Photo Courtesy EverythingGP News Staff

By Tanner Smith

GPPL

Grande Prairie Public Library introduces interactive Community Medicine Wheel

Jun 15, 2022 | 4:15 PM

The Grande Prairie Public Library is the newest home of a Community Medicine Wheel.

Bailey Randolph, Teen Service Librarian says that the library has worked with the Friendship Centre since last fall to get the Medicine Wheel.

“It will be a permanent space, so this will be here forever, each section of the Medicine Wheel has activities to go along with them and we will switch those out every couple of months to make sure that everything is up to date and people can continue to get learn from the Medicine Wheel, not just you’ve come once and experienced it kind of thing.”

Randolph said the Grande Prairie Public Library wants to show the community more than just books and with this addition, Randolph feels they are one step closer to that goal.

Representatives from the Friendship Centre and Indigenous members were also on hand to welcome and bless the space on Wednesday morning.

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Loretta Parenteau-English, Elder in Residence at the Northwestern Polytechnic says putting a Medicine Wheel in the library is important for her culture but also for everyone else in the area as well, having the ability to teach many different cultures.

“So the Medicine Wheel itself is also depicting your role as a human being, being respectful, being grateful, being honest, being truthful in many ways and it just continues those teachings.”

English says another reason they chose the Medicine Wheel to represent Indigenous cultures rather than other significant cultural symbols was that she felt it’s acceptable in today’s society and can be shared worldwide no matter race or religion.

“The reason why it’s being utilized is the acceptability, there are some things we can’t lay here, but this one is accepted by all nations and when I talk about all nations, I talk about all races, so it’s an acceptable teaching.” Parenteau-English says.

She says since she arrived here in 1989, the City of Grande Prairie has been so welcoming to Indigenous practices and just other cultures in general, especially Northwestern Polytechnic with everything they do from raising the Pride Flag earlier this month to being one of the only post-secondary schools in the country with a Friendship Centre inside of their campus.

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP News Staff