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Take it to the Water - Cultural Practice

(Film Time: 15 minutes, approx. link TBA) In the hopes of expanding the normalized world view of water, Autonomous Sinixt Matriarch Marilyn James attempts to share a cultural practice of her people in the short video entitled Take It to the Water . Lacking the actual experience along with the accumulative benefits that result from being immersed in a cultural practice, it is virtually impossible to explain cultural practice in one video with the sensitivity and understanding it deserves. Educators are requested to consider this video presentation by Matriarch Marilyn James simply as an introduction to, and a sharing of, a life practice or cultural practice of the Autonomous Sinixt. It is noteworthy that nowhere in the video is the practice of taking it to the water referred to as a ceremony or as ceremonial in essence. There was no intent to present this cultural practice as ceremonial with the usual accompanying ‘wow factor’. It is not a ceremony. It is a life practice; not j...
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How the st̓xaɬq came to ksúnkʷ

  (time 4:03) Big Ideas: Educators are encouraged to focus on three dominant themes throughout their planning and study of the story How st̓xaɬq came to S x̌ w nitk w . The themes integral to the story are 1) self-regulation; 2) relationship to the land; 3) rights and responsibilities; and 4) oral tradition/storytelling. The following are suggestions and information that will assist educators in meeting their learning objectives for their students. Backgrounder: Teachers are encouraged to read the summaries and reflections found in the book Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way that reference and relate to this story. Several important topics and concepts are mentioned, such as: Maturity level impacts the meaning of the story – from simplistic to ultimate; Landscape informs protocols; how you behave on the land; Whuplak’n , the big law of the land: you give, bring your best, it’s expected of you; The environment as a community, a living organi...
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Why Ciqwlx Lose Their Needles

(time 4:28) Big Ideas: Educators are encouraged to focus on four dominant themes throughout their planning and study of the story Why Ciq w lx Lose Their Needles . The themes integral to the story are 1) interconnectedness; 2) integrity; 3) trees as beings; and 4) community. The following are suggestions and information that will assist educators in meeting their learning objectives for their students. Backgrounder: Teachers are encouraged to read the summaries and reflections found in the book Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way that reference and relate to this story. Several important topics and concepts are mentioned, such as: Multi-purpose of trees; Different kinds of beings, some unseen; Cedar – its many qualities and uses – wood, bark, and roots; Culturally modified trees – proof of Indigenous habitation; Seasonal rounds – responsibility, respect, and caring for resources; Caches, food storage, and their role in survival; Trusting inner wisdom,...
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Sun and Moon

(time 5:53) Big Ideas: Educators are encouraged to focus on four dominant themes throughout their planning and study of the story Sun and Moon . The themes integral to the story are 1) Indigenous knowledge; 2) our solar system; 3) balanced and unbalanced forces; and, 4) privacy. The following are suggestions and information that will assist educators in meeting their learning objectives for their students. Backgrounder: Teachers are encouraged to read the summaries and reflections found in the book Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way that reference and relate to this story. Several important topics and concepts are mentioned, such as: Astral travel; Ability to morph and transform; Sumix; Winter Dance Ceremony at Winter Solstice – a pole rooted in earth and a connection to the cosmos; Communication on an astral-physical plane; Channeling, guidance, listening to your inner voices, inner wisdom; Creating balance; Developing relationship with astrono...
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Women Remember (entitled Christina Lake in first edition)

  (time 4:04) Big Ideas: Educators are encouraged to focus on four dominant themes throughout their planning and study of the story Women Remember . The themes integral to the story are 1) critical thinking; 2) memory and remembering; 3) civil discourse; and 4) leadership. The following are suggestions and information that will assist educators in meeting their learning objectives for their students. Backgrounder: Teachers are encouraged to read the summaries and reflections found in the book Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way that reference and relate to this story. Several important topics and concepts are mentioned, such as: Additional information on how this story came to be; inca ʔl ί wm , people of Inchelium; Stories pull people back to their existence on the land; The Entwined Tree – a symbol of home, connection, and belonging to the landscape; Colonial dominance – forced border crossing and exile of the Sinixt, a violent manifestatio...
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