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Date Permissions Signed

3-10-2017

Date of Award

Winter 2017

Document Type

Masters Field Project

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Stanger, Nicholas

Second Advisor

Myers, Gene (O. Gene)

Third Advisor

Timmons Flores, Maria

Abstract

Since time immemorial, Indigenous mothers have taught their children how to survive in Indigenous way of being. When we remind our daughters of the strength, and the generations of resiliency and self-love before them, is when we will see real change. The truth is, when we teach our children their identity, we are giving them the tools to restore and rebuild their roots. These children are then the seeds which will be planted with the promise to grow in the awareness of true sovereignty, nationhood, and self-empowerment steeped in Indigenous truth which will ultimately trickle down in their own parenting and within the future generations of our peoples.

The Mother’s roots curriculum was written by a Blackfeet mother of five daughters and knows that it is the responsibility of the mother to teach her children the ways of her grandmothers. A young Blackfeet mother of five daughters had a dream she was out on the Two Medicine Buffalo Jumps on the Blackfeet reservation with her sister Elisha. They were looking for arrowheads scattered amongst old buffalo bones. The young mother looked down on the ground and spotted a red bead lying amongst the scattered buffalo bones. It was an old, old, old red bead that was a dried berry.

Because of this dream, I created a lesson titled “The Red Bead” and this is where the Blackfeet mother will start her journey in renewing her roots and teaching her children the ways of her grandmothers. Mothers’ roots is a curriculum framework that is intended to help Indigenous mothers renew their roots and teach children the ways of their grandmothers.

In this curriculum guide, you will find a summary of each lesson attached to each unit. Then you will find a set of three lesson plans that correspond with the four units in the Mothers’ roots. Included is a template of the Structure of the lessons that can be tailored to the needs of your Indigenous Mothers. This curriculum was designed as a framework for Indigenous mothers throughout the world to tailor to the needs of their mothers and children.

Type

Text

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25710/7bvy-pj97

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

976001369

Subject – LCSH

Indian mothers--Teachings--Social life and customs; Swinomish Indians--Teachings--Social life and customs; Indians of North America--Teachings--Social life and customs; Swinomish Indians--Food; Ethnobotany--Washington (State); Plants, Useful--Washington (State); Medicinal plants--Washington (State); Wild plants, Edible--Washington (State); Indian cooking

Geographic Coverage

Washington (State)

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

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