NAIT celebrates student success

Page 12

On April 12, the NAIT Aboriginal Student Association held a cultural celebration to applaud the work being done to ensure the success of Aboriginal students at the school.

The celebration was presided over by Conrad Young, president of the association. It featured a tribute and gifts to honor Elders Walter Bonaise, Marge Freidel, Willy Blake, and the late Lorraine Sinclair, who have been integral to helping young people at NAIT. The event also featured cultural displays such as flute, drumming and dancing.

Flutist Larson Yellowbird played a traditional tune, and singers Adrian LaChance and Rocky Dumais sang the Cree Honor Song.

LaChance and Dumais also performed traditional dances for the gathering, as did the Metis Moccasin Dancers.

"It is a reason to bring everybody together," said NAIT Aboriginal Student Association Vice-president Bernadine Coyote. "Whether it was Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal, Eskimo, Inuit ... allowing for the day to bring awareness of the diversity of cultures," said Coyote.

Another purpose of the celebration was to thank the many people who operate and use the EnCana Aboriginal Student Centre at NAIT, and the many companies that support it.

Conrad Young talked about how important the centre is to all NAIT students.

"It has taken strides to becoming a learning resource for the NAIT community at large, helping the NAIT community to understand issues and cultural values unique to Aboriginal students," said Young.

Nexen Canada funded the event as part of their support for the Aboriginal Success Initiative at NAIT. Nexen has donated $105,000 over the last three years to the initiative.

The initiative is designed to help Aboriginal students get into NAIT and stay once they get there. Among the services and support available to students is emergency bursary awards, given out to students on a limited basis to cover unexpected financial short falls.

Nexen is not alone in its financial support to the initiative. EnCana, Suncor, Trans Canada Pipelines, Enbridge and Burlington Resources are just a few of the other companies supporting Aboriginal success at NAIT.

Cultural workshops were held at NAIT in the afternoon.

Diana Blackman, Aboriginal liaison co-ordinator for the EnCana Aboriginal Student Centre, taught inukshuk building. Blake hosted cultural teachings in a tipi erected on the NAIT grounds specifically for the event. Bonaise hosted medicine wheel teachings, in which music and cultural awareness was discussed. LaChance and Dumais hosted the traditional dancing workshop that was also held at the tipi on the grounds. It was their goal to get people, especially students leaving high school, interested in taking up traditional dance.