On April 7, Barriere Secondary and Elementary students participated in the Day of Sucwentwécw at their schools. The day is an annual initiative held on the same day each year, to recognize and celebrate the Secwépemc People (Secwepemcúl’ecw) and other Aboriginal people residing within the Secwépemc Territory.
The day provides all district schools with the opportunity to continue to embed the First People’s Principles of Learning and to address the Calls to Action as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This year’s theme, “Well Becoming Through Emotional, Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual Indigenous Values,” was based on the First Peoples Principles of Learning and Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives.
Barriere Elementary School First Nations Worker Lee Ann Eustache reported The Day of Sucwentwécw at her school was, “A wonderful day overall, that went by all too quickly.”
She tells that everyone enjoyed the Neqweyqwelsten School students who attended and drummed and sang the welcome song in the BES gymnasium for the school and staff.
Eustache was especially complimentary about the help provided by students from the high school who assisted in running various stations so well that they impressed everyone.
“They did an amazing job. They ran the stations smoothly with no issues. I basically gave them their supplies needed, told them where to set up and they ran with it.”
The stations around the school included a food station where they fried soopallallie, dried moose meat and bannock were available, a knobby ball station, a bannock ball game, medicine pouch making, language activities and drumming, and even a target aiming station for the primaries.
“A big thank you to Shirley for the bannock,” said Eustache, “That was the first thing mentioned, when asked what was the best about the day, and another big thank you to all the help that we received.”
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