March 2019
TSINIKSSINI 2006
whats inside...
2019
Published by Blood Tribe Administration
COMMUNICATIONS Department
The Blood Tribe Administration Review entitled ‘TSINIKSSINI’ is dedicated to the sharing of information for the people of the Blood Tribe. The magazine format features news, stories, articles and an array of items as our way of sharing what is occurring on the Blood reserve and beyond. We hope you enjoy your magazine and invite any suggestions you may have in improving our coverage on any number of events and activities. The magazine will be printed on a monthly basis and will be distributed to various locations on-and-off the reserve. The magazine is free of charge. The magazine is published by the Blood Tribe Communications department. The collection of information, photographs and layout of the magazine is from the Blood Tribe Communications department. Reproduction of any story or use of photographs must be requested in writing and addressed to the Blood Tribe Communications department. Any unauthorized use of stories and photos of TSINIKSSINI or from the Blood Tribe Communications department may infringe on tribal copyright laws. We would like to acknowledge the Blood Tribe Chief & Council and the people of the Blood Tribe for your support. Rick Tailfeathers: Communications Director Tom Russell: Communications Writer Myron Fox: Layout Graphic Design Zane Medicine Crane Photos/Stories
Published by the authority of Blood Tribe Chief & Council Box 60 Standoff, AB T0L 1Y0 ph: (403) 737-3753 FAX: (403) 737-2785 visit our website for more... www.bloodtribe.org
Spring is upon us once again with the snowfall changing into rain, and with it the normal, expected natural weather patterns we have to deal with. This winter, we were fortunate the snow wasn’t as bad as it was in previous years. We can however count our blessings as the Public Works department and its dedicated employees worked extremely hard to keep our roadways safe. The change in seasons is also bringing about a few changes in the workplace as restructuring occurs. The Communications department will be undergoing changes to its structure and format. The public will await these changes. In keeping with our traditions and customs, an elder shared his story and involvement with the Magpie Society. Although the story was a shortened version, it gave an insight into the many facets of life in Indian country. We are most fortunate and blessed to have elders, our historians, still among us. A few individuals are taking our way of life very serious, especially when it pertains to the environment. William Singer III and Lori Brave Rock are among those who are studying and researching traditional plants, roots and seeds and will hopefully be planting these in certain areas to revitalize these traditional plants that are disappearing from our ecology. It is efforts like this that we all must become involved with as our eco-systems are fast disappearing because of a number of factors harmful to the environment. The provincial elections will take place in April as the political races heat up. Piikani member Kirby Smith is looking forward to representing his riding on the NDP ticket. The time is long-overdue to have representation at a higher political level. If you have any stories or events you want covered, do not hesitate to contact the communications department. We have the TSINIKSSINI magazine and the social media sites to share your activities and news. Take care and support and protect one another. ‘Til next time…
cover photo The return of Spring brings about new growth and positive thoughts and feelings as we walk into the new year. This butterfly was photographed during a time of hope as life abounds with the cleansing rain and the warmth of the Sun. Front Page Photo:
Tom Russell
Additional Photographers: Penny Fox, Tom Russell, William Singer III, Kat Chief Moon-Riley, Wes Water Chief, Zane Medicine Crane. 2
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
TRIBAL MEMBERS VOTE IN AGREEMENT ON MISMANAGEMENT OF ASSETS SPECIFIC CLAIM
Joanne Crook, Walsh Law, Kirby Many Fingers, Dorothy First Rider and Joanne Lemieaux (TG Ccommittee) listen as Clayton Blood shares information.
Tribal members had the opportunity to vote on March 11, 2019 on whether or not to accept the monetary figure settled upon by the federal government and the Blood Tribe regarding the Mismanagement of Assets Specific Claim/Betrayed Wards. After the final tally, a high majority of eligible tribal members voted yes to accept the agreement.
and expressed in today’s dollars. The Trust Agreement indicates how the funds will be used. The Settlement dollars will go toward: A Per Capita Distribution of $2,000 as well as Capital Projects including, but not limited to the following: Blood Tribe Administration Building, Peacemaking Center/Court Facility, Red Crow Community College, Akers Development – Hotel/ Convention Centre and Residential Development, Hockey Rink, Multi-family Housing and a Treatment Facility.
