JUNE 2021
SPOTLIGHT - MOTHER EARTH
With summer upon us, we all look forward to being outdoors; especially children and youth! This edition will Spotlight some fun activities and resources that can connect kids and caregivers to cultural traditions and the significance of the great outdoors and Mother Earth.
VISIT METIS CROSSING
Indigenous Tourism Alberta has a great idea for a fun filled outdoor cultural experience! Métis Crossing welcomes Summer visitors Friday, May 21, 2021.
Built on the original river lots of Métis settlers to this region in the late 1800s, Métis Crossing is home to Alberta’s first Métis cultural interpretive centre. Drop in for a cultural tour or camp in a replica fur trapper tent. For an immersive indigenous journey, book the Victoria Trail Voyageur Experience. You’ll take an interactive tour of Métis Crossing, including learning to set a beaver trap, sampling dried bison and dancing a Red River jig (it’s not a real Métis party until the jigging starts)...
OUTDOOR TRADITIONAL GAMES
Video - Native American Traditional Games – Every child and youth will love this the game Run & Scream especially after being stuck in the house with pandemic restrictions!. Watch this video to see how this easy, fun game is a stress reliever, great exercise and preparation for future singing – this is just one of several great outdoor games for kids and youth included in this excellent video.
Check out Spirit North Nature BINGO pdf - Get outside and explore! Challenge yourself to nature bingo! Check off the square as soon as you have found it in nature. Your challenge is to get a full-house (cross out every square). Do it by yourself or with someone you live with. This is just one of several activities available for free download.
Take A Nature Walk & Make A Teepee

Where does this word, teepee, come from? And am I spelling it correctly?
Indeed, there are other spellings... Learn more about the history of the Teepee and it's spelling at Sesquiotica

For every pole in a Cree tipi, there is a teaching. Do you know what they are? Find out here! 
ACTIVITY - Connect with Mother Earth and take a nature walk in search of twigs, branches (poles) for your teepee. See tutorials for all ages below.

Kids craft video tutorial for ages 6 - 12 Whispering Winds Video Native American Crafts For Kids - Tipi

For Tweens who likes to build models this is a great video tutorial Ed-Traditions Video How to Create a Miniature Teepee

For Teens - This Video Easy DIY Teepee from Under the Cee where Christine shows you how to build a DIY teepee in your backyard
ROCK ON!

EPL’s Indigenous 101 videos, which explain key elements of Indigenous culture. The first video on flint knapping (creating tools from rock) is available now, but stay tuned for more!
By giving voice to Alberta’s geological mosaic, Keith Diakiw, CD, P.Geo., celebrates human history, Indigenous cultures—and the rock-filled past that came before us all. An Alberta professional geologist and a Métis person, he wants you to put APEGA’s first century into a context measured in billions of years. Through Talking Rock Tours, his geo-educational hiking and sightseeing company, Keith is sharing his passion for rocks with out-of-province tourists and Albertans alike..

“Every rock and stone has a story to tell. This is science for the mind, stories from the heart, and the history of the land,” says Keith, who grew up in Hinton. “In the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings, I am doing my small part to help promote pre-1867 Canadian history by sharing stories of the past. My goal is to make the Alberta tourism scene even better, as well as conduct in-school workshops to inspire the next generation of Earth scientists.Learn More Here
SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAND
The speakers in these interviews reveal a spiritual relationship to Mother Earth.
Excerpt What does land mean to Aboriginal people? Non-Indigenous people and land owners might consider land as something they own, a commodity to be bought and sold, an asset to make profit from, but also a means to make a living off it or simply 'home' [1]. They 'develop' land, as if it was unfinished or raw. For Aboriginal people the relationship is much deeper...

Native-Land.ca  Interactive map allows you to see what the languages, traditional territories, and treaties in an area.
HONOURING MEMORIES
Missed It? ALIGN Honoring & Remembering the 215 Indigenous Children includes ALIGN message and helpful resources


Now, Indigenous people can connect with an Indigenous volunteer crisis responder, when available
Parliamentary Poet Laureate Louise B. Halfe-Sky Dancer has just released this poem, reflecting on the Kamloops atrocity.

All Canadian Will Benefit From Watching This 10 Minute Video.
Video - Childhood Denied FB Canadian Museum for Human Rights
It's not ancient history. The last Indian residential school closed in 1996 - in the lifetime of everyone 25 and older. This video provides an overview of the schools and the ongoing legacy of forced assimilation.
THE BOOKSHELF

Treaty Words: For As Long As the Rivers Flow (BOOK)Written by Aimée Craft Illustrated by Luke Swinson Annick Press 2021 Lesson and sharing about relationships with the land and water that Indigenous Peoples have and what a treaty really means.
INDIGENOUS MENTORING
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
CHECK IT OUT!
Congratulations to Trellis Indigenous Initiatives Team who have won the George Blondeau Indigenous Support and Awareness Builder Award from Bhayana Family Foundation & United Way of Calgary and Area! Check out more information on their Orange Shirt Day Celebrations September 29-30, 2021 and view purchase information and upcoming events.
Do you know a young Indigenous person whose art should be showcased?
Check out AMP'S Indigenous Art Contest! Open to Indigenous Alberta K-12 & Post-Secondary students and all forms of still visual art: photo, paint, drawing-you name it! All submissions will be featured on AMP’s website; winning submissions will also be featured on AMP’s Indigenous resources!
Learn More Here