Fort McKay Métis Days: Bridging Generations Through Tradition 

October 2, 2025

A short drive from the Fort McKay Community Centre, where young people are jigging to the tune of a fiddler to mark the start of Fort McKay Métis Days, Theresa Donovan also displays light feet as she glides between industrial-sized pots and pans in the community kitchen at the Nation’s office. 

The Fort McKay Métis Elder pauses at different tables and counters with three other women, peering and occasionally tasting to ensure the various dishes are progressing well.  

“This is the traditional meal, which consists of soup, bannock, neck bones, meatloaf, potato salad, rice, navy beans, you name it,” says Donovan, who as well as cooking, holds the title of Senator, a specific designation for Métis Elders who serve as advisors and knowledge keepers within Métis communities. “We are cooking for the community so it’s important we get it right. This meal is something we’ve always done at community gatherings going back to when I was a little girl growing up in Waterways and Conklin. It’s a very important tradition for Métis people.” 

And Donovan sees this particular feast as being important since it marks the first drug and alcohol-free Métis Days for the community, located about 30 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, since she moved there 47 years ago. 

“Younger people need to learn our traditions, our practices, including the traditional meal,” says Donovan, who gestures to a wall filled with paintings of portraits. “There are many Elders up there who are no longer with us. We’ve lost a lot of knowledge. That’s why it’s important to have these celebrations. Métis Days is not about my generation — it’s to pass on our traditions to young people.” 

Back at the centre, Fort McKay Métis Nation president Loretta Waquan smiles widely with delight while watching toddlers, children and teenagers from the community jigging to traditional standards played by a band. 

“This is exactly what our council wanted for this event. We are focused on the next generation and two generations after. That’s why it was important to make this event alcohol and drug-free. We want these children and teenagers to enjoy the culture we have so they keep ahold of it,” says Waquan, who became the community’s president in 2023. “We want them to reconnect with this part of their culture. These events bring together Elders with young people and allow them to pass along that knowledge.” 

Both women acknowledge preserving that unique culture is difficult in the age of the smartphone and living in a community near oil sands development. 

“Our community is surrounded by industry, but it doesn’t take away who we are,” says Waquan, who also serves on the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s council. “The importance of events such as Métis Days is they help keep the culture alive, keep everybody engaged. It was easier with my mother’s generation. They would always have functions. They’d meet up on the side of the river and have a big community supper.” 

Donovan acknowledges the challenges of passing on knowledge in modern life compared to when she grew up.  

“I learned to cook not just from my mother. My grandpa used to cook on an open fire. He taught me how to make bannock on a stick,” she says. “My stepfather was a big influence for me as well. But we also had aunts, uncles and kookums, which is our word for grannies. They were not necessarily blood relations but they passed along knowledge to us.” 

And while the community is nearby the oil sands, Waquan also sees the importance of working with industry. She points to the towering bouncy castles and face-painting stations outside the community centre as examples of what the sponsorships from industry provide for Métis Days. 

“The sponsorships we get from industry are amazing and help us to put on this celebration, which has grown substantially,” says Waquan.  

Back at Donovan’s home, the soup is starting to simmer and she and the other cooks are starting to carefully pack up the various dishes for the community meal. She reflects on the challenges and rewards facing young people. 

“I’ve lost a lot of my berry-picking patches to new houses. But those new houses mean our community is growing and that’s important,” she says. “This is why Métis Days is so significant. It shows them our history and our culture, from bannock to broom dances. That’s something that needs to be preserved.”