Largest tipi in the world guards against loss of culture

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The world's largest tipi juts into the Medicine Hat skyline like a sentinel. It guards against the loss of Aboriginal history and serves as a constant reminder of a simpler life on the prairies. On a clear night the structure can be seen from miles away.

Rising 58 metres from its concrete base, the 800-metric-ton Saamis tipi stands about as high as a 20-storey apartment building. It contains 10 story-boards, each designed by different Aboriginal artists. The story-boards explain the legend of how Medicine Hat got its name, what effect the arrival of the Europeans had on Native culture, as well as other stories, including that of the circle of unity.

The structure was originally constructed in Calgary for the 1988 Winter Olympics. When the Games were over, a Medicine Hat businessman, Rick Flanti, purchased the tipi and brought it to the town as a favor to the community, said site general manager Robert Desjarlais.

A new shell was constructed and the weight-bearing poles were modified, leaving only about 10 per cent of the original tipi intact.

A tipi village is found close to the massive tipi and a buffalo herd wanders in a field nearby. Completing the journey into the past is an archeological dig where many small artifacts like arrowheads have been found.

"We're close to a ravine here that was used as a buffalo jump. They had set up camp there and there is lots of archeological things that were found," said Desjarlais.

Staff guides take pleasure in treating visitors to free tours of the attractions. Buses loaded with Europeans often stop for a visit and local students enjoy history classes when touring through the site. The importance of the buffalo and the subtle meanings of the tipi paintings are brought to life. The tours are a good mixture of fun and mental stimulation.

This summer there's increased organization and more guides, making the attraction substantially better than ever before, said Robert Anderson, one of the artists who created a story-board. He took almost two years to research his story-board, talking to Elders and getting everything right.

Most days Anderson, who is Metis with a Cree background, can be found on site building tipis. His lodge pine and canvas structures are for sale and can be custom painted to a buyer's specifications.

"Being an artist, this is a dream come true," said Anderson. When tourists come by they often ask him about the tipis and paintings and he is able to share pieces of his Native culture with the world.

If a tipi is not the heart's desire, there is a wide variety of smaller traditional Native items available at the gift shop.