Growing the exposure of Indigenous culture in Whitecourt through traditional teachings

On Saturday, May 27, Rosella Sewi and her mother, Georgina Sewi, travelled from Grande Prairie to
Whitecourt to hold a traditional beading class at the Whitecourt & District Public Library. Along with
Rosella’s cousin, local Loreen Beaverho, the group of three led a traditional class, teaching attendees
how to do the time-honoured craft.
Beaverho had previously held a ribbon skirt-making class and said she was looking for more things she
could bring forward to share her culture with area residents. “I was thinking about what we could do to
increase the cultural learning and exposure to Indigenous culture in Whitecourt.” She said that sharing
Indigenous culture is part of truth and reconciliation as it helps strengthen the culture by being open
and educating people.
“One of the things I’ve noticed in Whitecourt is that it lacks Indigenous exposure and culture. I was
getting creative and thinking about what we could do that we had yet to see in town. Beading is
common, and it’s normal to see classes happening in our Indigenous communities. I thought it would be
a good idea to expose the town of Whitecourt to it and show them that this is what we do back home.”
When she thought about a beading class, Beaverho said she knew exactly who to contact. “I reached out
to Rosella. We are from the same territory; she and my cousin sew and bead together. There’s nobody
else that I would ask, and she was the perfect fit for it. She was willing to come and was excited. We are
even more blessed to have an elder here today. I wasn’t expecting that.”
Elder Georgina Sewi made the trip with her daughter and was equally excited to participate in the class.
Rosella said that her mom didn’t teach her how to bead, explaining that her grandmother was the main
person in her life teaching her. Beaverho explained that in their culture, the grandparents, the elders,
are the ones who teach their grandchildren. “We gain those teachings from our grandparents. Our
parents are not responsible for teaching us the cultural aspects. It’s our elders and our grandparents.
That’s a custom and a kinship system within our culture,” explained Beaverho.
Rosella said sharing teachings with her mother was special, but she also called it bittersweet. “I don’t
have my grandmother anymore, and that’s the number one person who taught me everything I know.
My mother didn’t really teach me much. To bring her along knowing that she has a lot of knowledge that
I didn’t even know, it’s a learning curve for me.” Beaverho explained that the “kinship system” within
their culture means that her mom is responsible for sharing the knowledge to her children and that one
day, Beaverho will be accountable for teaching the culture to her grandchildren. “The same goes with
the fathers and their sons and grandsons.”
With a radio station from back home in the Northwest Territories playing in the background, CKLB FM
Rosella said the class went very well. “It was exciting. I love teaching, whether it’s beading, putting
things together, or even teaching myself how to do things. So, getting to bring that forward to people
who don’t know exactly what or anything about what they are doing is … I don’t know how to express
how it feels. It’s very overwhelming and exciting, and it feels good.”
Several youths in the class, along with the adults, were eager to learn the traditional art. Rosella said she
was impressed with how well they did. “It was very interesting to see how much they grew in the few

hours they were here. There are some young ones that did very well.” Both women said that those new
to the art had more growth within the first hour of the class. “Once they got the momentum going, they
kept it up,” said Rosella.
Participants chose a pre-drawn design, the colours of their seed beads and the colour of the upper (top
of a mukluk). Within half an hour of the six-hour class starting, everyone was beading and figuring out
how best to hold everything. The group used two needles to lock each bead into place tightly. “The only
time they needed our help was when their thread was getting in knots; other than that, they were
pretty independent. It was amazing,” she added. “They never complained. When you’re learning
traditional teachings, it’s always best to not complain and to watch and learn,” said Rosella.
With another class (ribbon skirt making) happening on June 10, Beaverho said she looks forward to
continuing to bring her culture forward for residents to learn about and enjoy. “People are curious. I’ve
had groups, like teachers or companies, asking if they can bring a class like this to their work and get the
staff involved, and yes, they can.”
She said the more exposure she can bring to her culture and the more she can share it with others, the
more growth there will be. “It’s like a community that’s forming. It’s small right now but bigger than it
was two years ago. It will continue to grow and build,” said Beaverho. Those interested in attending a
traditional beading class are encouraged to contact Loreen Beaverho on Facebook. The June 10 ribbon
skirt class still had openings as of early June.