Regalia was a way of life

By Jamie-Lee McKenzie

EAGLE VILLAGE FIRST NATION – In Kipawa, Quebec people are becoming more interested in learning the traditional ways.

Cultural workshops to teach the community members more about their heritage have been happening more recently and in February, a regalia-making workshop was started to teach community members how to design and create their own traditional clothing.

One youth from Eagle Village – Trysta Young – feels that it brings us together and says it’s important for more youth to learn from their traditions.

“I just feel like the traditions are dying out so we need to start bringing them back more,” says Young who created her outfit with the help of her mom. “I helped her a lot, so that makes me feel proud. I learned how to smudge properly and I learned how to use a sewing machine and how to surge and the different types of dresses and patterns.”

Cultural centers and cultural classes are now seen as important aspects for First Nation communities, they are seen as good ways of teaching the younger generations about their own culture and traditions.

The regalia workshop runs every Thursday from 5 to 9 pm at the local youth centre. The two facilitators Brenda Lee and Amanda Bellefeuille have been involved in cultural workshops in the past, as both facilitators and participants. Amanda has been a participant in many workshops, but this is her first time being the facilitator.

They have been teaching mostly women’s outfits, dresses, skirts and shawls. Bellefeuille hopes to teach the basics of beading, so the participants can add beading to their outfits if they choose to. Both the facilitators believe learning First Nations regalia is important.

“It was part of our life, it was not a culture, it was a way of life,” explains Lee.

There is a mix of people taking the workshop, from the youth to elders and both men and women have been participating. Many of the people taking the workshop have never used a sewing machine before and they are just excited to have been able to learn that new skill.

“It instills pride in your culture as well as it boosts self-confidence for people that didn’t know how to do basic sewing before. It also gives you a good outlet for expression,” says Bellefeuille.

Lynn Grandlouis from Eagle Village First Nation is in the process of making her third outfit. She has made one for each of her children.

“There are no specifics for any outfits, they don’t have to be in traditional colours or styles anymore,” says Grandlouis, who is creating a Superman-style Grass Dancer outfit for her son.

She’s also made two Fancy Shawl Dancer outfits for her daughters. Her next step is to teach them how to dance.

Many of the participants feel a lot of pride for what they’ve created. They’ve all put a lot of hard work and effort into their outfits and many did not realize how hard it was to create these beautiful outfits before this workshop.

“It’s rewarding, it’s a feeling of accomplishment,” said Grandlouis.

There have been other cultural workshops offered in the past, including an Algonquin language one that took place between January and July 2013.