Grade 4 students from High Prairie Elementary School enjoyed a visit to the Grouard Native Cultural Arts Museum’s Historical Village June 8. Students in Lori Denty’s and Brenda Wenzel’s classes were split into five groups to tour the five stations. Students learned how to make a teepee, why they were built, and their practical uses. In the Metis tent, students learned about Metis traditions, including the importance of the sash. They were surprised to learn that depending on which shoulder the sash was over, it signified a married or available woman. In the fur trader’s tent, children played a trading game where they had to trade the fur they caught for supplies. They learned they had to buy everything they needed for months or the entire year. The boys tended to buy guns and weapons and the girls food – neither not very practical when not near a store for months. Students learned about First Nations traditions at another station, and enjoyed sitting in a chair made only from willow. Students also enjoyed cooking bannock over an open fire. The museum is booked at capacity for weeks in late May and early June as children first-hand Metis and First Nations culture.