After the polling stations were closed at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary and at the Multi-purpose building in Stand Off, a total of 3,015 people voted. Of those, 2,966 voted YES while 49 voted NO. The results of the ratification vote indicated that the required threshold had been met. The people voted for the acceptance of the negotiated Settlement Offer of $150 Million (less negotiation loan funding in the amount of $526,039), and the Trust Agreement. The Mismanagement of Assets Claim is about Canada’s mismanagement of the Blood Tribe cattle herd and the overgrazing of the Blood reserve between 18941923. The Blood Tribe filed a claim against Canada in 2000 under the Specific Claims Policy. In 2011, Canada accepted the Claim and negotiations took place from 20132018. A Loss of Use study was completed to determine the Blood Tribe’s losses. The value of the loss was then brought forward
The Blood reserve is comprised of 549.7 square miles with a population over 13,000 members. The Mismanagement of Assets Claim settlement agreement will provide the tribe with positive opportunities as we move forward.
3
Story by Tom Russell
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
HISTORIC SETTLEMENT REACHED IN MCLEAN INDIAN DAY SCHOOL CLASS ACTION
Photo of St. Paul Residential School near the south-west boundary of the Blood reserve.
In March 2019, the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Carolyn Bennett, announced that it had reached a landmark settlement in a class proceeding brought by the McLean Class Action representative plaintiffs on behalf of former students of Indian Day School and their families. The proposed settlement with Canada includes everyone who attended a Federal Indian School ranges from $10,000 for harms associated with attending a Federal Indian Day School to a maximum of $200,000 for physical and/or sexual assault leading to long-term injury. Gowling WLG filed the claim in 2016 and was certified as class counsel in 2018. Nearly 200,000 Indigenous children attended more than 700 Day Schools, which were operated separately from residential schools. Former Day schools students were excluded from the 2006 Indian Residential school settlement agreement. The approved Day Schools (taken from Indian Day School list) on the Blood reserve include: • Standoff Day School September 14, 1953 – September 1, 1988 • Lavern Day School -
1964 – September 1, 1988 • St. Mary’s - April 1969 Indian Day schools include all those day schools established or designated as such by the federal Department of Indian Affairs in which Indigenous students across Canada were required to attend by law, and were funded in part or solely by the federal government. Unlike Indian residential schools, Indigenous students did not reside at Indian day schools. Since 2009, Garry McLean, lead plaintiff, with the support of Ray Mason and Spirit Wind Inc., started a legal action regarding the forced attendance of Indigenous students at Indian day schools across Canada. This national class action was the first of its kind and sought redress for the damages and abuses suffered by all Indian day school schools. Sadly, Garry McLean passed in February 2019. The settlement approval hearings will take place at the Federal Court in Winnipeg from May 13-15, 2019. Class members wishing to attend the hearing may do so, and those who wish to speak at the hearing, either in support of the proposed settlement or to share their concerns may do so. The 4
court will announce its decision regarding the settlement approval after the hearings conclude, sometime after May 15, 2019. If the settlement is approved, class members will have an opportunity to opt out of the settlement. Those who opt out will not receive compensation from this settlement, but they will retain the right to bring their own claim against Canada for harms suffered. If the settlement is approved, information about how to make a claim for compensation will be posted on the Federal Indian Day school website.
Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous Affairs.
Submitted by Jackie Red Crow
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
OTTAWA HEADING TO TRIAL IN CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BY RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL DAY SCHOLARS
File photo of Parliament building in Ottawa.
Ottawa is heading to trial in April over a class action lawsuit involving students who attended residential schools during the day in which its lawyers have argued Canada had no residential school policy and never intended to eradicate indigenous languages and culture. Talks on the class action, which was certified in 2015, broke down in February after about two years of negotiations and now the matter is scheduled to go before the Federal Court in Ottawa for trial in April. The class action was filed on behalf of “day scholars” students who attended residential schools in the day but returned home in the evening – their descendants and more than 100 First Nations. Ottawa argued in its statement of defense, filed in September 2015, that the federal government never had a “residential school policy” and that Canada never intended to “eradicate Aboriginal languages, culture, identity, or spiritual practices” through the institutions. The argument runs counter to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) – which were accepted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – and the words of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2008 apology. “The positions taken by the government in this litigation are frankly disgusting,” said former Assembly of First Nations national chief Matthew Coon Come, in a recent statement following the breakdown in talks. “The government is going to force us to litigate where there was a residential school policy aimed at destroying our
language and culture? This is opposite of reconciliation.” In an emailed statement, the office of Crown-Indigenous Relations minister Carolyn Bennett said Canada is reviewing its defense in light of the Attorney General of Canada’s Directive on Civil Litigation involving Indigenous Peoples that was issued in January. “The Statement of Defense was originally filed in 2015 by the previous government and does not reflect our government’s values,” the statement said. It said the Federal Court has given Canada leave until April 1, 2019 to make any changes to its Statement of Defense. Day scholars were excluded from the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and thus not eligible for the common experience payments that were
part of the deal - $10,000 for the first year of residing at a residential school and $3,000 for every year after. However, day scholars were able to file abuse claims under the Independent Assessment Process compensation system created by the settlement agreement. In the class action, day scholars are seeking the same common experience payment provided to other residential school survivors. The class action was launched by the Tk’emlups Band in Kamloops and Sechelt Bands in B.C. including the James Bay Cree in 2015. Class counsel representing the Day Scholars is Waddell Phillips law firm from Vancouver
File photo of students in residential school.
5
Submitted by Jackie Red Crow
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
Jacen Abrey (r), at the podium with Councilor Martin Heavy Head, Kevin Cowen, CEO, BTDH and Leonard Chief Moon, Manager, BTSH.
The Bringing the Spirit Home program is a godsend for those individuals who are suffering from an addiction and who are trying their utmost in finding their way back to a life as normal as possible. Jacen Abrey, Blood Tribe Emergency Services director, says the program is seeing some progress as many more tribal members are taking the responsibility in meeting their own needs in trying to regain a healthy lifestyle. “A little update on the Bringing the Spirit Home. The program to date has seen 92 admissions, this is clients into the system, 16 clients have completed the program and moved to either transition or a treatment centre with 17 patients in the centre today,” explains Abrey. “We also have a waiting list of 24 individuals who are wanting (to go) into the centre.” The 12-bed, 24 hour facility, the first of its kind for any first nation in Alberta, offers a ray of hope for those addicted to begin the process of detoxification locally before entering a longer-term care facility to one day break free from their addictions. Kevin Cowen, CEO, Blood Tribe Department of Health, said Alberta Health Services will be funding the withdrawal site for two years. “We’re very much in their debt (AHS) because we reached out to them for one
year funding,” he says. “But they came back and said they would fund us for two full years.” Abrey recalls the early days of seeking solutions in combatting the deadly cycle of overdoses. After identifying the patterns and behaviors of those addicted, a number of meetings occurred bringing ideas and plans together in trying to deal with these issues on our own terms. “ As a result of those meetings, we came up with the safe withdrawal site. It happened very, very quickly,” he said. “We put proposals to the federal and provincial governments, through Alberta Health Services; we didn’t know where the money was going to come from but we recognized we couldn’t let this go on any longer. Individuals were transported to the hospital then quickly released and the cycle just kept continuing and continuing. This is meant to break that cycle.” Once individuals complete their stay at the Bringing the Spirit Home facility, they then can move on to the transition centre at the former KCCC building where they are free to venture out into the community accompanied by supervisors or guardians. There are still rules and guidelines the clients are required to adhere with, but 6
the choice to continue treatment is at the client’s discretion. Many have taken the desire to move beyond their addictions and are entering detoxification centres such as the treatment facility at Kapown in Grouard, AB.
