Published in the May 1, 2013 issue of the Interlake Enterprise, by Teresa Carey…
(L-R) Kim Byron, Director; Myrna Lavallee, Assistant Director & Outreach Worker; Debbie Lavallee, Artist & Advisory Board Member; Patsy Millar, Chairperson & Advisory Board Elder
Families and teachers will soon have access to an invaluable language and culture resource, thanks to the Louis Riel Institute and the advisory board of the St. Laurent Aboriginal Head Start Program.
Advisory board members were asked to take part in a project that would help promote Metis culture and the Metis language for children, specifically the Michis French language, which was the original language spoken by the Metis settlers of this area.
“There’s very little resource for the Michis language, and what is out there is Michis Cree,” said Myrna Lavallee, the centre’s assistant director and outreach worker.
The Michis Cree dialect is not spoken in this region, however, the Michis French language still is. It is spoken by many elders who want to make sure it is preserved for future generations, but the language has never been written down.
Lavallee explained that the target of much of the current resource materials available is grade school students with a background in Metis culture. She believes however, that this education needs to happen earlier–in preschool and in Head Start programs. The new resource was created with younger learners in mind.
The children enrolled at the St. Laurent Aboriginal Head Start program, all four-year-olds, participated in the creation of this project. Their drawings are included in booklets that will be part of six teaching modules. The children also appear in an accompanying DVD which shows them taking part in various Metis-themed activities, such as going out onto Lake Manitoba with a Bombardier in the winter for ice fishing, baking bannock, and learning about muskrats from one of the parents who came into the centre with pelts.
Head Start Chairperson, elder and former teacher, Patsy Millar, headed up the development of booklets.
“It was a difficult task writing the books because it never has been written before,” said Millar who explained that she had to develop word spellings based on phonetics.
The six booklets contain short sentences in three languages, Michis French, Michis Cree and English, and are accompanied by flash cards. Each centres around a theme taken from the Metis culture, including Bannock Making, Fishing, Frogs, Duck Hunting, Deer Hunting, and Trapping Muskrats.
This resource will be added to resource library at the Louis Riel Institute and will be available for purchase for only $20.00, making this an affordable resource for families to use in their homes. It will be available by the end of May.
Another important aspect of this project is its visual arts component. Millar asked local artist and advisory board member, Debbie Lavallee, to paint a mural of six paintings to go along with each of the booklets. Lavallee agreed, with the stipulation that the painting remain on display the St. Laurent Head Start Centre.
“I am very honoured for being asked. The creativity is back in me,” Lavallee said.
What she created was a 4 ft. by 8 ft. painting with the six themes from each teaching unit. Lavallee used a drop cloth as her canvas and went through countless bottles of acrylics over the six to eight week period it took her to complete the mural.
“That was my first mural,” said Lavallee. “It was quite an experience. I was scared because I had never painted a person before.”
Lavallee did the research for the individual paintings. She said her biggest challenge was in figuring out how to do the layout and choosing the colours to fit the Metis culture.
“It was a great learning experience. I was in my own little world,” she said.
The mural was officially hung on Apr. 26 at the St. Laurent Aboriginal Head Start Centre, located adjacent to the St. Laurent Recreation Centre.
The public can drop by to see it but must first sign in. Contact the director Kim Byron at (204) 646-2565 to set up an appointment.
The St. Laurent Aboriginal Head Start Centre serves the communities of St. Laurent, Oak Point, St. Ambroise, Lake Francis and Woodlands. The program focuses on improving the quality of life for aboriginal families by offering positive, contemporary and traditional teachings. Their program also provides community members with information and teachings that will enhance their aboriginal pride.
The purpose of the culture and language component is to give children a positive sense of themselves as Aboriginal children and them to build on their knowledge of their Aboriginal heritage, in addition to offering them an opportunity to learn the language of their ancestors.
