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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.