ASSINIBOIA - The Ross Payant Family, as they refer to themselves, released butterflies on June 26, that they had been hatching and learning about.
The residents spent about two weeks raising the butterflies from larva to chrysalis, then waited while they were in the net enclosures finishing the development stage.
During this time, the Recreation Coordinator, Margaret Shuweiler, and her assistant, Shae Meginbir, helped the residents to create small boxes for each of their butterflies to be placed in. These boxes were taken outside and given to each resident to release. Before releasing the butterflies, each resident was given a peony picked from the flowerbed so the butterflies would have a place to go from the box.
This was a cultural activity designed to remind the residents and their families of experiences from early days. The release itself was to allow everyone to reminisce about family members in heaven.
Residents and staff want to acknowledge that they reside on treaty land and remember the importance of that fact. As it happens there are Metis persons among the staff and residents of the Ross Payant Family. Of the 54 residents living at Ross Payant Nursing Home, 52 of them were on the front lawn with members of their families and the community for the release. Apparently a local bush bunny accepted the invitation as well and made the rounds checking into what all the fuss was about.
After the outside release a butterfly was found inside the activity room and released through a window. During the two weeks of development, while the residents were taking turns creating their boxes everyone learned about butterfly development from a booklet created by Shae Meginbir last year during the first annual butterfly release. This year the variety of butterfly released is the ‘Painted Lady’.
