Local family preserving and passing on culture through dance
A Métis family is showing off their culture through dance, giving people a chance to enjoy it while also preserving it.
Scott Haryett is proud of his Métis heritage and wants to pass on the culture to his children. He's done that in part through teaching them Métis dancing.
"It's important that our culture survives, that the younger generation learns how to dance and to pass on our traditions," Haryett said.
"Everybody's from somewhere, everybody has a culture and no matter what culture you're from it's important to be proud of it and to promote your own culture and share it with everybody."
Scott, his wife Charlene, their daughter Aalyah and their son Luke often dance together, even in festivals like Heritage Days and dance at schools.
"We started Aalyah, my daughter, dancing when she was three years old, she's 19 (now) so it's been a while and Luke is our newest dancer," Haryett said.
Before the pandemic, Aalyah taught Métis dancing.
"I have fun doing it and I really like to participate in my culture, it's very important to me that way," Aalyah added.
The Haryett family speaks with CTV News Edmonton (CTV News Edmonton/Galen McDougall).
They were also at the Flying Canoë Volant festival, participating in group dance and performing their own performance. This was their third time performing at the festival.
"Dance is for everybody, it's fun," Haryett said. "Metis dance is like an aerobic workout, so you get your exercise and when you hear that fiddle music you want to get up and dance. It's contagious."
The family hopes to keep passing down these traditions through the generations.
"People should learn where their background is and they should learn about their culture, because it tells you who you are," Aalyah said.
With files CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.