Honouring Indigenous Storytelling Month

For more than 20 years the Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples Inc. (LSSAP) committee has coordinated Saskatchewan Indigenous Storytelling Month. Throughout the month of February, storytelling events are held by libraries and their partners in communities throughout Saskatchewan. The Dr. John Archer Library and Archives and University of Regina Press have a series of upcoming events to support and honour First Nations, Métis & Inuit oral storytelling traditions in Saskatchewan.

This year, the University of Regina was chosen by LSSAP to host the kick-off for Saskatchewan Indigenous Storytelling Month. On February 2, the Dr. John Archer Library officially launched Saskatchewan Indigenous Storytelling Month at an in-person and livestreamed event. The Saskatchewan Indigenous Storytelling project has a tremendous educational impact in schools, libraries, and community centres throughout the province, and will continue to evolve, grow, and expand in the upcoming years, through the spirit of reconciliation.

Upcoming events

Learning and Unlearning through Artistic Collaboration - Developing (Re)conciliation Practices with Land, Self and Community

Friday, February 6 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Dr. John Archer Library & Archives, University of Regina Main Campus

The Dr. John Archer Library, in partnership with the Office of the Vice-President (Research), are pleased to welcome Melanie Kloetzel (MFA, PhD), Professor of Dance at University of Calgary, to discuss her collaborative art-making practices and research with particular attention to her work with TRAction, a settler/Indigenous co-led arts collective that focuses on climate arts and justice. In discussing her work in dance, place-based and immersive performance and digital mediums, Kloetzel explores her own learning and unlearning journey as a settler engaged in (re)conciling with both land and Indigenous communities. 

Book Launch: "wîhtamawik / Tell Them" by Louise Bernice Halfe - Sky Dancer

Friday, February 6 from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m.
Dr. John Archer Library & Archives, University of Regina Main Campus

The Dr. John Archer Library, in partnership with the University of Regina Press and the Library Services for Saskatchewan Indigenous Peoples, are hosting Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate Louise Bernice Halfe - Sky Dancer.  She will read from her new collection of essays and poems that chronicle her childhood in a cabin on reserve, through the Indian Residential School system, and into her reclamation of her nêhiyaw language, culture, and spirituality titled wîhtamawik / Tell Them: On a Life of Inspiration, published in 2026 by the University of Regina Press. Cree performing artist and author Sandra Lamouche will also read from her children's book We belong to the drum, published in 2023 by Orca Books. A moderated conversation with Louise Bernice Halfe -Skydancer and Sandra Lamoche will conclude the event.

wîhtamawik / Tell Them: On a Life of Inspiration is available for pre-order from the University of Regina Press. In addition, the Dr. John Archer Library & Archives always carries two copies of every University of Regina Press book!

Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy (Just Breathe, Mother Earth)

Friday, February 6 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Education Auditorium, University of Regina Main Campus

A collaborative project led by Cree artist Sandra Lamouche and settler artist Melanie Kloetzel. Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy offers a journey into and out of climate anxiety. Examining the deep inequalities and inadequate nature of Eurocentric cultural responses to the climate crisis, as well as the cultural possibilities that exist in connecting to the land via Indigenous worldviews, Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy creates an opening for audiences to engage in a dialogue about reconciliation, the climate emergency and cross-cultural futures. (Full events details can be found here)

Just Breathe, Okâwîmâwaskiy is a collaboration of the Dr. John Archer Library and several campus and external partners.

Storytime with Sandra Lamouche

Saturday, February 7 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Regina Public Library’s Sherwood Village Branch

The Dr. John Archer Library is partnering with Regina Public Library for this family-friendly event. Join children's author and performance artist, Sandra Lamouche, for a reading of her book pêyak little duck. Sandra will also share bird stories, teachings, and a movement activity.

About the presenter: Sandra Lamouche is a Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree woman) from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Treaty 8 (Northern Alberta). She is a performance artist, storyteller, Champion Hoop Dancer, award winning TEDx Speaker, and an award-winning children's author.

More from U of R Press

The University of Regina Press features the First Nation Language Readers collection of books on its website, which introduces different Indigenous languages and demonstrates how each language is used today. From Tsuut'ina to Blackfoot, the U of R Press’s long-term goal is to publish the more than 60 Indigenous languages of Canada.

Banner Photo: L to R: Circles Close by Leah Dorion is used in many Saskatchewan Indigenous Storytelling Month promotional materials; the cover of "wîhtamawik / Tell Them" by Louise Bernice Halfe - Sky Dancer; Louise Bernice Halfe - Sky Dancer. Credit: Cover of "wîhtamawik / Tell Them" provided by U of R Press; Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer photo by Craig Richards