Sheila Toderian, a Métis artist from Brooks, spent more than three weeks creating this mural at Alexandra Middle School. Each animal represents one of the core values established by AMS - respect, courage and integrity.--NEWS PHOTO LAUREN THOMSON
lthomson@medicinehatnews.com
As students return to the halls of Alexandra Middle School, they’ll be greeted by a new mural in the main foyer – a painting that pays homage to the Indigenous roots of Alberta and to the school’s three core values.
Todd Samuelson, principal, was discussing the school’s three core values – respect, integrity and courage – with First Nations Inuit Métis co-ordinator Darrell Willier. Willier shared that the three values are represented by the buffalo, the bear and the turtle in the Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers or Seven Sacred Laws from Indigenous culture.
“We knew as a school that we wanted some authentic Indigenous representation of those values in our school,” explained Samuelson. “It was our art teacher Kimara White, who found Sheila. I contacted her in hopes that she would be interested in creating something in our school and she was very eager.
“She is a very busy woman but she carved out about three weeks this summer to come and work on the piece.”
Sheila Toderian is a Métis artist from Brooks. She has been painting for nearly 50 years and was honoured to be asked to do this project. She relayed the story of the Seven Sacred Laws, talking about the son who is going to become a man being sent on a vision quest. He goes up into the mountain and has a fire, when a group of seven animals come to him in a vision and tell him to live by truth, hope, love, wisdom and other values.
“The buffalo represents respect; when he comes he tells the man that he must respect himself, respect all living things, respect others,” says Toderian. “The next one is the bear, which is courage. Courage for yourself, courage to get up every day, the courage to face what’s coming. The last one is the turtle; she is the truth of all the wisdom that all the animals spoke. She reminds you to do it, to say it every day and to live by that.”
Samuelson says it is important to honour and commit to truth and reconciliation.
“We wanted to commit something permanent to our building as a reminder of our commitment and to honour the past, the children of residential schools and to remind us of our commitments as well to support truth and reconciliation.”
AMS students have taken a special interest in learning about residential schools and were especially vocal and active in the community about the discovered grave sites, said Samuelson.
“We’ve been learning a lot about residential schools and how poorly they were treated there and how they were stripped of their culture, beliefs and identity,” said Makena Duncan, Grade 8 student at AMS. “I think this mural is a great idea, it helps us to honour and acknowledge the memory of those people that went to residential schools, and it helps us to better understand our three core values.”
Toderian explained when she was growing up she began to learn more about her culture and history around nine years old when her grandmother began to tell her stories. She is proud to be asked to share her culture through her art.
“Once you accept it yourself, and know who you are … then you are able to just dive into the culture and the understanding and the teachings and share it with everybody, that has been fun for me,” said Toderian. “It just comes out now, and now I remember the stories that grandma told me. I’m so grateful that grandma was there.”
“Sheila is thanking me every day,” said Samuelson. “When really it’s us that are so grateful and thankful that she’s coming in and adding a really important piece to our building.”
