At the 84th Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) Annual General Assembly (AGA) held in Athabasca last weekend, there were many activities for people of all ages, but for Métis elder Shirley Backstrom, the most important aspect of the assembly was the chance for the elders to share their knowledge and culture with the next generation.
Although a very active member in the Métis community, Backstrom had never had the opportunity to attend an AGA before and as a resident of Colinton, she was very excited to have the assembly come to her home area. She noted that having the opportunity to interact with the youth was very important to her.
“The main thing with a conference like this is to get the youth and the elders together in one place,” she said.
“It’s important because they are the future and they will be the ones taking over our jobs and sharing the culture and heritage when we are gone. They will be our new leaders so we have to work together.”
Backstrom noted that a big aspect of helping educate the youth in Métis culture is the continuance of the language. She said that the problem with young families today is that even though the parents may speak the Cree language, they are not always teaching it to their kids.
This is why having the chance to interact with the youth is important, especially in the Athabasca region.
“There are courses available for people to learn the language in places like Wabasca and Calling Lake, but not in Athabasca,” Backstrom said.
“There are no special classes in the schools here and no real chance to learn, so it’s important to continue teaching the youth whenever we get an opportunity.”
Helping to keep the culture, language and heritage of the Métis alive is key, but it’s not the only reason that Backstrom made her way to the Athabasca Regional Multiplex for the AGA. She noted that it’s also about meeting new people and catching up with old friends, especially at the Elder’s Lounge.
“This is my first time at a provincial conference like this and I find it really interesting to get to interact with people from all over Alberta,” Backstrom said.
“It’s surprising how many people you know from a long time ago. I’ve gotten to see people I haven’t seen in years, and I’ve met a lot of new people too. Everyone is really nice and the conference has all kinds of people and it doesn’t matter where you come from, you get to interact and meet and make new friends.
“People join together as Métis and that’s the whole meaning of the conference. We are all brothers and sisters in one big circle and we are all in unison together at the AGA.”
