Indigenous Culture Based Learning in Alberta Curriculum

Please note that the teachings and videos featured on this website are based on the Woodland Cree Peoples’ ways of knowing and being in the Northwestern region of Alberta. The knowledge, customs, protocols, and practices shared here have been gained through a lifetime of teachings from family and Elders, deeply rooted in Cree/Métis spiritual and subsistence lifestyle.

APLC acknowledges that we all have different teachings and different protocols and practices in our own communities, and encourages users to consult with their local Elders regarding local practices and customs. This website represents the way of passing knowledge as it was taught to Wapastim. Ninaskamon.

Indigenous Culture Based Learning in Alberta Curriculum

Woodland Cree Legends

Storytelling is a key element in the transmission of language and culture. Storytelling can be classified in three primary genres: Trickster Stories, Creation Stories, and Star Stories. Storytelling is infused in all aspects of Cree foundational knowledge.

 

Storytelling Protocols

In this video, Wāpastim helps further our cultural understandings of storytelling and legends within Cree culture. He shares the relationship between storytelling and learning, protocols regarding seasons, the three main categories for stories, and provides clarity for potential misunderstandings around storytelling.

Storytelling Protocolsplay_circle_outline

 

 

CREATION STORIES

Find stories and legends about origins, such as Legend of Fire; animal features, like Beaver and His Tail; and plant features, such as The Legend of Dandelion.

 

STAR STORIES

Find star stories and legends, like Origin of the Big Dipper and Legend of Night and Day.

 

TRICKSTER STORIES

Find stories and legends such as Trickster and the Ducks and Trickster and Thunderbird.