Outdoor Circle Routines
Written By Paula Huddy-Zubkowski
Oki. This means hello in Blackfoot. Learning traditional languages of Indigenous Peoples is one Call to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Council of Canada (TRC). I am dedicated to finding ways to honour and understand my own community on Treaty 7 land. I recognize I am a settler and everything I have learned has been through joining Indigenous community events, and in conversations with Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Information in this post has been read and approved by a Blackfoot Elder. I ask anyone who reads this post to consider reading the TRC and find ways you too could acknowledge the land and learn from the Indigenous communities where you live.
A sharing circle is a place and space where your class will come together to reflect and connect to the land. Circles allow for equity when sharing stories and reflections. Everyone has an equal opportunity to speak and listen to one another. Through learning alongside Indigenous Peoples I have now embedded this important circle teaching into my practice.
Circles have deep significance to the cycles of Mother Earth. Seasons, four directions, months, the medicine wheel, sacred medicines, life cycles, water cycles everything around us is part of a circle and connects us to our natural world. By gathering with our students into a sharing circle we can become one to explore, reflect, and have a place to have meaningful conversations.
iiststii’ik in Blackfoot is a word meaning listen. I have been told many times when working with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers that there is a reason we have two ears and one mouth and we need to be mindful of this. Sitting with my students in a circle is sometimes a place for us to hold our words and to listen with our hearts.
Connecting and joining a circle is just one routine that can help guide your outdoor learning experiences with your students.
Medicine Wheel, Nose Hill Park, Mohkinstsis
A School Example:
After joining Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers for a year-long learning journey about the history and culture of Treaty 7, my class designed a natural space to acknowledge our journey. We managed to acquire giant stones that were formed into a circle. With conversations in our community and in consideration of our shared learning journey, we called them our Story Stones. This circle installation offers an opportunity for legacy learning, where more classes can come together year after year in the spirit of family and togetherness.
Students used outdoor loose parts like pinecones to measure where the Story Stones should be placed.
Our 1500lb stones arrived for us to begin to use in our new natural space called the “Story Stones.”
Our school came together in a circle to listen to a Knowledge Keeper from Tsuut’ina Nation to drum and bless the Story Stones. This was a beautiful way to connect our school community to traditional teachings of our natural world. This gathering which led to a community feast and monthly teachings became a memorable learning experience for our students. Outdoor experiences can become a pathway to learning alongside Indigenous Peoples.
Read “The Sharing Circle,” picture book to help guide you through learning more about the importance of circles. This story was written by Theresa “Corky” Laren-Jonasson an Indigenous author.
