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Day of Sucwentwe虂cw 2024

The First People鈥檚 Principles of Learning are incorporated into the content of the BC Curriculum, as are the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action which call us to 鈥渋ntegrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.鈥�

The Day of Sucwentwe虂cw (Acknowledging One Another) is an annual initiative. This year it will be held on April 5, to recognize and celebrate the Secwe虂pemc People (Secwepemcu虂l鈥檈cw) and other Aboriginal people residing within the Secwe虂pemc Territory.

This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥�Our shared learning is embedded in memory, history, and story through courage, wisdom, and local Indigenous perspectives,鈥� is based on the First Peoples Principles of Learning and Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives. This is an opportunity for all schools to continue to embed the First People鈥檚 Principles of Learning, and to address the Calls to Action as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The day will be marked with a focus on the concept of gathering and presentations of learning in all district schools. There are a number of resources provided to teachers, including videos, some of which are posted below. 

Jackie Jules - Introducing the Day of Sucwentwe虂cw

How to Say "Day of Sucwentwe虂cw"

Bernice Jensen - Introduction to the Welcome Song

"The Welcome Song is our Secwe虂pemc Song that is sung all over the Secwe虂pemc Nation," said Bernice Jensen, Cultural Education Coordinator with the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society.  "It welcomes all of us; it welcomes the people, welcomes Mother Earth and welcomes our ancestors.  The beat of the drums are the heart beat of the nations coming together strong and powerful.  It鈥檚 part of our ceremony and helps us connect to the creator to offer prayers of healing and to give thanks to all.  All My Relations."

Day of Sucwentwe虂cw - Welcome Song

"In addition to our students performing the Welcome Song, our students had an opportunity to dress up in beautiful regalia and moccasins," said Rae Bennett, Aboriginal Education Worker. "In the Secwe虂pemc cultures, only certain pieces of regalia were displayed while dancing to the Welcome Song. All the girls wore yokes, long skirts, leggings, moccasins, and accessories. Their hair accessories had feathers and beads that matched their regalia. The boy dancers each wore vests and moccasins. The drummers and singers wore the Secwe虂pemc colours of the medicine wheel - black, white, red, and yellow."

Day of Sucwentwe虂cw 2024 Poster Winner

As part of the celebration, a poster contest is held across the District to choose a design that will represent the theme of the year. This year鈥檚 poster contest winner is Ethan Evans, a grade 7 student from Westmount Elementary. Their artist statement is below:

My focus this year for the Secwepemc logo contest was based around the First Nation people of Canada, as my heritage is partly Cree and Ojibway, which are groups who are still First Nations, just slightly separate.

To follow through with my heritage, I have drawn the medicine wheel in the background as it symbolizes the First Nations people, there is also some scenery at the bottom of the medicine wheel as it shows some of the beautiful land that not just the First Nations people have, but all of the Indigenous people can share.

To make sure I did not just represent the First Nations, I put a Metis flag in the bottom left corner tosymbolize their culture and heritage too. But one thing was still missing, the Inuit have not been included in this drawing, so I decided to draw an lnukshuk as a mini flag in the top right corner. But the main symbol of this drawing is the bear paw filled with some of the beautiful First Nations designs to represent this year's theme, "Our shared learning is embedded in memory, history, and story through courage, wisdom, and local Indigenous perspectives. "The bear paw is there to represent one of the goals, courage. To the Indigenous people, the bear represents not only courage but strength.

Day of Sucwentwe虂cw Elder and Knowledge Keeper Interviews with:  

Elder, Lawrance Michel ALIB Cstelen

Knowledge Keeper, Ed Jensen Tkemlups te Secwepemc

Elder, Eddie Celesta Simpcw First Nations

My Skwi7茅媒e

Each year the Aboriginal Education Department writes a children's book for schools to use that aligns with the chosen theme. This year, the book is called My Skwi7茅媒e, by Sandra Eustache-Shiel.