Viva Vitality: Keeping the home fires burning

By Medicine Hat News on April 6, 2018.

March was an important month for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Lethbridge and area, as local Elders, leaders and the community joined together, unified in prayer, to ignite the spirit of reconciliation.

The Akano’tsisissin Blackfoot Ceremony (A- GUN-Oat- SIS- IN), meaning “say all together,” was hosted and organized by the Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Friendship Society and its partnering organizations, including the City of Lethbridge, and the Lethbridge Indigenous Sharing Network. The event was a success due to amazing volunteers and donations from the community.

The event was attended by past and present members of various Blackfoot societies, Sacred Bundle Holders (Medicine Pipe Bundle, as an example), Pipe Holders and other knowledge-keepers. Participants brought their pipes for a night of prayer and singing. The smoking of sacred pipes took place throughout the evening, to ignite and guide the fire of reconciliation within our territory. Elders, community members, local organizations, and City of Lethbridge officials all came together in support of these new relationships.

This healing work is guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous People’s Report. Both describe important ways we can work together in southern Alberta toward fair and just communities for all. As noted by TRC Commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair: “As a commission we have described for you a mountain, we have showed the path to the top, we call upon you to do the climbing.” Our March Akano’tsisissin Blackfoot Ceremony provided that impetus and space to begin this climb together, in unity and as a community.

Travis Plaited Hair, executive director of the Friendship Centre commented, “The ceremony provided a vision for moving together, expressing our deepest commitment and the sharing of collective responsibility for our Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the community. We need to come together in unity and work collaboratively to address the opioid crisis that has taken and impacted so many people.”

The City of Lethbridge has demonstrated its commitment, supporting the reconciliation plan when City Council voted unanimously to support the work of reconciliation in 2017. To acknowledge the work of many amazing people in this endeavour, Jerry Firth, the neighbourhood support coordinator for Community and Social Development, City of Lethbridge, was honoured to receive a Blackfoot name at the ceremony for his demonstrated commitment to reconciliation.

Lethbridge College similarly demonstrated committed leadership to reconciliation when it became the first site in the city to permanently raise the Blackfoot Confederacy flag. The City of Lethbridge soon followed suit with a flag-raising and the erection of the teepee in front of the city hall. These are historic symbols of unity and cooperation. These first steps of reconciliation brought leaders from Piikani, Kainai and Siksika Nation to join members of our Lethbridge community. These early steps are deserving of much commendation. As described by Commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair:

“You don’t have to believe that reconciliation will happen you have to believe reconciliation should happen. Those seeking or holding office must understand that reconciliation must be a priority from the highest to the most local levels of government, Our leaders must not fear thisonusof reconciliation, the burden is not theirs to bear alone. Rather, reconciliation is a process that involves all parties in this new relationship.”

As we look to the future, we look forward to the work we will do together as a community to build on the spark that the Akano’tsisissin Blackfoot Ceremony has ignited in our city. As Justice Sinclair reminds us “love and friendship has no color.” We can all play a small role in Canada’s efforts to move forward on the 94 TRC Calls to Action.

If you would like to take another look at the Calls to Action, and consider what role you can play in this important movement, you can find them here or go to http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=890. If you would like to learn about future Indigenous events in our city or to volunteer time to help out the city’s reconciliation efforts, you can do so by emailing Amanda Scout at Amanda-Scout@ncsa.ca and she will add you to her listserve or committees.

Treena Tallow is a senior advisor with Indigenous Health in the South Zone. She can be reached by email at treena.tallow@ahs.ca.