First ever Land Based Learning Student Ice Fishing Derby set for next March 10-13. (supplied photo/Delane Graham)

By Keaton Brown

Reel Them In

Piyesiw Awasis School ready to host their first Land Based Learning Student Ice Fishing Derby

Mar 5, 2020 | 1:09 PM

Saskatchewan students have been invited to the Thunderchild First Nation next week to learn some valuable ice fishing skills.

Piyesiw Awasis School on Thunderchild First Nation is hosting the first ever Land Based Learning Student Ice Fishing Derby on March 10 to March 13.

The derby will take place at Turtle Lake Southbay and entry fees are $5 for students and $15 for adults. The Grand Prize for the derby is a kayak.

Adult fishing will only be available on Friday March 13 for the Family Fish day.

Students are hoping to forge new relationships at Thunderchild fishing derby. (Supplied photo/Delane Graham)

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Delane Graham, Land Based Teacher, said the goal behind the derby is to create some unity between the different communities.

“The idea is to bring all these people together to build relationships between First Nations and non-First Nations and share our resources, feed everybody and meet new people,” he said. “It is a Thunderchild tradition and Thunderchild culture. When someone comes to your territory you feed them, so every child that comes will get free soup, hot dog and free bannock,” he added.

Graham said they have had an amazing response considering this is the first year hosting the derby.

“We have about 14 schools, four school divisions, and about 600 students coming,” he said.

An event like this one requires all hands on deck and that is no different for the Thunderchild First Nation School according to Graham.

“Our youth center’s workers will be working with us and our school staff. Our support staff, our TA’s, our EA’s, our janitors and our cooks [are all helping out],” he said.

All students will be given free soup, hot dog, and bannock at the event. (Supplied photo/Delane Graham)

Graham said the idea for the fishing derby actually came from their elders in the community.

“We were out ice fishing with our elders and one of them said ‘you should invite Turtleford to come ice fish, and you should invite Paradise Hill to come ice fish with us,’ and I asked if we should just make an ice fishing derby for students only,” he said. “They said ‘yes invite them all, let’s build relationships’ and we are hoping to do just that.”

For a lot of the students it will be the first time they have been ice fishing and Graham said they are excited to have a lot of learning happening on the ice that day.

—

Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow