Making the Spirit Dance Within: Joe Duquette High School and an Aboriginal Community

by Celia Haig-Brown

This book offers an in-depth study of a remarkable school for native students, the Joe Duquette High School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The key to the school's success is its commitment to aboriginal spirituality as a guiding principle for both curriculum and human behaviour. The sacred circle, a recognition of the inter-relatedness of all things, is the foundation of the school's philosophy. Sweet grass circles, trips to the sweat lodge, feasts, and respect for the teaching of Elders are central elements of the Duquette educational experience. Making the Spirit Dance Within offers a model for educating native students that stands in stark contrast to the ignorance of First Nations history and culture typical of mainstream Canadian schools. An Our Schools/Our Selves book.

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jay Szpirs · Rating 2 out of 5]

A succinct and informative analysis of a successful school in difficult circumstances. As a model, it is only marginally useful although much of the administrative model and curriculum management could be exported to great advantage in other schools.

The writing has the feel of a report: dry, dispassionate, and neutral. By adopting this method, the authors stay clear of any undue sentimentalism which may have undermined their findings. I suspect (and judging from the endnotes on certain chapters, there is some truth to this...) that this book is mostly a re-purposed academic paper and would be a more complete read (although perhaps less useful as a textbook) if coupled with greater detail on the emergence of the Native community in Saskatoon and a closer look at the individual troubles of the students.