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Indigenous Gathering Place Community Update & An Invitation for Elders & Indigenous Youth (May 30)

8 May 2018

About the Indigenous Gathering Place: The Indigenous Gathering Place committee is a group of like-minded, passionate individuals whose purpose is to create a physical space in Calgary for Indigenous Peoples to have their own place to reconnect with their origins, identities, languages, protocols and traditions. It is also envisioned as a place for others to learn, support and heal on the road to reconciliation.

As we work toward building a physical space in Calgary for Indigenous Peoples and others to gather, we are excited to share our progress and invite Elders and Indigenous youth to our community discussion on May 30, 2018 with invite details below.

 

Elders’ Tea Dance Ceremony (past – Feb. 21)

  • A Tea Dance involves prayer, feasting, dancing, socializing, storytelling, and speeches by Elders. It is a significant ceremonial practice to prepare, bless, serve and honour those in attendance with tea. Elders, Indigenous youth, and Indigenous Gathering Place committee members came together at Fort Calgary to share in the Elder-led ceremony. It was a culturally-appropriate and exciting event to confirm that an Indigenous Gathering Place in Calgary is supported and needed.

Elders’ Tea and Stories of Origin (past – April 3)

  • We were honoured to have eight Elders join us to share their stories about sacred sites in Calgary. This will help inform our Site Acquisition Study, where we will identify culturally-appropriate locations where an Indigenous Gathering Place could be built. All who attended mentioned how humbled they were to be trusted listeners and thanked the Elders for their support and contribution to IGP’s vision.

Spreading the word (past – April 12)

  • Board members of the Indigenous Gathering Place and our supportive Elders met with Mayor Naheed Nenshi on April 12, as well as the Indigenous consultants at Fort Calgary to introduce the vision, work and process of the Indigenous Gathering Place.

Site Acquisition Study (ongoing)

But where will the Indigenous Gathering Place be located? That’s exactly what we plan to figure out! Looking for a place that has cultural significance, sustainable, large, accessible and versatile are essential. Along with asking Elders about where we should be looking, conducting historical research on any site we’ve identified would be a good fit, we’re researching and interviewing similar spaces across Canada to learn more. Spaces like the Kwanlin Dun Cultural CentreThunderbird House and Wabano are all on our engagement list and those at Aaron Aubin Consulting are excited to help us with collecting this information.

Elders and Indigenous youth are invited to join a discussion on May 30

Please join the IGP for an afternoon discussion for the Indigenous Gathering Place (IGP) on May 30 at Fort Calgary from 12:30-4 p.m. We are seeking insight from Elders and Indigenous youth on how the IGP could best connect with community members as we progress toward a physical space in Calgary for Indigenous Peoples to gather.

 

The IGP will be looking for your advice on the following topics:

  1. As the IGP moves forward, who should we be talking to and why?
  2. What should we be talking about? Where and how should the IGP seek input from community members?

 

EVENT DETAILS:

What: Elders and Indigenous Youth Engagement Insight discussion for IGP

Who: Elders and Youth, IGP members. (Please bring a youth, the more, the merrier!)

What: Discussion amongst us to discover who, when and how to connect moving forward.

When: Wednesday, May 30, 2018, from 12:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Where: Fort Calgary (James O. Wilson Gallery) located at 750-9th Ave SE, Calgary.

Why: To gain perspectives from all nations and peoples the Gathering Place will serve.

How: Kindly, RSVP by May 15 by emailing IGPCalgary@gmail.com with the full names of those attending. Light refreshments will be served.

*Note: Honorariums will be given to Elder and youth participants in a culturally-appropriate manner

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