Students learn about Indigenous culture in Neepawa

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This article was published 12/10/2023 (904 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Students from Neepawa and the surrounding areas got an up-close and personal look at Indigenous customs and culture on Indigenous Culture Day on Sept. 29.

One day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, students dressed in orange T-shirts and flocked to the soccer field in Neepawa, known as the Flats, located 74 kilometres northeast of Brandon, to learn more about the First Peoples of the land.

Elder Darren Mousseau from Ebb and Flow First Nation, located 205 km northeast of Brandon, was back again this year to emcee the event and share stories and lessons with the students. Greeting him was Deputy Mayor Murray Parrott, who presented Mousseau with tobacco as an honourary gift. First Nations people commonly associate tobacco with being able to bring people together and for its medicinal and healing properties.

“We recognize privilege disparities. We acknowledge the harms and mistake of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous peoples in the spirit of reconciliation,” Parrott said as he passed the tobacco to Mousseau with the students watching on.

The mood did not stay solemn for long, as after Mousseau thanked Parrott he turned his attention to the children, who sat in a circle around him.

“One thing you have to know about us at this cultural learning experience is that we like having fun,” Mousseau told the children. “We like laughing, we like joking with each other, we just like having fun.”

Following this, Mousseau introduced a drumming circle who sang and drummed a rendition of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” which finished to a rousing chorus of applause from the students, teachers and onlookers.

After that, the students took in some traditional dances. An array of notable dancers attended the event, including male champion dancers Mickey Mentuck and Jason Beaulieu from Waywayseecappo First Nation, located 151 km northwest of Brandon, and Harlum Chartrand from Crane River First Nation, located 248 km northeast of Brandon.

The female champion dancers in attendance included Becky McIvor from Sandy Bay First Nation, located 179 km northeast of Brandon, Selena Hanska from Birdtail Sioux First Nation, located 135 km northwest of Brandon, and Raven Wabash from Waywayseecappo First Nation.

Seventeen-year-old Chartrand, a grass dancer, felt that dancing for the assembled children was a chance for him to share his culture with them.

“Maybe they can learn a few things in general, things that are very important, like rules about the drumming, rules about the regalia and the culture in general,” Chartrand said.

While Chartrand has been dancing since he started walking, he’s only just begun to try to use it as an opportunity to teach people about truth and reconciliation. He also holds close members of his family and community in his heart when he dances, he said.

“I dance for people that I care about, people that can’t dance, people that can barely even walk,” Chartrand said. “I feel great. I just really enjoy being there, I just really enjoy being in the moment, dancing.”

In addition to the drumming, singing and dancing, students also got the chance to visit several activity stations, from making bannock over an open fire, supervised by an experienced bannock-maker, to a beading station, to learning how to sew a ribbon dress.

Katherine McKay, from Rolling River First Nation, located 76 km north of Brandon, is the granddaughter of residential school survivors. They’re the reason why she included an orange ribbon on the piece of skirt she showed the children how to sew.

“For me, this orange ribbon represents my grandmother’s and their history. Because of the effects of the residential schools, we struggle with what’s called intergenerational trauma,” McKay told the students. “I, too, suffer a rippling effect from what happened with residential schools, and this is so important for me because it’s helping to heal and bridge that connection between me and you guys. And it gives me hope, because my daughter is going to grow up in a world where there is respect for her culture.”

One of the students who took in McKay’s presentation, 12-year-old Kallan Baskerville, said he learned a lot from her, and that it was his favourite part of the whole event.

“I really like sewing,” he said.

For Baskerville, learning about the history of Indigenous people is an important step towards truth and reconciliation.

“Then we know to respect them, and make sure [residential schools] never happen again,” the Grade Seven student said.

Rylan Sprick, an 11-year-old, said he enjoyed learning about what Indigenous civilization looked like before colonization.

“The coolest thing I learned is that they had different lines of defence for their villages, which I think was quite cool, because then it was harder for the people who were attacking to get into their houses,” Sprick said. “I didn’t know they did all that stuff.”

Although she’d learned a lot about truth and reconciliation already, 12-year-old Anne Crosson was excited to see some new dances at the pow wow held in the morning. Her favourite station, she said, was the beading one.

Learning about truth and reconciliation on an ongoing basis is important to ensure that, going forward, all people are treated with care and compassion, Crosson said.

“If we don’t learn about it, we might forget, so it’s good to carry on and understand the mistakes that were made.”

Jared Luna, who turns 12 this month, defines truth and reconciliation as trying to get to know people and understand them, which leads to respect.

“Every culture deserves respect. Even though many people may not have the same culture, it’s okay, because everyone has their own beliefs, and not everybody has to be all one culture,” he said.

Merle Roulette has been baking bannock since she was six years old. Now a grandmother, she came to the event with her whole family — her daughters helped teach children how to bead, and McKay, her daughter-in-law, taught the children how to sew a ribbon skirt.

Coming out to the event and teaching the children how to make bannock and seeing some of them taste it for the first time felt good, Roulette said.

“I have eight kids, and I have five grandkids and 10 adopted kids. I’m used to having so many kids around,” she said. “I used to cook a lot.”

The students seemed to really enjoy the bannock, Roulette said.

“They liked it. They liked the fried bannock and the over-the-fire bannock.”

The event was hosted by ArtsForward, the town’s arts and entertainment hub, and was sponsored by: the Town of Neepawa; the Beautiful Plains School Division; the Beautiful Plains Community Foundation; the Youth Advisory Council; the Art, Culture, Sport & Community Celebrations Fund of the provincial government; and the Meaghan Peters Studio.

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