The road to recovery, for most, is taken one day at a time and community support certainly goes a long way for many who want to live their lives free from addictions. Story by Tom Russell
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY MEMBER SEEKING ELECTION FOR NDP IN PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS Born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Kirby Smith lived most of his life on the Piikani Nation and has close family and community affiliations with the Blood Tribe and Siksika Nation. Kirby is running to be a part of Rachel Notley’s team to fight so that all Albertans have access to services like education and health care. “I’m the NDP candidate in the CardstonSiksika riding for the 2019 provincial elections,” he says. “I was approached by the NDP if I would be willing to submit my name as a candidate, to which I agreed. After a vetting process, my nomination was confirmed that my name would be on the ballot.” Smith has a wide range of career experiences that has helped shape his understanding of what matters to Albertans including working in Family and Children’s Services, working in post-secondary as an Education Coordinator and as a liaison for a large utilities company. He has also proven that he is committed to serving his community and has worked as the Economic Development Officer for the Piikani Nation and as the Managing Director for the Piikani Nation’s only for-profit corporation, Piikani Resource Development. In 2018, a boundry change was made in the ridings that allowed for the Blood Tribe and Siksika to be in the same riding. “I felt it was a great opportunity for the Blackfoot to have a voice in the Alberta Legislature,” says Smith. “A lot of the NDP political values align in some cases with our traditional values in terms of respectful and harmonious approach to the environment. We’re advocating heavily on renewable energy and other issues of concern.”
Kirby Smith is looking forward in campaigning to represent the NDP in the Cardston-Siksika Riding.
Kirby has given back to his community not just in his professional life, but also as an active foster parent and community volunteer. He has extensive volunteer experience in the arts and various youth sports, particularly minor hockey. The provincial elections are on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 and Smith says there will be polling stations in the Cardston-Siksika ridings.
7
Story by Tom Russell
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
CROW CHIEF SHARES HIS RECOLLECTIONS OF HOW THE MAGPIE SOCIETY CAME ABOUT The Magpie Society, created in the 1900s, had many members who enjoyed the company of its group, but sadly, today, only a few of the original society members remain. Charlie Crow Chief, one of the founding members, shared his recollections. The following interview was translated from Crow Chief’s condensed story. A man was walking in the woods to get what he needed and he came across a bird stuck and covered in mud. He picked it up, took it home and cleaned it. After he cleaned it, the bird was black and white. He kept the bird and raised it and when it was old enough to fly, he took it outside and it flew away. The bird came back and landed on his shoulder. The bird and the man started talking to each other and learned how to communicate with each other. The bird taught the man how to search for medicines, plants, herbs, food sources and they grew old together. Then the bird died of old age and the man brought the bird to the top of a hill at his final resting place, then he dreamt the bird told him not to leave him there because he would become lonesome if the man left him there. The bird showed him how to heal people and he called the bird a mud bird. The man gave his son the name Magpie. When the man passed away, he was buried with the bird. There was a powwow at a house and all his friends showed up. The dance went on all night. An old man told them they should have a brotherhood society, and the man named Magpie said yes, they will have a group. He told the group he would give them his name Magpie. So they started the group. They went to Dan Weasel Moccasin for advice regarding the society and he gave them a blessing, songs and they had a powwow there. Then Dan sent for Rufus Goodstriker to go the powwow because they didn’t want trouble, to keep the peace, then when Rufus heard of the society, he wanted to join. The society started to get bigger, with more members and they decided to have a powwow at the Gladstone Hall to have more members join. Then they decided to have New Year’s powwows to
Blood elder Charlie Crow Chief shares traditional stories with the people.
bring in the new year. Then the magpie Society decided to go after the Horn bundles and they all transferred to go into the Horn Society, Brave Dog Society and Buffalo Women’s Society. When the Magpie Society became the Horn Society, Mrs. Dinah Red Crow came forward and did the Okan with the new Magpie Society. The Sundance was complete with the Horns, Brave Dogs, Buffalo Women and the Holy Woman in the Okan. 8
Story by Tom Russell
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
CHIEF MOON-RILEY STUDYING IN SASKATCHEWAN ON HER WAY AS A DOCTOR IN THE MEDICAL FIELD
Young Kat Chief Moon-Riley is studying hard in reaching her goal to become a doctor.
