The Region 5 Conference had a wide array of activities for attendees. Friday started out with activities for high school students, which included tours of several University of Saskatchewan departments and an activity to acknowledge the MMIW movement. On Saturday, many exhibitor booths provided information about their opportunities for students and various sessions were held across. campus. There was also a tour of and dinner at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, the local cultural and heritage center. Attendees also ate traditional foods and played traditional games there.
Thanks to Region 5 Student Representative Taylor Waukazo for this recap, below. All photos pulled from Region 5's Instagram: @aisesregion5
High school day! The volunteers and students had such a good time exploring the USAK campus and all the cool stuff in it! Today we did a Travois making activity, visited the Paleontology and Geology T-Rex Museum, and the Anechoic Chamber! We also did an MMIW activity where people could decorate a red dress to be laminated and hung up on campus!
Tim, our elder for today, offered our morning blessing and sang a beautiful song, and his wife said a prayer before our banquet dinner. We pay high respects to him and thank him for attending the conference, along with wanting to more know about the STEM fields and incorporating into his community. Thank you, Tim!
Left: Erin Baril and Azaria Tottenham demonstrated the importance of having a beading workspace for Indigenous university students and how they impact the community.
Right: Kimberly Lebel focused on nature conservation on Turtle Island where Indigenous leadership in nature conservation and land stewardship are factored in. "I believe that a more harmonious model of nature conservation is possible by prioritizing Indigenous leadership and valuing Indigenous ecological knowledge. Conservation of land and animals needs to be about more than economic interests; it must move beyond a perspective of "ownership of resources" and towards a reciprocal, symbiotic relationship with the land and animals."
Left: Katira Crow Shoe gave a beautiful, down-to-earth presentation about future generations who are able to ensure that Buffalo ways are carried forward. International Buffalo Relations Institute is committed to the implantation of the articles of the Buffalo treaty with the objective of raising buffalo consciousness. This is done with the intent to create systemic change in the areas of conservation, education, food sovereignty, climate, change, and holistic wellness. She shared the importance of Buffalo presence among indigenous peoples land, and other species.
Center: Dr. Mark Bellcourt presented Sacred Space in Science, which was a very mindful presentation. He states elders teach us that there are many invisible sacred spaces, which are not fully appreciated by western science, although different Indigenous understandings of the world are just as legitimate and valid as western knowledge. Someone argued that the inclusion of alternate views can only make science better moderated by an educator, researcher, and spiritual advisor. Dr. Bellcourt in this photo talks about both hands coming together connecting the space in our hands, which we need to do for the future with western and Indigenous environmental knowledge.
Right: Dani Kehler is the "Aunty of Antarctica" (check out her Instagram page here). She described her journey of being the first Indigenous Canadian woman allowed to research in Antarctica. She shared the importance of Antarctica being the keystone continent of planet Earth and the importance of acting upon climate change now. Her journey will truly inspire you and maybe make you fall off your bed.
Here is a buffalo statue at the Wanuskewin Museum where we learned traditional Indigenous games and enjoyed a tour of the exhibits. We learned the importance of the buffalo and how they were hunted and the importance of
reclaiming the buffalos on the land, along with grassland preservation.
Click here to see a video demonstrating traditional Indigenous games for hand and eye coordination. This activity allowed children to experience trial and error in how to hold a feather and master hitting their target for hunting later on in life.
The Wanuskewin Dance Troupe performed at our dinner giving us the opportunity to appreciate the importance of the drum, song and dancing styles, and regalia. This beautiful young Dakota woman shared her regalia stories and performed the fancy shawl dance and did a wonderful job. After their performance they asked all of us to perform a slide step round dance. Everyone had a good time and it was a great way to end the night!
Left: At our Region 5 Caucus Meeting we discussed the conference as a whole and what it means to be Indigenous in the STEM field. Our elder, Tim, blessed the space and shared his wisdom.
Right: Dr. Angela Jaime, the University of Saskatchewan's vice provost, shared the importance of MMIW for Indigenous People in Canada and the United States. All the red dress drawings you see in the picture were part of a community event expressing the importance of today, and it was a great turnout: about 200 people attended this event. Dr. Jaime emphasized the importance of red as a symbolic color, which the spirits are able to see the color of our life blood and what connects us as human beings.
