Southwest Alberta has summer fun by the bucketful

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The southwest corner of Alberta can lay claim to many Native summer events designed to lure visitors to the area, but perhaps the most hands-on activity is the fish rescue on Piikani Nation territory.

For the past 12 years, volunteers have spent the Thanksgiving Day weekend recording the species and size of fish left trapped in the irrigation canals of the Oldman River Dam system after the water flow has been turned off. Then they carted by the bucket-full, thousands of fish to the river and let them go.

The rescue is organized by the Peigan Friends Along the River, spearheaded in 1990 by Harley Bastien. It began as a family activity, said Bastien, and soon grew to include other people from as far away as Calgary to the north, who make the trip to help.

"Native culture is a balance with nature. Letting the fish die like this upsets that balance," he said.

Rescuers start at one end of the canal and, using giant nets, herd the fish about 500 metres to the shallow end. There, the stats recording occurs before the fish are released into the Old Man River. Among the fish recorded have been bull and rainbow trout, Rocky Mountain whitefish and pike.

Before you head to the fish rescue, you might want to wander through Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre, located off of Highway 2 on Highway 785, an hour-and-a-half south of Calgary. In 1981, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization declared the centre a world heritage site, one of 300 fragile environments to be protected for all time.

Walter Crowshoe is a co-ordinator and supervisor of the interpretive guides who are all members of the nearby Piikani or Blood nations. He said people from around the world come to Head-Smashed-In to hear the stories about the Native people who lived in the area for thousands of years from Native people who still live in the area.

"It's definitely one of our drawing points," said Shirley Bruised Head, education officer.

Stay overnight in one of four tipis available for rent between May and August.

A tipi sleeps 10 comfortably, and camping in the shadow of the Head-Smashed-In sandstone cliffs, the precipice over which buffalo were herded to their deaths to provide food for the community, is an experience worth having.

National Aboriginal Day, June 21, is celebrated at the centre with drumming, dancing and traditional games, with special guest speakers helping to mark the occasion.

Dancing and drumming demonstrations are held in the early afternoon on Wednesdays throughout the months of July and August. Dancers and drummers come from the Blood and Piikani reserves. Explanations on each dance are provided.

If you are in the area Aug. 1 to 3, take Highway 3 west to Indian Days on the Piikani reserve.

"It was the first Indian Days ever in Canada," said Piikani councillor Brian Jackson. Held now for more than 40 years, Indian Days was originally a traditional gathering for ceremonies and provided an opportunity to meet with family. Today, the celebrations have taken on a new meaning. The competition powwow attracts dancers from across North America with prize money in excess of $38,000.

Other attractions include the annual stick game tournament, which has a substantial purse, and the rodeo, sanctioned by the Indian Cowboy Rodeo Association, which attracts Native cowboys from Alberta, Montana and the northwest United States.

While on the reserve, hikers can take part in the Oldman River Valley Walk and visit the Piikani Interpretive Lodge. The guided walk into the valley provides a way to learn the history and traditional way of life of the Piikani people.

The half-kilometre trail runs along the top of the hillside. A lower walking trail, which is one-and-a-half kilometers long, is all gravel, sloped and with stairs, so hiking boots or good running shoes are needed.

Along the way guides talk about the plants and animals of the river valley, tell Blackfoot legends and provide a history of te Peigan people of the Piikani Nation.

The interpretive lodge has for sale a wide variety of Native crafts made by the people of the Piikani Nation. The lodge also stocks literature on Blackfoot culture and history. Books written by Adolf Hungry Wolf of the Blood tribe talk about craft-work, traditional dress, and legends. Many of his books are full of photographs he has taken.

Just west of the lodge is a tipi, which visitors can tour. There are no overnight stays here, but visitors can get an idea of how a tipi is set up and how large it is. The lodge also offers interpretive programs on tipi designs and tipi etiquette.

The Piikani Nation is home to the famous Peigancraft Ltd., makers of traditional moccasins. The business, which provides tours of its operation, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

A little further west and a couple of weeks later, is the Pincher Creek Fair and Rodeo. Held Aug. 15 to 17, the fair has been increasing its Native involvement.

"Napi (friendship centre) has been fundraising, and the prize money for the Native component of the parade has enhanced the number of floats from the reserve," said Quinton Crowshoe, program co-ordinator with the friendship centre.

The friendship centre is also involved with the cultural component of the fair, which sees a tipi village erected on the grounds. Tipis must be painted and their owners must be able to interpret the design elements on the lodge. Similar requirements are made at the Indian village set up at the Calgary Stampede held this year July 4 to 13.

Tipis are open for public viewing and tipi residents are encouraged to do beading, crafts or tell stories for visitors, said Crowshoe. The majority of the tipis are open at all times during the weekend.

Also a growing part of the fair is a Native show.

"We'll be doing dancing this year because it's so popular," said Crowshoe. "We get local dancers involved because we firmly believe this is Blackfoot territory and we want to promote ourdances, our culture."

Dances are held twice daily, but not during rodeo competition.

In the other direction, heading east on Highway 3 at the junction of Highway 2 at Fort Macleod, the Fort Macleod Museum of the North West Mounted Police has a permanent Blackfoot exhibit, which documents the First Nation's art of adornment.

It shows how Native dress has evolved from pre-contact (before settlers to the area), when Natives would tan buffalo, deer, or caribou hide and adorn them with shells and sinew, to after-contact, when flannels and cottons replaced traditional material, and beadwork became the adornment.

Continuing east on Highway 3 and then connecting back with Highway 2, but this time heading south, the Kainai Powwow, Fair and Rodeo takes place on the Blood reserve July 18 to 20. The rodeo includes youth and old timers' competitions. A midway comes in for added enjoyment.

Returning to Highway 3 and heading east again, a stop in Lethbridge is warranted.

Fort Whoop-Up provides some insight into Indian country at the time of contact. A number of the interpreters are Native, which is a big hit with visitors, said executive director Richard Shockley. Tours are given on a daily basis throughout the summer. It's more realistic, said Shockley, when the guide talking about tipis and the Blackfoot side of trade is Blackfoot himself.

Wild West Weekend is held at Fort Whoop-Up from Aug. 8 to 10.

"It's basically a bunch of people who play cowboys and Indians," said Shockley. There are mock battles, demonstrations of weaponry and "a lot of pomp and pageantry, noise and powder. People are visually oriented, entertainment oriented. They want Walt Disney and this is what we give them.