors, while the second proposal would be used to create a second cohort to attend the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute. The third proposal supports the creation of regional kits to support Cree and Dene language development, while the fourth and final submission involves creating sets of wooden building blocks for each school that colourfully illustrate culturally relevant imagery, syllabic symbols, as well as their corresponding sounds.