Students in the Aboriginal education program at Creston Valley schools have been particularly busy lately, putting the finishing touches on their regalia for the School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) youth powwow, which runs May 16 at the Creston and District Community Complex.
The fourth annual festival is moving there from the Prince Charles Secondary School (PCSS) gym, where it has been held for the last three years, a location it has outgrown.
"We joke about it at times, because we were going to do it for the one time, but it didn't turn out that way," said Jackie Mynott, the PCSS aboriginal education youth worker. "It is a very important part of our Aboriginal culture, so it is very important to us and others to keep this part going."
About two dozen Adam Robertson Elementary School (ARES) students are working on their regalia (photos here), which, depending on their grade, consists of shawls, yokes and chokers for the girls, and shirts and drops for the boys. Fewer are working on regalia at the smaller Erickson (EES) and Canyon-Lister (CLES) elementary schools, but the action is no less frenzied, as students sew, cut and iron pieces of their projects.
For most, the project started in October, and youth workers have the help of Lower Kootenay Band members and other visitors to help students understand the significance as they decorate regalia using images, shapes and colours that say something about them.
"If you're going to dance, you're not just putting on regalia and dancing," said ARES youth worker Josie Fullarton, who is assisted by Grade 4 teacher Allaina Allard. "Every piece means something."
The public is welcome to see Creston, Crawford Bay, Kaslo and Castlegar students dancing in their regalia during the May 16 event — which runs 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 12:15-2:15 p.m. — hosted by MC Ruben Little Head, and featuring hoop dancer Sandra Lamouche and the Northern Cree Singers.
The powwow is probably the most visible component, but is only part of the schools' Aboriginal program, which offers self-identified First Nations, Métis and Inuit students education in their language, history and culture.
The Lower Kootenay Band worked with the school district to get it started, and the program has been in Creston and other SD8 schools for 19 years, guided by the goals of the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement: to enhance the students' sense of belonging and self-esteem, increase their chances for academic success, and provide positive lifestyle choices.
That involves more than just a chance for the students to take part in activities — concepts are also important. For example, Erickson Elementary School youth worker Janet Zarchukoff's son-in-law is of Cree and Ktunaxa descent, and when he came in to demonstrate his beadwork, he talked about setting goals.
"We have positive role models come in and share," said Zarchukoff.
Those Aboriginal role models have been particularly helpful during Project of Heart, offered to students in Grades 2-5, as they discussed the loss of culture and the residential school system in an age-appropriate manner.
"This was a hugely impactful program," said CLES youth worker Laurel Ewashen. "If they make the emotional connection now, it will be there when they learn about the full reality of the situation."
For younger students, the program helped teach about healthy lifestyle choices and diabetes prevention, and Grade 7 students discussed the social justice circle, and debated healing versus punitive action.
"The children are so quick to make the connection," Ewashen said. "You don't have to teach them to."
The program allows non-Aboriginal students the chance to learn about their schoolmates' culture, too; a Métis woman from Cranbrook taught music and dancing to EES students, which they then performed in Focus on Youth.
"The Aboriginal kids in that class are learning, but it's normalizing it for the rest of the class," Zarchukoff said.
At PCSS, Mynott expands on the elementary program, starting in the spring when Grade 7 students come for orientation.
"One of the most important aspects of the program is for our students to have a sense of belonging [and] also to feel comfortable being at the high school," she said.
To that end, the schools have Aboriginal rooms, where students of all backgrounds enjoy spending time.
"Occasionally students will come from other classes to work quietly on their assignments or write tests," said Mynott. "The room is open all the time, and we welcome everyone into our room."
The room at EES has a microwave and mini-fridge, and one Aboriginal student regularly brings in a couple of friends to eat lunch with, and important key to their behavioural, emotional and social well-being, said Zarchukoff.
The four Creston Valley youth workers maintain close ties, meeting together weekly to make decisions and discuss issues with the program. Their united front helps Aboriginal students maintain their cultural identity while educating others at the same time.
"There are stereotyped thoughts of what Aboriginal people are like," Fullarton said. "What we do is challenge those thoughts and feelings."