By Steve Hubrecht
The Columbia Valley Métis Association (CVMA) is gearing up to host its annual Kitchen Party next weekend.
The celebratory event is held each year as a chance for local Métis people to gather. It also coincides with the association’s annual general meeting (AGM), and with a sashing ceremony for new Métis citizens.
“It’s so fun. It really is nice to get everyone together,” CVMA community coordinator Kelsey Prichard told the Pioneer.
The Kitchen Party is on Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Lion’s Hall at the crossroads (in the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce). The event kicks off with the AGM, before proceeding to the sashing ceremony and the Kitchen Party. The AGM will start at 4 p.m., and the Kitchen Party (eating and dancing) will continue until 8 p.m.
There are 200 registered CVMA citizens in the Columbia Valley, with an estimated 100 to 150 non-CVMA-registered Métis people living here as well. All are invited to the party, as is anyone else who is part of another Métis community.
“Anyone who identifies as Métis is welcome,” said Prichard.
The gathering will be a potluck style-dinner, with the CVMA serving up a main course of locally-sourced bison stew, and attendees who wish to do so bringing additional salads, desserts or other dishes of choice. (Prichard emphasized that no one should feel any pressure to bring food.)
There will be entertainment too, with Twin Fiddles playing music. Twin Fiddles is comprised of two accomplished fiddlers — JJ Guy and Gordon Stobbe, both from Saskatchewan — playing a dual fiddle style that features lead and harmony lines.
The sashing ceremony is open to anyone new to the Métis community who has not yet been sashed. It involves an elder giving a sash to the participants and saying a special prayer.
“It’s really special for a lot of folk,” said Prichard. “Some people grow up without knowing about their Métis heritage.” She explained that for others, given Canada’s colonial past, there are sometimes old feelings of shame about having to hide elements of their Métis heritage. As a result, the sashing ceremony “can be quite emotional. There can be a lot of tears,” said Prichard. “It’s an accepting space, and a way for people to reclaim their culture.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Kitchen Party typically attracts 70 participants, and Prichard expects a similar turnout this year. The event is being held one day after Louis Riel Day (which is on November 16 each year), the anniversary of Riel’s execution in 1885 after leading Métis people in the Northwest Resistance against federal government encroachment on Métis rights and way of life.
This year’s AGM will include a vote for five open CVMA board of director positions. CVMA board elections are held every two years. Anyone wishing to run for the board must first be nominated by another member of the Columbia Valley’s Métis community. Those wishing to vote must bring identification.
