A Grade 3 student at Barr Colony sniffs some cedar passed around by Danae Bruce, an Indigenous coach at LPSD who led a presentation on smudging during Métis Week studies. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
The kids’ version of smudging rolled into Barr Colony School during Métis awareness week in the Lloydminster Public School Division (LPSD).
A Grade 3 class taught by Noah Mather soaked up the easy-to-understand hands-on presentation and outdoor ceremony led by LSPD Indigenous coach Danae Bruce.
She was helped by some Small Fires Mentorship students from Lloydminster Comprehensive High School who study an Indigenous Mentorship 30 credit course.
“This course, along with our mentorship program, is designed to engage and connect First Nations, Métis, and Inuit and non-Indigenous students through culturally-based programming,” explained Bruce.
“We go to the school and we share our culture with other students.”
Grade 10 mentorship students Lance Moosuk, Dayzha Dustyhorn and Sienna Spence were excited to share their knowledge with the Barr Colony youngsters.
“We’re hoping to teach them all about Indigenous culture and teach them the medicines and how to use them, what they are for and what they can do,” said Spence.
“I really like teaching kids for them to get a better understanding.”
By definition, smudging is traditionally a ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts about a person or place.
One of the quick learners was a Grade 3 boy named Liam. He said everything stood out for him about the presentation of what smudging is about, and one thing in particular.
“I learned there is more than one thing you can use smudging for,” he said.
Bruce and her Small Fires students provide a lot more to think about before everyone headed outside to practice what they learned.
“Smudging is a tradition. It’s common to many First Nations people and Métis. It involves the burning of one or more medicines,” said Bruce.
She says the four sacred medicines are cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco, and passed around samples for students to experience the fragrances.
A student name Brooke didn’t know what to make of the scents, especially after sniffing the cedar.
“It smells weird. I’ve never smelled any kind of plant before because I feel like it’s weird,” she said in kidspeak.
Bruce told the class smudging is a holistic way of living and not a religious practice that encourages people to ground themselves and stay connected.
“Generally, as a smudging, they are cleansing the air around them as well as their minds so they have good thoughts about others,” she said.
Bruce says this includes their eyes “so they only see good things in others, their ears, so they only hear good things about others and their mouths, so they only speak well of others” with their being and their actions.
Mather hoped he could learn how to run a smudge for other teachers, staff and students in the future, with Métis culture top of mind during the education week.
He said Elder Shirley Gervais came to the school earlier in the week to talk a little about Métis history and what growing up Métis was like for her as well during an LPSD speaking tour.
