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About 500 elementary students from Moose Jaw and beyond took part in a full-day celebration of Indigenous culture and knowledge this week, during the ‘Indigenous Ways of Learning’ event hosted by King George Elementary School.
The event brought a swarm of student activity to the school grounds, both outside and inside King George. Elders, cultural leaders, and educators representing a wide range of First Nations and Métis traditions were there to teach about their culture and history.
From tipi-raising and jingle dancing to sage planting, Cree storytelling, and traditional trapper life, students rotated through 13 hands-on stations.
“We've got every elementary school in Prairie South, in Moose Jaw and Caronport, with us today,” said Principal Jill Tressel, who coordinated the event with staff and division support.
“We have students between grades four and six, and they’ve gone through a series of learning stations that are teaching about an Indigenous way of learning. We have performers and experts and an elder with us today. The kids have learned a lot, they’ve participated, and it’s been quite a nice day.”
Opening ceremonies began with a blessing and land acknowledgement, followed by the stations. The day ended in a round dance on the North Field, accompanied by the Buffalo Boys Drum Group, whose members are Indigenous youth from Mother Teresa Middle School in Regina.
Before the round dance began, Tressel was surprised with the gift of a Star Blanket for her leadership in making the day possible, and for all the other efforts she’s made to include Indigeneity in school life. A star blanket is a tremendous honour — always hand-made, and presented to individuals who have achieved something great.
Among the day’s presenters was Marquita Neufeld, a proud Métis grandmother and former teacher at King George, who invited children into a traditional Trapper’s Tent to explore hides, medicines, and historical tools used by Indigenous and Métis people during the fur trade era.
“This is a trapper’s tent,” Neufeld explained, “and it was a like a summer home, but it was used for following the animals. Because they were a nomadic people, so they’d go up from about mid-Saskatchewan all the way down through the Dakotas and back again, following the animals and then selling the furs in the trade to Europe.
“The kids love it, I’ve got tons of artifacts for them to look at, and different stuff that the First Nations people made, like hooks and arrows and fire-starters.”
The learning stations reflected a pedagogical framework that includes land-based learning, storytelling, symbols and images, non-verbal learning, and community sharing. Each station encouraged students not only to observe, but to participate: dancing the Red River Jig, making (and eating, obviously) bannock, replicating birch bark biting art, planting sage, and creating medicine bags.
Cassidy Olson taught the Seven Sacred Teachings in a tipi using storytelling puppets; Melinda Anderson-Grass led a Métis jigging workshop; and Jody Oakes helped students bake traditional bannock while explaining its cultural history.
The day also included contributions from Saskatchewan Teachers Federation, the Prairie South School Division, and local Métis and Dakota communities. It was hosted on Treaty 4 territory, acknowledging the shared responsibility of reconciliation through education.
The event was designed not as a performance or exhibition, but as an immersive educational experience.
“One of our goals is for every student to take something meaningful with them — to share it with others, to reflect, and to grow,” said Tressel. “That’s what reconciliation looks like in action.”