Drums thundered through the hallways during the annual Aboriginal Culture Day at CNC on Wednesday.
Songs were sung and stories were told as people made their way from one kiosk to the next in celebration of indigenous culture, past and present.
"There are a lot of people here today who are getting on in age and they have so much to share," said Laurie Mercer, manager of the Aboriginal Resource Centre at CNC.
"This is so important because you can get so immersed in the aboriginal culture here and for students, it encourages them and allows them to connect back to their culture."
Many came to share their ancestral roots from all across the region through history, song, dance, art, music, language, storytelling and traditional medicine making practices.
Violet Prince from Nak'azdli Band in Fort St. James was eager to share her devil's club creme.
"It's good for headaches, arthritis and rashes," Prince said as onlookers waited eagerly for a sample.
Children and youth from community schools also took part in various activities from beadwork to colouring.
"I'm here to share my culture," said Clayton Gauthier from Prince George.
"I want to share my buffalo skull that was gifted to me and colour with the children here today."
A big part of sharing culture is sharing language, as 96-year-old Mary Gouchie and her daughter, Janet Kozak, both know.
Gouchie, a L'heidli elder, is one of the last fluent speakers of her dialect and both she and her daughter are determined to keep the language alive.
Both women worked with linguist William Poser to develop a language curriculum that CNC offers every January.
"It makes me happy to share the dialect. I teach at PGSS and at CNC and I have teachers and students that aren't even my students say 'Bundada'(good morning)," said Kozak.
"My mother said you must learn, you must learn something new every day and this is what I try to tell my students, to always continue to learn," said Kozak.
Education was the main focus of the day.
"Because our people are so inclusive, they always want to share their music, art and stories," said Darlene McIntosh, cultural advisor at the Aboriginal Resource Centre.
"It's so great to be able to share our elders and have them share their wisdom with us."
