STORIES TO SHARE
Elder Dennis Omeasoo takes part in storytelling at the Indigenous pavilion at Agribition on Thursday. The annual event at Evraz Place runs until Saturday.
Kids came and went from the teepee excitedly.
Some took a moment to sit down on the bear, buffalo and other animal furs laid out along the edges of the teepee. Others shuffled their feet for a few seconds before running back out and onto the next thing.
“To us it’s more that just a tent,” said elder Dennis Omeasoo to the few who remained.
Omeasoo went on to explain the history and significance of the teepee. He didn’t seem to mind the coming and going, remaining steadfast in his storytelling.
Omeasoo’s storytelling is part of the activities taking place at the Indigenous Pavilion, which is in its seventh year at Canadian Western Agribition.
The stories told are those he’s learned throughout his life. Referred to as “oral traditional knowledge,” Omeasoo said the stories help shape those who hear them, teaching the difference between right and wrong among other things.
He said telling stories is also about visiting, which he described as the “old time way” — something people don’t seem to have a lot of time for these days.
Omeasoo said he starts every session talking about what the teepee represents so the children who visit can understand the importance of it.
The round shape he said represents God, but noted “if you really want to see God, look into the eyes of children” who are full of purity and innocence.
The buffalo-hide walls symbolize a woman’s long dress. The poles represent her skeleton, with one pole in particular representing her spine. He explained that traditionally, women are in charge of the teepees. The door represents the place we all come from — the womb.
In the middle of every teepee usually burns a fire which Omeasoo says symbolizes the “everlasting fire inside of us.”
“He has a lot of stories,” said Elmer Eashappie, founder of the Indigenous Pavilion. “He doesn’t like to talk about himself and that’s a very good, humble way of being.”
Eashappie has known Omeasoo for years and invited him to tell stories at Agribition because of the respect he has garnered from his community, which named him an elder despite his reluctance to label himself as one.
He said having an elder to share Indigenous culture with kids and youth at Agribition is important because with more and more kids growing up in urban centres, access to Indigenous culture is often limited.
“Even our own people who live in the urban centres don’t have access to go out to their reserve, listen to elders,” said Eashappie. “If they’re coming to Regina anyway and ... to Agribition, that’s a perfect opportunity.”
“If you can’t come to us then we’ll come to you,” he said.
There are still a few more chances to visit elder Omeasoo this week. The Indigenous Pavilion is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the remainder of Agribition and can be found next to the Family Ag Pavilion in the Co-operators Centre.