NBCHS celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. (Submitted photos/Carla Bernier)

By Martin Martinson

Celebrating culture

Local high schools celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day

Jun 21, 2022 | 6:00 PM

From pancakes to powwows, flag raisings, and round dances, all three North Battleford high schools celebrated National Indigenous Peoples’ Day Tuesday, in various ways in the community.

John Paul II Collegiate

JPII opened the morning with a special pancake breakfast, while staff and students were encouraged to wear any Indigenous clothing brands they may have, including Orange Shirt Day shirts.

JPII celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. (Submitted photos/Shalen Fox)

Pictures were then taken around the school with a Canadian First Nations flag, the Metis flag and the Every Child Matters flag. Shalen Fox who helped organize the day’s festivities said it’s a day for celebrating Indigenous culture and learning more about it.

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“It’s always good to bring awareness and have a day where our Indigenous students are proud of their culture and everyone can also learn about the culture a little bit too, so it kind of goes hand-in-hand,” he said.

North Battleford Comprehensive High School

NBCHS opened the day with a flag-raising and smudge this morning at 9:30 a.m., followed by a round dance at 10:30 a.m., and free lunch, all open to the public.

Native Studies teacher and First Nations and Métis graduation coach, Madison MacKeracher said the flag-raising, in particular, signalled a special milestone for the school.

“Up until this year the only flag we’ve flown at our school is the Canada flag, and we just felt like part of us beginning this journey of truth and reconciliation and really honouring the land and its original inhabitants, it was really important that we flew both the Metis flag and the Treaty 6 flag to honour those relationships,” she said.

NBCHS also welcomed members of Hafford Central School, Cando Community School and Battleford Central School to take part in the day’s festivities. In the afternoon, a number of students in Grades 7-12 also attended the Western Development Museum’s powwow.

Sakewew High School

At Sakewew High School, the Cree Culture 20 and 30 classes, along with the Grade 9 class, also attended the Western Development Museum’s powwow, which ran from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cree Culture and Grade 9 teacher at Sakewew, Kassidy Nielsen said it was a valuable experience that fit in well within their classroom learning of late as well.

“With our Cree Culture class, a big focus has been powwows, so celebrating culture through [a] powwow was a very cool thing for our Cree Culture class.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1