June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, and in the Preschool 2 at RisingOaks Early Learning | Oak Creek, we have been busy learning about the unique experiences, cultures, traditions, stories, achievements, and artifacts of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. We’ve added some great books to our classroom written by Canadian Indigenous authors and illustrated by Canadian Indigenous artists.
The children have taken a particular interest in the tall, carved, colourful wooden poles created by Indigenous peoples, primarily in Western Canada. We learned that these are called “Totem Poles”. The children have had many meaningful inquiries about the process of creating totem poles. We learned that totem poles are carved out of cedar wood using various tools. We learned that totem poles range in height, and are often painted with traditional colours that hold significant cultural meaning. We learned that totem poles often depict animals, historical figures, and mythological beings. We learned that totem poles are visual narratives, and tell stories of family histories, origin clans, and significant events.
The children were particularly curious about the animals that they noticed on some of the totem pole images that we researched. We dove deeper into this exploration as we learned about the most common animals carved into totem poles, and the significance that they hold. The children created their own animals using paint and paper shapes, and when they are dry we plan to build a collaborative classroom totem pole. We used traditional paint colours, learning about the symbolic meaning behind each colour as we worked. Our learning and research has just begun, and we look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of Canadian Indigenous culture through hands on learning experiences as co-learners alongside the children.
