A new season is around the corner and NC’s Indigenous Education is ready to celebrate with its first virtual Spring Equinox event.
On Friday, March 19, the College community and the public are invited to participate in IE’s Spring Equinox Waking the Garden. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. via Zoom.
Elder Dave Labbe, who is an alumnus, will offer a traditional opening, and Jillian Issacs, cultural resource coordinator from the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre (FENFC) will share her knowledge and cultural teachings about the spring Equinox and share seed songs.
Indigenous student success leader Emily Schutt noted that while the arrival of spring is acknowledged by all, it has a heightened importance for Indigenous cultures who focus on a connection to the land. For Indigenous cultures, the Spring Equinox marks the awakening of the garden from its winter rest to begin harvest and growing food to sustain life.
“For our Indigenous students, they all may come from different cultures who celebrate it differently, but respecting they earth is universal,” she said. “For some of our Indigenous students who may be urban, it may also be their first step in seeing their culture in practice and we encourage them to get their friends involved as well.”
While the Spring Equinox is typically marked annually with an in-person event, the 2020 event was cancelled due to the campus closure in response to the global pandemic.
Schutt noted that the in-person events have been missed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she values the potential to reach more people than ever before through virtual events.
“There has been an increasing interest from the College and the community from people wanting to learn more about Indigenous cultures,” she said. “Some students may wish to learn more about their roots. Others may wish to learn more for reconciliation or to connect with their students.
Everyone is welcome to participate. Register via the Indigenous Education website or email [email protected] for info.
Cultural Café
Indigenous Education launched a Cultural Café series earlier this year. The virtual events are designed to engage participants in Indigenous knowledge, stories and teachings. They aim to provide a safe space to create new networks of knowledge, collaborate and build on shared ideas, and to open minds to different narratives.
“Cultural Cafes are about being an active participant and exploring different Indigenous narratives,” said Ashley Buck, Indigenous Student Success leader who sparked the initiative. “It is a celebration of how rich and diverse our nations are as told through stories and teachings from our Indigenous community to the greater community, strengthening our understanding of Indigenous culture and knowledge.”
As part of the Cultural Café series, the College invites special guests from outside of the Niagara region, offering students and the College community an opportunity to learn about different Indigenous cultures beyond the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples traditionally in Niagara. For students who are not from the Niagara region, the Cultural Café series provides an opportunity to connect with their culture.
Cultural Café with Joe Pitawanakwat will be held on March 23, from 4-6 p.m. Pitawanakwat is a producer from Creators Garden – a small business on Manitoulin Island, which focuses on the legitimacy of plant-based medicine and how to sustainably harvest and use each part of the plant.
The series kicked off on March 8 with special guest Marjorie Kunaq Tahbone who connected via Zoom all the way from Alaska to share her experiences and teachings from her Inuit culture.
Elder Connects
Elder Connects events, which were previously open to NC students only, are now open to the entire College community. Following a March 9 event with Dave Labbe, an Elder Connect with Elaine Berwald will be held on Friday, March 26 from 11:30 a.m. to I p.m.
All Indigenous Education events can be registered through the IE website events page.
Birch Basket Workshop – IE students
Indigenous students will have the opportunity to learn how to learn the traditional craft of basket weaving on March 19. Artist Nikki Shawana will lead a Birch Basket Making Workshop from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. for students who pre-registered for this free event. Indigenous education staff will be dropping off or mailing kits for the workshop for participants prior to the event.
Contact
For more info or to register visit the Indigenous Education website or email [email protected].
