Brilliant white tipis stood in contrast to the blue skies that were out in force for newo-isîhcikewina mâmawikapesiwin Four Ceremonies Gathering Cultural Camp last week, with hundreds of people coming over the course of the five day camp to soak up traditional First Nations culture and teachings.
Participants gathered in sharing circles to talk about a wide range of topics from moss bags to self-care, while others tried their hand at meticulous crafts like beading, tipi painting and soapstone carvings, at the long-running camp held on Blue Quills’ university grounds.
A group of men worked together to construct a sweat lodge that was to be held later in the day, with the men hammering and calling out instructions to one another. Within half an hour, the outline of a sweat lodge emerged, the graceful curve of willow trees coming together to provide a frame.
Blue Quills student John Cardinal watched as the men hammer out stakes and position the trees, saying with a chuckle, “I look like a foreman, but I’m actually learning.”
He explained that he came because he heard the men constructing the sweat lodge were “the best of the best,” and he hoped to learn from them.
When Cardinal first tried a sweat, he found it a bit uncomfortable, with the heat and proximity to several other people sometimes making for a claustrophobic experience. But as he kept trying it, he got used to the experience, and found it to be calming.
“It really helps alleviate stress,” he said, adding that a person comes home to eat and sleep, waking up completely rested. “You just feel like a brand new person.”
Cardinal has always grown up surrounded and immersed by First Nations culture, and says that First Nations people are “hoping to teach others that are willing to learn.” The culture camp is one step in that direction, he notes.
“We don’t learn it by pictures and books, we learn it by being here and watching,” said Cardinal, adding this is partly why taking pictures of sweats and ceremonies is not permitted. “It means a lot more when you experience it.”
Vince Steinhauer, who was not only lead for the camp but also president of the university, sat and watched the events unfold, including seeing a group of youth from Sturgeon Lake school in the Vallyeview area try their hand at making mini leather drums.
As last Tuesday also marked his birthday, the group around him broke out into an impromptu rendition of happy birthday. Minutes later, four more men come over and sing him another – more traditional - birthday song, complete with drumming.
Steinhauer expressed his satisfaction with how the camp was going, noting that about 250 people attended the first of four ceremonies, the Four Fires Ceremony, in the school gym. The other three ceremonies included the Bear Lodge Ceremony, a Tea Dance, and a Chicken Dance.
“It was very well-attended; It was beautiful,” he said, estimating that every year the camp is held, about 400 people come through each day, to eat, drink, learn and visit. These visitors were diverse and from all across the province, and Steinhauer was anticipating a group from the University of Alberta nursing faculty to join the camp participants on Thursday and take part in the learning.
“It’s a phenomenon. And all people take something different from the experience,” he said. “The main thing is they take something positive from it.”
