Treaty 7 - day 4 Treaty Days

Mindfulness Activity

Trivia question: When is Orange Shirt Day?

a) December 30th
b) August 30th
C) September 30th

Mindfulness Activity:

• Imagine that your pointer finger is a candle.
• Hold up your candle, take a deep breath in, then blow out the candle on your finger for as long as you can.
• Notice how your breath fills up your belly when you breathe in.

Homemade Beads

Supplies:

• Glossy magazine pages
• Scissors
• Wooden skewer or stick
• Glue
• Yarn or string

Groups of Indigenous people make beads from all types of materials like shells, bones or stones. Now, there are also ceramic and glass beads. They have been used throughout history to decorate clothes and make jewelry. Different groups of people use different patterns and designs.

• Help your child cut long triangle shapes out of the pages of a gloss magazine. Use pages that are the most colorful if possible.
• Roll the triangle strips around a wooden skewer or stick (so that the hole in the middle is all the same size) and glue the tip down at the end. Let them dry.
• Thread the beads onto a piece of string or yarn to make a bracelet or necklace.

Guessing Sticks

Supplies:

• 2 small objects like jacks or marbles
• 3 sticks or similar objects

Watch the Guessing Stick video

For this activity, connect with a family member or friend over a video chat like Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, etc.

The main object of this game is to trick your opponent.

• Have your child hide the small object in their left or right hand behind their back.
• Show the guesser both closed hands.
• The guesser tries to guess which hand the object is in.
  • If the guesser is correct, they win the small object and the roles are switched.
  • If the guesser is wrong, the hider wins a stick and gets to hide the object again.
• First person to win all 3 sticks wins.

Observing Treaty 7 Land

Treaty 7 land runs through Southern Alberta and all over Calgary. Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park is the site where Treaty 7 was signed. Learn more about what the treaty means by taking a virtual tour of Blackfoot Crossing.

• Take a walk with your child in your community to appreciate Treaty 7 land.
• Talk about and appreciate the environment and landscape.
• Observe plants and vegetation that live in the community. Do you recognize any plants?
• Look for animals and insects that share the space.
• Make a list of everything you see. Share with your family what you observed on Treaty 7 land.

On your walk, please follow these guidelines for safe social distancing.

• Observe physical distancing; leave at least six feet, or two metres, between yourself and people who do not live in your immediate household.
• Step off the pathway when approaching others. Both parties should do this.
• Don't drive to a park, including off leash areas. Congested parking lots increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.
• If the park or pathway you go to is busy, leave and go to a less crowded area.
• Limit touching benches, trash cans or other hard surfaces.
• Wash your hands after touching surfaces.
• When cycling, share the trail and warn others as you pass. A bicycle bell is mandatory.

Review Questions

Ask your child:

• What did you find surprising about the buoyancy of your canoe when you put it in the water?
• Why do you think the canoe was important to the way of life for some Indigenous Peoples?
• How can you share what you learned with others?

Mindfulness Trivia Answer

Answer: C) September 30th. This is a day when we remember Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada and learn more about the history of those schools.

Mindfulness Activity

Trivia question: Before Europeans arrived, how many different First Nations lived in the area we now know as Alberta?

Mindfulness Activity:

• Act out what it looks like to eat too fast.
• How about eating too slowly?
• Now try eating just right.
• How do you choose the right amount of energy?

Indigenous Art

Supplies:

• Paper
• Pencil or pen
• Markers/pencil crayons/crayons

Look at the different Indigenous artists and installations that were featured in 2018 and 2019. Have your child choose one Indigenous artist whose work is impactful to them. This can be based on the artist biography, or the piece of art they created.

Have them draw a picture of the artist and add important information like:

• Artist's name
• Birth place
• Indigenous Nation they are from
• What type of art they make (mural, sculpture, paint)
• The name of a piece of art the artist created
• What do you like about this piece of Art? What do you think it means?

Create a Storybook

Supplies:

• Paper
• Markers/Pencils/Crayons

Watch the Create a Storybook video

The Niitsitapi people (Blackfoot) teach children about their history and culture through stories. Many of these stories are very old and explain how the spirits of plants and animals have helped them survive.

These stories have important messages that explain how Niitsitapi people should behave. They also show the result of not acting properly. Traditionally, stories are told in the evenings when children are calm and can pay attention to their meanings.

Read the following story. On a blank piece of paper, draw and colour 4 images to illustrate the story.

