Celebrate winter traditions at Fort Whoop-Up with stories, survival skills and cultural experiences that honour Blackfoot heritage and prairie life December 20-21.
Outdoor programming will include a fire offering ceremony, berry soup and pemmican making, winter prairie animal tours, carriage rides and winter survival techniques.
Indoor programming will include a history of Blackfoot territories and tales of the land featuring medicinal prairie plants, Blackfoot hand games and Blackfoot language lessons and winter counts.
Winter counts are a traditional symbol-based calendar the Blackfoot people used to transfer knowledge and keep track of important events from year-to-year.
Hand games are traditional cultural games played by the First Nations people across North America.
Connor Kenney says the Galt Museum and Fort Whoop-Up wanted to try something a bit different this year with a more outdoor focus. “We’re asking our visitors to step back in time and experience winter at Fort Whoop-Up through stories, language and traditional skills that celebrate the season’s beauty and resilience.”
“This is a welcome space to learn and ask questions and whether you’re new to the language or looking to strengthen your understanding,” Kenney adds.
Other activities will include Metis jigging and tea making.
Kenney says visitors should dress warm because it might be a wee bit on the chilly side both days, especially with the outdoor festivities. “We encourage guests to bundle up and prepare for some fun outdoor activity.”
Typically, around this time of year, Fort Whoop-Up tries to plan extra activities to celebrate the holiday season.
“This year, focusing more on how individuals would have been celebrating at the time the Fort ran from 1870 to about 1874. We’ll also be offering guided tours to explain more of the history of how winter life was, why the Fort was open during the winter and how it was operated,” Kenney explains.
The event takes place both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit online at fort.galtmuseum.com.
