Calgary Briefs - June

Stardale girls give back to community
First Nations teens, part of the Stardale Women’s Group Inc. Foundation, have been busy. Recently they were part of two shows at the Calgary Women’s show where the young women modeled vintage gowns, local designs and eco-friendly designs from an Edmonton Group. Moving away from the runway, the girls planted flowers at two care facilities for the seniors and disabled with Calgary Yale Alumni. Stardale executive director Helen McPhaden said, “This will be another terrific opportunity for both groups to learn and grow from each other.”

Exhibit of shirts ends at Glenbow
From March 26 to May 16, the Glenbow Museum presented five historically significant shirts to the Blackfoot people and to Albertans. The five hide shirts were decorated with porcupine quills, paint and human hair. It is believed that these Blackfoot shirts were acquired in the 1840s by employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company during their travels and encounters with the First Nations people. These shirts embody ancient stories and histories of the Blackfoot people and are critical tools in creating a bridge to link past events and stories with contemporary lives to create community memory for the Blackfoot people. Prior to the public exhibition, the shirts were the focus of workshops in which the people from the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani communities examined the shirts, researched how to preserve the shirts physically and spiritually, and discussed how the Blackfoot people can further access the shirts once they return to Oxford, England. The exhibition was a collaboration between the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England; The University of Aberdeen, Scotland; the Galt Museum in Lethbridge; and Glenbow Museum.

Siksika hosts health fair
The Siksika Health Fair, which has taken place for 10 years, provides an opportunity to present community members with basic health information, health screenings, employment education and training information. It allows members to become aware of the many health-related programs, services, and providers located in the communities surrounding Siksika First Nation in the form of informational booths. This year’s theme, “Success in Health Care,” featured Dr. Latisha Hewton-Backfat, Siksika’s first MD, as the keynote speaker.

Enbridge proposal meets with dissension
Leaders from the Wet’suwet’en and Carrier Sekani groups in northwestern British Columbia travelled to Calgary in early May to voice their concerns about the $5.5 billion Northern Gateway project, which could transport more than 500,000 barrels of crude per day between Alberta and the West Coast port of Kitimat, B.C. Enbridge Inc. is to file a regulatory application for the pipeline shortly. Northern Gateway is targeted to start up in 2016, but could be held back by legal challenges. The pipeline would cross key watersheds that are home to the salmon stocks on which the local communities rely.

Examining non-viable reserves
Policy analyst Joseph Quesnel from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy delivered a talk entitled, “The Politics of Cutting your Losses: Non-viable Reserves and Aboriginal Economic Development,” at Mount Royal University. The topic was on his recent research paper on relocation of non-viable First Nation reserves. By first defining what characteristics these reserves share, Quesnel looked at options available to First Nation communities who believe they have exhausted all of their economic options. He evaluated whether the current treaty land entitlement and specific claims processes can allow for community relocations closer to urban centres. The discussion also looked at Canada’s historic political economy and notions of Indigenous identity.

Compiled by Shari Narine