Latest news with #WanderingSpirit
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘A commitment to truth': Siksika Nation artist Adrian Stimson to design Calgary residential school memorial
Multidisciplinary artist Adrian Stimson has been selected to create the design concept for Calgary's future Indian Residential School Memorial. The city announced Thursday that an independent jury made up of Indigenous members including Elders and other technical experts, chose Stimson's concept The Wandering Spirit, saying it best aligns with competition criteria, including cultural and community values, and honours the vision for the site. The memorial will be built at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, described in a media release as 'a space of historical acknowledgment, ceremony, and healing. It's also intended as a lasting place for reflection, dialogue, and connection.' 'This memorial represents a commitment to truth, acting as a place of remembrance, and a call to action. It will stand as a permanent reminder of the children who never returned home, the survivors who carry deep scars, and the families and communities who continue to live with the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system,' said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. Wandering Spirit, July 24, 2025 The Wandering Spirit was presented by Ground3 Inc. (groundedcubed) and Adrian Stimson. (City of Calgary) 'I'm grateful to the Elders, survivors, and Indigenous leaders who have shaped this vision from the beginning. Their voices, teachings, and strength have guided this process — and will continue to guide us on the path of reconciliation. Through this memorial, we honour the past while also building a future grounded in respect, understanding, and shared healing.' The significance of the memorial is tied to its location and the shared history it represents, the city said in a release. 'The Confluence has long been a place of connection and cultural meetings. This memorial will add another layer of meaning to that space, connecting past and present so that all Calgarians can come together to learn and heal,' said Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong. 'It will help us recognize the complex history of this land, while creating a shared space that invites reflection and understanding for generations to come.' The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland. (Facebook/TheConfluenceHistoricSite) Guided by Indigenous communities The memorial project has been Indigenous-led from the beginning, with members of Indigenous communities taking the lead in shaping its vision. 'We are honoured to unveil a concept that reflects the voices of survivors, Elders, and community members,' said Harold Horsefall, an Indigenous strategist at the city's Indigenous Relations Office. 'Every step of this process has centred Indigenous leadership and cultural teachings.' The process started in fall 2024 with a request for pre-qualification, moving to a request for proposals which led to four Indigenous-led teams being shortlisted to submit final concepts. Each submission reflected four shared pillars: healing, ceremony, truth and acknowledgement and was shaped by public feedback, as well as guidance from the IRSM Elders Advisory Council. The other shortlisted finalists were: Niitsitapilsini -- Our Way of Life, presented by Two Row Architect and co-designers Brian Porter and Matt Hickey; Nitsinii'Pokaako'sa -- My Special Child, presented by Spectacle Bureau for Architecture and Jared Tailfeathers; Footsteps in the Firelight, presented by Tawaw Architecture Collective Inc. and Wanda Della Costa; and The Wandering Spirit, the winner, was presented by Ground3 Inc. (groundcubed) and Adrian Stimson. POOS team Celestine Twigg, the late Troy Emery Twigg, Harrison Red Crow and Adrian Stimson are part of the team that created POOS, an animated short film that screens at the Calgary International Film Festival Monday, Sept. 23. (Photo: XstineCook) Stimson works in a variety of media, including paintings, installations, performance and video. His paintings often feature bison and his installations contain references to experiences in the residential school system. His work is part of the collection of the North American Indigenous collection at The British Museum, as well as The Glenbow Museum. He won the 2018 Governor-General's Award for Visual and Media Arts. 'The memorial will bring healing, celebration, and honour to Indigenous communities and those who continue to suffer the impacts and imprints of residential schools,' said Otsskoipiiks'aakii Paula Smith, (Blackfoot Confederacy, Piikani Nation) who is the Indigenous relations manager at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland. 'The land at the confluence was used by Fort Calgary to uphold the residential school system, but it has also been a significant place to Indigenous people since long before the North-West Mounted Police arrived here,' added Smith. 'The chosen memorial design is meant to bring both these histories together towards a unified future.' Next The project will move into the detailed design phase before construction planning gets underway. The city extended its deep gratitude to the IRSM Elders Advisory Circle, Elders, residential school survivors and their families, the four shortlisted design teams, The Confluence and community members who joined in the selection process. 'Through this memorial, we hope to foster understanding and connection for all Calgarians, now and for generations to come,' said Sherri Kellock, who is an Indigenous strategist at the City of Calgary.
