WHY SOME TREES KEEP THEIR LEAVES AND OTHERS DO NOT

Aaniin akina awiyag, hello everyone!

As promised, here is our first installation of our virtual Anishinaabeg storytelling work! This story is called “Why Some Trees Keep Their Leaves When Others Do Not.”

There are many ways to engage with this story

1) Just listen, watch, and enjoy!

2) Engage with the discussion questions with your family, friends, and community privately and/or publicly by posting your thoughts below!

3) For a more interactive telling of the story, check out this link that provides some alternative ways of looking at the story through the eyes of different characters https://www.inklewriter.com/stories/4436

We’re all brand new to this new way of engaging with the world through the internet, so, please also provide any feedback you have! What suggestions do you have that would make hearing Anishinaabeg stories more accessible and/or interesting for you?

Discussion Questions

1) What obligations does Bineshiinh’s family have to the injured little Bineshiinh? What obligations does Bineshiinh have to their family?

2) Why do you think some trees chose to help Bineshiinh and others did not? Do you identify with the responses of some trees more than others? Why?

3) There are some things in life we can’t control, like Giiwedin, the North Wind. What is out of your control? What is in your control? How does knowing this help you to make good decisions?

4) What does each character teach you about the decisions we make to keep our families together, or recreate family relationships?

5) Could the trees who said “no” have done so in ways that were more respectful? How do we say “no” in a way that upholds our responsibilities to ourselves, our families and communities?