Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month: a guide for California teachers

November is Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month in California, designated by concurrent resolution of the California Legislature and filed with the Secretary of State. That makes November a natural month for a short, accurate unit on Sikhs, and classroom-ready materials already exist.

What the California resolution says

The designation comes from Assembly Concurrent Resolution 147, authored by Assembly Member Dickinson. It designates the month of November as California's Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The full text sits on the Legislature's own site: ACR 147.

The Legislature has taken the designation up again in later sessions. ACR 100, by Assembly Member Kalra, was chaptered as Chapter 146. ACR 220, also by Kalra, was chaptered as Chapter 192.

Each recognises the contributions Californians of Sikh heritage have made to the state, and asks that all Californians get the chance to better understand their history and shared principles.

Five plain facts a class can learn

1. The Sikh path begins with Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He was born in 1469. In 1522 he settled at Kartarpur and opened a kitchen of grain, free to anyone who came.

2. There were ten Gurus in human form. The tenth, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, passed the Guruship to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and to the Khalsa Panth at Nanded. Sikhs regard Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as the living Guru, and attend to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji with that care.

3. Sikh life rests on three pillars. Earn honestly, remember the Divine Name, share the fruits of your work. Guru Nanak Dev Ji rejected the idea that holiness meant withdrawing from work or living on alms. He worked as a farmer, an accountant and a trader.

4. Service is the practice, not a side project. Seva means work given with no expectation of reward or recognition. Most gurdwaras employ very few paid staff, and the cooking, cleaning and serving are done by volunteers.

5. Sikhs have been in California since 1899. They came from Punjab, through the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco. By 1910 many had moved into farming in the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Imperial valleys, and the resolutions credit Sikh growers with peaches, raisins, grapes, almonds, pistachios and okra.

The first gurdwara in the United States was in Stockton

The first Sikh house of worship in the country was founded in Stockton in 1912. The later resolutions count 58 gurdwaras in California, including the Gurdwara Sahib of San Jose, the largest in North America, and more than 300 across the country. They put Yuba City's Punjabi population at around 10 percent.

The five articles of faith

Guru Gobind Singh Ji instituted five articles of faith at Vaisakhi in 1699. Initiated Sikhs wear all five, every day. Each begins with the letter K in Gurmukhi, so they are often called the Five Ks.

• Kesh, uncut hair. Acceptance of the form one was given.
• Kangha, a wooden comb kept in the hair. Cleanliness and order.
• Kara, a steel bangle on the wrist. A reminder at the moment the hand is about to act.
• Kachera, a cotton undergarment. Self-restraint and readiness.
• Kirpan, a sword worn as an article of faith. A commitment to defend those who cannot defend themselves.

The turban, or dastaar, is not one of the five. It covers the kesh. None of these are ornaments, and for an initiated Sikh they are not optional: removing one, the kesh above all, counts as a serious break in Sikh discipline.

Langar, and why everyone sits in the same row

Langar (ਲੰਗਰ) is the free community kitchen attached to a gurdwara. Guru Nanak Dev Ji instituted it and later Gurus developed it. Guru Amar Das Ji ruled that everybody ate together in one row, and made eating in the langar a condition of meeting him at all. The emperor Akbar was not exempt.

Everyone sits on the floor in rows, at the same level, without regard to caste, class, wealth, gender or religion. Anyone who walks in is fed, Sikh or not. There is a fuller page on what langar is, and a step-by-step guide to visiting a gurdwara for a class trip.

In medieval India, who you sat and ate beside was the sharpest marker of caste, so one row was a deliberate break with the social order.

Vaisakhi and the founding of the Khalsa

Vaisakhi was already the Punjabi harvest festival and new year, and it falls in mid-April. In 1699, at Anandpur Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji stood before a very large gathering and called for a Sikh willing to offer their head.

One by one, five men rose. They came from different corners of the country. They became the first to receive the Khalsa initiation, Khande di Pahul, all five drinking from the same bowl. No distinction of caste or lineage remained. The Guru called them the Beloved Five, the Panj Pyare, and from that day initiated Sikhs took the shared names Singh and Kaur. The names are explained in why Sikhs are named Singh and Kaur, and there is a separate page for a Sikh student in your class.

Classroom materials for California teachers

The Sikh Coalition builds and gives away K to 12 materials on Sikhs and Sikh American history.

• Sikhism: An Educator's Guide, a free PDF on the Sikh community, its traditions and its faith, with lesson plans built in.
• Elementary school resources: discussion guides for picture books including Fauja Singh Keeps Going, lesson plans for books including A Vaisakhi to Remember, and a pack called Sikh Celebrations: Lessons and Activities for Inclusive Classrooms, covering Vaisakhi, Bandi Chhor Divas and two gurpurabs.
• Middle and high school resources: lesson plans written for grades 9 to 12 and marked adaptable for other age groups. Two that fit November are:
• Stockton, California: The Story of Sikh Immigration
• Sikh House of Worship: The Gurdwara and Tradition of Langar

The Sikh Coalition also facilitates professional development trainings free of charge for teachers, educators and administrators, listed on their main educator page.

Common questions

Is Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month official in California?

Yes. The California Legislature designated November as California's Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month by concurrent resolution, filed with the Secretary of State. It has been taken up again in later sessions, and each text is linked above.

Why do some Sikh students wear a turban, uncut hair or a steel bangle?

Uncut hair and the steel bangle are two of the five articles of faith Guru Gobind Singh Ji instituted in 1699. The turban is not one of the five; it covers the uncut hair. An initiated Sikh wears all five every day, as a commitment made at initiation rather than a style choice. That is why a student will not take one off on request.

Is langar open to people who are not Sikh?

Yes. Langar is the free community kitchen attached to a gurdwara, and anyone who enters is fed, whatever their religion or background. All who eat sit on the floor in rows, at the same level, and eat the same food.

Where can a California teacher get lesson plans?

The Sikh Coalition offers K to 12 lesson plans, an educator's guide, book discussion guides and a celebrations pack. The educator's guide is a free PDF download, and the organisation facilitates professional development trainings free of charge. Start with their resources for educators page, linked above.