A Fun Time with Students

My poet’s heart sang and danced last week when I found myself at Pinecrest Public School, a public elementary school (OCDSB). As I expected would be the case, the students at Pinecrest were extraordinarily welcoming and gracious!

I was invited to Pinecrest by Principal Naya Markanastasakis to speak to the students about my children’s story ‘The Maple Leaves of Kichi Makwa’ (written 30 years ago). While there, I was thrilled (not to mention super surprised) and humbled to see on walls of the school, maple leaves in the likeness of those in my story, drawn by students. I saw questions and statements about the story, posed and declared by students as young as 6 years of age. These were also interspersed on walls of the school (see link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NsCs-oyogJJ41u-xrLRTG1qHWCGn9OeixXjtkPAivw8/edit?tab=t.0).

After the students had entered the gymnasium/auditorium in a mannerly and organized way, they sat on the floor facing the stage where I sat with five student school leaders. The energy was delightful! A broad smile stayed fixed on my face throughout their entry, I knew right away that we were going to have a good time!

The story ‘The Maple Leaves of Kichi Makwa’ tells of the maple leaves on the limbs of maple trees in the magical land of Kichi Makwa (Great Bear). The story tells how the maple leaves became upset when they observed that their friends and neighbours around them were painted with several colours. The flowers were colourful, the birds too, even the rainbow. The leaves didn’t think this was fair, they had only one colour: green! So they cried countless tears, not for days or weeks but for many months. Eventually Aki, the spirit of Kichi Makwa, fed up with the constant wailing of the crying leaves granted the maple leaves the gift of colour.

The leaves, now bright and majestic with the colours of orange, red and yellow felt that they and they alone, were the most precious and the most beautiful of all the beautiful life forms of Kichi Makwa! They became egotistical and mean-hearted. The maple leaves bullied and teased everyone around them! This constant harrassment by the leaves made all their neighbours feel angry and frustrated!

Aki was watching, what she saw made her heart race, and in her displeasure with the leaves (she had no tolerance for bullies), used her great power to create the land’s first autumn. Kichi Makwa had before then, known only one season, summer! Cold days and nights along with winds unknown before in Kichi Makwa loosened the leaves from their branches and off they flew, leaving the trees empty of their presence. “I never want to see a maple leaf again,” declared Aki. “They are forever banished.”

The story does have a happy ending. Forgiveness occurs, the leaves return, Aki’s wisdom and compassion saves the day! The purpose of this tale is to remind all of us that you, whoever you are, wherever you come from, are already perfect in the eyes of Creator. The story teaches us that bullying is not acceptable! No human being comes from a culture or heritage that is greater before Creator than the one of the people living next door or sitting beside you in a classroom! We learn that no matter the skin colour of the person next to you, he/she is as worthy of being treated with equal respect and dignity as ‘you’ are. We are all citizens of this great land, let’s recognize it and together, make Canada better for it.

The students at Pinecrest have found a place in the heart of a poet and storyteller. And I feel I have grown emotionally and spiritually because of it. Pinecrest is a wonderful school!

To purchase a copy of ‘The Maple Leaves of Kichi Makwa’, check out my website at http://albertdumont.com/books/the-maple-leaves-of-kichi-makwa/. The story of the leaves has been written into a play. Pinecrest is considering performing it at their school. I look forward to seeing it.

Keep the Circle Strong,

South Wind (Albert Dumont)