Good morning. It’s James Keller in Calgary.
Groups in Edmonton and Calgary are working to create Indigenous gathering places in the hearts of those cities for ceremonial gatherings and cultural exchanges.
Edmonton’s Whitemud Park will be home to kihciy askiy (Cree for sacred land), a ceremonial site for sweat lodges, pipe ceremonies, traditional teachings and land-based learning. It is expected to open early next year.
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In Calgary, the city is considering transferring land near the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, a traditional gathering place, to the Indigenous Gathering Place Society of Calgary, which plans a building and outdoor space for learning, connecting and celebrating Indigenous cultures.
As freelance writer Cailynn Klingbeil reports in this weekend’s Globe, the projects are attracting attention from other jurisdictions, including Toronto and Winnipeg, amid a push to create permanent urban spaces for Indigenous ceremonial and cultural practices.
Lewis Cardinal, project manager for kihciy askiy in Edmonton, says Indigenous people living in urban centres often have to leave those communities for cultural ceremonies. Mr. Cardinal, who has been pushing for such a space for 16 years, says making it easier for Indigenous people to access their culture is essential for their well-being.
The Edmonton project, estimated to cost $6.5-million, is a partnership between the Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre and the municipal government. Organizers worked with elders as they came up with plan for the 4.5-hectare site along Edmonton’s river valley, which will include a pavilion with washrooms and changing facilities, a storage building, four sweat lodges and a permanent stone heating area, tipis and a large tent for ceremonial feasts and cultural teachings.
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The Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre will operate the site, with the land and buildings owned by the city. The site will also welcome non-Indigenous Edmontonians to learn about Indigenous ceremonies and history.
The Calgary proposal is not as far along, but city council voted in February to find a location for the land transfer. While that happens, the Indigenous Gathering Place Society is preparing to start a capital campaign next year to finance the project.
The society notes that there are more than 500 spaces devoted to cultures and spirituality in Calgary, but not one specifically designated for Indigenous ceremonial and cultural practices.
Michelle Fournie, volunteer co-chair of the Indigenous Gathering Place Society, wonders what it would have meant to have access to such a space when she was growing up.
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“I was born and raised in Calgary and as an urban-based Métis person living in the aftermath of intergenerational trauma,” she says. “I struggled to find a sense of community to learn about myself and other Indigenous peoples.”
This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief James Keller. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.