logo
Graduates far from home ‘grateful' for honour at school powwow

Graduates far from home ‘grateful' for honour at school powwow

After being displaced for more than two weeks, Jonah Wavey found some hope in a Winnipeg graduation ceremony — and he's holding onto it until he can celebrate with his classmates back home.
The Grade 12 Tataskweyak Cree Nation student was among several wildfire evacuees honoured Monday during a special celebration of Indigenous graduates at the University of Winnipeg's Duckworth Centre.
The event, typically part of the Winnipeg School Division's annual outdoor powwow that draws more than 10,000 Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, was postponed last week due to poor air quality from wildfires in northern Manitoba.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Jonah Wavey, a grade 12 graduate from Tataskweyak Cree Nation, with his mom, Abbie Garson-Wavey, at the special graduation ceremony held by Winnipeg School Division in partnership with Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, for graduates from northern Manitoba communities evacuated due to wildfires.
'I'm grateful that they are doing this for us,' Wavey said, adding that he hasn't been in class since the wildfires around Tataskewyak forced 2,400 residents from their homes. 'I'm glad that I am part of this.'
Wavey's mother, Abbie Garson-Wavey, a band councillor in Tataskewyak, said she was thrilled to get the invite.
'I totally appreciated it,' she said. 'We have (four) of our graduates (in Winnipeg), but unfortunately, a lot of them are separated because of the evacuation. '(My son) is so excited. We're so proud of him and all of the work he's done.'
Garson-Wavey said the evacuation has taken a toll on the entire community, especially youth.
'I know the displacement has caused us all to split up into different communities, different cities,' she said. 'There's been a lot of mental health issues because of the separation and the displacement. We've been just trying to remind them, to ground them, that we're there for them and we support them.'
Monday's smaller indoor event drew dozens of people and featured a grand entry, honour song, a prayer and teaching from divisional Kookum Marsha Missyabit, and a friendship dance that brought nearly everyone to the gymnasium floor, hand in hand and smiling.
WSD partnered with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to invite graduates affected by the wildfires.
'We express heartfelt gratitude to Winnipeg School Division for their generous and compassionate gesture in extending an invitation to Grade 12 graduates who have been evacuated from their home communities due to the wildfires,' said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Acting Grand Chief Gordon Bluesky in a release. 'This meaningful act ensures that these students are recognized and celebrated for their achievements despite the challenges they have faced. It is a powerful example of community solidarity and support for First Nations youth during a time of uncertainty.'
Rob Riel, assistant superintendent of Indigenous education, said the division wanted to show they care during this difficult time.
'We've also opened the door for them, if they're still in Winnipeg, to walk the stage at any of our graduations next week,' Riel said. 'Every school said they would welcome it.
'It's an important time that you have to acknowledge, so we just want to ensure they got that experience.'
For Keanu Kirkness, another Grade 12 student from Tataskweyak, the ceremony marked a special milestone.
'It's a great achievement, a bookmark in my life, and getting to do it with the people with me here,' he said, alongside his parents and cousins. 'It means a lot.'
Kirkness and his family have been staying with his aunt in Winnipeg since being evacuated.
'It's been all right, having fun walking around (the city),' he said. 'But I miss (home) and being in class, it's my last year.'
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
He hopes the wildfires don't take away the chance to celebrate graduation back home.
'The photos, the people you're graduating with, you can always come back and look at them,' he said.
Matt Henderson, superintendent of schools and CEO of the Winnipeg School Division, said the ceremony was a small but meaningful gesture.
'This was a way to honour WSD grads, and at the same time, give students an opportunity that may not get to walk across their stage, and a show of solidarity,' Henderson said. 'Kids are kids, and they want to be with each other, and that was the least we could do as a school division.'
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott BilleckReporter
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Despite rainy weather, Catholics in a Paraguayan town dress as birds to honor their patron saint
Despite rainy weather, Catholics in a Paraguayan town dress as birds to honor their patron saint

Winnipeg Free Press

time21 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Despite rainy weather, Catholics in a Paraguayan town dress as birds to honor their patron saint

