Acden Attends Annual Cultural Gathering

At Acden, we take pride in our heritage and we support and encourage our staff and our own members to attend cultural events throughout the year.

On August 23rd-24th, some of our staff members attended and participated in the Annual Youth Elder Cultural Gathering in Fort Chipewyan, AB hosted by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN). It was two days filled with traditional activities & workshops including: hand games; a series of hiding and guessing various objects using hand signals, rhythms or gestures to find the object, Dene language challenge, and beadwork. Employees and members were also able to participate in facilitated demonstrations that involved the preparation of muskrat hides, smoking fish, cooking bannock on a stick over an open fire and other various cultural practices.

The purpose in hosting this annual event serves as a platform to bring together youth and elders to form relationships by sharing their knowledge and wisdom, to become more familiar with the land and our traditions so that it can be passed on to future generations.

Attending the Annual Youth Elder Cultural Gathering serves as a cross-cultural experience for members of various nations and people of all backgrounds to share our ties to the land and the community of Fort Chipeywan, AB.