Inclusive cultural activities mark National Indigenous History Month

Celebrate Indigenous stories and learn about ways of being with Knowledge Keeper Marilyn Dykstra

June 8, 9, 15, 16, 29 and 30, 2024

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Three colourful dream catchers made from painted wood lie on butterfly-festooned craft paper. Partially obscured.

Through art and stories, learn about the history of Canada and about Indigenous culture, ways of being and resilience during these National Indigenous History Month programs. As you create a traditional craft, you will take time in dialogue and reflection.

June 8 and 9, 2024

Make fur earrings

Peyakôskan means one family, one bond, one nation. Let’s investigate our kinship within Wahkowtowin and make fur earrings, to celebrate our new knowledge.

June 15 and 16, 2024

Create a smudge fan

What is smudging and why do some Indigenous people smudge? Learn about paskwawīhkaskwa (sage), wīkaskwa (sweetgrass), māsikēsk (cedar) and, cistēmāwa (tobacco), and how they are incorporated into the smudging ceremony while you make your own smudging fan to take home.

June 29 and 30, 2024

Catch and colour your daydream

Have you ever heard about a dream catcher? Let’s investigate the teachings of happiness, strength and hope and how we can plan out our dreams. Participants will paint their own daydream catcher to take home.

Activities will continue while supplies last.

About Marilyn Dykstra

Knowledge Keeper Marilyn Dykstra, will highlight the Inninewak (Cree) ways of being and thinking regarding personal conduct within Wahkowtowin (kinship) and how everything is inter‐related. The method of teaching will utilize Indigenous pedagogy while participants will discover their relatedness and interconnection with human rights and balance.

Marilyn Dykstra is a status Bill C‑31 First Nations woman from northern Manitoba. She has been immersed in a working matriarchal system that practiced Indigenous ways of thinking and being since she was born. Alongside her family, she has participated in many peaceful social justice movements.

Marilyn uses her matriarchal knowledge as a foundation for her work in the Indigenous community, which has been ongoing for over 30 years. She still follows her matriarchal teachings, but she has also spent her life learning traditional knowledge and passing the teachings on.

She is a pow wow dancer, knowledge keeper, and she carries the responsibility of a bundle. She happily participates in naming ceremonies, sweats, pipe ceremonies, moon teachings and more.

Find out more about this series