Challenging one’s self to reaching toward the stars in attaining personal goals is a journey a young tribal member is embarking on. Kat Chief Moon-Riley from the Blood reserve, who is currently a 2nd year medical student at the University of Saskatchewan, studied at the University of Lethbridge before moving on in her chosen profession. “I want to get the necessary skills and training so that I have a more holistic approach in medicine and my research has given me a more background knowledge in terms of the complex nature of Indigenous health,” she says, and adds: “But now I need the actual skills and training so I can kind of bridge those two and have a more holistic view to medicine.” Prior to enrollment at her present postsecondary institution, Chief Moon-Riley attended the University of Lethbridge where her studies toward her Master of Science thesis centered on the biological impacts of residential schools on the health of adult children whose parents and grandparents attended. The research, now published in the journal SSM Population Health, found
that adult children of mothers who attended residential school had increased impairment in biological regulation compared to those whose mothers had not attended residential school. This research, which was fueled by the realization that there was a gap in the literature regarding the biological impacts of Residential school, compounded by her dream to help others, served as the catalyst for her desire to become a medical doctor. “Since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,” she recalls of her childhood. “I liked helping others and I always played doctor.” Chief Moon-Riley recalls as a young person and her experiences going to the doctor. She notes: “A few times I remember having to see a male doctor, and as a young female being awkward about common health concerns,” which highlights for her the importance and need for more female doctors. “Even now I prefer to have a female physician as I feel they can relate to me better.” She acknowledges her mom Gloria as her inspiration for her drive to achieve 9
her goals, and also her grandparents John and the late Mildred Chief Moon for their guidance and advice. “My mother, she was a single parent, and as a young girl, I remember her going to school to eventually get her Masters. So, she was a really good role model for me,” she says. “And my grandparents John and Mildred, they were a really important part of my life. They would push me, encourage me and be very motivating. They were kind of my main supports. I also acknowledge Dr. Esther Tailfeathers and Dr. Sue Christensen for their advice and encouragement.” Chief Moon-Riley volunteers at a local clinic in Saskatoon as her way of better understanding clients’ needs as she will eventually be practicing as a physician among her people. She says it’s hard to be away from her family, but remains focused on her dedication to becoming a practicing physician. “For anyone considering going into the healthcare field, especially First Nations’ females, to go for it. We are definitely underrepresented and if I can do it, you can certainly do it as well.” Story by Tom Russell
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
BETTY N. COOPER NAMED MONTANA MOTHER OF THE YEAR
Betty Cooper is pictured here with daughters, Lori and Theda and Blood Elder Mae Tallow with Michelle Wolf Child, in their traditional stand-up headdresses.
“It’s a big convention,” Betty N. Cooper said of the upcoming Mother of the Year Convention this April in Washington, D.C. “Sabrina Wisher is my contact – she was Montana Mother of the Year in 2014 – she said doors will open so I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to talk about,” Having been notified by Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s office last week that she’d been named Montana Mother of the year, Cooper said: “I feel very honored: I just heard yesterday.” American Mothers, Inc. was founded in 1935 by Eleanor Roosevelt, Sara Delano Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, JC Penney and Norman Vincent Peale. It is the official sponsor of Mother’s Day and the Mother of the Year. Each year all 50 states nominate and select a Mother of the Year, and each year they gather for a three-day convention that not only will name a national Mother of the Year, but will also provide the mothers an opportunity to address important issues to them on a national stage. “I want to talk about raising kids,” Cooper said. “It wasn’t problem-less, but I did
my best to keep them together, and I raised them to be good citizens and Tribal members, but especially to be educated because as Indigenous people, we walk in two worlds.” Cooper says she’s found ways to work in both worlds. “Number one would be educated kids who can take care of themselves, their Blackfeet culture and other people’s culture, like those in Australia and New Zealand,” she said. “When I was in the Bay Area, we couldn’t get a medicine person because they had other things going on so a friend got a man from Mexico. He wore sandals and white canvas; he spoke Spanish so he had an interpreter with him. His tribe owned just two cars so then they needed to go places they would hike out to one of the cars. He knew all about us, and we wanted him to bless our center for families. So that’s one way to walk in two worlds.” Being named Mother of the Year is a lengthy process, beginning with a friend suggesting to another friend at the Governor’s office that Cooper apply. From 10
there, she obtained letters of reference from Tribal Health and Blackfeet Community Hospital, and she wrote her own letter of application. “I dug deep into my soul and sent the application,” she said. “In my acceptance of this great honour I invite all our mothers and grandmothers to stand with me,” Cooper said. “There are many unsung heroes of wonderful mothers and grandmothers who I know and share love, wisdom and knowledge with every day. I thank my children for letting me be their mom – what a trip – and my grandchildren, nieces and nephews, plus my many adopted children. The women of all Red Nations have a saying that is so befitting to women: ‘No nation shall fall until the hearts of the women are on the ground.’” Betty N. Cooper is the first person of color to be named Montana Mother of the Year.
Submitted By John McGill, Glacier Reporter Editor.
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
CENTURY OLD HEADDRESS RETURNED TO SIKSIKA AB. at a residential school near Red Deer, circa 1900’. “The name we found does show up as an administrator with residential schools in central Alberta around the end of the 1800s, early 1900s. Onion Lake comes up but who knows, there could have been movement anywhere within, so that we don’t know, it’s just going off this note,” said Marasco.
Kent Ayoungman with headdress stands with Phil Marasco, Fish & Wildlife Officer.
Thanks to the sharp eye of a First Nations person from Manitoba and the investigative efforts of an employee of Fish and Wildlife, a turn of the century old Blackfoot headdress was returned to its original owners. High River District, Fish and Wildlife Officer Phil Marasco paid a visit to Siksika Nation on Feb. 15 to return an aged Blackfoot headdress that was to be auctioned off by a store in Okotoks. Marasco was informed the store acquired the headdress from an anonymous person who dropped it off in a clothing donation box behind the establishment. “Back in June we had a Report a Poacher call come in about a headdress on display for auction at a thrift store, so the gentleman who called it in was a native from Manitoba. He was telling me ‘I’m sure it is eagle feathers. It looks right, so you need to come down and have a look at this thing.’ So I went down. Yeah, it was eagle feathers right off the start. It was golden eagle feathers and the possession of eagle feathers is pretty controlled, so I took it and seized it from them. Really they turned it over to us so it was a mutual thing,” said Marasco. The only clue of where it came from was from a note that was dropped off with the headdress. The note simply stated that the ‘native feather hat, belonging to Harry Ellis’ father, who taught
In his search to find the original owners, Marasco discussed his find with personnel from a museum in Red Deer and the Glenbow Museum. It was they who initially identified it as a Blackfoot headdress. The Glenbow Museum then put Marasco in contact with Kent Ayoungman who was able to verify that it is indeed a Blackfoot headdress. Prior to Marasco bringing it to Old Sun College, Ayoungman had only seen a photo of the headdress and he was sure it was Blackfoot, however he couldn’t verify that until he could physically see the item. The headdress is a stand=up headdress and that confirmed it was Blackfoot. Ayoungman said the Blackfoot are the only First Nations people who make headdresses that stand straight up and most other headdresses are fashioned after the Sioux style of headdress. Which has eagle feathers that are swept back. He said in this instance it is fortunate that a private collector may have had this headdress because the tribe was able to get it back. In other instances, when artifacts have ended up in private collector’s hands in the United States or oversees they are nearly impossible to get back.
