The annual native elders and traditional peoples gathering this weekend at Otonabee College will feature 36 workshops aimed at bridging the gap between elders and youth.

        Trent professor emeritus Marlene Brant-Castellano, who was co-director of research for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, will give the keynote address at the opening ceremonies tomorrow (Feb. 6) at 1:30 p.m. in Wenjack Theatre. Canada's first Arctic ambassador and Trent chancellor Mary May Simon is expected to attend the opening ceremonies.

        The student-organized gathering will be small this year compared to previous years when it attracted hundreds of registered participants from across the continent. And there is no registration fee for Trent, Peterborough and area native community residents who wish to attend the workshops and events.

        After the opening ceremonies on Friday, there will be talking circles at 3 p.m., storytelling from 7 to 10 p.m. in the native studies lounge in Otonabee College, and a dance from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Queen Alexandra Community Centre.

        The two-hour workshops on Saturday and Sunday explore such topics as nurturing children's spirit through song and dance, traditional roles of men and women in the longhouse, relationships between elders and youths, healing, beyond residential schools, prophecies, the spiritual eye, demystifying the myth of ceremonies, self-government, Inuit, Cree, Micmac and Inuit teachings, balancing traditional and western education, the importance of language, healing through song, caring for Mother Earth, and dreams. They are scheduled Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. in Otonabee College.

        Sunrise ceremonies will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings outside Otonabee College at 6:30.

        Closing ceremonies on Sunday (Feb. 8) begin at 1:30 p.m. in Wenjack Theatre.

        The gathering is sponsored by Trent's native studies department and the Native Children's Support Group of Niagara.

        For more information, call 748-1608 or 748-1466.