Lesson

 
Smudging  –  Blackfoot  à  Japan     Date   Wednesday  April  3  
Title/Focus  
Subject/Grade   Time  
Social  Studies  8A/8B      48  mins    
Level   Duration  
 

OUTCOMES  FROM  ALBERTA  PROGRAM  OF  STUDIES    

General  
Learning   8.1 – From Isolation to Adaptation: Japan
Outcomes:  
Specific   8.1.1  –  Appreciate  the  roles  of  time  and  geographic  location  in  shaping  a  society’s  
Learning   worldview  
Outcomes:    
LEARNING  OBJECTIVES  
Students  can  compare  the  Ainu  and  Blackfoot  worldviews  by  comparing  how  each  culture  places  great  
importance  and  value  in  the  natural  world.    
 
ASSESSMENTS  (How  I  will  know  students  have  achieved  the  objective(s))  
Formative  –  students  will  show  respect  and  maturity  when  learning  about  and  engaging  with  
traditional  medicines.    

Prior  to  the  Lesson   MATERIALS  AND  EQUIPMENT  

• Students  will  have  learned  about  Japan’s   •  Sage  
indigenous  cultures  and  practices     • wood  box      
• Textbook    
PROCEDURE  
Introduction   Time  
Connecting  Ainu  Indigenous  people  to  North  American  Indigenous  people:  
 
Worldview  –  what  literally  motivates  these  cultures  is  the  connection  to  
nature.    To  the  land.      
In  the  textbook:    pg.  269  –  Dene  people    
Blackfoot  elder:    Narcisse  Blood:    “Land  means  more  than  just  geography.     5  mins  
When  I  say  “land”  I’m  saying  “that  which  sustains  us”    
 
From  the  land  we  receive  medicines.      
4  medicines  are  cedar,  sweetgrass,  tobacco,  and  sage    
 
Body   Time  

■ We smudge to clear the air around us.

■ We smudge to clean our minds so that we will have good thoughts of others.
■ We smudge our eyes so that we will only see good things in others.
■ We smudge our ears so that we will only listen to good things about others.  
■ We smudge our mouths so that we will only speak well of others.
■ We smudge our whole being so that we will portray only the good part of our self through
our actions.
 
When  we  go  outside  we  will  first  acknowledge  the  four  directions    
When  we  smudge,  we  first  cleanse  our  hands  with  the  smoke  as  if  we  were  
washing  our  hands.  We  then  draw  the  smoke  over  our  heads,  eyes,  ears,  mouths,  
and  our  bodies.  These  actions  remind  us  to  think  good  thoughts,  see  good  
actions,  hear  good  sounds,  speak  good  words,  and  show  the  good  of  who  we  are.  
 
https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/aed/publications/pdf/smudging_guidelines.pdf    
 
 
Activity     Time  
 
Before going outside, describe what will happen and what the expectations  
are:  
 
- More so than ever I expect you to be respectful. This is a traditional  
ceremony that goes back in history, hundreds, if not thousands of years. By  
showing disrespect for the practice, you will be showing disrespect not only  
for myself and for my culture, you will be disrespecting yourself and your  
family.

Closure   Time  
 
After  you  have  smudged  take  a  moment  to  yourself  to  think  about  one  thing  that  you  are  
grateful  for.    One  thing  that  you  want  to  acknowledge  that  is  in  your  life  that  adds  to  your   2  mins  
life  in  a  positive  way.    Focus  on  that.    And  give  thanks.