Dr. Kevin Lewis and his team are in La Ronge teaching students about dog sledding. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Indigenous

Winter festival for local students this week in Patterson Park

Mar 21, 2023 | 5:07 PM

Students are celebrating Indigenous culture this week at a winter festival held in La Ronge’s Patterson Park.

Churchill Community High School coordinator Tanner Tinker said approximately 300 students from Grades 7 to 9 participated in the event on Tuesday. Students from Pre-Cam Community School will occupy the space on Wednesday, followed by Gordon Denny Community School on Thursday and Churchill seniors on Friday.

Activities offered include nail pounding, log throwing, snowshoe racing, dog sledding, traditional Dene games, animal calling and more. Hotdogs and marshmallows were also served.

“It’s about bringing back our Indigenous culture to the community and the students,” Tinker said. “We had some Elders here on site. This is more or less for the Indigenous people, the games they used to do.”

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Dr. Kevin Lewis and his team from kâniyâsihk Culture Camps of Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation were hosting dog sledding rides at the festival. They were giving student sled rides in a toboggan.

“It’s an old way of life,” Lewis said. “If you are going to go up on the trapline, you are taking a dog team. If you are going to go set a net, you are going to take a dog team.”

Some of the events included individual or team races. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Nail pounding was one of several activities offered. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Students from Churchill Community High School were at Patterson Park on Tuesday. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Lewis explained many of the dogs he brought to La Ronge competed in the recent Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race. Lewis himself competed in the 100-mile (160 kilometres), eight-dog race and finished in fourth place.

When Lewis works with students, he likes to teach about kinship and the relationship between people and dogs. He tells students dogs are a friend that needs to be taken care of with good food, housing and love.

“Even though we are using vehicles, using planes, we are still using the dog and using that dog as a friend,” Lewis said.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno