Bernice Jensen, and members of the Aboriginal Education team. (Image Credit: S.D 73)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY

Local Knowledge Keepers working to maintain Indigenous education during pandemic

Jun 21, 2020 | 8:53 AM

KAMLOOPS — While this year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day events in Kamloops won’t be held in person, the community has found ways to celebrate the people, culture, and spread their knowledge.

Connections between local Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Aboriginal Education Workers, and students and staff within School District 73 have been maintained throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and shared with the community.

Over the past few months, the Kamloops Aboriginal Education Society, and the School District 73 Aboriginal Education team have been working with local Knowledge Keeper Bernice Jensen to produce educational videos about Indigenous traditions and culture.

The videos can be found on Jensen’s YouTube channel, (Accessed here), and cover topics including plants and their uses, smudging and sage harvesting, bannock making, and traditional hand drum songs.

Students within S.D 73 have been taught with these videos, and they’ve also been shared with families and teachers around the region to maintain education and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Alongside the videos, Jensen and the Aboriginal Education team have been making and distributing traditional tea, gathering sage, and holding Zoom gatherings to practice traditional drumming.

So far, the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society has made around 150 jars of traditional tea for interested Aboriginal families. The tea can help with respiratory issues, and fresh juniper was included to aid in this.

Aboriginal Education Workers also were able to refresh their knowledge on the traditional use and harvesting of sage. The group went out for a physically distanced gathering session, and the sage will be distributed to schools, students, and families in the area.

For traditional drumming, daily Zoom gatherings were held between May 5 and 11 for the community to learn and practice together. Staff of 4 Directions then went door to door, drumming and singing to show support for Aboriginal students and families.