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Curtis Peeteetuce. (Submitted photo/Lakeland Library Region)
Aboriginal Storytelling Month

First Nation author, educator Peeteetuce to give talk in North Battleford

Feb 12, 2024 | 12:47 PM

Award winning artist and educator Curtis Peeteetuce, from Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation, will be coming to North Battleford Library as part of Aboriginal Storytelling Month.

He will share some of his thoughts about storytelling during his presentation at the Lecture Theatre at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27.

“I will be sharing the world of storytelling as I know it,” Peeteetuce said. “A lot of the source information will come from people who have shared teachings of storytelling with me. Some of the notable figures with be Maria Campbell and Joseph Naytowhow – both Elders and storytellers in the Saskatchewan community. A lot of my inspiration and my foundation comes from those two.”

Among his many accomplishments, Peeteetuce is the recipient of the 2012 Saskatoon and Area Theatre Award for Outstanding Male Performance for the role of Floyd in the play called Where the Blood Mixes. He is the playwright of the popular Rez Christmas story series.

Peeteetuce is currently the coordinator for Mahihkanak Dance Troupe in Saskatoon, and works in education.

He describes his storytelling point of reference as contemporary.

“My storytelling is based on my life, and the lives of the people who have been a part of my life,” Peeteetuce said. “I really like to speak to the Indigenous culture, language and history. When I say Indigenous culture, I talk about telling stories of our contemporary cultural world – things like dance, what language means to me, etc.”

His storytelling presentation is also rooted in dance.

“When I go to do storytelling it will be based on who the audience is, and that will help me recall some of the things I do share in storytelling,” Peeteetuce said.

He noted storytelling continues to play an important role in the community.

“Storytelling itself brings people together,” Peeteetuce said. “When we think about Indigenous storytelling, obviously that will be themed around culture, language and history. Any types of storytelling that probably come from a cultural world will only benefit us, because it gives us insight, not only to the stories of who we are, but the stories of others, and how those universal aspects of storytelling bring us together.”

angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @battlefordsNOW

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