A small group of people celebrated a significant event at the District Education Support Centre last week.

A powerful book of sa国际传媒渉istorical collage poetrysa国际传媒� created by School District #83 Storefront School students was launched on Jan. 9.

The book, The Drums of Hope: Knowledge Keeperssa国际传媒� Words is the culmination of a collaboration between former teacher and published B.C. poet Wendy Morton, Indigenous elders and students.

The project originated in 2008 when Morton was commissioned by the Alberni Valley Museum to write poems from archival photos and journals for display in the museum.

She soon realized an entire First Nations population was being ignored and began interviewing Indigenous people, learning about their rich culture and the tragedy of the residential school experience.

That segued into Elder Project books, since produced in several B.C. schools and a conversation last year with Irene Laboucane, district principal Aboriginal education, who fully supported the project.

Morton has described poetry as the shortest distance between two hearts.

sa国际传媒淚 have seen First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit youth sitting with elders, turning their elderssa国际传媒� stories into poems. Two hearts connecting,sa国际传媒� she says.

Morton brought her heart and the project to the school district in October.

On the first of two days, Storefront students learned the mechanics of writing what Morton calls sa国际传媒渃ollage poetry,sa国际传媒� says Mishel Quaal, School District #83 Indigenous education resource teacher.

Students were given a selection of magnetized words and photos and asked to combine what they were seeing into a sentence.

On the second day, 13 local knowledge keepers were paired with 10 students, who were encouraged to hear and see the poetry in the elderssa国际传媒� stories, adds Quaal.

The result is a selection of moving poems.

Accompanied by photos of the elders and students, several of the poems speak to the joy of the elderssa国际传媒� early days among their own people and the terror, punishment and eventual brokenness that resulted from their residential school experiences.

sa国际传媒淭here were difficult times; going to Kamloops Residential School. There were five of us who would talk our language: we got beaten, strapped, tortured and starved,sa国际传媒� wrote student Emma Grant in her poem about Jules Arnouse.

sa国际传媒淢y siblings and I were told we were going on vacation. My mother knew that wasnsa国际传媒檛 the case. Twelve years of discipline, whipping. The language I spoke was forbidden and eventually over time, broken as wellsa国际传媒�sa国际传媒� wrote Hannah Hackle, who interviewed elder Virginia Wooldridge.

Among the knowledge keepers was John Sayers, whose poem written by Eiton Davila details how he went to 11 schools before Grade 3, never learned to read or write, but gleaned many values and morals from his Scottish grandmother and M茅tis grandfather.

Sayers was an Aboriginal education worker in the district for more than 20 years.

He opened last weeksa国际传媒檚 meeting by saying what an honour it is to, at last, be included among Canadasa国际传媒檚 Indigenous people.

Sayers noted that when he first began working with the school district, parents would come to the Indigenous room to see what was happening.

sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檇 never heard our stories; 99 per cent knew only of teepees and totem poles,sa国际传媒� he said, noting his pride and pleasure in seeing the growing importance placed on Indigenous stories, language and culture in the curriculum.

A talented and well-known carver, Sayerssa国际传媒� art is featured on the front and back covers of the book of poetry.

He brought one of his beautifully carved feathers featured on the back cover to last weeksa国际传媒檚 meeting so project participants could sign it before sending it to Morton.

Sitting next to Sayers at the meeting, Storefront teacher Robin Wiens expressed his approval of the Knowledge Keepers project and pointed out he had learned a great deal from Sayers during the many years he worked with him.

Also impressed was School District #83 superintendent Peter Jory, who described the project as being a very important process for transforming attitudes.

He also praised the project for its authenticity and hands-on approach.

sa国际传媒淵ou knew you were making a change through your work,sa国际传媒� he told students Evan Burgo and Brooke Keating, both of whom contributed poems to the book.

Dianne Balance, School District #83 director of instruction and Storefront School principal, noted the project was powerful for both elders and students.

sa国际传媒淚t was a magical experience and incredibly powerful for the students,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚 hope itsa国际传媒檚 the beginning, that we keep bringing in the knowledge keepers and having the kids share the stories.sa国际传媒