Honoring Indigenous Storytelling Month
February is Indigenous Storytelling Month. Saskatchewan is one of the only provinces to formally recognize this month, a tradition that has been honoured for more than 22 years.
Indigenous Storytelling Month brings Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together from across the province and plays an important role in supporting reconciliation efforts. The month-long observance begins each year on February 1.
Indigenous people have long passed on knowledge from generation to generation through oral traditions, including storytelling. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs, values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life. Indigenous storytelling is a foundation for holistic learning, relationship building, and experiential learning. Traditionally, it is during the winter months that Indigenous storytelling occurs. The teachings are that snow needs to be on the ground to share the lessons of the stories. This allows everyone to pause, slow down, and reflect on the multitude of lessons to be learned from a single story.
Throughout the month, many forms of storytelling will be shared, including dance, music, poetry, oral storytelling, visual storytelling, and hands-on workshops. This year, more than 130 storytelling events will take place across 76 locations throughout Saskatchewan, as well as online.
To explore Saskatchewan-wide events, click here. To access learning materials and supports, visit our Indigenous Storytelling Month Resource Bank Collection.
To view personal stories that emphasize the significance of the season and how they influence community life and traditional practices,
Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples Inc. has created a collection of storytelling to promote First Nation Métis oral traditions and the use of public libraries.
Sask DLC Staff Acknowledge Indigenous Storytelling Month
Staff at Sask DLC took part in an Indigenous Storytelling Month professional development session hosted by Indigenous Advisor Dayna Inkster. During the session, staff viewed two videos that honoured Elders, Knowledge Carriers, authors, and poets.
Through these videos, staff learned about the importance of kinship, family traditions, and language. The session also highlighted the many ways storytelling can be shared, including oral and visual storytelling, song, music, and poetry.
Staff further explored the value of both individual and collective storytelling, deepening their understanding of how stories connect people across generations and communities. The videos shared during this professional development session are available in our Resource Bank, including the Early Years Cultural Video Series and Zoey Roy’s Spoken Word.
