First Nations Pedagogy and Education

THE OLD FRIENDSHIP OF BLUEBERRIES AND SWEET FERN:

In the time before refrigeration, Ojibwe folks kept their blueberry harvest fresh by lining their birchbark storage containers with a plant called sweet fern that often grows right alongside blueberry bushes!

The leaves of sweet fern produce a compound called gallic acid,
which is a potent anti-microbial and keeps harmful bacteria like salmonella from growing on the berries.
It's name in the Ojibwe dialect
I've learned is "giba`iganiminzh" meaning "it covers the berries" because of this usage and its contribution to keeping the precious staple food of minan (blueberries) fresh!

I don't use a birchbark container but I do pop a few sprigs of sweet fern into my gathering bag when out picking and then into my tupperware when storing berries to remember and utilize the gifts of this wonderful plant!

(Sweet fern can also be used as a medicinal tea to help the intestines and colon!
And when added to a fire, the smoke will help keep away mosquitos and horse flies--in addition to smelling lovely!)

In episode three (S4) of the Métis Speaker Series, we are joined by Julie Nolin, a producer and reporter for Global BC who is proudly Métis and Cree. Julie spent nearly a decade with CTV News as a multi-skilled journalist. In addition to now working with Global BC, Julie has taught journalism, media, and television at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Learn about Julie’s connection to being Métis, her thoughts on harnessing Indigenous storytelling, and her journey in educating others on representing Indigenous cultures in storytelling and media.

Listen to the full episode here: https://www.mnbc.ca/news-events/metis-speaker-series/harnessing-indigenous-storytelling

Artist: Nevada Lynn (https://nevadalynn.com/biography/)

Darian Kovacs
Jelly Digital Marketing & PR

Thank you TELUS for sponsoring us!

New Release - Indigenous Ingenuity : A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge (2023). This beautifully designed, interactive book celebrates North American Indigenous thinkers and inventions—perfect for fans of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The title includes fun, simple activities and experiments that kids can do to better understand and enjoy the principles used by Indigenous inventors.

By Deidre Havrelock, Cree, from Saddle Lake Reserve, Treaty 6 Nation, and Edward Kay.

Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and stories. Life-saving disinfectant. Forest fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these, and countless other, scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous Peoples. Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, brain surgery, architecture, and agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is a wide-ranging STEM offering that answers the call for Indigenous knowledge by reappropriating hidden history. The book includes fun, simple activities and experiments that kids can do to better understand and enjoy the principles used by Indigenous inventors. Readers of all ages are invited to celebrate Indigenous innovation, and to embrace the mindset of reciprocity, environmental responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life.
Audience: Ages 7-13.

Please visit our online catalogue to order: https://goodminds.com/products/indigenous-ingenuity-a-celebration-of-traditional-north-american-knowledge

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