Peace River Cultural Event

Client Services, Light Up Your Mind, People Power - AB
Back row L-R: Eleanor Smith, Shirley Curtis, Johnny Tailbone, Braden Portelance, Hussein Ossudallah, Zee Adams, Doug Cook Front: Debra Erkinger, Victoria Champion, Laurel Easton, Valentina Decker, Margerida Esteves Johnny Tailbone and Shirley Curtis are the coordinators assistants and a huge part of making the day a success.
Back L-R: Zee Adams, Margrida Esteves, Eleanor Smith, Victoria Champion, Hussein Ossudallah, Braden Portelance Front L-R: Denis Whitford (Coordinator) Valentina Decker, Laurel Easton, Debra Erkinger, Doug Cook

 

This month our team was very fortunate to participate in a Cultural Event. The Coordinator, Dennis Whitford, owner of 2Thunder Consulting, was very informative and entertaining. We started our day with everyone meeting in the office only to be led out into the wilderness shortly after. We had come prepared for outdoor activities but none of knew what was planned for us!

The fire was already blazing, and we stood around in a circle as Elder Whitford asked the Creator to be part of our day. After the smudging we shared a little about ourselves. We then honored the fire by placing tobacco in the flames. Elder Whitford shared knowledge about aboriginal people and traditions. There were several long poles on the ground. Many of us were curious as to what the poles were for. Elder Whitford explained we would be working together, as a team, to put up a teepee. As you can imagine things got quite interesting as we followed the instructions of Elder Whitford. There was lots of laughter, good humor, shared jokes and team work as we stood up the poles, wrapped the teepee and attached the inside skirt to keep the wind out. Many of us had never put up a Teepee before. It was quite interesting to learn the skills involved in erecting such a structure as well as the traditional stories relating to it.

Once the teepee was erected and deemed safe by Elder Whitford, we were served a traditional meal while sitting on the ground inside the teepee. The food was prepared by Elder Whitford’s family and served in keeping with the traditions of the aboriginal people. Elder Whitford explained men traditionally served food. We were honored to have Elder Whitford and his brother-in-law serve bannock, stew and homemade strawberry jam, wild saskatoon berry fruit, and locally collected mint tea, prepared by his wife and his sister. The meal was delicious!

Before leaving we were able to experience a close up look at a sweat lodge. Elder Whitford shared the reason why there is material hanging in the trees all around the site and what that means in traditional culture.
After enjoying our morning in the great outdoors under blue skies, it was time to head back to the office. Elder Whitford joined us and spoke more about the culture and presented a slide show to the group. It was a very enriching experience and an enjoyable day for everyone involved. The Teepee pictured is the one our team erected.

This month we also celebrated, by going out to lunch, the two-year milestone of Victoria Champion. She is an important part of our team and works diligently with families, supporting them in many aspects of their lives. Congratulations Victoria! We are proud to have you on our WJS team.