Elders Bingo warms hearts with ‘lots of laughs’ at Treaty 8
Elders Bingo was put on by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at the Treaty 8 Tribal Association in Fort St. John.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The temperatures might be below freezing on a December afternoon in Fort St. John, but the energy was warm inside the Treaty 8 Tribal Association for a few leisurely games of bingo.
Stamping cards, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Elders came together for Turkey Elders Bingo at the association’s building on Tuesday, December 9th.
The gathering was hosted by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS), of which Connie Greyeyes is an Indigenous advocate and murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and two-spirit persons (MMIWG2S) north coordinator.
She said calling out bingo numbers reminded her of her days doing so at Chances Casino and the Rainbow Bingo Hall which once stood in Fort St. John.
“We thought it would be a really wonderful way to bring the Elders together before Christmas and reach out to the community to have a turkey bingo,” said Greyeyes. “Back in the old days, we used to have bingo at the Friendship Centre and the Rainbow Bingo Hall.
“We used to do turkey bingos and the main winner would get to pick a turkey. So we thought, you know what? Let’s do that. Let’s bring the Elders together. We’ll have some fun.”
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This is the second scheduled Elders Bingo event, after a Moosemeat Elders Bingo in November.
“IRSSS hired a couple of men from the community to hunt moose, and then we had it professionally butchered and we had bingo where all the Elders here got to play,” said Greyeyes.
“If you won, you got to come and grab a bag of moose meat and potatoes, onions and carrots. We wanted to do that because a lot of our Elders don’t have the opportunity to receive traditional meat anymore.”
Punching bingo cards with multicoloured inks, Elders played game after game. Food was provided, including soups and bannock, along with beverages and snacks.
Participants who won a bingo prize were then put in tiebreakers to determine whether they would leave with a Christmas present or a turkey or ham prize in the spirit of Christmas.
“[I have been playing] as long as I can remember. Many moons,” said Colleen Gladue, a member of Esk’etemc First Nation near Williams Lake and an Elder. “[There are] lots of laughs some days, and seeing the different people.”
Greyeyes told Energeticcity.ca the bingo gives Elders a chance to get out of their house and get reacquainted with old friends, while enjoying a fun activity.
She hopes Elders Bingo will continue into 2026.
“Absolutely we will be doing that,” said Greyeyes. “Likely to have something in January.”
Turkey Elders Bingo took place on Tuesday, December 9th at the Treaty 8 Tribal Association offices in Fort St. John.
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