ESTEVAN -- As part of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month, Heather O'Watch visited the Estevan Public Library on Feb. 27. O'Watch shared her storytelling journey and talked about her recently-published children's book Auntie's Rez Surprise.
O'Watch is Nakoda and Cree from the Okanese First Nation. She currently works for a global Indigenous rights organization and is also currently studying for her master's degree in public policy at the University of Saskatchewan. When not working or studying, O'Watch spends her time on creative writing.
Estevan Public Library branch manager Jason Redshaw said the event was well-attended and engaging.
"It was a combination of her talking about her story, about the book, and she was also teaching Cree language," Redshaw said. "It was pretty good interactive storytelling. It was geared for a younger audience, and the kids really enjoyed it."
O'Watch also taught kids a bit of Indigenous sign language, Redshaw noted, and "kids really enjoyed that."
About 40 kindergarten-Grade 3 students from Hillcrest School were in attendance for the interactive and educational visit.
Redshaw said the event, "Was very helpful in understanding Aboriginal storytelling, and the language as well. I think it was very, very important for the children to attend."
The EPL promotes Aboriginal Storytelling Month every year. This time, they also had several thematic displays set up around the library throughout February.
"It was interactive for the kids. They had a lot of questions to ask, specifically about the thunderbird, which is very important in Aboriginal storytelling. A lot of kids had questions about that," Redshaw said. "It was a fun time for them."
O'Watch also visited students, doing presentations in Midale, Lampman and Bienfait in late February.
