Ronan Parks, CSKT discuss possible demonstration site for play pods
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PABLO – “We’re losing our language, and our language is our backbone,” Nkwusm Salish Language School instructor Stephen Small Salmon said as he stood in front of Tribal Council Aug. 18. The meeting included the innovative playground equipment corporation, Gametime, who design innovative playground equipment play pods, based on specific themes of the region they are located in. Both visited the Mission Valley to learn about the different traditions and cultures of the area, and to get a better idea of what kinds of pods to incorporate into Bockman Park.
Small Salmon welcomed Gametime Vice Presidents Lisa Moore and Robert Barron with both an honor song and a dinner song at the beginning of the meeting.
Moore and Barron spent Aug. 18 and 19 in the Mission Valley to tour Ronan/Bockman Park and other locations like the People’s Center and Salish Point to help brainstorm ideas about how to combine traditional educational materials with playground equipment for a “play trail.” The project is not guaranteed to come to Ronan just yet, as details are still being discussed.
“We’ve been doing pretty good (at the school),” Small Salmon said. “I’m pretty proud of these young kids, they can now talk Indian and count in Indian.”
As the number of adult Salish speakers continues to shrink annually, Ronan Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Rolfsness believes it’s important to keep the rich heritage of the Mission Valley alive for future generations, which can in part be accomplished by having the pods in Ronan for all to see.
This vision came after Rolfsness attended the grand opening of the demonstration site in Chattanooga, Tenn., where she ventured from pod to pod, thinking of ways Ronan’s park could celebrate the rich traditions the Mission Valley holds, while also creating a fun, educational location for all to enjoy.
The pods are so new that only one other demonstration site has been launched to date. In Springfield, Mo., where the new pod technology incorporates themes of that area, there is a large mosquito replica, which has cultural significance to that community.
To bring their concept alive, Rolfsness and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Educator Margene Asay have for the past year brainstormed different pod themes. What they’ve tried to do is think of ways to incorporate native history into Ronan/Bockman Park, while making it appealing for both children and families.
If the project does come to Ronan, it will be the first park in the world on an Indian reservation to display the “play pods,” which would be designed around Salish and Kootenai traditions, language, and regional wildlife of the Mission Valley.
“We’re focused on keeping children physically active and learning about cultural heritage,” Moore said. “Right now we’re brainstorming what themes we want. I think one theme we’ve thought up would be incorporating the aquatic and natural assets into a play pod. This area could be an amazing cultural play pod demo site.”
“(The pods) would be culturally and scientifically designed around our area,” Rolfsness said. “The goal is to get kids out and connected with nature.”
The project is still in the early stages of development, as ideas for the projected five pods are still being developed.
“It’s never been developed before,” Rolfsness said. “We’re still at the very bottom of the project.”
Current ideas for the project include creating signage that incorporates both Salish and Kootenai languages, while making each pod an energetic destination that is fun for children and their parents to play while learning.
“So far our trip has been excellent,” Barron said. “The hospitality and passion for community has impressed me significantly.”
