Sherwood Park hosts a community potlatch

BY MEGAN WHEATLEY PRINCIPAL

To celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, Sherwood Park held an outdoor assembly followed by a school-wide potlatch.

The assembly included singing, dancing and drumming and featured students who spoke about National Indigenous Peoples Day and the potlatch.

To further support the school community’s learning, during the assembly, Teacher Librarian Ms. Laursen read the story A Kwakwaka’wakw Potlach by Sally Williams.

The story is centred on the importance of the potlatch. The word potlatch means “to give.” It is a traditional Indigenous gathering where community members come together to learn and practice their culture.

Some of the ceremonies that may be performed at a potlatch include celebrations of life, naming of children, passing on of dances, and marriage.

A potlatch is a time for family members to share their sacred treasure box of songs, stories, dances, regalia, and other sacred items. Like any celebration, the sharing of food is integral, as it is through the sharing of food that we connect with one another.

Student Nate portrays a pensive moment in a selfportrait.

At Sherwood Park, the potlach took place over the lunch hour on the school field. Students brought nutritious lunches packed at home, but ate together as a community. As part of the potlatch, families were asked to include a traditional Indigenous food(s) in their children’s lunch, including dried seaweed, salmon, berries, tuna, buns with jam (in place of bannock or fry bread) and/or any kind of wild game.

Indigenous Support Worker  Q'puts (Henry Schooner) and students gather to celebrate the potlatch.

The Sherwood Park community participated in the shared experience of eating together, and in doing so, strengthened its sense of belonging and community and understanding of Indigenous culture. ■