By Chelsea Laskowski

Sacred ritual heightens the senses of P.A. students

Mar 20, 2015 | 5:35 PM

Now in its second year, Carlton Comprehensive High School’s annual round dance is finding its footing.

This year they lit a sacred pipe for the opening ceremony, and some student ambassadors even took part.

Over 100 Carlton students took in the ceremony, as did a number of dignitaries from the community.

Among them were many people who had never experienced the ritual before.

“I don’t really know what to expect,” said Grade 12 student Logan Hobson.

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Her impression of the ceremony came before it even started, as the scent of burning sweet grass, which included sage, wafted through the air.

“I think it smells really good actually,” she said with a laugh.

Grade 9 student Brina Georget was also new to the ritual, but once she learned more about it became very excited for the experience.

Georget said she’d learned that women can be viewed as more powerful during what are called “moon times,” meaning they could affect the pipe’s power during a pipe ceremony.

“Right now I’m holding sage in my hands to help me watch the pipe ceremony but I cannot go near it at all.”

In traditional fashion, the elder blessed the pipe before it was passed around clockwise to follow the path of the sun.

The pipe made numerous trips around the circle, with the elder’s helper passing it to each person.

Following that, gifts of blankets were passed on to First Nations guests and elders who came out to perform the aboriginal ritual.

Food was passed out and a round dance capped off the school day for students. 

Alexis Wilcox, in Grade 12, said she appreciates the first hand experience at the round dance.

“Here in Prince Albert it’s like, yeah, aboriginal culture is in our everyday life so I think we should learn more about it in our school system,” Wilcox sai.

“I think it’s interesting, all their rituals, and their beautiful, like, costumes that they wear and stuff.”

Wilcox’s friend Carrie Lees agreed.

“They didn’t really incorporate stuff like this into elementary schools or anything so I think that it’s really neat that they’re doing it now.”

claskowski@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk