Connecting with Indigenous Stories and Culture
Press Release
June is National Indigenous History Month. Throughout the year across Burnaby Schools there are many learning opportunities and examples of honouring Indigenous stories, teachings, and celebrating culture through ceremony.
This National Indigenous History Month, Lochdale Community School will have a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Deluge Mural Project and honour the work, which was done under the guidance of Squamish Nation Elder and artist Latash Nahanee. The project began in January when Elder Nahanee and Delgum’ha Delhia Nahanee worked with students to share the story and teachings of the Deluge, which is based on a Squamish legend. The work is a gift to the school community that carries teachings of the land, story, and relationship. Indigenous youth helped shape the project with their leadership, creativity, and excitement. The painting will be part of a mural wall that highlights connection to the land and community. Students at nearby Burnaby Mountain Secondary created wooden salmon for the wall that the elementary students will paint. The mural stands as a shared story, reflecting the power people hold when working together. The Deluge Mural Project has intentional imagery that reflects the importance of community, shared responsibility, and belonging.
During the first week of June, Stride Avenue Community School students had a visit from sibling Powwow dancers and cultural educators Chelsei and Noah Gray, who are Coast Salish and come from Sq’éwlets, as well as the Quw’utsun First Nations. They taught the children about dance style, regalia education, and the students got to try Powwow dancing. Chelsei and Noah also treated the students to a performance.
About 800 students from across the District attended special screenings of a documentary called Saints and Warriors that features a graduate from Alpha Secondary. The film follows alumnus Desi Collinson and his teammates as they prepare for the All Native Basketball Tournament. The documentary, which is streaming on Crave, celebrates the relationship between basketball and Haida resilience. Students had the chance to participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening of the film. It was moderated by Desi’s former high school coach, Wayne Best who is now the Safe Schools Specialist at Burnaby Central Secondary. The two screenings took place on April 14 at the Michael J Fox and Burnaby North Secondary theatres.
In May, Lakeview Elementary shared that every class at the school has been exploring ha7lh kwákway̓el, “Greeting of the Day” teachings, with students saying it is calming – grounding their day in a happy way. At Alpha Secondary, youth paused to read and learn about Red Dress Day through poignant displays honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited People.
Over at Inman Elementary a Grade 1/2 French Immersion class created art inspired by Métis artist Christi Belcourt. The students presented it in March to visiting Métis Dancers as a gift for sharing culture with the school community. At Buckingham Elementary during a learning exploration in the spring, Grade 2s and 3s were inspired by Northwest Coast Indigenous art and depicted salmon.
In the winter, art students at Alpha Secondary worked with the school’s Indigenous Youth Engagement Worker. They explored and expressed their love for and connection to the land through a collaborative art piece that now hangs in the school.
In January, children at Twelfth Avenue Elementary retold an Indigenous trickster tale about Coyote and the Bluebirds – a tale of how the animals got their colours. The class used story to make explorations in music both meaningful and memorable.
Students at University Highlands Elementary worked with Tsleil-Waututh weaver, Caitlin Aleck on an Indigenous art piece that reflects the school’s story and values. Included are symbols chosen by the students to represent the land, learning, and community. As each student added their strand, they contributed their voice to a collective story. In November the school shared a display with the weave and its story at the front entrance, which welcomes all who enter and serves as a beautiful reminder that everyone belongs at University Highlands.
Read About More Opportunities in Burnaby Schools to Explore Indigenous Education
Learning Through Indigenous Teachings and Honouring Culture – Multiple Stories
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