“It is a good moment hearing the drum beat here, the sound of the drum has been echoing off the waters of Clear Lake for thousands of years,” echoed Mark Young, Aboriginal Affairs Manager with Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP).
The shores of Clear Lake are traditional Anishinabe territory and as such provided the perfect staging ground for the celebration of National Aboriginal Day on June 21.
Local area students and guests to the park participated in the workshops, pow-wow and events held throughout the day. National Aboriginal Day is an opportunity for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to share and showcase their diverse culture and history.
This day also provides all Canadians access to learn about the traditions, culture, stories and history of Aboriginal people across the country. Judy Schmidtke, president of the Wapiti local association and one of this year’s Aboriginal Day organizers explained the benefits of the Métis sash in her morning weaving presentation.
“The sash has six colours (blue, white, green, red, yellow, and black) and has many uses such as: a scarf, wash cloth, towel, knife storage, first aid and it was also used in the past to mark bison when hunting,” explained Schmidtke. “The blue represents depth of our spirit, the water and sky while the white symbolises our connection to earth and creator as well as people mixing and travelling together forever. Blue and white are also the colours of our Métis flag.”
Four nation necklace making, bannock making, tipi and red river cart teaching workshops were also provided during the morning.
The afternoon activities encouraged crowd participation with a pow-wow and amateur jigging contest. Standing Eagle Drum Group of Rolling River First Nation provided the music that resonated around the area.
Levi Huntinghawk, lead singer of the group was joined by seven of their nine members.
“The group has been together for over 15 years with five members here today from the original group,” explained Huntinghawk.
“Our group members are proud to be here to celebrate National Aboriginal Day as this is the traditional territory for everyone in the group.”