Metis Heritage Day is happening this Sunday at Fort George Park, with members of the mixed-heritage community showing off their many colours.
"This is the 21st time we've celebrated Metis Heritage Day in the park and has it ever grown over the years," said founder Patrick Pocha of the Northern Interior Metis Cultural Society, the organization co-hosting the event along with the BC Metis Federation. "We have so many crafters, entertainers, food booths, you wouldn't recognize it if you saw the first few years. It has become really successful."
One of the headliners is Beverly Lambert, one of B.C.'s best known jig dancers and the cultural ambassador for the B.C. Metis Federation. She arrived in Prince George early to help Pocha prepare for the event.
"We feel that Metis culture needs to be promoted. We have our own identity within the aboriginal family," she said. "We should be doing all we can to inspire our own people to be proud of themselves, and ours is a very rich and interesting history, and also show our culture to everyone else in Canada. I find almost everyone interested in the Metis culture."
Joan Anderson was one of those who knew of her Metis ancestry but only recently began delving into the details of the people with both European blood and First Nations blood.
"We aren't like each First Nation, we are all over Canada," she said. "I saw Bev bringing back those traditions and really enjoying those traditions and I wanted that. I'm helping out to promote my heritage."
Entertainment on Sunday will be by a wide range of performers. The B.C. Old Time Fiddlers will have a presence, plus the Street Church house band, singer/songwriter Ivan Paquette, and Lambert has crafted a tailor-made dance especially for the occasion. "It's called the Caterpillar Jig. Bring your rubber boots and join in," she said.
There will also be a number of food vendors, the inflatable bouncy toys of LA Promotions, retail crafters and many more features.
"It's a wonderful way to spend Fathers Day," Pocha said.
Opening ceremonies are at 11:45 a.m.
For more information contact Anderson (250-552-2714 or [email protected]) or Pocha (250-561-9484 or [email protected]).This story originally appeared with a file photo of the 2012 organizers of Metis Heritage Day, which included the Metis Nation of B.C. The 2013 event was organized by the B.C. Metis Federation, which is not affiliated with the Metis Nation of B.C.
