School kookum program adds extra layer of support, love for Thompson, Man., children

A ringing chorus of, "Hi Kookum" greets Valerie Parker every day in her classroom at a Thompson, Man., elementary school, followed by hugs from the students who come by for a visit at recess.

"I have a lot of grandchildren here," she said with a laugh on Friday.

Parker is a kookum, a Cree word for grandmother, at Juniper Elementary School. She is neither a teacher nor a counsellor, but does a little bit of both of those roles.

All of her teachings are rooted in her Cree heritage and culture, from the tea she brews of cedar, wegus and chaga, to the bannock she fries, to the crafts she makes with the kids who come by.

"They come here and they cook, baking. I teach them sewing, medicines, crafts, the teachings, the seven teachings," Parker said.

One girl, 14, who is in foster care and can't be named, comes by nearly every day to visit her kookum, and wanted to make a fancy shawl and regalia to dance in.

Over the course of a school year they sewed the regalia, including moccasins, for the girl to wear, Parker said.

"She's basically like my own mom to me. It's more comfortable and it's more safe here than my boring class," the 14-year-old said.

Parker sees herself as a safe person for the children to come and talk to.

"They need someone to come and comfort them, and they never want to go to anyone else, but they come to me and get that comforting," she said.

Parker is one of two self-titled kookums in northern Manitoba's Mystery Lake School Division who are a part of the Mino Pimatisiwin program, which means the good life, according to co-superintendent Lorie Henderson.

"We're looking for balance for our kids to have the good life," she said.

Roughly 60 per cent of children in the division are Indigenous, Henderson said, so the program is a way to help them not only connect with their culture, but also receive support if they need a little extra.

"We see our kids are coming to school and not necessarily are the kids needing to see a counselor. They're not necessarily needing a diagnosis, they're just needing somewhere where they can have space, they can have support, they can learn about some of some of our culture," Henderson said.