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Calgary Herald
City of Calgary finalizes design for residential school memorial at the Confluence
The City of Calgary has finalized a design concept for a memorial to the experiences of Indigenous people in the residential school system, inching closer to its construction, which is set to take a few years. Article content The selection follows a competition which required participants to qualify for a detailed contest. Article content Article content The design that was chosen is called Wandering Spirit, which a jury composed of Indigenous members, including Elders and technical experts, said 'meets competition criteria, aligns with cultural and community values, and honours the vision for this important site.' Article content Article content 'The memorial will bring healing, celebration, and honour to Indigenous communities and those who continue to suffer the impacts and imprints of residential schools,' said Otsskoipiiks'aakii Paula Smith, Indigenous Relations Manager at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, who is Piikani. Article content Article content 'The land at the confluence was used by Fort Calgary to uphold the residential school system, but it has also been a significant place to Indigenous people since long before the North-West Mounted Police arrived here. The chosen memorial design is meant to bring both these histories together towards a unified future.' Article content The memorial, which was announced last fall, will be built at the Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, formerly named Fort Calgary. Article content 'This memorial represents a commitment to truth, acting as a place of remembrance, and a call to action. It will stand as a permanent reminder of the children who never returned home, the survivors who carry deep scars, and the families and communities who continue to live with the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system,' she said. Article content
CBC
29-03-2025
- CBC
140 years after Frog Lake Massacre, Cree community hopes to reshape tale of 1885 resistance
The 140th anniversary of the Frog Lake Massacre will be commemorated this weekend in St. Paul, Alta., and Cree storytellers will tell their community's involvement in one of the pivotal events of the Northwest Resistance. "It was 140 years ago on April 2, 1885, where there was an incident," said Leah Redcrow, a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, and CEO of Acimowin Opaspiw Society, who is helping organize the weekend event. That incident, a violent confrontation over food rations, was led by Cree leader Wandering Spirit, originally from Saddle Lake's Snake Band. It resulted in the death of nine men — the Indian agent, priests and settlers — from the Frog Lake settlement. Eight First Nations people were later hanged for their involvement in the Northwest Resistance and their burial site is at what's now Fort Battleford National Historic Site. At some point, a grave marker was placed there with names inscribed, and includes Wandering Spirit. Redcrow does not known who was involved in getting it installed. The problem, Redcrow says, is that at least one of the people commemorated on it wasn't hanged. "What we're finding out now is a lot of the so-called historical records of what happened [are] grossly incorrect," said Redcrow. Parks Canada didn't respond to a request for comment before time of publishing. Correcting the record According to Redcrow, Wandering Spirit was never hanged. "My band, the Saddle Lake Snake Hills band, we were blamed … for the entire rebellion because of what happened at Frog Lake," said Redcrow. "It's been well known in our community that they didn't kill him, and that he escaped to the United States." Redcrow said about 500 people from her band fled to the United States and set up the Rocky Boy reservation in Montana. "If he got hung, I wouldn't be here," said Jonathan Windy Boy, a Montana state senator from Montana, who is a descendant of Wandering Spirit. "Not only was Wandering Spirit one of the original members of Saddle Lake … he was one of the original members that was enrolled in Rocky Boy." Windy Boy said once he arrived in Montana, he changed his name to Big Wind, helping him escape extradition back to Canada. Changing the narrative For Cree elder Eric Tootoosis, the anniversary is a time to celebrate survival. "We commemorate [the resistance] to give thanks for survival," said Eric Tootoosis from Poundmaker Cree Nation. "We're still here today." He said a lot has changed over the years, including an exoneration and apology for Chief Poundmaker, who was convicted and jailed for "treason-felony," but was not part of the resistance. While much of how the resistance is viewed by Canadians has changed, there's still lots of work to be done — including correcting the fact that Wandering Spirit wasn't hanged in Battleford. "All these people who wrote about the 1885 rebellion, all of these people that wrote about Wandering Spirit, none of those people ever came to my reserve and asked for information," said Redcrow. For Tootoosis, history needs to include the Indigenous perspective. "All along it has been one-sided," said Tootoosis, who said the writers of the time were mostly not Indigenous.
