First Nations expo reaches out to local school children
Sandra Abma | CBC News | Posted: November 1, 2017 9:44 PM | Last Updated: November 1, 2017
A celebration of Indigenous cultures is going on at Ottawa City Hall until Sunday
It's a history lesson told with music, dance and craft making, designed to open young minds and deepen their understanding of Canada's Indigenous heritage.
The First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres Cultural Expo 2017 is a five-day showcase taking place this week at Ottawa City Hall.
The FNCCEC is a national non-profit organization whose mandate is to protect, promote and revitalize ancestral languages and culture.
"I want to bring my grandfather's teachings, my grandmother's teachings to whoever will listen," said the president of the FNCCEC, Chief Morris Swan-Shannacappo.
The five-day event will include teachings about the relationship between Indigenous people and the environment, an evening of homemade bannock and jam, and performances of both ancestral songs and dance in traditional dress. Elders and young Indigenous leaders will also take part in panel discussion to share thoughts about reconciliation and hopes for the future.
On Wednesday, local school children were treated to Indigenous dance performances and throat singing, a canoe-making workshop and music videos created by Indigenous youth.
According to Swan-Shannacappo, his organization decided to take part in Canada 150 activities as a means to bring the history of Indigenous people to a wider audience, especially young people.
As a child, he wasn't taught much about his heritage in school beyond demeaning stereotypes, he said, adding he's thrilled by the curiosity and interest Ottawa students have shown on the first day of the expo.
"I was so glad to see them, multicultural children from all walks of life," said Swan-Shannacappo. "I have some teachers who have invited me to their schools to come to speak, and I said, 'I would love to do that.'"