What does the Portage College Indigenous Arts program have to do with archeological excavations halfway around the world? A special presentation inside the McGrane Theatre at Portage College’s Lac La Biche campus on Wednesday, September 16 might help to dig up some answers.
Open to the community, the free presentation will feature Spanish archeologists Montserrat Sanz Borrás and Joan Daura Luján, two of the world’s leading experts on the culture and communal activities of First Peoples.
The University of Barcelona researchers have been in the Lac La Biche region for the past month, the latest annual excursion to the College, looking for similarities and answers in their ongoing research to link the traditional tools used by the First Peoples of Canada to archeological finds in other places around the world. The current visit – a month-long stay that wraps up at the end of September – has continued their exploration into the tools used in the traditional 13-step hide tanning process taught as part of the Indigenous Arts curriculum.
It’s an interesting and multi-faceted topic that provides many research opportunities … and more connections to the region, they say.
“In science, when you work, you start with a question – and you can end with more questions. Some of them get answers, but really, you open up more questions,” said Montserrat, explaining that if the research funding continues, more of the questions – and hopefully a few more answers – will emerge on future trips to the area. “It’s an ongoing plan we see as a phase of another two or three years.”
Joan says their visits have generated interest on both sides of the ocean. In Lac La Biche, the couple are often recognized and asked about their work.
“People will come to see us or come up to us to talk. We are happy that people enjoy our work,” said Joan, explaining that the conversations help to grow interest in pre-history studies on a global stage, and local Indigenous culture. “People come and ask about the past and our research. We like that it makes people wonder about the past of humans, what was shared, and how they lived.”
Information about those connections will be included in the September 16 presentation.
The links between Portage College and global archeological research is something that Indigenous Arts Program Coordinator Ruby Sweetman is excited to highlight.
“It’s interesting because we share their interests, and they help us to share ours,” said Sweetman. “We learn quite a bit from each other. It opens our culture to the world. It’s good for the students, the community and for the college to be working with the researchers from a university in Spain.”
Special Presentation
The hour-long McGrane Theatre presentation begins at noon on September 16. The free event is open to Portage College staff, students, and community members.
For more information about Indigenous Arts programming, go to the Portage College program webpages.