Cathy Elliott is an artist educator with DAREarts’ First Roots program. Once a month, Cathy shares her stories and experiences working with our First Nations youth in remote northern communities such as Webequie (ON), Marten Falls (ON), Sioux Lookout (ON), Attawapiskat (ON) and Indian Brook (NS). It’s an honour to be able to share these stories with the ArtBridges community and I want to thank Cathy and Marilyn (the founder of DAREarts) not just for their amazing work, but also for their willingness to share. I hope you enjoy!
– Cora, Indigenous Community Arts Coordinator & Communications Assistant, ArtBridges

New Credit First Nations invited DAREarts to create « Four Legends » with the grades five and six students of Lloyd S. King Primary School. The four day workshop (June 9-12) culminated in a video about being a good human being which had its world premiere on lucky Friday 13th.

The first thing you notice when you walk through the front doors of Lloyd S. King Elementary School isn’t the vaulted ceilings or the natural wood pillars and rafters. It isn’t the artwork and posters covering the walls. It’s the smell of burning sage.

DAREarts was invited to participate in a year-end workshop that celebrated the students’ knowledge of their own culture, their own world view and how they could convey those gifts to people outside of their school and community. Former Marten Falls First Nation teacher Caitland Harding, who had been with us during the creation of spoken word poem « The Land Speaks, » and now was working in Southern Ontario, recommended DAREarts to Karl King, the school’s Cultural Coordinator. The Grade five and six students enthusiastically wrote, story boarded, filmed and musically scored the fifteen minute video about the Four Directions, Seven Sacred Teachings and the DAREarts Values (Discipline, Action, Responsibility and Excellence).

Karl King: « I thought the week was a fantastic experience for the students. I especially enjoyed seeing their creativity, artistry, hard work, vision, and sense of adventure as the project unfolded. I saw great leadership from several children and although I had seen glimpses of these qualities before, they were magnified and majestically put on display through the process. The World Premiere was incredible. I can honestly say that it was one of the proudest moments of my 16 year career. I am convinced that all 21 students will remember this for the rest of their lives. »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUhMeMrj2GE
[Watch « Four Legends » here]

Peter Elliott, videographer, editor and documentary maker (Brebeuf, The Hermit of White Otter Lake, Fill My Hollow Bones, Save My Pet, Cold Water Cowboys) had produced a camera angle tutorial video that incorporates the works of students from Attawapiskat and Webequie First Nations. Throughout the week, the Anishnaabe students from Southern Ontario sampled the video projects that previous kids had made, and observed differences and similarities between themselves and « distant cousins » from up North (Webequie, Attawapiskat and Marten Falls First Nations) and the Atlantic Region (Shubenacadie First Nation, Nova Scotia).

Cathy Elliott, multi-disciplined artist and educator, led the students through the process of creating a film script to support their poems, exploring camera acting techniques and recorded sound effects for the original score for the film. « This was a wonderful experience for me, too. These kids are secure in their own skin, ready and hungry for ways to express themselves in a positive way. They greeted DAREarts with open arms, and they will be with me in my heart forever. »

Four Legends emerged from the short week’s explorations. They incorporated Anishnaabe teachings and legends, which were mixed with the children’s own contemporary interpretation of their world view. The result is a beautiful, funny and touching film that speaks with the children’s voices throughout and incorporates four stories that rests on Anisnaabewin world views and lessons about being a DAREarts Leader.

Cathy’s note:
This school asked us to join them, and the minute we walked in the door, smelled that sage and met the children, we knew we were in for a terrific time. The kids are open, polite, curious, talkative and energetic. We didn’t ever feel a lag in the day, which offered a generous amount of time. The school gave us the entire day, which meant that we didn’t have to rush things and could complete tasks without sacrificing excellence and learning. We had an opening Circle with the entire school on the Monday. Our private smudge and Circle, was filled with questions, ideas, reflections and projections every morning following. We never ever doubted that this would be a successful week. The teachers supported and trusted us enthusiastically, even when it looked like « controlled chaos » was becoming the norm.

Peter and I want to thank the community of New Credit for this welcoming. We laughed with the kids and teachers a lot this week, and we hope to enjoy another visit, soon. The project was paid for by the community and the budget took up almost a third of the school’s entire fiscal year. It’s heartening to note that culture and art are so valued by a school, even in these hard times. When other Aboriginal schools are held together by little more than sheer will and limited financial support, with few resources to teach their kids about their culture and arts, schools like Lloyd S. King are, sadly, anomalies. With New Credit stepping up, DAREarts is allowed to use precious resources to help finance other Aboriginal schools for arts and empowerment programs.

I can’t stress enough how these programs change lives. The kids, their teachers, parents, elders and siblings are all impacted positively by hope and empowerment through the arts. Gitchi Miigwetch to teachers Karl, Catherine and Caitland for giving us this opportunity.

Read Cathy’s previous posts:
05/23/14 – Introducing – DAREarts Atlantic: Stories from a DAREarts Artist-Educator
04/29/14 – DAREarts Out on the Land in Attawpiskat: Stories from a DAREarts Artist-Educator
03/24/14 – My Drum’s Journey: Stories from a DAREarts Artist-Educator
02/16/14 – It Starts With a Circle: Stories from a DAREarts Artist-Educator

Read DAREarts’ profile on ArtBridges’ Community-Engaged Arts Directory and Map
All photos courtesy of DAREarts