City of Calgary installing tipis in parks in partnership with Indigenous nations – Calgary | 24CA News
The City of Calgary is partnering with quite a few Indigenous nations to put in tipis and trapper tents in parks throughout the town this summer season.
The metropolis mentioned it’s partnering with the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina Nation, Stoney Nakoda Nations and Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 to supply areas for Indigenous peoples in parks. The tipis and tents are areas for Indigenous folks to host cultural celebrations, conventional practices and sharing.
A ceremony was held at Prince’s Island Park on Wednesday to switch a Blackfoot tipi design to 2 metropolis employees members: Indigenous panorama strategist Crystal Many Fingers and parks director Kyle Ripley.
The day was chosen due to the cultural significance of the summer season solstice, in addition to it being National Indigenous Peoples Day. National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day to have fun the cultures, resilience and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis throughout Canada.
The ceremony was carried out by Traditional Grandfathers Leonard Weasel Traveller (Bastien) and Clement Leather, supported by Holy Buffalo Woman (Motokiiks) Leanne Sleigh.
“I grew up with this, but to be part of it, to be actually given the honour of the tepee, transferred over to Kyle and myself on behalf of the city of Calgary was an awesome honour,” Many Fingers mentioned. “I know my mom is looking down and my dad, too. It’s awesome to be here.”
Ripley mentioned he was moved by the ceremony and described the tipi design switch as an enormous honour.
“Crystal and I now have new Grandfathers, traditional Blackfoot Grandfathers, who we can call on when we have a problem or when we’re in crisis,” he mentioned.
“Our First Nations have a very rich and important history on these lands, and as Parks and Open Spaces we feel very connected to that history as we work to care for the traditional lands within our open space system.”
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