Strengething community pride and connection through storytelling

Recognizing the importance of storytelling as a way to strengthen cultural connection and nationhood within the Métis community, Gabriel Dumont Local 11, began an annual storytelling series in 2017. As the series continued, many of the people who attended formed stronger connections and friendships as a result.

Wilfred Burton, program and membership chair, Gabriel Dumont Local 11, says, one of the outcomes from the Local’s events are the relationships that are built when sharing space together. “Some of our earlier events felt quite siloed. People sat alone and the room would remain quiet, as they were from different Métis communities across the province and didn’t know each other. Now, we are starting to see relationships build and strengthen and seeing people spend time together after the events.”

Historically, storytelling was a way for Métis people to gather while passing the winter months. Burton says, keeping that tradition alive is a priority for their local. “We as a people have so many relations or connections in many ways. It is important to understand that the stories we share with one another are also our stories as a nation.”

This past year was another successful year of storytelling for the Local that specifically focused on matriarchs within the community. “We wanted to showcase women’s stories, because in most Indigenous nations, women are the strength of our communities,” says Burton. The sessions were held under themes, and covered topics, such as ‘Matriarch Stories’, ‘Courting Stories’, ‘Aunty Stories’, and ‘Making a Living Stories’. Storytellers were invited to share from a wide variety of communities and included both in-person sessions and online sessions for as much outreach as possible.

“Our membership is made up of a variety of different people, including many young people who haven’t heard of certain storytellers before,” Burton explains. “We wanted to bridge that learning and captivate a wide audience. Elderly folks in our community are like encyclopedias who have so much knowledge and history to share.”

In an urban space, such as Saskatoon, he describes how many people come from different communities and the importance of sharing space. “Coming together to share stories is one way to enrich our understanding of what it means to be a Métis person,” Burton says.

One attendee shared with the Local that engaging in the sessions helped her take great pride in her ancestry. “To hear these stories enriches my understanding of what it means to be a Métis person and through the stories of each of the storytellers, I feel proud of my heritage,” she wrote. “These events are important to me and to our Métis community as a whole.”

With a focus on culture and language, Burton says, the storytelling events are a vehicle in which these values can be interspersed to those who attend. As with many Indigenous nations, aspects of culture and language are always at risk of dying. “If you’re not sharing these elements, or if you are not passing them down, how else will it continue?”

In the future, the Local hopes to include more cultural components to the storytelling events, including traditional arts, such as willow basket-making, walking sticks, and more. “We are looking forward to hosting a more hands-on approach to learning, while also inviting a wide range of people to participate in craft,” Burton says. And while the Local hosts 330 members in total, Burton hopes to see many more in attendance, including the general public.

The Gabriel Dumont Local 11 received project funding from the Métis Cultural Development Fund, administered by Gabriel Dumont Institute, on behalf of SaskCulture, with funding from the Sask Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation.