On Saturday, February 10, 2024 the community’s 2nd Annual Unity in the Community event was hosted by the Porcupine Métis Local, Métis Nation Saskatchewan Eastern Region II, and Town of Porcupine Plain.
After a short formal program including an address by each of Cathay Wagantall – MP Yorkton-Melville, Lisa McCallum – Secretary for Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Hugh Nerlien – MLA Kelvington-Wadena, Brent Digness – Regional Representative MN-S ERII, Nick Wood – Mayor Town of Porcupine Plain, and Dan Mielke – Principal for Porcupine Plain Comprehensive School, and a special reading of Lii Michif by Elder Rita Ducharme and the PPCS Grade 3 class, the cultural booths opened and the afternoon’s entertainment commenced.
This year — dubbed The Year of the Youth — all children were given a passport and, after collecting stamps from each cultural booth, traded those passports in for prizes and treats. Children took part in a number of crafting activities at each booth, and all attendees were able to sample several food items from each culture — from lefse and krumkake at the Norwegian booth, to bison meatballs and bannock at the Métis table. The Filipino and Ukrainian booths each offered a smorgasbord of samples, including pancit, spring rolls and cassava cake at the Filipino table, and perogies, cabbage rolls, sausage, and a variety of baking at the Ukrainian table. It’s safe to say nobody left the Hall hungry that day!
The Northern Prairie Dancers kicked off the afternoon with some square-dancing lessons, followed by yet another show-stopping performance by the Porcupine Filipino Community Dancers.
Representatives from each culture booth gathered for the ceremonial cake cutting. The cake – once again decorated by Koral Kriger in a way to mimic Métis beadwork – included the national flower for each of Norway, Ukraine and the Philippines, as well as a prairie rose and feather to honour our Métis and First Nations neighbours. After cake, the Northern Prairie Dancers returned to show off some more dance moves. The Dean Smith band accompanied the Dancers and provided an incredible soundtrack for the day’s events. The afternoon concluded with Robert Whitehead from Yellow Quill singing and drumming, accompanied by two young dancers — the youngest a ‘grass’ dancer, and the older boy a traditional dancer.
The community would like to thank all of the volunteers who worked so hard to setup displays and serve food, as well as everyone who came out to partake in the day’s events. Many hands pitched in to make the day go off without a hitch – the volunteers for the cultural groups who worked hard on booth displays and menus; the Porcupine Plain Air Cadets Squadron who helped with setup and cleanup throughout the day; PPCS & PPCS Art Club who provided beautiful artwork to display and decorate the Hall; the PP Economic Development Committee and Parkland Co-op who donated prizes for the children; Parkland Co-op staff who worked the welcome table; and the numerous businesses and individuals who donated bucket draw items. Volunteers from the Porcupine Plain & District Museum and Health Care Auxiliary sold bucket draw tickets; proceeds from bucket draw sales were split between the two groups, with each group receiving $745.
We would also like to thank Sask Culture, Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association, and Sask Lotteries for funding, without which we couldn’t host this incredible day for free to the public.
We hope to see everyone again next year — and, if you’re interesting in adding a new culture booth, get in touch with Debbie or Koral!