SASKATOON — What once was a one-day activity held at Wanuskewin Heritage Park near Saskatoon has now expanded to a five-day winter festival, the first time in the new extended format.
Wanuskewin roughly translates to ‘seeking peace of mind’ and the park is working to advocate understanding and appreciation of the evolving cultures of the Northern Plans Indigenous people. Each day of the festival brought about a variety of activities meant to achieve this goal. Immersive Indigenous experiences were the key to the event’s success.
The park opened in 1992 and is excited to await news of their application to be named as a UNESCO World Heritage Designation site, the very first in Saskatchewan, with the only other one being in Western Manitoba for the plains.
The website states, “What is ? The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) identifies, protects, and preserves cultural and natural heritage worldwide deemed to be of outstanding value to humanity. The designation will bring global awareness and recognition.”
Andrew McDonald, Director of Marketing and Communication, interacted with those in attendance for one of the breakout sessions, letting victors know that the bison, which arrived in 2019 numbering six from Grasslands National Park in Sask., and were soon joined by another give from the Yellowstone National Park have now expanded to 31. The oldest bison in the park is 8 and the youngest will be one in the spring of 2024, with more babies due in June.
Wanuskewin is a living reminder of the people’s sacred relationship with the land, and home to Canada’s longest-running archaeological dig, Wanuskewin continues to learn and share the stories of the places and objects of significance to peoples past and present
The park’s website provides a terrific overview of their humble beginnings, goals, expansions and programming.
The Nutrien Kona Winter Festival included activities such as: dog sledding, dancers, games, Indigenous Artisan Market, and various sessions that featured presenters on a variety of topics.
Feb. 24 was the night sky event and featured an evening of storytelling, star knowledge, science experiments, and culture. The U of S Observatory and Astronomy club were on hand for programming and speciality telescopes to view the sky with.
Chelazon Leroux, celebrity guest appearance Feb. 23
A special guest celebrity presenter, Chelazon Leroux gave a heartfelt presentation to the audience in attendance on Feb. 23.
Leroux is well known on TikTok as Auntie and was a participant on Canada’s Drag Race, the first Saskatchewan contestant on any drag race program. Leroux is a two-Spirit Dene First Nations Multidisciplinary Artist that include drag, stand-up comedy and social media presence. Chelazon uses social media influence to educate and entertain audiences and brought much of the same message to the Feb. 23 event at Wanuskewin.
Leroux’s presentation encompassed personal experiences, stories and the beauty of Indigenous identity to the audience.
Referring to the Aunty persona, Leroux stated, “Aunty is an Indigenous woman who has taken part in raising you, not necessarily a blood relative. These women showed you love, humour and kindness, and even when they are often dealt some tough cards in life, they sill manage to laugh and have a heart of gold.”
Leroux said growing up she was described as being too weird and too queer and was soon given a label.
The presentation summed up Leroux’s goals of being an educator, a connection building bridges and a leadership role.
The presentation captivated the audience, evidenced by laughter and engagement, and it was clear this celebrity’s goals of making connections were happening at this event.
Organizers of the Kona event said that the Saturday, Feb. 24, activities would be the biggest day of the winter festival and were happy to see attendance increase each day.
Visitors young and old were clearly enjoying the beautiful facility with panoramic views from the floor to ceiling windows, while embracing the museum and displays at Wanuskewin, as well as special activities that were part of the Kona winter festival.
Peace, spiritual connection and new awareness were some of the words described by guests as they were leaving.
