Staff at K’atl’odeeche First Nation’s Chief Sunrise Education Centre have been making a collective effort to reinforce Indigenous identity and culture among students.
The school’s annual Christmas concert was a strong indication that those efforts have been fruitful, according to principal Dr. Deborah Reid.
“The practice of Indigenizing pedagogy has been talked about for many years,” said Reid, who has worked at the school since 2017, and previously held positions in Inuvik, Yellowknife and Nunavut. “In the last few years we’ve really had a concerted effort of doing that across the territory.
“I think it’s a long process, but I see it [happening],” she added.
The Chief Sunrise Education Centre Christmas concert occurred on Dec. 20, and featured a drumming performance from the school’s male students.
Boys at the school have been learning to make and play traditional drums since 2021, when local Elder and drum-maker Phillip Fabian passed away.
“When he passed, we all looked at each other and said, ‘Who knows how to do this now?” Reid recalled. “We talked to a few Elders and got some men together and managed to have some drum-making workshops for all of our boys to learn to make their own drums.”
Soon after launching the drum-making program for boys, the school launched a similar program that teaches girls to make the traditional skirts that are common in several Indigenous cultures. Each girl was allowed to customize their skirt based on their family’s heritage, and the Christmas concert marked the first opportunity to show off their creations.
“The intent is that you’re wearing your skirt with honour and pride,” Reid said. “The girls were really proud.”
The school’s Christmas concert was open to the community. Close to 150 people attended, including several local Elders who helped with the drum and skirt-making workshops. Everyone seemed to be pleased, from Reid’s vantage point.
“I think they enjoy seeing this,” she said. “I hear lots of comments. They’re very grateful.
“We’re a small, little community and we suffered the fires and the flood. We lost homes,” she continued. “If our school can bring a little bit of joy and heritage back to a community that suffered, there can’t be anything wrong with that. The community is starting to see our school as a place where they feel comfortable.”
The education centre’s efforts to rejuvenate Indigenous identity among students are also helping to keep young people interested in school, according to Reid.
“Motivation to come to school is something we’ve struggled with over the years in the North, especially through residential schooling and the negative legacy of that,” she said. “We’re trying to draw kids in. If we can do that while meeting the goal of Indigenizing our pedagogy and making things very relevant to kids, then we’ve kind of hit two birds with one stone.”
After the success of the Christmas concert, Reid hopes to continue on with the school’s drum and skirt-making workshops. She also hopes to introduce other similar programs in the future, with beading and writing workshops already being considered as possibilities.