Over 100 people, of all walks of life, made their way out to the Souris Valley Museum this past Saturday for their 3rd annual Aboriginal Month Celebrations. The museum hosted several unique cultural experiences, including beading, bannock making, Buffalo ball, dancing, and a Kairos Blanket Exercise presented by Oski-pimohtahtamwak Otayisīniwiwaw.

Oski-pimohtahtamwak Otayisīniwiwaw, meaning “They are into their new journey to knowledge” in Cree, is a Grade 12 education program delivered in the heart of Treaty 4 territory in Fort Qu’Appelle. Educator Sheena Koops, along with one of her student leaders Raven Cook, discussed reconciliation and lead participants in an impromptu Blanket Exercise.

Raven, a young Cree woman from Fort Qu'Appelle, explains that the Blanket Exercise is a “visual history” designed to teach Canada’s colonial past and shares the importance of National Aboriginal Month to her.

“Sometimes I feel like Aboriginal peoples are silenced, they try to bury the history and Aboriginal Month is an opportunity to show what we have to offer the world.”

She adds that she hopes people learned lots and expanded their knowledge by participating in the Aboriginal Month celebrations.

Additionally to the Kairos Blanket Exercise, athletes and dancers from Ocean Man First Nations made the 45-minute trip to demonstrate Buffalo ball (the sport that inspired today’s modern lacrosse) and traditional dances. Participants were even encouraged to pick up a stick and learn to play Buffalo ball themselves, which was great fun!

Mark Veneziano, the curator at the Souris Valley Museum, says: "This was one of our more successful years, of course our first one was a lot of learning, but as we continue on we're hoping that our Aboriginal Day celebrations each year get a little bit bigger and better, with more stuff to do out at the museum."

Finally, the museum was honoured to host Knowledge Keeper, Keitha Brass, who taught beading and gave her stamp of approval to the bannock makers. Keitha is the great-granddaughter of Chief Paskwa, one of the original cosigners of Treaty 4. Chief Paskwa documented the promises made during treaty negotiations with the famous Paskwa Pictograph, which remains to be the only physical representation of treaty negotiations from an Indigenous perspective. 

Keitha brought her photocopies of the document for museum goers to view, which added significant cultural and historical value to the event.