CONNECTION IS BACK WITH OUR FIRST FALL EDITION OF 2023!
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT FAMILIES & CAREGIVERS WITH ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES SO CAREGIVERS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT INDIGENOUS CULTURE ALONG WITH THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THEIR CARE.
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PLEASE LET OTHERS KNOW THEY CAN SUBSCRIBE HERE | |
October Is Foster and Kinship Caregiver Appreciation Month | | |
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THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!
ALIGN Association appreciates your ongoing interest in accessing cultural awareness resources to support children & youth in broadening their knowledge, connections to and understanding of their culture and traditions.
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For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples had traditions of celebrating the bountiful fall harvest by hunting, gathering, feasting, prayer, & dance.
This October, our Spotlight is Autumn!
Learn more about Indigenous culture in the Fall with language learning and links to great Indigenous fall activities, books, games, puzzles, coloring pages, recipes, events and more!
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Traditional Language - Word for Autumn
Blackfoot - o’ko vii
Cree - anohcitakwâkin
Inuit - Ukiassaaq
Metis - taķwâķin
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October's full Moon corresponds with the time of harvest and natures changing landscape
Tradition October Moon Names
• Harvest Moon
• Leaves Turning Moon
• Mating Moon
• Moon of Brown Leaves
• Rutting Moon
• Yellow Leaf Moon
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Children’s Book Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbell
Winner of the Anskohk Aboriginal Children's Book of the Year Award. Finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Ruth Schwartz Award. In just four days, young Shi-shi-etko will have to leave her family and all that she knows to attend residential school. She spends her last days at home treasuring the beauty of her world... View Here
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Childrens Book - Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know by Brittany Luby
An Anishinaabe child and her grandmother explore the natural wonders of each season in this lyrical, bilingual story-poem. In this lyrical story-poem, written in Anishinaabemowin and English, a child and grandmother explore their surroundings, taking pleasure in the familiar sights that each new season brings, like fall, when bears feast before hibernation and forest mushrooms are ripe for harvest.
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Berry Picking in the Fall (English/Inuktitut)
Let’s go berry picking!
Follow a family as they go berry picking on a fall day in Nunavut. Bilingual: English and Inuktitut. Books in this series are intended for infants and very young children and are designed to help children develop physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills.
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With this wonderful fall weather, take some time and play some traditional games! | |
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Blackfoot Sticks in Fist Game Excerpt from Building Brains Together
The game is played with 10 sticks cut to fit in a fist. One is marked on the bottom. One player holds the sticks, hiding the marked stick facing downward. The other player (s) guesses which stick does not have the mark. A record of the number of draws before picking the marked stick is noted. The player who draws the most, or all 9 sticks without a mark is the winner. View Here
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Métis Digital Scavenger Hunt
A fun and interactive activity for both students and young learners to explore Métis Crossing from their own homes! Simply follow the instructions to start the game and learn more about Métis culture and history!
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“Mikan” is a video game adaptation of the Anishinaabe version of a traditional “moccasin game.” “Mikan” players click on moccasins to find birch bark carvings of tools and belongings related to harvesting wild rice. | |
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FALL TRADITIONAL FOODS & RECIPES | |
What better indoor fall activity than cooking some traditional food together! | |
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Fall harvests always included an abundance of berries like saskatoon berries and choke cherries. It is also a time for hunting and preparing a winter food supply. Animals including bison/buffalo, deer, prairie chickens, otters, beavers, rabbits, ducks, geese and more remain traditional favourites. In addition, fishing for spawning fish like whitefish or salmon is still an important part of the fall harvest.
Smoked Meat Bannock Pizza from Kid Food Nation! Fast and easy to make! Prep time: 25 min Bake time: 20 min Serves: 6 to 8
Berry Bannock Bread Pudding
Keep this recipe in your back pocket anytime you have leftover bannock. The texture of the bread lends itself beautifully to a sweet and comforting bread pudding...
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Check This Out!
ALIGN's Online Jigsaw puzzles spotlighting Indigenous Foods!
The best thing about jigsaw puzzles is that they require you to slow down and look at all the details as you piece the whole picture together. In a fast moving world filled with photos and graphics this is an opportunity for children, youth and adults to relax and appreciate the details of the traditional regalia, food, animals, teepees, totem poles and more!
(For more categories of jigsaw puzzles for tiny tots, teens and adults visit ALIGN's Jigsaw Puzzle Main Page)
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FALL BUFFALO HUNT
Buffalo was not only the main food source for many Indigenous nations, but they were also the source of much-needed raw materials to make tools, clothing, sewing needles, cutlery, candles, arrowheads, teepee covers, and so much more
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Buffalo Beef Stew
What's better on those chilly fall days than a bowl of stew, and maybe even better if that stew is made with Buffalo! Bison was (and is!) a significant resource for Indigenous peoples in Canada and in the wide-open prairies. Celebrate the bison by giving this hearty buffalo stew at home a try. Don’t forget to serve it with some delicious bannock on the side.
