Dancers, community leaders and dignitaries join together at the powwow at the museum in North Battleford Tuesday. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Partnership project

Indigenous Day celebrations at WDM a step toward healing

Jun 21, 2022 | 3:02 PM

Hundreds of people came together at the Western Development Museum (WDM) in North Battleford Tuesday to forge a new history.

Both Indigenous people and non-Indigenous took part in a traditional powwow on the museum grounds in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day across the country.

The project came about through a partnership between the WDM NB, Kanaweyimik Child & Family Services Inc. and Acahkos Awasisak- Star Children Project.

“Today is Indigenous Day, and we share it with everybody in the province and in our city,” said Karen Whitecalf, project manager with Acahkos Awasisak-Star Children Project, and Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Inc. (BATC) for the Indian Residential School Searches for Delmas and Battlefords Industrial School.

She said part of the Star Children Project’s aim is to revitalize First Nations culture and language, and this event helps.

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“To see all these children come out and learn about our culture, 20 years ago you would have never have seen this. You would never have seen a powwow at the museum and non-First Nation schools bringing their children to learn about First Nations culture.”

Whitecalf said celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day at the museum shows “there is a big change happening in our lifetime.”

“When I was a kid I didn’t have any non-First Nations friends,” she said. “All my friends were First Nations. I went to a non-First Nations school but I had no friends there. So it’s so heart-warming to see my children having non-First Nations friends. Even [having] their non-First Nations friends coming out to the reserve to Sweetgrass First Nation, that’s so awesome to see. There’s that big huge change, and change means healing.”

The Town of Battleford recently held an Indigenous Day celebration as a positive move forward.

At the WDM powwow, North Battleford Mayor David Gillan and Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie also attended.

Kanaweyimik Child and Family Services Inc. executive director Marlene Bugler said it’s a good feeling to see everyone celebrating together.

“Our whole objective is to build bridges,” she said at the museum’s event. “We’ve had so much history that has evolved over many years. But our Elders have told us that you can’t stay in the past. You have to look forward. The only way to make change is if you make the effort to do things.”

Bugler said this is “one of our ways to try and build the bridges between our nations,” adding that she appreciated the work of all the partners in the project.

Joyce Smith, Manager at WDM North Battleford, said the day also has an educational component, adding that she was glad to see a number of schools attending.

“We have been working with Kanaweyimik for I believe three years now on our Teepee Teachings, and this is the second year of the powwow,” she said.

Smith said about 200 people attended in total last year, but the museum is seeing many more than that this year.

“It’s such a learning opportunity for people to come together and talk about things,” she said. “I understand some people have never been to a powwow, let alone a traditional powwow. It’s an excellent opportunity to see the dancers in their regalia, and learn what the different dances are about.”

The powwow was scheduled to continue until 7:00 p.m. on June 21.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW