Schoolchildren have been regaled with tales from local indigenous cultures at the Fernie Heritage Library’s first National Aboriginal Day event.
On June 21, about 150 children and adults gathered in the library garden to hear from representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples before sharing a potluck lunch together.
Also known as National Indigenous Peoples Day, Aboriginal Day recognizes and celebrates the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of the three groups.
Fernie Heritage Library Director Emma Dressler said Thursday’s event had been a long time coming.
“We felt it was time to do something, the community needs to have something like this,” she said.
“It’s been something that’s been percolating for the last two years and we had, even last year, started to talk about it then a variety of things that we’ve been participating with in the community seemed to just come to the surface.”
The library’s Community Programmer Anie Hepher put the call out to Aboriginal workers in local schools and was overwhelmed by the response, with every Grade Two class wishing to attend.
Hepher said she was inspired by a colleague from Smithers, B.C., who recognized libraries as a neutral space for indigenous and non-indigenous people to meet.
She hopes to continue building the event, which she described as “an act of friendship and celebration”.
“Aboriginal Day is very much about celebrating what the First Nations community is doing,” she said.
“That’s something that’s very important to us at the library and to myself personally too.”
About 300 students in Elk Valley schools identify as Metis, according to Elk Valley Metis Association President Jean Sulzer.
She read from award-winning children’s book Dancing in my Bones by Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton.
“My story is about dancing and part of our culture included the fiddle and jigging steps, much like how the Irish dance,” she said.
Sulzer felt the library’s celebration of Aboriginal Day was timely, with truth and reconciliation circles also being held in Sparwood.
“I think it’s a very good time for Aboriginal people to be acknowledged and there seems to be more interest, and more open minds towards it,” she said.