Treaty Four

Today we went out to fort quapelle and were involved in some different aboriginal traditions. We learned about beading, traditional dancing, as well as had a brief session on Hide Tanning and Meat Drying. The entire day was a blast and I believe the students got a lot out of this experience. During one of the dances were able to witness a ceremony. One of the eagle feathers from one of the dancers fell on the ground. He instantly stopped dancing and protected this feather. An elder came out and performed a ceremony with tobacco and then picked it up and said a prayer/blessing to all 4 directions, N,E,S,W. It was very interesting to see how much these dances and traditions still meant to these aboriginal people. It wasn't just a performance, it was a cultural tradition with great importance!