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If you've never tried Buffalo meat learn more here at 5 Reasons to try Buffalo Meat | |
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ALIGN ASSOCIATION
BUFFALO WORD SEARCH
Download and Print your Buffalo Word Search pdf and then find and circle all the words listed that represent the buffalo and its uses to Indigenous people. If you can't find them all, use the
Answer Key pdf
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Easy Native American Corn Husk Doll Tutorial & Story Your Kids’ Will Love! | |
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Corn plays a major role in both the food and religious aspects of Native cultures. At harvest time, these dolls were made by a number of Indigenous groups across the Americas.
Video Animation- Legend of the Corn Husk Doll This retelling of a centuries-old Native American Iroquois legend teaches young learners about the temptations of vanity. Your kiddos will love this storytime video about staying humble and mindful when it comes to our tasks and responsibilities.
Video - Corn Husk Dolls Tutorial (The Tattooed Momma)
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Stencils – Fall Art Activities
Suitable for your crafting activities, and you could colour or draw on paper or cardboard with them; in addition, they are also fit for many other planes, such as glass, wood, canvas, furniture, fabric and so on, or you could accompany your children to spend a happy family time on stencil handcrafts, as a way to enhance their hands-on ability See All Stencils
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APPLY NOW!
The Métis Nation of Alberta Sports and Recreation grant for fees and equipment is now open! The Sports and Recreation grant is for MNA Citizens between the ages of 5-17. Receipts must be dated between November 30, 2022-August 15, 2023. Learn More & Apply Here
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REGISTER NOW!
First Shift Program
Do you have a child aged 6-10 years who is ready to fall in love with hockey? The NHL/NHLPA First Shift program is designed to ensure a positive experience for new-to-hockey families by offering a low-cost entry program to hockey offered across Alberta in the winter.
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Pre-Order Spirit Bear's Guide to Reconciliation Calendar 2024
Métis Nation of Alberta Scholarship
Each year, the Métis Nation of Alberta provides scholarships to reward outstanding academic achievement. Scholarships are open to Métis students pursuing post-secondary education. Scholarship recipients receive both monetary rewards and recognition during the November Métis Week celebration. Deadline October 31, 2023
Inuit Day (International) – November 7
Inuit Day is a celebration set up to acknowledge and celebrate Inuit culture and contributions, but most importantly, to affirm the voices of Inuit across the circumpolar world. At the 2006 Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) General Assembly in Barrow, Alaska, November 7th was proclaimed as Inuit Day to honour the birth date of ICC founder Eben Hopson. Hopson was one of the Arctic’s greatest leaders who called on Inuit from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka to work together in order to defend Inuit Rights and to make certain no Inuit community is left behind as change and development increases in the Arctic.
National Aboriginal Veterans Day - November 8, 2023
It is a time to remember and commemorate the contributions of Indigenous veterans in the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean War. Over 12,000 Indigenous peoples volunteered to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with Canadians in all three wars. First Nations, Inuit and Métis, enlisted despite not being eligible for conscription. Indigenous peoples were not eligible because they were not recognized as Canadian citizens and did not even have the right to vote until 1960.
14 Facts You May Not Know About Contributions of Indigenous Veterans
Annual Métis Week celebrations November 13 to 19. 2023
Métis Week celebrates the heritage, history and contributions of Métis people to Alberta and Canada with events held across the province.
Louis Riel Day is held every year on November 16
Across the Métis homeland. November 16 is the anniversary of Riel’s execution in 1885. During that year, Riel led Métis people in the Northwest Resistance, which was a stand against the Government of Canada because it was encroaching on Metis rights and our way of life. The Métis were defeated at the siege of Batoche, and the Canadian government captured Riel. He was eventually put on trial, where he was convicted of treason and executed. As a result, Métis people across Canada were labeled as traitors, and for generations, many felt the need to hide their Métis culture and heritage. Despite this oppression, many Métis people found a way to preserve their way of life and passed it on to current generations.
Knowing Our Spirits Conference 2023 Edmonton November 22 – 24, 2023 Knowing Our Spirits Conference focus is on Truth Reconciliation and healing and how this affects First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Education, Culture, Elders, Youth, Community Wellness, Aboriginal Language, Alternative Medicine, Humor, Residential School Issues, and Healing. It will feature activities like Massage Therapy, Arts & Crafts booths, etc.
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SUBMISSIONS - If you have cultural events, programs, activities or resources that you'd like to share or if you'd like to suggest newsletter content ideas or things you'd like to see more of, please send an email to [email protected]
Subject Line - CONNECTIONS SUBMISSION
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