they hold ceremonial value to them. Historically there are rituals that go into ownership of these. People are given songs and to the Blackfoot, paint, the face paint is key to ownership of these. “This coming back to our people, our community, it is going to go to a person that’s going to learn those, the history that goes to something like this. And we are very lucky of its age too, it goes back quite some time,” said Ayoungman. Marasco said Fish and Wildlife sometimes come across First Nation artifacts and every year they also receive a lot of reports of eagle feathers being sold, traded or being put on display. Most often they turn out to be turkey feathers, which is common in art pieces and artifact imitations. “Occasionally we run into something that involves real eagle feathers. When that comes up we are almost always going to try and control the possession of them cause there are ways these can be brought into possession and gifted out. But in this case here, this belonged to you guys, so we are happy to return it,” said Marasco. “We are very fortunate for Phil to be directed to us to do something like this,” said Ayoungman. “It is meaningful and when I spoke with our Chief too he did mention these are the kind of relationships we want to have with the province and Crown.”
“In our history, there have been collectors that have come on to our reserve that have bought artifacts, ceremonial items from our people. Primarily I would say in the 50s, 60s and a lot of these things end up in museums and today they are still in these museums,” said Ayoungman.“Some of these collectors, they were private collectors too that came onto our reserves and things ended up, like this, ended up in private ownership. We are very fortunate, we are very lucky that, in this case, that might have been the case; it was in the hands of a private collector.” Ayoungman said having these types of things returned to the Blackfoot is meaningful and the item will be restored and will go back into circulation with the traditional ceremony people at Siksika. “We are taught that these kinds of headdresses 11
Submitted by Wesley Water Chief
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
“MOKAKIT KII AIYIKA’KIMAAT, AIYIKA’PO’TAKIT KII AISSPOMMOOSI MATAPIIKSI” -- Be wise and persevere, work hard and help one another--
acres of summer-fallow and new breaking for the next year’s crop.” In 1917 the value of beef production was valued at $60,000, the largest of any Indian Reserve in Canada. Historically, the Bloods weren’t horticulturalists as tobacco was the only plant that was cultivated and used for ceremonial purposes. Building a seed bank is a first for Kainai and as climate change continues, we need to ensure our plants survive through drought and in severe weather conditions. The good thing about Indigenous plants is they are hardy and drought tolerant, but with the continued lack of rain, this is where we come to help them. Community involvement is key and this is an excellent opportunity to learn and at the same time working with others to find food security solutions for the betterment our communities.
This seedling planted in black, rich soil forms the basis of the seed planting exercise soon to come.
Oki nikso’kowaiksi, akaotowa/spring is here. Renewal is at hand as we move into another year of getting back out to the land. Here on Kainai, departments, schools and community members are investing their time in addressing the issue of food security by building raised garden beds and having community members involved in every aspect of gardening throughout the growing season. While some of these projects are in the planning stages, the Three Sisters garden in Issoitapi will be a great place to volunteer and learn the basics of raised bed gardening by Trinity White Feathers who maintains the garden throughout the season. The Blood Tribe Lands Department and Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association have partnered with the Kainai High School to get their greenhouse operational. The KHS students will be planting hybrid and heirloom seeds and adapting Western methodology of growing traditional plants in a greenhouse or a contemporary raised garden bed. Hybrid seeds are produced by cross-pollinated plants and are used predominately in modern agriculture and home gardening. Heirloom or also known as “heritage seeds” are an open pollinated
