PIKWAKANAGAN – “It’s about celebrating our culture and increasing the awareness of First Nation’s People.”
That’s the word from Christina Ruddy, operations manager of the Algonquins Cultural Centre at Pikwakanagan.
In honour of National Aboriginal Day, the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan held a Cultural Day and invited the students of four elementary schools from the area, St. James Catholic School, Eganville District Public School (EDPS), Westmeath Public School and Champlain Discovery Public School.
While a similar event was held at EDPS last year, this is the first time the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan have invited schools to their own pow wow grounds.
Ruddy said unlike the annual August pow wow, this is less about ceremony and more about education.
“It’s about showing people who we are and that we’re part of people’s everyday lives in the Ottawa Valley,” Ruddy said. “It’s wonderful because it is the children from Pikwakanagan that go to the schools around here so we made sure that we invited their whole school. Not just a class or two from St James or EDPS, the whole school is here. Westmeath and Champlain also have a couple of classes here.”
The pow wow continues the work that has been done during the last 10 years in schools.
Get your June 22, 2016 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full story.