Grade 4 students at Wellington Catholic schools learned Métis finger-weaving within their classrooms.
Finger-weaving is a traditional activity within Métis culture. Students at Sacred Heart Rockwood, St. John Guelph and St. Francis in Guelph were given the opportunity to learn directly from Jennifer Parkinson, President on the Grand River Métis Council and Leslie Anne Muma, Senator on Grand River Métis Council.
“Finger weaving comes from our First Nations ancestry. First Nations women used to finger weave hair and grass to make ropes, belts, mats and nets. Women from both Métis and First Nations cultures finger wove wool to make sashes. The Métis were a big part of the fur trade and the sash was a tool for the Voyageur. Thus the sash became a big part of Métis culture and holds great significance among Métis today,” shared Parkinson.
This project was arranged by the Wellington Catholic program department as a collaboration between math and First Nations, Métis and Inuit education. Cathy Chaput is the program coordinator responsible for Math, and Yvonne Runstedler is responsible for First Nations, Métis and Inuit education. Together, they first participated in training with Parkinson and Muma, who have been very active in the schools teaching Métis culture and history for many years, to learn the skill themselves, then discussed which grades would best fit.
“The students have been very excited and Jennifer (Parkinson) and Leslie (Muma)’s wonderful guidance helped them to build their confidence. They are at a great age for this weaving in terms of dexterity as well as engagement! They see the patterns being created both during and after weaving, and we are able to make connections to repeating patterns in real-world contexts, which aligns well with our new Ontario mathematics curriculum. We have also translated the patterns we discovered, in lots of interesting ways. In some classes we have translated the pattern into sounds or dance moves!” shared Chaput.
In a class, students will listen to live presentation from Parkinson and Muma first on the history and importance of finger weaving for the Métis via Microsoft Teams. All students were given the materials needed to weave. Then, Parkinson and Muma slowly walked students through the steps required to weave, repeating as necessary and answering student questions.
“In our experience students really latch onto Math and discover a new appreciation for mathematics. We also have seen in every class how not only a willingness to learn but a sense of pride among the students. Students also have demonstrated the willingness to assist each other through the process of learning both the finger weaving and the mathematics,” said Parkinson.
While only a select group of students were able to experience finger weaving this year, it is the hope of organizers that they will be able to expand the activity to more elementary schools within Wellington Catholic next year.