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Traditional arts beneficial
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Arlene Twin puts tobacco on a cloth…
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…and ties it shut, to form a tobacco tie, which will be given to an elder.
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These crafts, either done or in process, were left behind by some participants. The two circles in the upper left are the beginnings of headdresses, and dream catchers are another item made. Some of the beads involved are seen in the lower left.
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Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
The traditional Aboriginal arts sessions offered weekly at the Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre are not just a way of making beautiful items.
They are – says Arlene Twin, community helpers co-ordinator and facilitator of the sessions – also a way of preserving First Nations culture and engendering pride, of youth, in that culture.
“We’ve done different things so far. We’ve made dream catchers, we’ve made talking sticks,” Twin explains as she works on tobacco ties.
Those involve small amounts of tobacco being put on cloth, which is then shaped into a pouch.
“When we have a question of a leader or a respected elder, we’d offer this tobacco (as a token of respect and gratitude),” says Twin.
“While I do this, I say a prayer. While I work, I ask a blessing for the Friendship Centre.”
Tobacco has huge significance for First Nations people.
“It’s used for prayer. It should be for offerings when you’re praying (and asking blessings from ancestors),” says Twin.
Projects can take an hour or two to complete, she says.
While the group, which averages about eight people most weeks, does basic arts and crafts such as wristbands, wallet cases and hair tries, participants have also done
traditional dancing and hand games, says Twin.
“There\s endless stuff that we can do.”
There is no charge for the craft sessions, held on Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30, and participants take home what they make.
If the youth have questions about Aboriginal culture, Twin will answer them as far as she is able to.
“I’ve always loved my culture my whole life,” she says, adding she appreciates her role in helping to keep the traditions and teachings alive.
“We’re famous for passing the stories down.”
Twin and her entire family embrace Aboriginal spirituality.
“It’s about being focused … being sober, living healthy,” she says, crediting that spirituality with helping her to stay away from the drugs and alcohol she used to do.
Twin feels the urgency and importance of passing on this information.
“The youth are definitely losing their touch (with their culture). It’s about getting the awareness out there. I always tell them, ‘We should be proud to be First Nations.’ If I didn’t have my traditions and culture, I would be lost as well.”
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