Behchokǫ̀ honours Chief Monfwi's legacy at grand opening of new cultural centre
It's a weekend of celebration in Behchokǫ̀, as the community marks the grand opening of their new cultural centre with handgames, speeches, and community meals.
Celebrations started on Friday, when the Tłı̨chǫ Government unveiled a statue of Chief Monfwi. More than 100 people attended.
The event began with a feeding of the fire ceremony, followed by the unveiling of Chief Monfwi's statue. The cultural centre was officially inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, after which everyone came together for a drum dance and a community feast.
Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty says the statue, and the cultural centre, honour the legacy and contributions of Chief Monfwi.
"Chief Monfwi, we call him our grandfather. He has been a historical figure, and to this day, we still carry on his vision," Lafferty said.
The event also marked the anniversary of the signing of Treaty 11 by Chief Monfwi over 100 years ago, on Aug. 22, 1921.
A new statue of Chief Monfwi was unveiled at the event on Friday. (Allister McCreadie/CBC News)
The cultural centre has been in use since last December. Lafferty said it's a place for Tłı̨chǫ citizens to practice their culture and exercise their self-government and land rights.
Behchokǫ̀ Chief Clifford Daniels added that the cultural centre was designed to support the goal of teaching young people about their culture and history, with details all the way down to the floor design supporting that goal.
"The floor is unique because we wanted to show our traditional land as an actual map," Daniels explained.
"We figured it is a very important educational tool, especially for the younger ones. For the older ones, there are many stories, particularly when walking on the map and seeing all the traditional trails."
