The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Gathering of Nations is now underway in Prince Albert.
The gathering is set to go until Wednesday with most activities taking place at the Chief Joseph Custer Reserve near the Victoria Hospital.
Sheryl Kimbley, special events coordinator for PAGC told MBC Radio News, she was proud of the team who organized the gathering this year as it was put together on a fairly tight schedule due to it being a busy past couples months for the tribal council.
“We’ve pulled this together in two weeks,” she said.
A range of activities are set to go on as part of the gathering. This ranges from cultural activities like Dene hand games to card tournaments. There will also be talent shows and a jigging contest. Kimbley said culture will be front and centre during the festivities.
“We have a lot of traditional food, that’s the important thing here all the traditional teachings that will be on site, all of our Elders as resources will be here,” she said.
All of the First Nations which make up the PAGC are represented at the gathering. Kimbley said the grand council’s member nations have sent people with a range of skills from hunting and fishing to cooking to the gathering.
“These grounds are welcoming now all four sectors of Prince Albert Grand Council,” she said.
The four sectors of the PAGC include a range of different First Nations, from northern Dene nations to Woodland Cree. Kimbley said it is not too often where you see so many different nations come together in such a way.
“I would say, yeah, it’s a one of kind thing to see this many come together and provide that feeling of kinship under one tribal council, but also so much variety and it’s really exciting for me to see,” she said.
(Top Photo: Food being prepared at the gathering. Photo by Michael Joel-Hansen.)