HEART LAKE - Over the past year, students from Kohls School on Heart Lake First Nation and the Gobind Sarvar School in Edmonton have participated in cultural exchanges designed to teach each other about their respective Cree and Sikh cultures.
The partnership between the two schools came about after Harrang Kaur, the principal of Gobind Sarvar, started communicating with Kohls School principal Darlene Brereton-Cardinal in January of 2023.
Since then, students and staff from the two schools have had shared video presentations and even a few in-person class visits. It has been a learning experience for everyone, says Brereton-Cardinal.
Gobind Sarver School, whose students are in kindergarten to Grade 4, follows a curriculum based on the beliefs of Sikhism and the teachings of Sabib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Kohls School, says Brereton-Cardinal, integrates the Cree culture and language into all learning aspects within the school.
Though the two cultures are different in many ways, the partnership has shown many similarities and general points of common ground
On Friday, April 19, Kohls students made a visit to see their Sikh friends in Edmonton during a cultural experience that included elder teachings, traditional food, dance performances, history lessons.
“Once again, it was an amazing experience,” Brereton-Cardinal said, complementing the students and staff of the Edmonton school as “excellent ambassadors for their culture.”
The first exchange between the two schools took place on April 28, last year, when Kohls students made the 300 kilometre trek to visit Gobind Sarvar School. While there, they participated in Sikh morning meditations and songs, which were followed by a traditional lunch featuring Punjabi food.
Brereton-Cardinal explained that afterward, the students split into groups where they were given more education on Sikh beliefs and traditions, including the art of henna - ink-drawn designs applied to hands, feet and different parts of the body, mandalas – or dot artwork, the different turban styles, games, and a tour of the school.
The Sikh students of Gobind Sarvar reciprocated a couple of weeks later, travelling to Heart Lake last May to be immersed in the local Cree culture. The visiting Sikh students participated in various activities, including traditional games, tipi teachings, beading, and a powwow. There was also drumming and a round dance.
“The staff also turned the culture classroom into a museum with traditional regalia, and many artifacts,” Brereton-Cardinal said.
The cultural exchanges between the two schools have been an important part of building relationships-as well as breaking down barriers, she said, adding that Kohls School is now looking forward to hosting a cultural exchange visit in May 2024. Each year, the two schools learn and share more and more about each other’s differences and similarities, Brereton-Cardinal said, adding that each year introduces those cultures to new students and staff.
It’s a partnership the Heart Lake principal expects to continue.
“The two schools now consider themselves sister schools,” she said. “There are so many similarities between the cultures that they wouldn’t have known about without these cultural exchanges.”
