Alberta Culture Days events take place at Lac La Biche Mission

Chris McGarry Sep 21, 2023 3:30 PM
Tessa Kumpula hands some traditional Filipino cuisine to Donna Fabbro. Chris McGarry photo. ▲
Hailey Lambert was one of two instructors at the Metis sash weaving workshop at the Lac La Biche Mission, which took place on Saturday, Sept. 9 as part of Alberta Culture Days events. Here, she gives some pointers to Marilyn Gauthier, who was one of nine people who participated in the workshop. Chris McGarry photo.▲
Irish culture and cuisine was also on tap during Saturday’s festivities. Carmen Elliott worked a table featuring not only the flag of the Emerald Island, but also food such as stew, Irish soda bread, and rhubarb bread, which she talks to about with Colleen Ouimet. Chris McGarry photo.▲
Mary Lehoux had her Metis culture and heritage on display, selling homemade slippers, mittens, and keychains and giving away samples of free baked raisin Bannock. Chris McGarry photo. ▲
Kallyn Kodiak, a professional Metis sash weaver from Calgary, teaches participants how to follow arrow patterns to make colorful sashes, the origins of which go back nearly 300 years. Chris McGarry photo.▲
Ukrainians have a long, proud history and heritage in the Lac La Biche region, and Larysa Shevchenko and her son, Daniel, were putting their culture on display during the event, offering visitors who stopped by their table honey cake and borsh, a traditional Ukrainian soup made from beets, meat, and other vegetables. Chris McGarry photo.▲
Jeremy Lavellee of Owl River, Mary Rose McDonald of Hylo, and Shirley Cardinal of Lac La Biche took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Saturday, Sept. 9 to take in the events happening at the Lac La Biche Mission as part of Alberta Culture Days. ▲
For a few hours on Sept. 9, Najiah Moghrabi was representing her ancestral homeland of Lebanon, working a table that featured various cultural items from the Middle Eastern nation, including a traditional Lebanese guitar, a coffee pot, and cups, as well as a Misbahah, which is a religious tool used as an aid to perform dhikr, a form of Islamic prayer. During the Alberta Culture Days events, Moghrabi, a member of the Ladies Islamic Association of Lac La Biche, was educating attendees about the history of the Lebanese in Lac La Biche County, who first came to the region in the late 19th century. Chris McGarry photo. ▲
Rial St. Jean and Bonnie Donald shared the stage with various other local musicians during the Alberta Culture Days celebrations which took place at the Lac La Biche Mission on Saturday, Sept. 9. Chris McGarry.▲

LAC LA BICHE - The various cultures who’ve made their home in Lac La Biche County were celebrated during Alberta Culture Days events which took place on Sat. Sept. 9, at the Lac La Biche Mission.

The day-long celebration got underway in the morning with a Métis sash weaving workshop. Throughout the afternoon, there was an abundance of entertainment that included a multicultural food festival where visitors could sample a variety of international cuisines for free, live music by local performers, children’s games, as well as free guided tours of the Lac La Biche Mission, which organized the event as a way of building community and bringing people of different cultures and ethnicities together.

Several Alberta Culture Days events are planned for the Lac La Biche region during the month of September. On Sat., Sept. 15, the Mission will be hosting an old-fashioned afternoon tea party in the convent on the grounds.

From Sept. 22-23, the Owl River Cultural Association will be offering a chance to experience genuine Indigenous culture with a festival that features traditional music and performances by Indigenous dancers, along with a fashion show where Métis women and girls will don colourful traditional ribbon skirts. There will also be teachings about traditional hunting and trapping as well as storytelling by elders.

On Sept. 28, Portage College is hosting a cultural expo featuring the cultures, artistry, and culinary flavours from various groups living in Lac La Biche County.

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