Storytelling youth awarded for Paying Respect
By Kelly Anne Smith
STURGEON FALLS – Jayden Restoule of Dokis First Nation is the regional winner of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation Student Achievement Award for his short story, Paying Respect.
“I wrote this story because of a contest we did here in Northern Secondary School: Kindness is a renewable resource. The first thing that came to my mind was talking about something Indigenous because I am Indigenous and an Ojibwe.”
Paying Respect was written in Mrs. Hatton’s English class. It’s about a young man, reminded after a hunt, how important it is to give thanks and honour the Creator and to a moose who is killed.
Jayden explained that prior to the assignment, the discussion centred on the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
“We brainstormed ideas on the topic of kindness. There was one part in Mrs. Hatton’s Grandfather Teachings. It said respect. This word made me think about kindness and respecting the earth, water, then wildlife,” he recalls. “My EA always tells me stories about hunting and being in the bush. There’s a story that shows how someone has to learn to respect the creatures of our world.”
“The idea of a young man, who my story is about, came from the Residential Schools. These young kids were told not to speak their own language, practice their culture, or wear the traditional clothing. They were given white people names and if they had been there for a year, then they started to lose their identity and culture,” he continues. “Basically, the young man in my story forgets his ways when he spent four years away from his First Nation. Then, when he comes back home, his dad had to reteach him their ways.”
While at school, Jayden walks through White Woods behind Northern Secondary School almost every day.
“I’d enjoy these walks because being in nature was better than sitting in a classroom. Mrs. Hatton and I talked about respecting the environment and not littering,” he notes. “Mrs. Hatton made me think about how to survive in the woods. It showed me how I can get food from the land and even medicine if I was hurt.”
A fisherman himself, Jayden urges others to pay respect when hunting.
“When hunting, people must know what animals they are looking for and they should not take any female animal during breeding season because they need to make sure the population grows. They must make sure not to kill animals when they don’t need them. Only take what they need.”