EMBOSCADA, Paraguay (AP) — The rainy weather did not prevent Blanca Servín from dressing her 7-year-old son like a bird. They joined a procession honoring St. Francis Solanus, the patron saint of a town in Paraguay about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the capital city of Asunción. Like her child, dozens of Catholics in Emboscada wear elaborate feathered garments each July 24. Dressing up is a ritual aimed at fulfilling promises made to the Spanish friar, who was a missionary in South America during the 16th century and is believed to grant miracles. 'I couldn't have children,' Servín said. 'I underwent several treatments and when I finally got pregnant and my child was born, the doctors said he would barely live for a few days.' She then prayed to St. Francis Solanus and made a promise many parishioners make: If you do this for me, I will honor you on your feast day for seven years. 'My son is almost 7, and I have kept my promise,' Servín said. 'But we will keep coming.' Dressing in feathers Participants dressing up in feather garments are known as 'promisers.' As part of the rituals, they cover their faces, imitate birds and distort their voices when speaking. Marcos Villalba said he spent three months crafting his costume. He worked on it every other day and said his father and brothers have also been long-time promisers. Sulma Villalba — not related to Marcos — devoted six months to the task. Rather than wearing a costume herself, she patiently glued hundreds feathers to her children's and husband's clothing. Like Servín, she has already fulfilled the promise she made to St. Francis to protect her family, but she said they still honor him because it has become a tradition they enjoy. A missionary to Indigenous people According to Ireneo López, a layperson in charge of recreational activities at the Emboscada parish, St. Francis is remembered as a missionary who evangelized the Indigenous people through music. The first church in his honor was erected in the 1930s. As parishioners increased, a new building was built later. López said that participants use up to 30 hens, guinea fowls and geese to craft their costumes. 'These garments represent what people used to wear in ancient times,' he added. 'Gala suits were made with what nature provided: birds.' Jessica López, who attended the festival with her two children and a niece, said she gathered feathers for months. Before crafting the costumes a week ago, her family enjoyed a banquet with a hen they specifically picked for the occasion. She, too, asked St. Francis for good health, but said parishioners request all sorts of miracles. About 2,500 area residents join the feast every year. Processions and dances honoring St. Francis start on July 22. The night before the feast day, a local family takes home a wooden figure depicting the friar in order to decorate it for the festivities. On July 24, promisers and parishioners attend Mass at the St. Francis chapel, then lead a procession and end up dancing in front of the church. A tale of land and dispute According to historian Ana Barreto, the ancient context of the feast is as fascinating as the feast itself. It is celebrated in a territory that was disputed by two Indigenous people — the Guaraní and the Chacoan — before the Spaniards came in the 16th century. The Europeans eventually subdued the Guaraní, but the Chacoan kept defending the land even after descendants of formerly enslaved people from Africa settled there. 'The Indigenous people sought to steal young women, take weapons and other valuable objects, and set the ranches on fire,' Barreto said. Not all current participants in the St. Francis feast are aware of this, but their costumes and celebrations are a remembrance of this historic episode. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. According to Barreto, the Guaraní name of the event, 'Guaykurú Ñemondé,' translates as 'dressing like a barbarian.' Thus Guaraní participants are dressing as their ancestral enemies. The reason might be hidden in an ancient Guaraní rite. After battling the Chacoan, the Guaraní people kept their prisoners alive. They provided them with food and energizing drinks, and encouraged them to have sex with their women. Afterwards, they killed the prisoners and cooked them, serving them as a meal at a community banquet. 'In this way, the enemy strengthened the Guaraní,' Barreto said. ____ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

BC takes first steps to protect coastal conservation hotspots with First Nations
BC takes first steps to protect coastal conservation hotspots with First Nations

