MH College has full slate of events planned for Metis Week

By KENDALL KING on November 15, 2022.

kking@medicinehatnews.com@kkingmhn

Medicine Hat College is inviting Hatters to explore and celebrate Metis culture during the school’s inaugural Metis Week with a variety of events open to the public.

Celebrated annually in Alberta, Metis Week is a week dedicated to recognizing and honouring the history and culture of the Metis people – a distinct people born of Indigenous and settler ancestry.

As of 2020, Alberta was the province with the highest percentage of Metis residents, and is home to the only government-recognized Metis settlements in Canada.

MHC manager of Indigenous engagement and student supports Chasity Cairns says participation in the week is a meaningful way to recognize Metis people in Alberta, including MHC’s Métis students.

“More than half of the Indigenous students at MHC are Metis,” Cairns said. “(So) by providing an opportunity to celebrate, our students will be able to connect with their roots while allowing our community to enjoy the traditional aspects of Metis culture.”

Events are planned throughout the week, beginning with a guided beading tutorial Monday, which Cairns hopes will foster connection between participants of all heritages.

“We learn and we connect with each other (through these events and activities),” Cairns said. “And when you really talk about reconciliation, that’s what it’s about: learning together, teaching each other and connecting.”

Events continue tonight from 4-6 p.m. with a Hudson Bay mitten sewing craft, then continue Thursday for a cultural celebration evening; which includes a Bannock tasting contest taking place from 6-7 p.m., a Louis Riel reenactment from 7-7:30 p.m., a jiggling and sash dance demonstration from 7:30-8 p.m. and a Metis kitchen party dance with live music by Chinook Band from 8-9 p.m.

Community vendors will also be on site during the celebration evening, selling Indigenous artisan items.

All events are free to attend and will be held at MHC’s new Indigenous gathering space – Ômahksipiitaa – accessible via the doors near the front lawn teepee.

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