Thirsty for knowledge? St. Albert’s Métis local will have that plus free tea and bannock at a new event later this month at the city’s downtown library.
The St. Albert Public Library and the St. Albert–Sturgeon County Métis Local #1904 are kicking off a monthly community tea and bannock event this Jan. 30 at the library’s downtown location.
The local holds monthly soup and bannock events for seniors at its office on Rowland Cres., said Amanda Patrick, program co-ordinator of the local’s Red Willow program (which works to bring St. Albert Métis youths and seniors together).
The library has partnered with the local to host a similar gathering for all ages and cultures at its downtown location on the last Tuesday of each month starting this January, said St. Albert Public Library community engagement manager Stephanie Foremsky. The event aims to advance reconciliation, ensure Indigenous people feel welcome in the library, and give people a chance to get together.
“It’s basically a Tim Hortons catch-up (chat) in the library,” Foremsky said — no speeches, no agenda, just food, drink, and casual conversation.
“You don’t have to be super chatty. You just have to know you will be welcome.”
Patrick said she hoped these gatherings would make people more aware of Métis and Indigenous culture in St. Albert and help Métis seniors connect with youth.
“Seniors are our traditional knowledge teachers,” she said, and many have witnessed more than 80 years of St. Albert history first-hand.
“The more we can visit, especially with seniors and Indigenous persons, the more we can learn.”
Foremsky said they chose to go with tea and bannock because they were simple foods familiar to many people.
“(Bannock) is a very basic but comforting food many Indigenous folks are familiar with, and for non-Indigenous folks, it’s not a far stretch from a scone or a muffin,” she said.
“It also hearkens back to that ‘breaking bread’ with people and finding community with people.”
While some Indigenous nations baked bread-like foods before the arrival of Europeans, modern bannock was likely introduced to North Americans by Scottish fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries, John Robert Colombo writes in the Canadian Encyclopedia. It is now a common sight at Indigenous festivals and family events.
“For many Indigenous peoples trying to decolonize their lives, bannock can be a tricky subject,” Colombo writes — it has links to colonization, but can also serve as a source of culinary experimentation and empowerment.
Patrick said bannock can be made baked or fried and is often served with jam or butter.
“My kokum (grandmother) would make bannock dough and she would give it to you with a piece of sausage,” she said.
“You would wrap it around the meat and cook it over the fire.”
Patrick said this gathering should help Métis people connect with each other and create more cross-cultural connections in St. Albert. She hoped at least 10 people would attend.
The inaugural tea and bannock event runs from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 30 at the downtown library. Call 780-459-1530 for details.
