Do you want an easy, socially distanced program for your library? Try one of Marigold's StoryWalks! Four new StoryWalks will be available from July 1-October 31st including Picture the Sky by Barbara Reid, Thank You, Canada, by Andrea Lynn Beck, The Ghosts Go Spooking by Chrissy Bozik and Get Me Another One! by Robert Munsch. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Barb Froese to book one today!

 

The TD Summer Reading Club begins on Tuesday June 15!  Many of you have registered your libraries with the TD SRC site which will allow your patrons to access digital resources and activities offered by the TD SRC.  These activities include:

Children can access all of these activities on the TD SRC Kid's site. To access promotional materials, activity sheets, programs and more check out the TD SRC Staff site.

 

 

 

 

During the Covid-19 pandemic you might have noticed healing dances being shared on social media by Indigenous creators.  Perhaps you have always wanted to attend a pow wow but are worried about not understanding what is taking place or what protocols to observe.

I had a long conversation with a woman named Taylor Crowspreadshiswings on this subject.  Taylor lives in Minithni (Morley AB) and is descended from the Blackfoot and Îyârhe Nakoda nations.  Taylor dances herself as does her young daughter, and her new son already has regalia and will begin to learn to dance as soon as he can walk. He looks adorable wearing it in the jolly jumper. 

Taylor taught me that Indigenous music and dance survive today because of brave people who kept the traditions alive despite the very real danger that teaching these things represented.  Residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996, were only one way that the church and the Canadian government tried to destroy Indigenous culture forever. It became legal to hold a pow wow again in 1951. Even after that time, the schools worked very hard to discourage students from using their own language and taught that to take part in traditional activities was a sin. We are all very lucky that Indigenous knowledge survived. 

The music at pow wows is powerful and beautiful. The drumbeats are the heartbeat of mother earth (Ina Makoche). The songs are storytelling, some are very old, and some are modern. Taylor Crowspreadshiswings explains it as “To dance is to pray. To dance is to heal. We dance to feed our spirits and we dance for those who can’t dance.” 

The dances seen at pow wows are based on much older ceremonies which would not be shown to the public.  Modern dances are joyful, energetic, and exciting to watch.

Regalia is the correct word for the gear dancers wear, it is often incredibly intricate and beautiful.  Some pieces are family heirlooms.  While some Indigenous people make a living creating regalia other dancers, both male and female, design and make their own. It is not appropriate to touch a dancer’s regalia.

A pow wow is a celebration of life, family, and culture.  The dance area is a circle to represent the circle of life and they move clockwise within it to follow the sun.  The Grand Entry begins on the east side of the circle. 

There are dances that are traditionally male and female, although two spirit individuals might dance in any tradition. 

The jingle dance is typically done by women and girls and is a relatively modern dance.  The story attached to this dance is quite beautiful and I would encourage you to attend a pow wow where you can hear the story yourself or ask an elder or dancer if they are willing to share it with you.  Please do this rather than looking it up on the internet because you have no way of knowing if the person posting has permission to share the story so widely.  I love watching this dance because of the joyful sound of the seven rows of jingles sewn on the dresses. The dancers carry feathered fans which must be raised during honor beats.

There are fancy dances for both genders. In the women’s dance you will see ribboned shawls which are used to beautiful effect during the dance. The patterns and fringes on the shawls vary widely based on unique native identity. The shawls are like a butterfly wing and like a butterfly in flight at least one arm must be extended through the entire dance. The regalia includes hair clips, beaded breastplates, wrist cuffs and moccasins.  These very athletic dancers must be able to show equal balance on both sides, because if a move is done on one foot it must be done on the other as well. Patterns of dance will often be repeated four times to represent the four directions. 

Men’s fancy dance is energetic and exciting to watch.  Dancers wear feathered bustles, beaded headbands, beaded wrist cuffs, boned or beaded chest plates, moccasins, rings of bells below the knees and often a headpiece called a roach which sways forward and back. There is a lot of variety depending on tribal traditions and where the dancer is from.  The movement of the regalia is an integral part of the dance. There are several different drumbeats, and the dancers must respond to them and freeze in place when the beats pause.

Men’s and women’s traditional dances are quite distinct from the more energetic dances but the athleticism is very impressive. In the north, regalia for men’s traditional dance includes eagle feathers in great bustles.  These are often family heirlooms and as the eagle feather is sacred, the audience ought to stand and remove their hats in response to the presence of so many of them.

Women’s traditional dance regalia is less colourful than that used for fancy or jingle dancing but extremely beautiful.  It is made from more traditional materials such as buckskin. Beads, bones, shells, and porcupine quills are used to decorate heavy breastplates, neck pieces, medallions, leggings, moccasins, and bags which are required for this dance.  It can take many years to complete a traditional women’s regalia.  The dress alone can weigh ten kilos and each heavily beaded added component adds to that.  The movement of this dance is much more subtle.

 
Taylor is not only a dancer but also a film maker. Here is a link to her video to learn more about why she dances. 

I have only scratched the surface of the many dances, and I encourage you to go to a pow wow to see this amazing art form for yourself.

 

Submitted by Rose Reid

Indigenous Outreach Specialist

Marigold Library System

 

 

 

Submitted by Kristine den Boon

Library Services Consultant

Marigold Library System

 

The next Big Library Read with OverDrive (which gives you unlimited simultaneous access) runs from June 28-July 11 with the ebook The Quiet Girl by S. F. Kosa.

 

Get your community excited about Big Library Read with the marketing materials provided by OverDrive, which include social media graphics, a poster, and a press release template.
 
Readers also have a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet and signed book by the author if they use #biglibraryread on social media!

 

Marigold will be hosing a virtual book club on July 14 at 7:30 to discuss this book. Sign up through the marigoldprograms.ca today!

 

Read Alberta is a hub where Alberta’s readers, authors, publishers, booksellers, and libraries can connect, support, and learn more about one another. Their website highlights news, stories, upcoming events, newly released Alberta books and more! Marigold's Jessie Bach has written several articles for the site profiling the vital services offered by libraries across Alberta.

 

They also have promo materials, including postcards, buttons, Alberta Book posters that you can order by emailing them asking for assorted materials or ordering specific items from this spreadsheet. 

 

To find out more, or to register, click here.

 

 

In COVID times, libraries have adapted by providing all kinds of fun take-home kits and activities for their patrons to do! Register to learn from our panel of libraries from throughout TRAC on Tuesday June 22, 2:00-3:00 as they share their popular kits and provide inspiration for everyone to create take-and-go kits at their own libraries.

 

 

Makerspaces have been a major feature of the library programming landscape for a decade, but for many libraries, they are still something of a white whale—elusive and intimidating. Join Benjamin Ehlers, a Library Development Services Librarian with Yellowhead Regional Library, on Thursday June 24, 2:00-3:00 where he will peel back the hype and look at ways that libraries can develop sustainable STEAM programming that meets the needs of their community without overcommitting resources.

 

To register, click here.