Ayla Wikjord is sharing her Metis culture through traditional beading / PHOTO: CHAT News Today

By Meghan Cobb

‘Mixed culture, mixed art form’: Metis woman shares her culture through beading

Jul 10, 2022 | 9:53 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A local Metis woman is sharing her family’s culture by teaching others traditional beading techniques.

Ayla Wikjord is Metis and started beading during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to learn more about her culture and to connect with her family.

“There’s a lot of intergenerational trauma in my family,” says Wikjord. “My great-grandma went to a Catholic boarding school and didn’t pass her culture on to my grandma or my mom.”

Metis beading was created from a mix of Cree and Ojibwe beadwork that was then mixed with the embroidery of the French-Canadian nuns. Unlike traditional indigenous beading, fabric provides the background for Metis beadwork.

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Metis people used coloured seed beads to create vibrant beaded flowers, making them known as the ‘flower beadwork people’.

Wikjord says with practice, the process has become second-nature to her.

“It’s almost meditative for me,” Wikjord says. “Once I get in the rhythm I can listen to music or podcasts and it’s really calming for me.”

Over the past two years, Wikjord has been practicing the intricacies of the art style and learning its history, something she she wants to share with non-Metis people.

“I think in our education system, we’re not taught enough about indigenous and Metis heritage,” Wickjord explains. “I think it’s super important for everyone to lear bout it because everyone lives here on the the land we all share.”

At a Metis beading workshop at Police Point Park Interpretive Centre, Wikjord shared the history of Metis people, the story of flower beading, and taught those in attendance how to bead their very own flower.

Dreyden Williams attended the workshop with him mom. He also has Metis heritage and says learning the art form helped him learn about his family.

“I’m beading flowers for a bag,” said Williams. “I learned people did this as tradition.”

Jolaine Rayner brought her daughter, Juna Stuber, to learn about the history and get hands-on instruction for the style.

“I help Juna with some of the beading but she’s really enjoying the process and picking out the colours and putting the beads on the string,” Rayner said. “We learned a lot today and the history that she explained was really well done.”

Deanna Decelle was there to expand her own understanding of the cultural pillar.

“I’ve been teaching my kids a lot of about Indigenous history, so I though it would be good to learn something myself,” said Decelle.

Wikjord hopes through teaching others to bead, knowledge of Metis history, and it’s unique art form, will continue to spread.

“I want them to take away a little bit more knowledge about Metis people and the history,” says Wikjord. “And learning a new art form is really fun. Then they can show other people and share that knowledge.”