In mid-November, Riverside Public School (RPS) held an assembly to recognize Treaties Recognition Week. The assembly was hosted by teachers, Ruth Cassie and Meghan deLagran, who both have taken the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) part one and two courses.
During the assembly students, staff, and community members sat in a circle and gathered their minds together as one with a Mohawk welcome song. Afterwards, they learned how wampum belts and beads are made, the promises they convey, and how to care for them. In particular, participants learned about the two-row wampum, and the responsibilities we all have as Treaty people.
After the assembly, classrooms were provided with additional resources to explore Treaties further — their meaning, purpose, and the responsibilities we all have toward upholding them. Students were then invited to draw a picture on purple and white paper of what they now understand about Treaties to create a school-wide wampum belt, which is on display in the RPS front hallway and proudly portrays a student body’s growing knowledge of Treaties.
