All are welcome to come take part in the 1st Annual Native Spirituality And Cultural Awareness Event this weekend.

Allan Smoke is from the Dakota Nation and has been operating private sweat lodge ceremonies at Enchanted Healing Oasis (ECHO) since last year. He's now opened it up to anyone in the area that would like to stop by and learn more about Aboriginal culture, and even themselves. ECHO is located a few miles East of Southport, 10 minutes outside of Portage la Prairie. Smoke says there's a reason he wanted to host this.

Smoke getting the fire going to start the sweat lodge ceremony. (Photo by Aaron Wilgosh)

"For myself, I went through a lot in my life and I'm trying to get rid of the hate and the anger that I carry inside myself. This is one way of doing it, it's disciplining."

He says there will be a sweat lodge ceremony over the course of the four-day event that started yesterday and wraps up Sunday. There will be a drum group, as well as a speaker from Child and Family Services discussing traditional parenting.

Racoon Woman, aka. Marlene Edwards, Works at Agassiz Youth Centre and says more events need to be held like this so people can come together and learn about Canada's strong Aboriginal history.

Marlene Edwards and Debbie Parker (left) are excited about this weekend's events and hope to see you there. (Photo by Aaron Wilgosh)

"This is our way of life," says Edwards. "It's not just for our people either, the time has come that we involve everybody. People need to understand who we really are, and originally, we were a proud, proud nation."

Debbie Parker with the Portage Friendship Centre says she loves their executive director's motto that they're colour blind, and feels it speaks well of this weekend's event.

The actual sweat lodge set up just outside of Portage la Prairie. (Photo by Aaron Wilgosh)

"This weekend will have some important things here. Let's have people out to see what is happening in the sweat lodge, let's see who's drumming tonight, and let's sing a song and get together. It's a gathering of nations."

If you're interested in checking out the event, get direction and a list of all the necessities and other things you'll need here.