Calgary Briefs - February

Okotoks RCMP seek help in identifying cultural artifacts

Alberta RCMP in Okotoks have released a picture of one of two First Nations artifacts found discarded in the garbage behind a local business. The RCMP believe the war lance and spear may have cultural significance and have put out a call to anyone who can identify ownership or determine their cultural value. One is labeled a war lance, indicating that it may come from a specific collection. Both artifacts are described as ornately decorated with leather and beads. Anyone wishing to claim the artifacts or with additional information is asked to contact the Okotoks RCMP detachment at (403) 938-7046.

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Siksika community mourns loss of great spiritual leaders

A wake was held on the Siksika reserve on Jan. 25 to honour the lives of Raymond Crowchief and his wife Angeline Leather who died following a 10-vehicle collision near Strathmore during a winter storm on Jan. 8. Crowchief, a strong spiritual leader and advocate for Siksika culture, was a mainstay in Indian Village at the Stampede for many years. He was a talented dancer, a founder of the Blackfoot A-1 Club Drummers, and also a member of the Horns, a Blackfoot spiritual society. Fluent in Blackfoot, Crowchief was a spiritual adviser for Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park and the Siksika Medicine Lodge. Leather was a spiritual leader with the Buffalo Women Society.

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Tsuu T’ina, U of C partner to preserve language and culture

 A traditional pipe ceremony was held on Jan. 7 to launch a unique program which uses language recorded by Elders to teach it to various age groups. In conjunction with the Tsuu T’ina Nation, the University of Calgary is offering an opportunity for a group of Tsuu T’ina youth to learn their native tongue. Only about 60 band members, mostly Elders, are fluent in Tsuu T’ina. “When you lose your language, you lose your culture, your identity,” Emil Starlight, a program participant told the Calgary Herald. As a result of residential schooling which did not allow children to speak their native tongue, Aboriginal languages are continuously threatened with extinction.

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Chinook Lodge hosts annual Education Symposium Career Expo

SAIT’s Chinook Lodge Aboriginal Resource Centre is hosting its 7th annual Education Symposium and Career Expo on Feb. 24 at SAIT’s Campus Recreation Centre. Sponsored by Talisman Energy, the symposium brings together a variety of stakeholders including educators, presenters and volunteers from Bow Valley College, Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Catholic School District, Mount Royal University, SAIT, University of Calgary and over 350 Aboriginal students from Calgary and surrounding First Nations communities. Over 35 industry and community booths will showcase career opportunities and provide information on post-secondary institutions, programs and services. The event connects prospective students with current Aboriginal post-secondary students who provide support and encouragement.

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Siksika receives NEB funding

The Siksika First Nation is one of six applicants to receive funding from the National Energy Board in order to participate in the regulatory process for the proposed Vantage Pipeline project. An independent funding review committee looked over the requests and provided recommendations on funding allocations. This funding will help recipients review and comment on a project application to be submitted by Vantage Pipeline Canada Inc. The proposed Vantage Pipeline project will carry liquid ethane from a processing plant near Tioga, North Dakota, through Saskatchewan to a gathering system near Empress, Alberta. The Canadian portion of the Vantage Pipeline consists of approximately 575 km of pipeline and related facilities in Saskatchewan and three km in Alberta. If the project is approved, construction is expected to begin in early 2012, and be completed in late 2012. The other applicants to receive NEB funding are located in Saskatchewan.

Compiled by Darlene Chrapko