Page 22 - Restorative Journey: Indigenous Educational Wellness

Voice Perspective
Figure 10 is a narrative in dialogue with members from Six Nations communities and in friendship with the Ontario College of Teachers.
*Note: The white pine is an ancient symbol of peace for the Haudenosaunee. It is the tallest of the Indigenous trees. Its needles grow in clusters of five, symbolizing unity. The white pine stays green year-round, reminding us that peace does not rest. The white pine is also the official tree of the Province of Ontario, chosen because newcomers used it for building materials.
This lodge is based on a photo of one of the original schoolhouses built on Six Nations. This school was located at Martin’s Corner. In the painting, the schoolhouse sits beside the shore of Lake Ontario. The palisade protects the lodge.
This painting symbolizes how we can follow one of those white roots and find ourselves at the base of the White Pine to find the safety and protection of peace.
The shades of purple and white in the sky and lake are the colours of wampum and remind us of the importance of being true to our word.
We use our breath to form the words we use to state our intentions, just as our Ancestors used their breath for the words to form their promises to Creator, Mother Earth, and each other. We are reminded of these promises and commitments when we see the symbols represented in wampum beads, strung together.
Elizabeth Doxtater
Tangled thoughts have a way of disturbing peace. I took this from Peacemaker’s visit to Cohoes Falls when the Mohawks escorted him into the village.
They saw his smoke rising so straight that it appeared to “pierce the sky” as he sat beside a cornfield. This was during a time many villages and territories were ravaged by war.
Runners were sent out to see who it was and what was his intended business. The runners greeted him and asked what his intentions were. They carried his message back to the people inside the village, protected by the palisade.
The people of the village then met. After much discussion it was decided that he would be allowed in to share his message. The runners left, and returned to escort him in.
This can be a model for the careful steps we can take to protect our minds. Decide what is helpful to you, your family, and others that you are with, especially in difficult times.
The swirly skies in the painting represent intergenerational turmoil that was imposed on our communities, causing minds and intentions to be twisted and sometimes destructive... and often self-destructive.
14 Commemoration • Education • Healing/Wellness