Today, students from Mrs. Broesky’s class got the opportunity to participate in a Blanket Exercise.
The Blanket Exercise begins with blankets arranged on the floor to represent Canada before the arrival of European explorers and settlers. The participants, who represent Indigenous peoples, begin by moving around on the blankets. While a narrator reads from a script, other participants – representing the Europeans or newcomers – join and begin to interact with those on the blankets. As the script traces the history of the relationship between Europeans and Indigenous nations in Canada, the participants respond to various cues and interact by reading prepared scrolls. At the end of the exercise only a few people remain on the blankets, which have been folded into small bundles and cover only a fraction of their original area.
This is a continuation from Orange Shirt Day when students were introduced to Reconciliation and Residential Schools. It is important that we all learn the stories of indigenous culture, residential schools and colonization. This, in itself, is a great beginning to reconciliation.
MMS has many books available to all of our students to learn more about indigenous culture and residential schools. This past week the CBC aired the Chanie Wenjack story. To watch The Secret Path film and Road to Reconciliation panel now please click here: https://www.cbc.ca/beta/arts/secretpath/gord-downie-s-secret-path-airs-on-cbc-october-23-1.3802197. It is worth the watch and will give you insight into the reconciliation process. The Secret Path will be available in our Library soon.
in: General