‘Brings people together': Yorkton school hosts Métis Day
Dr. Brass School in Yorkton held its second ever Culture and History Day on Wednesday, focusing on Métis culture.
The smell of bannock cooking on open fire filled the air, music was blasting from speakers, and kids were cheering each other on during a friendly game of tug-of-war.
'I love it. I honestly appreciate everybody that puts together the events in our city, brings people together, and this is just a fantastic event in all the children at the different stations doing different activities. It's really great,' Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle said, while overlooking the lush green courtyard of Dr. Brass School, filled with children. 'Thanks to the volunteers that make it happen,' he added.
The idea of the event came from Darcy Lepowick, a teacher at Dr. Brass School. Lepowick told CTV News that he recently got his teaching degree when he was 50-years-old.
'I just started here, and the First Nations had a powwow and a round dance, but there was no Métis culture in the school division, so we started a Métis day last year,' Lepowick explained. He said the event was so successful last year that this time, the organizers had to limit the number of students.
As he was talking, school buses were circulating around the school. Some kids were leaving, others arriving. Upon arrival, students received a map of the activities.
Métis Day
There were about 17 stations set up at Dr. Brass School in Yorkton for Métis Day. (Fruzsina De Cloedt / CTV News)
'We have some elders, Métis elders, baking bannock over the fire. We have super hot soup and bannock as well for sample meals and blueberry pudding. And the games include everything from nail pounding to axe throwing, log sawing, and wrestling,' said Lepowick as he guided CTV around campus.
At the back of the school, protected by the winds in the cool shade, were the food tasting stations.
A Métis woman behind the table explained that she learned the recipe of the lii boulette soup from her grandmother. The soup was of light colour and had some meat in it. The delicious smell brought people to form a line.
Some students were helping by giving out bannock to go with the soup. As she poured another cup of boulette for someone, the woman explained that they cut the bannock into thinner pieces - making dunking easier.
From another corner of the courtyard was the smell of wood burning. An elder who was manning the bannock station carefully kneaded and flipped the dough, while eager students waited to try a piece.
Not far from the fire was the workstation of the Saskatchewan Trappers Association. They had furs laid out on a table, and students were given the task of guessing which animal it belonged to. Those who were looking for a more graphic experience were not disappointed, as someone from the association skinned a mink.
Métis Day
Someone from the Saskatchewan Trappers Association skins a mink during Métis Day at Dr. Brass School in Yorkton. (Fruzsina De Cloedt / CTV News)
According to Lepowick, there were about 17 stations set up at the event, with about 900 students able to try out the activities important to the Métis people.
'They're all having fun,' Lepowick said. 'I guess if you talk to kids, there are lots of laughter and lots of fun, and the aim of the event is to learn and to have fun.'
Dr Brass School is proud of their Métis event and hope to bring it back for many more years to come.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Emancipation Day marked in Manitoba
Winnipeg Watch The anniversary of the British Empire abolishing slavery was celebrated by several Manitoba groups.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Noisy air conditioning spoiling summer in the Glebe
Some residents who live near a Glebe apartment building say the noise of the rooftop air conditioner is ruining their summer. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Glebe residents say noise from neighbouring apartment building AC unit spoiling summer
Some residents who live near a Glebe apartment building say the noise of the rooftop air conditioner is ruining their summer. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports. Some residents who live near a Glebe apartment building say the noise of the rooftop air conditioner is ruining their summer. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports. Residents who live around the Clemow apartment building near the corner of Carling and Bronson avenues say the persistent noise coming from the rooftop air conditioning unit is ruining their summer. The residents tell CTV News that the noise started in the spring, when the air conditioning units started running and it gets louder on hotter days. The continuous noise has some neighbours recording audio levels. 'It's a constant and it's 24/7,' said Marc LeBlanc, who lives a few houses down from the building. LeBlanc says the sound can be heard in backyards down the street. 'We're used to having noise from events. We've had fireworks, we have Bluesfest, that's not an issue for us,' he said. 'There's something about living downtown, but a constant 24/7 at all times of the day, that's where the irritation becomes a bit of a higher level and it's hard for everyone with families and kids.' Ottawa Bylaw Services says it has received 59 complaints about the sound coming from the unit since May but says the noise does not exceed the allowable level. Still, residents want something to change. 'It's very loud,' said Melissa Jones, who lives nearby. 'It's changed the atmosphere in the neighborhood and on the street, whether it's being able to use the sports field or hanging out in each other's backyards. It interferes with the enjoyment, and it sounds like a helicopter taking off.' The spokesperson for the owner of the Clemow says its systems are operating within the city's noise guidelines, but says 'As a good neighbour, we're proactively exploring additional noise abatement measures to further reduce any impact on the surrounding community.' 'It's a quick fix. It's noise canceling that they could put on the air conditioning units,' said LeBlanc. 'Most of the buildings have that, if not all the downtown buildings, because otherwise every neighborhood would have a constant AC noise problem.' Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard said in a statement, 'We've been working non-stop to ensure that bylaw completes more noise readings in the area and that the noise engineer hired by the building owners offers practical solutions to reduce this noise, which affects the quality of life for residents.'
