Three decades in the making, long sought after teepee coming to fruition

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on February 21, 2026.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

The White Horse Rider Co. teepee project is just about ready to kick off, and residents are invited to come learn about the plans to create a space to open dialogue and learn anything Indigenous.

The story behind these teepees started more than 30 years ago, says organizer Brenda Mercer, during a visit to the Black Powder society here in Medicine Hat. She was introduced to a book which she would find again decades later, inspiring her to move forward with creating her own teepee.

The project was a collaborative effort, including bringing in community members to the Hockey Hounds arena to help paint the canvas. Mercer explains she is the first member of her family to have a teepee, something deeply significant to her, and something she hopes to pass on to future generations.

With her latest project, she hopes to bring that joy to Indigenous youths and the community at large.

“Back in October, somebody sent me information about this grant, about a week before the cutoff,” said Mercer. “I didn’t think we had enough time, but I had a friend who helped us apply. And we forgot about it. Cut to the end of December, they sent me an email and said, ‘Congratulations, you have a $10,000 grant.'”

The grant, from Indigenous Youth Roots, is for seven different teepees within the community, focused on Indigenous youths aged 16-29. However, Mercer says she would like to have the entire community come out to participate, especially after the success last year.

While Mercer and her team are still looking for a space to sew, potentially paint and will still need to get a permit to harvest the necessary poles, she is ready to start engaging with Medicine Hat about the plans for the project.

“On the 25th of February at the Medicine Hat Public Library, we’re having our first kickoff. We’re inviting people to come out, we’ll watch the video about the first teepee and talk about our plans for the new ones,” said Mercer.

The event will be hosted by Mercer and Davie James, and welcome Elder Charlie Fox as they prepare for the next step in this journey. Mercer hopes to find places to potentially set them up to offer programming, as well as a space where people can ask questions, participate in projects and engage with Indigenous ways of knowing.

Everyone is welcome to attend and to participate in the project, says Mercer, who stresses she is excited to get going and to get the community involved.

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