Saskatoon Public schools is celebrating a record number of students taking part in their Indigenous arts program.
The 10-week program began in 2014 and offers lessons on art, dance, and song to students. Lessons in the course are designed to provide education on Indigenous cultures. This year’s program hosted 210 participants, about half of which were non-Indigenous, from a total of 26 schools. This year’s enrollment was the largest ever in the program’s history.
Officials with the school say the event was well received by the students and that it incorporated a myriad of Indigenous cultures.
“They (students) enjoyed it. They just didn’t want the 10 weeks to finish,” says the cultural resource liaison for Saskatoon Public School’s First Nations, Inuit and Metis Education Unit, Don Speidel. “We have people from Cree, Dene backgrounds, we have folks from Dakota, Lakota, Nakota backgrounds, we have Saulteaux, we have Metis kids, we even have some Inuit kids. We’re trying to be inclusive and responsive to the kids that are coming to the program.”
As the program has been expanding every year, Speidel says he hopes to expand there is a demand for teachings in other areas of Aboriginal culture.
“Folks had spoke about male and female elders speaking and also cooking,” remarked Speidel.
Speidel also said the program could possibly run for a longer period of time, or for two ten-week periods throughout the school year.
(PHOTO: Students sit in the Indigenous arts program play a drum. Photo courtesy Saskatchewan Teachers Federation)