Hungry, But Still Enjoyed the Day

By Nigel Dubois

I enjoyed the day I went to treaty four even though the day I went to treaty four was short. I was able to see what was new and old or wasn’t there. Like the archery wasn’t there and bannock on a stick was old but still there. This time there was a Parkland College tent there and that was cool, I guess. In the mean time I was bored, so we bought a volleyball there so that was fun for a while; then the fox came to play with us for a while. Then we went back to school for the day.

Now we have returned back to the grounds. There were a lot of people there, and I saw a lot of old friends and birds. I was smelling bannock burgers and coffee. The burgers were making me hungry but I didn’t have any money and I forgot to pack a lunch. So I was walking around the ground hungry just waiting to go home. I had a lot of fun doing nothing but taking to elders and other people and walking around, then I went for a long lunch break doing nothing, just hungry, so I went back to the school to see if my brother had anything to eat. And then I didn’t know what time it was, then the bell rang, so I got on the bus and went home.

I Was Too Scared

By Kai-La Petit

The day started off at the school; I really didn’t want to go since I knew it was going to be cold outside. When we got to the grounds I just wanted to go home and sleep, but I just went to my grandma’s office instead since I was cold after being outside for 15 minutes.

When I finally decided to go back outside she was going there anyways, so I just went back with her. When we got there she was nagging me to do my interview, but I was really nervous to do it since I don’t really like talking to people I don’t know very much. That whole time I felt really pressured to do it since she was really excited that I finally got to do this.

I was too scared to do it so I just tried to push it off for as long as I could but I ended up just not doing it since I was too scared. I feel kinda bad since I wanted to do it, but I just felt too pressured, and having my grandma, and grandpa listening to the questions I had down was just too much pressure for me.

For the rest of the day all I did was just watch what other people were doing and at lunch watching the dancers. I liked watching some of the kids there trying to dance because they just looked so cute, and when that was done I was hanging out with the “fox”. It was cute having to see all the little kids so excited to see the fox and seeing them run it just to get a hug.

Food and Friends

 

By Jordan Pinay

There was really good food at Treaty4 like the bannock burger, hot chocolate, and fries. It was lots of fun to see lots of people I knew. I saw my uncle’s friends. The second day we went was really cold . Lots of other schools were there. The lines for the food booths were really long and the food was really expensive. I’m waiting in line for my food and I almost miss my bus because the food took too long.

 

Our Story Tellers, Our Guidance and Our Knowledge

By Reighlene Peigan

The veterans tent, a big white tent, to me it really stood out because it wasn’t a tipi and it also had two flags on it, a Canadian and a British flag. Seeing our veterans sitting there waiting for the youth to come so they could tell their amazing stories was really beautiful to see.

During my time at Treay 4 I got to meet and interview elders to talk about the gathering; I learned that a lot has changed, according to elder Thomas Desnomie from the Peepeekisis First Nations. He’s been coming to the gatherings for 20 plus years and he says the powwows got shorter, and to him Treaty 4 means the singing of treaty in 1874 and that his grandfather was there when they signed it!

I also interviewed elder Tony Lerat from the Cowessess First Nation; he’s been coming to the gathering for eight years. He said the things that changed were the kids are more open with the questions about First Nations people, unlike the first years he said they were a little afraid to ask. He said the parents held the kids back. I then ask Tony Lerat what treaty meant to him. He said treaty is about people, “You couldn’t have signed a treaty with only one person, you need two, an Indian and a white man.”

As a First Nation personI was always taught you respect elders because they play a very important role in our lives; they’re our story tellers, our guidance and our knowledge. If we need someone to talk to they’re always there. To me elders and veterans are important because of all the things they’ve done for us; they fought for us and they have been through the worst times but are still here with a smile on their face and as gentle as can be!

Getting Together and Having Fun

By Evan Lejoure

Treaty 4 was a successful powwow. I notice there was not that much fights and that’s good because Treaty 4 is about getting together and having fun. Not fighting. But anyways the food there was yummy, really yummy! J I wish I can go back and eat more but I can’t! I have to wait till next year. It was fun and I saw a lot of my friends, plus I made new friends. I checked out everything. The teepees, the dancing, the smell of Treaty 4, the fresh air. I saw some elders! And I was trying to snag some girls but they were turning me down.  Just kidding, but anyways, I helped some people, I sold bannock and they gave me 5 bucks, aha for all that hard work too L Like I said, it was FUN! I never had this fun in years; its different now, well not that different. Just a little bit! But there were clothes there and it looked nice! My days there were amazing. I hope I’ll go next year because at the end of this year, I might move L I recommend other people going there!

Through the Eyes of a Dancer

 

By Katie Boucher

I have some friends who are dancers. Sometimes we talk about dancing and they have told me how it feels. This is how I imagine it would feel if I was out there dancing.

I stand in the arbour. Butterflies are in my stomach and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. This isn’t my first time dancing but I know that I could never get used to this fluttery feeling. I hear the drums throbbing in my ears. The strike of the drum so loud, that I can even feel it in my bones. The sun shines on my face and I close my eyes. I take a deep breath and smell the scent of sweet grass in the distance. The drums beat faster and I know that it’s almost my time. I reopen my eyes and they adjust to the bright beams of the sun. My stomach growls, making me instantly regret not eating. But how can I with all these butterflies?  I look down at my regalia. It’s so beautiful and precious. Each sequin and bead sewn with absolute care and love from my Kokum. I look up and see her and smile. She smiles back and a warm, calming feeling goes through my entire body. All the butterflies die and I’m ready to begin. Ready to work my hardest and hopefully that hard work will pay off. And maybe, just maybe I’ll win something. The drums are starting to slow down and I know it’s my time.

Something New But Something Old

by Zoe Blondeau

I have been going to treaty four now for a while, and I have something new to look at each year. Like this year, there was a career fair tent; my favourite booth there would have had to be, First Nations University; one, because I knew a couple people from that booth, and it was great to see them again.

My other favourite part this year would have to be watching the dancers seeing them get ready with all their stuff, and getting prepared to dance. Climbing the hill was great too because my friend and I thought that it would be fun to go exploring, down the other side of the hill, which caused a few falls, but was worth it.

On Tuesday morning I was dressing up as Bert the Fox, which was pretty fun, but very hot in there. But one of the things that was kind of funny, but sad, was that I was walking around as the fox and saw these two little girls, so I went up to say hello, and the one little girl screamed and ran away, and the other girl started to cry, so that was my experience as Bert the Fox.

Then on Wednesday we were there for just about the whole day and it was very cold that day, but we went anyways. I really enjoyed eating the fries from Minnie’s; they are well known for their food each year they are there for treaty four.

Many of the children that go to Treaty Four really enjoy all the activities in the teepees; there is a variety of different actives in each teepee; for example, the SGI Roll Over Car activity or the face painting, or even the bannock on a stick. Each child had something to do.   

Like I said before I have been going to Treaty Four for a while, and one thing that nobody will ever forget about Treaty Four is, Minnie’s food truck, that is the one thing people look forward to every year.