These students made their own regalia for the Yukon First Nations grad ceremony

Friday is a big milestone for many Indigenous high school students graduating in Whitehorse. Dressed in traditional regalia, they'll celebrate the end of one chapter of their lives and the beginning of another. 

And for one group of students there were many milestones that preceded Friday's graduation ceremony — goals that were accomplished stitch by stitch.

The Northern Cultural Expressions Society's regalia program supports Indigenous students to design and create their own regalia for Yukon First Nations Graduation. The program has been running for 14 years and has been steadily growing.

This year, the society partnered with Porter Creek Secondary School to use the school's textile room to help accommodate the eight students and four staff involved in the program. Calista Silverfox, the program supervisor, says it was "a good fit."

Some Indigenous graduating students will have older regalia passed down to them from family members, or they might have new regalia made specifically for them by loved ones.

The students involved in the Northern Cultural Expressions Society program have opted to make their own pieces of regalia. Over the course of the last four and a half months, they've learned how to use sewing machines, work with leather, beads, and most importantly, how to fix any mistakes they might have made.

Each piece of regalia made by the students carries a personal story. 

Shane Clennett, graduating from Porter Creek Secondary, decided to make moccasins and a vest. The vest is adorned with the silhouettes of appliqué seals and huskies, to represent his Inuit heritage and family traditions, respectively.

He's been sewing since Grade 3, but was surprised by how fast he was able to design, sew and customize his regalia.

"Halfway through February, I was finished making the regalia and I was like, 'this took a lot less time than I thought it would,'" he recalled. 

The first time he tried the vest on was in his bathroom at home. Looking into the mirror, he says he was shocked by the reflection staring back at him.

"I was like a completely different person. Like, I didn't look like myself, like my casual clothes I normally wear. I look like a completely different person, connected to my Inuit history instead of just the city life."

Leisa Gattie-Thurmer, the instructor for the regalia program, says that feeling of astonishment is part of the process — but it's different for everyone.

"The other day when one of the students tried on her complete garment, she got all watery and I kind of stopped. I said, 'Oh my gosh, are you crying?' And she's like, 'I don't know why I'm so emotional right now,'" Gattie-Thurmer recalled.