A collaborative team effort brought the craft of moccasin making and the moccasin’s cultural significance to Biidaaban students from Early Learning to Grade 8.
As part of the Rock Your Mocs Week and Day on November 15th – a recognized day on Turtle Island to celebrate Indigenous Peoples and their culture – a lot of time, organization, thought, and effort went into making the school-wide activity meaningful for the students. Colleen Toulouse, Sagamok Education’s Manager of Student Support Program Coordinators, researched the celebration of the day and Anishinaabe-specific styles, supplies, and methods of making historically accurate moccasins. The team, including Carol Bob (Language and Culture Teacher), Michael Abitong (Land-Based Learning Coordinator), and several other teachers, provided direction and support, devising lesson plans that were age and grade-level appropriate. They brainstormed designs and materials required for each grade level to construct a moccasin, while being true to historical designs and materials used by Anishinaabe. Images of moccasins ranging from 1850 to 1950s were purchased online from the Minnesota Historical Society and laminated for use as a teaching tool within the classroom. These are a few of the styles designed and made by Anishinaabe:
While simple in design, these moccasins reflect the people, their practices, and the piece of Mother Earth they inhabited. During her classroom discussions, Carol Bob mentioned these points of interest. Our people conserved leather, demonstrating they were cautious to use only what they needed. The soft, functional moccasin was thin and light, allowing the wearer to have a personal connection to the land and tread softly on Mother Earth to cause the least disturbance and destruction of her resources. The decorations usually found on the toe section were also simpler in design – not flashy – because the Anishinaabe people utilized what was available to them, which historically was not beads but rather small stones, pieces of wood or bone, and porcupine quills. Flowers, blueberries, or roots were used to create colours for more detailed decorations. The colours represented various Clans, and pictures were used instead of words to tell the stories of this region and these Clans.
While the students learned about the teachings shared by Miss Bob, she also imparted a special message. It is one that comes from the Seven Grandfather Teachings, in which the children received a full day of instruction on, Wednesday of that week. She spoke about zaagidwin – love, and how the mothers and women make moccasins of the clans for their families to use for comfort and purpose. Significant time and love are put into making these for their families. Students were getting first-hand experience of just how much effort went into the entire process. Miss Bob said to the class, “We should wear them (moccasins) every day. Each person has their own story because of the path they walk. That is where the term ‘walking softly’ comes from,” she shared.
Miss Bob also gave instructions about the language used around moccasins:
· Swegin – hide
· Sovah – sinew
· Jabiiginewin – needle
· Waaskonesan – flower
· Enaandegan – colours
She shared about dodems – clan symbols – such as maang(loon), jiijaag (crane), mahiingan (wolf), makwa (bear), migizi (eagle) andgiigoonh (fish). She also shared teachings on the medicine wheel.
The children in Early Learning and primary grades were given a kit that included wooden cutouts of the essential parts of forming a moccasin: the sole, the boot part that covers the foot and the lacing/sinew to join the two parts together. There were pre-drilled holes in the wooden sample to give the youngest students a chance to practice sewing and forming the sections together. The intermediate and senior grades were given leather cutouts - made by many teachers, including Mike Abitong (Land Based ResourceTeacher), Allison Abitong (SSERT Coordinator), Stephanie Sonnenburg (LiteracyResource Teacher) and Mark Aizenburg (Math Resource Teacher). Over the course of the week leading up to Rock Your Mocs - they devoted their time, effort, and love into drawing out the patterns on prepared leather, cutting out the pieces for each student in the class, and punching holes around the perimeter of the sole and top to enable students to stitch the sections together and decorate them personally during class time. Mark Aizenburg provided math lessons on symmetry and patterns, and provided teachers with resources and activities to do in their classrooms. One of the activities was the integer moccasin game in grades 7 and 8.
Rock Your Mocs week included immersive teaching on the ways of Anishinaabe, stories of historical presence, and honourable traditions. Biidaaban students benefitted from this hands-on learning experience, and it was a wonderful week-long celebration of Rock Your Mocs.
