During NBCGSS Student Week 2026, students gathered in the Winter Garden at UNBC to make dreamcatchers, and for many, it was their first time.
The event was organized by Alana LaMalice, NBCGSS Director of Indigenous Student Affairs, alongside First Nations Studies Master’s student Cheri Brown. Crystal Behn, Indigenous programmer at Two Rivers Gallery, harvested red willow from the land the day before and guided participants through the weaving process. For Behn, the work goes beyond the craft. “This is my resistance,” she said. “Teaching Indigenous art.”
“The intention of this gathering is to engage students, all encompassing, providing a time and place to be mindful, for awareness, and a space to take time from their studies,” said LaMalice.
The gathering was designed to be inclusive, particularly for students new to Canada who may feel unsure about how to engage. “Some people are afraid of culturally appropriating, or they’re afraid of not knowing what to say or how to be, and this is a space for that,” said LaMalice.
Brown spoke to what these moments actually do. “It just brings out the kid in all of us for some reason. It’s a way to share our culture and bring joy,” she said. “We all bond as we sit and talk and get to know each other while we work on the item we’re creating.”
Behn’s message to the broader community was straightforward: “Everybody needs to be open to reconciliation, and one way to do that is coming to Indigenous events.”
Brown put it simply: “If it’s in someone’s heart to learn of Indigenous culture, to stop and take the time to talk to an Indigenous person, that goes a long way. That’s the most I would ask of anyone.”