Story: Makoyoohsokoyi (The Wolf Trail)

Makoyiwa, the wolves, were some of the first Earth Beings to help us. One winter, when our people were starving, a young man and his family were camped by themselves as they searched for food. The wolves found the family and appeared to them as young men bringing fresh meat to the lodge. The wolves took this family with them, showing the man how to cooperate with other people when he hunted buffalo and other animals. The wolves introduced the people to the other animals in their world. The human beings learned that animals with hooves and horns were all right to eat, but that animals with paws and claws should be left alone.

The wolves disappeared in the spring, but we still see them in the sky as makoiyohsokoyi, the Wolf Trail (the Milky Way). These stars constantly remind us of how we should live together.

For more stories like this one, visit the Glenbow Museum's website.

Hoop Dancer Paint

Supplies:

• Paint
• Toilet paper roll
• Paper
• Markers/Pencils/Crayons

Watch the film "Dancers of the Grass".

Have your child use the dancer in the film for inspiration to draw a hoop dancer with arms open.

Colour or paint the dancer.

Pour paint into a tray or plate. Press the toilet paper tube into the paint. Use the toilet paper roll to stamp hoops onto the dancer you drew.

*Photos taken by Calgary Neighbourhoods

Review Questions

Ask your child:

• What did you like about the film Dancers of the Grass?
• Why do you think Indigenous art is important?
• How can you support Indigenous art?

Mindfulness Trivia Answer

Trivia answer: 9

Mindfulness Activity

Trivia Question: Grizzly bears can: (See answer below)

A. Live up to 60 years.
B. Remember faces and other bears.
C. Hold their breath for 10 minutes at a time.

Mindfulness activity:

• Notice your energy level. Is it low? Medium? High?
• Do 10 jumping jacks as fast as you can.
• Now how much energy do you have? Did it change?

Guessing Sticks

Supplies:

• 2 small objects like jacks or marbles
• 3 sticks or similar objects

Watch the Guessing Stick video

For this activity, connect with a family member or friend over a video chat like Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, etc.

The main object of this game is to trick your opponent.

• Have your child hide the small object in their left or right hand behind their back.
• Show the guesser both closed hands.
• The guesser tries to guess which hand the object is in.
  • If the guesser is correct, they win the small object and the roles are switched.
  • If the guesser is wrong, the hider wins a stick and gets to hide the object again.
• First person to win all 3 sticks wins.

Observing Treaty 7 Land

Treaty 7 land runs through Southern Alberta and all over Calgary. Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park is the site where Treaty 7 was signed. Learn more about what the treaty means by taking a virtual tour of Blackfoot Crossing.

• Take a walk with your child in your community to appreciate Treaty 7 land.
• Talk about and appreciate the environment and landscape.
• Observe plants and vegetation that live in the community. Do you recognize any plants?
• Look for animals and insects that share the space.
• Make a list of everything you see. Share with your family what you observed on Treaty 7 land.

On your walk, please follow these guidelines for safe social distancing.

• Observe physical distancing; leave at least six feet, or two metres, between yourself and people who do not live in your immediate household.
• Step off the pathway when approaching others. Both parties should do this.
• Don't drive to a park, including off leash areas. Congested parking lots increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.
• If the park or pathway you go to is busy, leave and go to a less crowded area.
• Limit touching benches, trash cans or other hard surfaces.
• Wash your hands after touching surfaces.
• When cycling, share the trail and warn others as you pass. A bicycle bell is mandatory.

Ring the Stick

Supplies:

• One stick (about 45 cm long)
• One ring (you can use lids to plastic containers or another stick that is bendable)
• String (about 45 cm long) - attach one end to the stick and the other end to the ring.

This is a traditional game for many groups of Indigenous people. It is a way to practice hand–eye coordination. This game can also be used to resolve conflicts, or when there is a tie in a game.

• Start with the ring on the floor and the stick in your hand.
• Flick the stick with your wrist to make the ring fly up into the air.
• Try to catch the ring with the stick.
• Count one point every time you catch the ring with the stick. Can you catch it 5 times? 10 times? Can you catch it 5 times in a row? For an extra challenge, switch to a smaller ring.

Review Questions

• Why do you think it is important to recognize/celebrate Treaty Days?
• Should everyone celebrate Treaty Days? Why?
• Are there any events that you celebrate but your friends do not?

Mindfulness Trivia Answer

Answer: B) Remember faces and other bears.​​​