National Observer

timea day ago

  • National Observer

BC takes first steps to protect coastal conservation hotspots with First Nations

Two small inlets with immense ecological and cultural importance on BC's remote north coast are getting some initial protection as part of the Great Bear Sea project. The province and the Gitga'at and Gitxaała Nations are implementing a new 14-square-kilometre wildlife management area to protect the Kitkiata and Kishkosh Inlets off the Douglas Channel west of Kitimat. The waterways shelter pristine river systems, extensive estuaries, tidal flats and shorelines, as well as the at-risk seabirds and salmon that rely on them. The inlets include both beautiful natural areas and also key food harvesting and sacred cultural sites that have sustained the Gitga'at Nation before and after colonial contact, said Kyle Clifton, acting director of the Gitga'at Oceans and Lands Department. 'It's a small area, but it's especially important to the Gitga'at,' Clifton said. The Gitga'at are known as the 'People of the Cane' — which reflects their relationship with their traditional territories. 'It comes from areas in our homelands in the Skeena and in the [coastal] inlets where it is too shallow to paddle your canoe — so you push yourself around with a [cane] pole.' Provincial wildlife management areas allow some activities to take place as long as the key conservation values are protected. This is because unmanaged access can pose threats, Clifton said. New provincial wildlife management area recognizes deep cultural and ecological values of the Kitkiata and Kishkosh inlets in the Great Bear Sea region. The inlets border two land conservancies established by the province in 2007. The Gitga'at and Gitxaała will work with the province to develop integrated management plans to manage activities in the region that include pristine lakes, old growth forests and rich wetlands that support grizzlies as well as at-risk long-tailed duck and trumpeter swans. Building the Great Bear Sea The new wildlife management area is the first step and interim layer of protection for the inlets that fall under the umbrella of the Great Bear Sea Network. That initiative — recently endorsed by 15 First Nations and the federal and provincial governments after decades of work — aims to create a string of marine conservation hotspots stretching from northern Vancouver Island to the Alaska border, an area also known as the Northern Shelf Bioregion. The Gitga'at expect additional protections for the inlets will also be created with the federal government as the Great Bear Sea initiative progresses, Clifton said. The protected areas will advance a sustainable future for the coast, abundant fisheries and healthy oceans that meet the needs of all British Columbians, said Christine Smith Martin, CEO of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative. 'The marine protected area network is designed for and by the people of the coast to protect and conserve these important resources to grow our local economies, enhance culture and biodiversity and develop the tools to become more self-reliant,' Smith said. There is no heavy commercial fishing or industry in the inlets. However, hunting and recreational activities, including sport fishing and shellfish harvesting, do take place, Clifton said. While in isolation such activities may not appear to harm natural areas, they can accumulate or have outsized impacts, he said. For instance, boats equipped with powerful engines can churn up the shallow and sensitive estuaries or river beds, destroying salmon eggs, important to protect healthy stocks. And hunters with firearms who assume they are in a remote area can put community members harvesting food at risk, he said. There's also the danger that campers may desecrate important village or archaeological sites by setting up campsites, outdoor latrines or campfires. 'People may think they are in the wild and not doing much damage,' Clifton said. 'They don't realize the space could easily be impacted by just a few people visiting.' The Gitga'at rely on the inlets' winter harvest areas, where the community and families gather to collect salmon and other fish, berries, shellfish and to hunt, he said. Elders in particular depend on the inlets for a substantial amount of the food in their diet. 'People who live in the city, if your favourite grocery store burns down, you can go next door and get the exact same thing,' Clifton said. 'If we lose a place like one of these inlets and the food that comes from there, it's not something that can be easily replaced.' The Gitga'at Guardian Watchmen have a base there and regularly patrol the area, during which they do field work, monitor activities and safeguard the inlets, he said. 'People want to go fishing and hunting and all that stuff and we may not necessarily want to shut down completely,' Clifton said. 'But, it is something we would need to manage to make sure that it's being done correctly.'

