9 Aug - 30 Aug
9:30am - 5:00pm
Every Friday in August, we want to invite the community out to Wanuskewin to pê-mêtawê ("come and play" in nêhiyawêwin)
Join our knowledgeable interpretive team and some special guests every Friday in August for cultural connections and traditional games!
These Traditional Games Fridays were made possible with funding from Sask Lotteries.
For all ages! Join us for a day full of activities for the entire family for Traditional Games both inside and outside.
Each Friday will have a different theme for the day planned by our summer students, all based around a variety of traditional games that Northern Plains Indigenous peoples have played in this area for thousands of years. The games that we have been taught and now share with the community are ones that have been passed down through oral history since time immemorial.
Thousands of years ago, there were no school buildings for children to learn life skills—instead, Indigenous children learned hunting and survival skills through games. These games taught children important physical skills (e.g., endurance, hand-eye coordination, lung capacity), science skills (e.g., aerodynamics, physics), and social skills (e.g., observation, trickery, anticipation, patience). Indigenous health and wellbeing is holistic, and these skills and the joy that comes from playing and learning with your community are important aspects of wellbeing.
pê-mêtawê: MOCCASIN GAME
Friday, August 9, 2024
The Moccasin Game is a gambling game that has been played by Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island since time immemorial. It consists of the “hiding team” hiding a small hiding piece under moccasins, moccasin pads, or animal hides while the “finding team” uses a stick to hit the moccasin pad they think the hiding piece is under.
Join us to learn more about the Moccasin Game and get a chance to test your observation and trickery skills against our Interpretive Guides.
9:30 a.m. – Site opens
10:00 a.m. – Native Plant Walk
11:00 a.m. – Moccasin Game
1:00 p.m. – Daily Dance Presentation
2:00 p.m. – Moccasin Game
3:30 p.m. – Exhibits Tour
5:00 p.m. – Full Site CLOSED
Self-guided Activities:
- Galleries, Exhibits, Playground, Gift Shop, and Restaurant will be OPEN!
- Scavenger Hunts
- Drop-in Northern Plains Technology table
pê-mêtawê: nîmihitowin – POWWOW DANCING
Friday, August 16, 2024
Every nation has their own ceremonies and traditions. Powwow dance is an art form and ceremony, a healing dance, a personal expression of the dancer’s culture and identity, and a way to share and preserve Indigenous culture–and it can also be a way to teach children skills for their day-to-day life.
Join us for a day focused on powwow dance styles and competition, regalia, the drum, and trick songs.
9:30 a.m. – Site opens
10:00 a.m. – Hoop Dance Presentation: Lawrence Roy
11:00 a.m. – nîmihitowin: powwow Competition and Trick Songs
1:00 p.m. – Daily Dance Presentation
2:00 p.m. – nîmihitowin: powwow Competition and Trick Songs
3:30 p.m. – Exhibits Tour (focus on powwows and regalia)
5:00 p.m. – Full Site CLOSED
- Galleries, Exhibits, Playground, Gift Shop, and Restaurant will be OPEN!
- Scavenger Hunts
- Drop-in Northern Plains Technology table
pê-mêtawê: DOUBLE BALL
Friday, August 23, 2024
Double Ball is a game played by many different Northern Plains Indigenous cultures with many different variations and origin stories–there is no right or wrong way to play double ball, just different ways. No matter the version you are playing, it brings the community together to play and to cheer on the players.
Join us to learn more about Double Ball and try your hand at passing and scoring with our Interpretive Guides.
9:30 a.m. – Site opens
10:00 a.m. – Bison Walk
11:00 a.m. – Double Ball Competition
1:00 p.m. – Daily Dance Presentation
2:00 p.m. – Double Ball Competition
3:30 p.m. – Bison Walk
5:00 p.m. – Full Site CLOSED
- Galleries, Exhibits, Playground, Gift Shop, and Restaurant will be OPEN!
- Scavenger Hunts
- Drop-in Northern Plains Technology table
pê-mêtawê: LIFE ON THE PLAINS
Friday, August 30, 2024
In order to survive the challenging environment of the plains, children were taught survival skills in the form of games. These games have been used as a teaching tool for thousands of years to teach skills such as endurance, hand-eye coordination, and observation.
Join us to try your hand at playing some traditional games to practice your hunting, physical, and social skills with our Interpretive Guides.
9:30 a.m. – Site opens
10:00 a.m. – Step Back in Time Walk
11:00 a.m. – Traditional Games: Survival and Hunting Skills
1:00 p.m. – Daily Dance Presentation
2:00 p.m. – Traditional Games: Lifestyle Games
3:30 p.m. – Step Back in Time Walk
5:00 p.m. – Full Site CLOSED
- Galleries, Exhibits, Playground, Gift Shop, and Restaurant will be OPEN!
- Scavenger Hunts
- Drop-in Northern Plains Technology table
