The smell of sweet grass and cedar filled the air as families gathered at the Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds on Tuesday morning.
Elders, children, and community members stood in a circle, watching as smoke rose from a smudge bowl and prayers of gratitude were offered to the Creator. Moments later, hands young and old gripped ropes and poles, beginning the process of raising a tipi.
The ceremony was at the heart of the Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective’s 3rd Annual Summer Celebration, a two-day event blending remembrance, education, and cultural practice.
Organizer Janice Henry, president of the Collective, said the goal was to give people a space to connect with traditions before the school year begins.
An adult participant leads a beading workshop, encouraging young participants to carry forward traditional crafts
“This is about education and kinship,” Henry said. “We want youth and families to feel proud, to learn by doing, and to know these teachings are still alive.”
The celebration began Monday with a round dance and feast honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Men, and Boys. Around 130 to 140 people attended with the theme Iskwew Pimohtew Sakaw (She walks in the forest), paying tribute to Shannon Standingready and the many lives touched by loss.
Tuesday shifted the focus toward cultural learning. Beading tables, Métis fiddle lessons, moccasin making, and dance workshops filled the grounds, but it was the tipi raising, guided by Elder William (Bill) Stavely, that drew the largest crowd.
Stavely explained that each part of the tipi carries teachings. The poles represent values such as thankfulness, sharing, hope, and love. The rope that binds them circles four times to honour balance and the four directions.
“If you make a mistake, fix it,” he reminded participants when a rope slipped. “That’s part of life. Don’t ignore it, or it only becomes a bigger problem later.”
Partcipants lift the first poles under the guidance of Elder Bill Stavely during the tipi raising at the Summer Celebration, held at the Prince Albert Exhbition Grounds
The lessons moved seamlessly between the practical and the spiritual. Stavely used the Medicine Wheel to illustrate balance between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life. He told the group that connecting with Mother Earth, animals, and nature helps restore harmony and well-being.
He also spoke of the resilience of the tipi itself, recalling storms where trees snapped and roads were blocked but the lodge was still firm.
Women traditionally led the work of setting up and caring for tipis, with support from daughters, grandmothers, and neighbouring families.
“Communal is not a weakness. It’s a strength,” Stavely said. “That’s how our people survived, by sharing our food, our homes, and our best offerings.”
By the time the last rope was tied and the canvas secured, the tipi was more than a structure. It was a living classroom, a space for stories, teachings, and connection.
Henry said she hopes the experience gives young people confidence in who they are and where they come from.
Community members pull the canvas over the frame as the tipi nears completion at the Exhibition grounds.
“It’s about passing knowledge on,” she said. “That’s how traditions continue, not just by hearing them, but by living them.”
The finished tipi stood tall in the summer sun, a symbol of resilience, survival, and the strength of community in Prince Albert.
