Literacy Practices and Assessment

A raven landed

On the shell of humankind;

“Not today,” it said.

But this is not the

story. And it’s not for me

to re-write this past.

First Nations people living in the Pacific Northwest relied heavily on canoes to navigate the Pacific Ocean and its many tributaries. Canoes were used as the only means of ocean travel, as well as in warfare and fishing.

As a Physical Education teacher, I can appreciate how an aboriginal perspective can be integrated into my classes through place based and experiential learning. Activities like canoeing, kayaking, dragon boating and fishing can give the students an opportunity to not only learn about First Nations culture, but can also provide a context in which to engage with nature. While not all schools have the ability to do these types of activities due to their physical location, schools in cities such as Squamish, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Delta and Tsawwassen have both a First Nations culture, as well as the environment in which to engage in meaningful learning.

It was the time before the dawn of digital era,
When codes were still codes and 0 and 1s were still zero and ones.

Spirits, of course, already existed in the world of codes,
For they have always existed.

No people were aware of their existence though,
For people were busy…busy at deceiving and hurting each other using the codes.

People ended their conflict after the light was dropped from the sky,
The light as bright as the sun, although it did not bring life but death.

The era of anxiety came after the era of pain,
But people started to long for peace.

People started to use the codes not for conflict,
But for sharing knowledge and telling each other stories.

People started embracing the creations of those who were once their enemy,
Among these were the codes capable of giving laughter to children.

The codes now connect different people and different lands,
Across the deepest of ocean and over the tallest of mountain.

Spirits, or course, still existed in the world of codes,
For they have always existed and always will.

No people are aware of their existence though,
For people are busy…busy at deceiving and hurting each other using the codes.

Inspired by Inherent Rights, Vision Rights (1991-1992) Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun

“Hey! Come check out the title of this painting!”
“What is it?”
“’Fucking Creeps They’re Environmental Terrorists’!”
“Wow! I’m going to take a picture of it.”

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun’s exhibition “Unceded Territories” is meant to cause reaction and dialogue. In the case of this painting, unapologetically titled “Fucking Creeps They’re Environmental Terrorists”, the painting causes a visceral reaction in the viewer. The title is certainly striking, but so are the colours and the clear predatory nature of the oil executives that are represented in this painting. Two of the men in business suits have sinister heads with forked tongues. The third man clearly alludes to the massive and devastating BP oil spill of 2010. Anger is clear in this painting. However, I think that this piece must be viewed as part of the whole exhibit. Not only does Yuxweluptun portray his anger through his painting, the sorrow he feels for Aboriginal peoples is evident in other works. Paintings that depict a scorched earth, a clear cut forest, a broken sky, all point to the real and lasting effects of colonialism and environmental terrorism. People and land have been affected. While we can take a picture of a painting, where do we go from there?

Here I stand, displayed and naked, placed on a pedestal for your enjoyment, with a date and a name at my feet, but you do not know me. The eyes that look at me have no concern for my flesh, are unmoved by my blood. Yet, if you could reach out and touch me, would you feel where I am from, would you sense the Earth in my bones? This glass separates us from communion. If only you could run your rough fingers over my curves and come to understand the blade that shaped me, perhaps I could come to know your hands and trust them. How I wish we could meet beyond this separation.

If we could know each other, would we envy one another less? Would I find peace in my stationary existence? Would you find reason to return your heart to the wild? I see it in your eyes, those empty eyes that seek my permanence, they yearn to know my kind of beauty. I am forever unmoved. Long after your skin withers, I will still be here performing this silent, still dance. You are fleeting, and ephemeral and I wonder what it feels like to be disappearing. I am captured. You are free. So why, dear stranger, do you spend your time looking at me?