Unity Campus News
The Gathering Place - February 20, 2019 - Class trip for grades 3A and 3B.
~By Brinley
I was so excited! I was going to ‘The Gathering Place!’ It had been postponed once because there was a snow day, and now we were going! I climbed onto the bus and sat down beside Faith. It was going to be a great trip!
When we arrived, we walked inside. Tables were set up with chairs around them, and before I knew it, I was biting into my apple….. Soon it was time for a craft. The Managers started to tell us a story. I learned that there was a thing called a Wampum Belt with which two group leaders would make a deal, like, “You stay in your pool and I’ll stay in my pool.” Or, “I won’t bother you, and you won’t bother me.” There were three colours that represented things: peace, friendship, and respect. The colours went in a pattern: white, purple, white, purple, white. We made bracelets with the remaining colours. We them placed them in a line to see the pattern (or a Wampum Belt) better. Then we got them back and tied them to our wrists.
A while later, we were outside going down a trail to the birdwatching place. They had tied branches to a string, tied to some trees, so that the birds wouldn’t see us. I peeked over the wire. There was a bench with bird seed on it. There were two trees on either sides of the bench. There were lots of birds on or under the bench eating bird seeds. The manager that was with us started to tell us the names of the birds.
Then we were on our way to the longhouse and sat down on a bench near the fire. The fire was very warm so I took off my gloves. He started to tell us about longhouses and let us touch the furskins of a kangaroo and a deer. Then he showed us some tools or things they would use. Soon we were heading back to the building.
After eating our lunch, we listened to some songs they would sing and instruments they would use. Then we learned some dances that the mothers would pass on through their families, like the Moccasin Dance and the Smoke Dance. We got to try to do them. I tried out for all of them.
Before I knew it we were heading home. What a great day!
Brinley is the last girl shown in the picture, and Cambree is just ahead of her. Here they are participating on a dance at The Gathering Place.
Our Field Trip to the Gathering Place
~By Cambree
Our field trip went like this:
We boarded the bus. My Grandad was a chaperone. I got on the bus, and took a seat with Chiazom and Daniella. We chatted and bickered for fun, and talked. Finally, we arrived at the Gathering Place. This is where it gets interesting. We got off the bus, and they greeted us. In a line we went in. We put on our shoes, put our backpacks against the wall, and used the washroom. They then said we were going to make a two-row Wampum Belt. When mine was done we put everyone’s together. Small beads, white and purple, strung onto a piece of sinew. White, white, purple, purple. That’s the pattern. It happened twice. White meant piece, friendship, and respect. Purple meant you stay in your area and I’ll stay in mine. After that, we hopped on the bus again. They told us they were showing us an area for bird watching. When we got there, a man named Mr. Deer said there were blinds so that the birds would not be disturbed. After some quiet standing and watching birds, (which I loved!), some geese flew by! They were in a V formation. It was really noisy, and then they said it was time to go to the longhouse. We walked across the icy and snowy field. We walked into the longhouse. It was dimly lit and smoked up from the fire. After my eyes got used to the light, I looked around. There were….turtle shells with no turtles, tools like hammers, sticks, spoons, ladders, animal skins, benches with fur on the back, beds with fur, and or course a ROARING fire. Mr. Deer said to sit on the benches around the fire. Another man (we forget his name), came and said to us that he was going to tell us about a longhouse. He talked to us, and every now and again, he’s pass something like turkey feathers or animal skins around. Eventually, everybody got a turn, and we boarded the bus again. When we got back everybody else was eating. But then, after everybody had taken their snow pants off, we sad down and I saw it….
CORN SOUP!
I was so excited. I mean, who wouldn’t be? (Answer: None?) I ate the corn soup. It was really good! It had meat, broth, black beans, and of course, corn. It tasted really good with salt and pepper. After they told us they were going to show us their dances. One of the girls that worked there, was in a modern outfit for their people. She was in glass-beaded moccasins with a bear print on them. She was also in a black dress with blue flowers on them. The dress was straight at the top, but flowy at the bottom. Two men were at the front of the room. One of them said he was holding a ‘water drum.’ He said there were seeds and water in the drum. It had a hide on the top, keeping the water in. He said he was going to show us some songs on the drum. He started with the Moccasins Dance. I was allowed to try it. Next, we saw the Smoke Dance. After that it was last snack, and then we had to go. We boarded the bus, and left. I had a MARVELOUS, WONDERFUL experience. I got to sit with friends and find out about the Indigenous culture. I loved it so much!
Cambree, enjoying her soup, and wearing her grandpa’s cap.
