Puppeteer and author Chad Solomon performs for children in 2018. He'll be back in Meadow Lake on February 14. (Submitted Photo/Tawn Marshall)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Aboriginal Stories

North Battleford and Meadow Lake Libraries prepare for busy Aboriginal Storytelling Month

Feb 3, 2024 | 10:43 AM

Throughout the month of February, stories of life will be at the forefront of readers’ minds at the libraries in Meadow Lake and North Battleford.

“Traditionally, storytelling month…happens when the snow first falls,” said Jordon Weenie, program manager with the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs.

He explained that the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month, which is coordinated by Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples Inc., is now in the middle of winter and the upcoming visit from author Richard Van Camp feels like a full circle moment. Last year, when the library and the BATC started an Indigenous-themed book club, the first book chosen was Van Camp’s ‘Gather.’

“Wonderful book, wonderful author,” he said.

By last November, they started thinking about planning the month and Weenie had an idea.

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“I was like, ‘Why don’t we bring Richard here,’ cause we did have a Zoom meeting with him for our book club,” he added.

The idea transformed into inviting the author to spend a full day at the library on Weds., Feb. 21 to do activities, reading, and presentations.

“His message is, and his stories are powerful, and you resonate with some part of it, whether you’re Indigenous or non-Indigenous, there’s something for everyone.”

At the Meadow Lake Library, staff are preparing for another busy Aboriginal Storytelling Month and I Love to Read Month.

“We are jammed packed full of school visits and it also holds Freedom to Read Week which is about… well, our freedoms here that we have in Canada,” said Tawn Marshall, programming clerk.

“It focuses on intellectual rights, accessibility rights, basically what we have as Canadians to access and read what we want,” she added of the event over the week of February 18 to February 24.

In North Battleford, Weenie explained the power of storytelling will be the driving force behind Van Camp’s visit and the library’s programming.

“To hopefully bring the…Battlefords together to learn and understand our history, our history, our current history, and just bring that magic of storytelling,” he said.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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