Photo by Shlomo Shalev on Unsplash
Yesterday evening there was rain. Along with the rain there was thunder, which doesn’t happen very often in Nanaimo. Having grown up in rural Alberta, thunderstorms were a very common sight throughout the summer.
The rumbles of thunder could be heard every so often as my child and I continued reading Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. A few of the rumbles scared my child and she turned to snuggle with me. I shared with her how when I was her age the sound of thunder and cracks of lightning scared me. And how anaanatsiaq (grandmother) – who is my mom – helped me not to be afraid of thunder and lightning.
I recounted a memory I had of being scared of thunder around her age – 5 or 6 years old. It was bedtime for me and there was a thunderstorm outside. The claps of thunder were loud and felt like they shook the house. I remember being scared and crying, wondering what was going to happen. My anaana (mother) – or her anaanatsiaq (grandmother)– told me we could figure out how close or far away the storm was by counting the number of seconds in between claps of thunder. The shorter the time between thunderclaps, the closer the storm. The longer we counted, the further away the storm was or was moving away from us. This was one of the ways my anaana helped me understand thunderstorms and to get curious about something I was afraid of.
I also shared with my child that there are stories people from different cultures tell that explain why there is thunder and lightning and their significance. I told her Inuit have a story about the origins of thunder and lightning.
At that point, another clap of thunder sounded. My child and I started to count until we heard another clap of thunder. We had counted to 106 seconds and there was still no thunderclap. My child looked at me and said with a smile on her face, “The storm is really far away. We can stop counting.” She turned over and fell asleep.
After leaving her room, I searched my bin of children’s books to find the copy of The Legend of Thunder and Lightning by Paula Ikuutaq Rumboldt published by Inhabit Media. Paula Ikuutaq Rumboldt weaves together elements of an origin story and a cautionary tale to share how the actions of two orphaned siblings change the Arctic skies forever by creating lightning and thunder.
This particular telling of this tale is from the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. A reminder of the diversity that exists amongst Inuit and Inuit communities, as well as the variations that exist of origin stories.
Tomorrow, I plan on sitting down with my child to read this book, learn a bit more about our Inuit culture and see what questions come up.
Cultural perspectives provide the emotional and spiritual connection to explaining the natural world.
I believe it is in the cultural knowledge and wisdom that we carry and share with each other that we build the capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect.
Through our conversations we honour our differences and celebrate our similarities.
Sharing of stories is one of the ways we can help each other see ourselves reflected in our learning, world and come to see that the beauty in the multiplicity of understanding this world we live in.
I’m curious to hear and learn from you.
What stories your community has about thunder and lightning?
AND what we can learn about each other in the sharing of these stories?