For an educational and fun day, Droulers/Tsiionhiakwatha Archaeological Site is the place to be. They offer a wide variety of different activities and experiences that teach their guests about Indigenous culture and history. This summer, Droulers is highlighting Indigenous authors at the gift shop.
Amélie Sénécal, the general director of Droulers/Tsiionhiakwatha, says, “I’m so proud of this initiative to include books by First Nations authors in our store, because that’s exactly part of our mission at the Droulers site: to highlight Indigenous culture, both in terms of archaeology and contemporary culture.” Last fall, Sénécal had the chance to visit Wendake near Quebec City, which is part of the Wendat nation. There, she visited a bookstore called Librairie Hannenorak that specializes in Indigenous literature, both in publishing and in distribution. She was inspired by their vision and signed a contract with them that has allowed her to develop the bookstore in the Droulers gift shop.
There are currently 37 Indigenous authors featured from many different nations. The books span across genres and styles, with Sénécal saying, “We have children’s books, comic books, novels, and poetry. We also have essays that are a bit more political. So, we’ll be covering various topics that are close to the authors’ hearts.”. All the books were written in French or have been translated into French. Some of them are bilingual (English and French), while some are even trilingual and feature the language of the author’s nation.
Since the beginning of the season, there has been a lot of interest in the books – so much so that she’s already had to place a second order to make sure they don’t run out.
Having a space in the Valley where Indigenous authors are celebrated is important for Droulers/Tsiionhiakwatha. “It’s a gateway to that culture. We’re reenacting life in the village in the fifteenth century, so it’s a vision of the past, but that heritage is still very much alive today, and that’s what we’re trying to highlight through the artists and producers we work with,” says Sénécal. Having this place raises awareness about the culture and history of the land and emphasizes that it is a place of significance.
Droulers is hosting a variety of events this summer. On August 2, they hosted the second summer family challenge of the year – a scavenger hunt of eight questions hidden around the grounds, and if participants successfully found and answered all eight, they won a prize. There was also the chance to try two traditional Indigenous foods, smoked sturgeon and blueberry Bannock; a similar event will take place on October 4. On August 9, they welcomed Kanien’kehá artist Kelly Back as part of their 25th anniversary celebration. Back helped guests participate in the creation of a commemorative beadwork belt. Visitors were able to add their own rows of beads to create the belt together, and it was then displayed in the museum.
The Droulers gift shop is also filled with art, jewelry, and more from Indigenous artists from Akwasasne, Kahnawà:ke and Wendake. To learn more, visit sitedroulers.ca or the Centre d’Interprétation du Site Archéologique Droulers/Tsiionhiakwatha Facebook page.