‘A commitment to truth': Siksika Nation artist Adrian Stimson to design Calgary residential school memorial
‘A commitment to truth': Siksika Nation artist Adrian Stimson to design Calgary residential school memorial

CTV News

timea day ago

  • CTV News

‘A commitment to truth': Siksika Nation artist Adrian Stimson to design Calgary residential school memorial

Multidisciplinary artist Adrian Stimson has been selected to create the design concept for Calgary's future Indian Residential School Memorial. The city announced Thursday that an independent jury made up of Indigenous members including Elders and other technical experts, chose Stimson's concept The Wandering Spirit, saying it best aligns with competition criteria, including cultural and community values, and honours the vision for the site. The memorial will be built at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, described in a media release as 'a space of historical acknowledgment, ceremony, and healing. It's also intended as a lasting place for reflection, dialogue, and connection.' 'This memorial represents a commitment to truth, acting as a place of remembrance, and a call to action. It will stand as a permanent reminder of the children who never returned home, the survivors who carry deep scars, and the families and communities who continue to live with the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system,' said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. Wandering Spirit, July 24, 2025 The Wandering Spirit was presented by Ground3 Inc. (groundedcubed) and Adrian Stimson. (City of Calgary) 'I'm grateful to the Elders, survivors, and Indigenous leaders who have shaped this vision from the beginning. Their voices, teachings, and strength have guided this process — and will continue to guide us on the path of reconciliation. Through this memorial, we honour the past while also building a future grounded in respect, understanding, and shared healing.' The significance of the memorial is tied to its location and the shared history it represents, the city said in a release. 'The Confluence has long been a place of connection and cultural meetings. This memorial will add another layer of meaning to that space, connecting past and present so that all Calgarians can come together to learn and heal,' said Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong. 'It will help us recognize the complex history of this land, while creating a shared space that invites reflection and understanding for generations to come.' The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland. (Facebook/TheConfluenceHistoricSite) Guided by Indigenous communities The memorial project has been Indigenous-led from the beginning, with members of Indigenous communities taking the lead in shaping its vision. 'We are honoured to unveil a concept that reflects the voices of survivors, Elders, and community members,' said Harold Horsefall, an Indigenous strategist at the city's Indigenous Relations Office. 'Every step of this process has centred Indigenous leadership and cultural teachings.' The process started in fall 2024 with a request for pre-qualification, moving to a request for proposals which led to four Indigenous-led teams being shortlisted to submit final concepts. Each submission reflected four shared pillars: healing, ceremony, truth and acknowledgement and was shaped by public feedback, as well as guidance from the IRSM Elders Advisory Council. The other shortlisted finalists were: Niitsitapilsini -- Our Way of Life, presented by Two Row Architect and co-designers Brian Porter and Matt Hickey; Nitsinii'Pokaako'sa -- My Special Child, presented by Spectacle Bureau for Architecture and Jared Tailfeathers; Footsteps in the Firelight, presented by Tawaw Architecture Collective Inc. and Wanda Della Costa; and The Wandering Spirit, the winner, was presented by Ground3 Inc. (groundcubed) and Adrian Stimson. POOS team Celestine Twigg, the late Troy Emery Twigg, Harrison Red Crow and Adrian Stimson are part of the team that created POOS, an animated short film that screens at the Calgary International Film Festival Monday, Sept. 23. (Photo: XstineCook) Stimson works in a variety of media, including paintings, installations, performance and video. His paintings often feature bison and his installations contain references to experiences in the residential school system. His work is part of the collection of the North American Indigenous collection at The British Museum, as well as The Glenbow Museum. He won the 2018 Governor-General's Award for Visual and Media Arts. 'The memorial will bring healing, celebration, and honour to Indigenous communities and those who continue to suffer the impacts and imprints of residential schools,' said Otsskoipiiks'aakii Paula Smith, (Blackfoot Confederacy, Piikani Nation) who is the Indigenous relations manager at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland. 'The land at the confluence was used by Fort Calgary to uphold the residential school system, but it has also been a significant place to Indigenous people since long before the North-West Mounted Police arrived here,' added Smith. 'The chosen memorial design is meant to bring both these histories together towards a unified future.' Next The project will move into the detailed design phase before construction planning gets underway. The city extended its deep gratitude to the IRSM Elders Advisory Circle, Elders, residential school survivors and their families, the four shortlisted design teams, The Confluence and community members who joined in the selection process. 'Through this memorial, we hope to foster understanding and connection for all Calgarians, now and for generations to come,' said Sherri Kellock, who is an Indigenous strategist at the City of Calgary.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store