Over the past couple of months, the Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) Indigenous Education Student Success Team (IESST) hosted a Fry Bread and Friends Event at every secondary school across the Board.
The events invited students who have self-identified as Indigenous to participate in a day of honouring their Indigenous identities and cultures through feasting, art making, music and drumming, as well as listening to the teachings and experiences of local Elders and/or community members. Each attendee had the opportunity to bring a friend to the event to share the experience and elements of their cultures.
Below is a list of the dates the event took place at each secondary school, as well as a highlight of the activities at each event:
October 26 at Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School – students took part in drumming and art/painting with drummer, singer, and artist of Algonquin, Lakota, Onondaga, and Chippewa descent, Brian Dwayne Sarazin.
December 2 at Gravenhurst High School – students took part in singing music, dancing, and listening to traditional teachings with Elder Christopher Stock of Wahta Mohawk First Nation. In the afternoon, attendees painted and made leather and bead craft.
December 7 at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School – students took part in drumming and art/painting with drummer, singer, and artist of Algonquin, Lakota, Onondaga, and Chippewa descent, Brian Dwayne Sarazin.
December 8 at Huntsville High School – students took part in singing music, dancing, and listening to traditional teachings with Elder Christopher Stock of Wahta Mohawk First Nation. In the afternoon, attendees painted and made leather and bead craft.
December 9 at Fenelon Falls Secondary School – students took part in drumming and art/painting with drummer, singer, and artist of Algonquin, Lakota, Onondaga, and Chippewa descent, Brian Dwayne Sarazin.
December 12 at the Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute – students took part in drumming, singing, and dancing with Anishinaabe musician, Barb Rivett, and Haudenosaunee musician, Brenda Maracle-O’Toole, of Unity Drummers in Peterborough. In the afternoon, attendees made soapstone sculpting.
December 14 at I.E. Weldon Secondary School – students took part in drumming, singing, and dancing with Anishinaabe musician, Barb Rivett, and Haudenosaunee musician, Brenda Maracle-O’Toole, of Unity Drummers in Peterborough. In the afternoon, attendees made soapstone sculpting.
Hear from the students and staff in this highlight video:
