Cultural Collaborative Project Unveiled at Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, taking place at Henderson Lake this weekend, will showcase a novel cultural learning experience at the ATB KidZone. A collaboration between University of Lethbridge alumni, Jerett Sitter, a Chinese descent, and Henry Heavyshield, who represents the Blackfoot community, has resulted in a unique blend of visual arts and storytelling.

Reflecting on their partnership, Heavyshield expressed his enthusiasm for working with Sitter on this project, citing Sitter’s impressive portfolio that includes murals, magazine illustrations, and band posters scattered throughout town. The collaboration marked a special experience for Heavyshield, who had not previously engaged in such close artistic collaboration.

Heavyshield highlighted the shared history of marginalization faced by the indigenous and Chinese communities, with his own family forming deep connections with Lethbridge‘s Chinatown shop owners due to discriminatory practices elsewhere.

Kimberlee Davis, the Regional Director of ATB Wealth, emphasized the institution’s long-standing support for the Dragon Boat Festival. However, this year, ATB also sought to honor the significance of Treaty 7 land on which the festival is held, aiming to celebrate both the festival’s Chinese roots and the heritage of the First Nations people.

Both Heavyshield and Sitter will be personally present at the KidZone from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday to guide visitors through the interactive project. Heavyshield plans to conduct readings of his story, ‘Ikkaayayisskattsiiyi (The Race),’ a written accompaniment to the interactive coloring page design.

Heavyshield expressed hopes that this interactive experience would foster community bonds through art, encapsulating themes of land celebration, storytelling, competition, and the collective spirit embodied by events like the upcoming festival at Henderson Lake.