The Story of the First Butterflies - National Indigenous History Month

Summary

In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Month, Taylor from the Toronto Zoo shares a story titled 'The First Butterflies.' The narrative honors the wisdom of Indigenous culture, recounting how Spirit Woman's human twins were cared for by the animals of the Earth. The twins, however, lacked the independence to move on their own, prompting Nana Bozo to journey west for a solution. Along the way, he discovers colorful stones that transform into butterflies, which inspire the twins to crawl, walk, and run in pursuit of the fluttering creatures. The story teaches the importance of nurturing independence in children, even when offering support.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker introduces themselves as Taylor and thanks the audience for joining to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Month.
• 😀 The Toronto Zoo's mission is connecting people, animals, and conservation science to fight extinction.
• 😀 The speaker acknowledges the land they are standing on as traditional territory of various Indigenous peoples, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Nishnabe, the Chippewa, Honeshoni, and the Wendat peoples.
• 😀 Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
• 😀 The speaker shares a story titled 'The First Butterflies,' told to them by an elder named Battle Johnson from the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
• 😀 The story tells of spirit woman giving birth to two human twins, who are cared for by animals like the wolf, bear, and doe.
• 😀 The bear observes that the twins are not like other children as they do not play or walk around, and seeks help from Nana Bozo.
• 😀 Nana Bozo travels west and learns from the Great Spirit that the answer lies along the slopes of the mountains.
• 😀 Nana Bozo finds colorful little stones on the slopes, which eventually morph into butterflies as he throws them into the air.
• 😀 The butterflies teach the twins independence, as they try to catch the butterflies, leading them to crawl, walk, and run, demonstrating the importance of letting children grow and learn on their own.

Q & A

What is the primary mission of the Toronto Zoo as mentioned in the script?

The primary mission of the Toronto Zoo is connecting people, animals, and conservation science to fight extinction.

What traditional territories does the speaker acknowledge at the beginning of the script?

The speaker acknowledges the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Nishnabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

How does the speaker acknowledge the treaty rights related to Toronto?

The speaker acknowledges that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.

Who shared the story 'The First Butterflies' with the speaker?

The story 'The First Butterflies' was shared with the speaker by an elder named Battle Johnson from the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.

What roles did the animals play in caring for the human twins in the story?

In the story, the wolf played with the twins, the bear provided its fur to keep them warm, and the doe provided milk to feed them. All their needs were met by the animals.

Why did the bear believe something was wrong with the twins?

The bear believed something was wrong with the twins because they did not run, walk around, or play like the other animals' children, which indicated a lack of independence.

What advice did Nana Bozo give about caring for children?

Nana Bozo advised that while it's important to care for children, it is also crucial to allow them to grow and learn independence by doing things on their own.

What did Nana Bozo do to find a solution for the twins' lack of independence?

Nana Bozo traveled west to seek guidance from the Great Spirit, who told him the solution could be found along the slopes of the mountains.

What did Nana Bozo discover along the mountain slopes?

Nana Bozo discovered colorful little rocks in various colors like red, yellow, blue, and green along the mountain slopes.

How did the butterflies come to be, and what role did they play in the story?

The colorful stones that Nana Bozo gathered began to morph into butterflies as he threw them into the air. These butterflies played a key role in helping the twins develop independence, as the twins chased and tried to catch them, which encouraged them to crawl, walk, and run.