Culture Camp bridges Native teaching gap (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

  CULTURE CAMP BRIDGES NATIVE TEACHING GAP

By Nate Traylor
Leader Staff
http://leaderadvertiser.com/articles/2005/06/29/news/news03.txt

  Valley teachers spent several days at Blue Bay campground this week, learning
Native languages and cultures at the Flathead Reservation Culture Camp as part
of the Leadership Development for Master Teachers Project funded by the
National Science Foundation.

  Every school district in the valley was represented as about 60 K-8 teachers
spent time with tribal elders, gaining knowledge from those who are deeply
connected with customs of the past in order to better help students in the
future. It was the third year the culture camp has been held.

  "Teachers will not only learn how to teach better, but they will be more
contextually responsive," explained program manager Gina Sievert.

  Using the valley's environment and culture, and integrating local issues like
air and water quality, land management, and timber practices into everyday
curriculum will not only enable Native American students to relate to their
studies, but it will also give other students a unique perspective on those
issues, she explained.

  Vernon Finley, Director of the Kootenai Language Curriculum Project for the
Kootenai Culture Committee, saw teachers expressing an interest in Native
American studies a few years back when he was invited to tell stories to Cherry
Valley students.

  "They were concerned that a significant part of the school's population was
being ignored," Finley said.

  After several visits to the school, he saw that his stories had a big
influence on the students.

  "They had [Kootenai] words that I had used in the story written on their
books and on the walls," he said.

  Since then, public schools were inviting elders to speak in classes, but the
students' exposure to tribal traditions "had nothing to do with curriculum and
it became kind of a stand-alone thing," Finley explained.

  "They [teachers] wanted to learn how to make it more meaningful," he said.

  When SKC came into a grant to fund the camp, interest started to grow, he
said.

  Teachers participated in activities led by elders such as beading, sewing,
plant identification and crafts.

  Elder Frances Vanderburg led a group through the campground and identified
various plants in her Native tongue. Vanderburg is a Salish Language teacher in
Arlee and also teaches botany.

  "It's been a long time coming," she said when asked about the inclusion of
Native traditions in public schools. "The resistance isn't as blatant as it was
when we were the minority in schools. The doors have been opening slowly."

  She attributes these recent efforts to new teachers who have come here
without prejudices.

  "I'm going to use this to talk about the knowledge the indigenous people
have," said Polson fifth grade teacher Charles Bertsch when asked how he plans
on using what he learned in the classroom.

  First grade Ronan teacher Sheila Hoback is going to have her students learn
Salish and Kootenai words for various animals. She estimates that 15 percent of
her students are Native American.

  Tim Ryan of Ancestral Skills and Technology Northwest taught his group how to
make cordage out of dogbane. After fibers are separated from bark, it can be
rolled into long strands of cord. Native people used the cord to make
everything from fishing wire to heavy duty rope, he explained.

  Ronan elementary teacher Renee Kelch was occupied with making snow shoes. She
enjoyed the project so much that she is going to teach it to her students.

  "It's really fun to make," she said. "The kids will enjoy this."

  Sievert emphasized how beneficial it is to have non-Tribal teachers building
relationships with Tribal elders.

  "It's helping teachers develop relationships with community members and
bridging the gap between the Indian and Non-Indian community," said former
Indian Education Coordinator Julie Cajune.

  She said the culture camp was the most worthwhile teaching endeavor she's
ever been involved in.

  "What I hope teachers get out of this is that they have a little more respect
for Native teaching and culture," said SKC student Naida Lefthand who helped
coordinate the event. "I'd like this experience to go beyond the school. I'd
like to see it influence neighbors and family members and build a larger
bridge."
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