variety that have been grown for many years and are passed down within a family or group and are usually indigenous to the land. The heirloom seeds being used for this project were collected here on Kainai and have since been planted by the students. The traditional plants they are growing are: sipatsimo/sweetgrass, Saokiipisatsiinikimm/nodding wild onion, Niitsikapa’s/double root/yampa and Ootsistsiin/wild strawberries. The remainder of the seeds will be placed in a seed bank and more plants will be added as time goes by; endangered plants will receive priority and will be monitored throughout the season until the fall when seed collecting is done. Agriculture was introduced to us in the early days of reserve life and the Bloods were quite successful as this Indian Department Report reads: “The Blood Indians during the season of 1916, by their own efforts and without any financial aid from the government of Canada, produced 65,150 bushels of wheat on 2,600 acres, and 26,980 bushels of oats on 768 acres. They grew approximately 7,150 bushels of table vegetables, harvested 7,600 tons of hay and green fodder, and prepared 2,320 12
There are a couple of ways you can do to help ksahkomm/earth, is to help the naamoo/bees by not mowing and cutting areas of your lawn where wildflowers and dandelions grow, these plants are food for them during this early part of spring, until the flowers bloom. Without naamoo, the plants won’t be able to reproduce and when that happens, our food security is at risk. Naamoiks play an important part in the lifecycle of plants and humans and by doing “selective mowing” you help them bring renewal to the land. The next tip is for harvest time. When collecting sipatsimo/ sweetgrass, ka’ksimo/sage and ka’kitsimo/ mint cut the plant near the base of the stem, instead of pulling it out with its roots. This extends the plants life as it will re-grow and seed in the fall. A good pair of garden shears that can cut various thicknesses of stems is a good addition to your harvesting bag. This changes the way we harvest and continually adapt to the changing climate as we continue our journey on in this new way of life. 1. Our Betrayed Wards Memorandum, R.N. Wilson (Indian agent for the Blood & Peigan Indians 1898 to 1911)
Submitted by William Singer III
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
EAGLE BEAR CONTINUES TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AS A PRACTICING DOCTOR WITH THE BLACKFOOT
Dr. Shey Eagle Bear proudly serving tribal members.
Dr. Shey Eagle Bear, 31, is a Blackfoot doctor serving the Kainai Nation. He and his wife have four children. He is currently working for the Standoff Clinic and Cardston Hospital where his role at the Cardston Hospital is admitting patients to the emergency room. He is also the Medical Director for the Kainai Continuing Care Center. Dr. Eagle Bear enrolled into the Medicine Hat College for optometry after graduating from Cardston High School in 2006. In his second year at Medicine Hat College, they changed the requirements for optometry school in Waterloo, Ontario. He then transferred to the University of Lethbridge where he graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Dr. Eagle Bear was accepted at the University of Alberta and graduated in 2014. He got his residency completed in June 2016 for Family Medicine in Stoney Plain and Spruce Grove, just west of Edmonton, AB. Why did you choose the medical career? When I was growing up, I always wanted to have a career that involved the sciences. When I was in High School and Junior High, I really enjoyed my bio courses, my chemistry and physics courses. I always wanted to do something that is giving back to my community and help people around me.
Is that a rewarding experience for you? It is definitely a rewarding experience. It’s great to be able to come back to the community to help people with their medical issues. Its been really rewarding to see people, a lot of times, get better with their health issues. We were able to help with a lot of them and just to have that interaction with the community. It is a good feeling when someone tells me that I have helped him or her out in some way. How is your routine as a doctor? Today was an interesting day for me. I started the morning assisting a doctor in the operating room in Cardston. So, on occasion I will do that and then I had to do rounds on my patients at the Cardston Hospital. I had clinic this morning and this afternoon I will be seeing the patients at the Kainai Continuing Care. My week varies quite a bit like on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, I am working at the emergency in Cardston. There is a big variety of my schedule throughout the day. What is your latest project? The most recent thing is during the last nine months when I took over care of the KCCC patients. So that has rather been my main thing and I have been dealing with that other than just the clinic and emergency. It really has been a great experience taking 13
care of the community’s elders. A lot of them do require 24-hour care. A lot of them have multiple medical issues, so it has been nice to be able to treat them. Again some of them are quite a bit older, some have passed on the last few months but it’s been a rewarding experience being able to take care of them in their last days. It can be quite a lot of work at times, but again, it is a great honour to be able to take care of them. Does that affect you and how do you handle it? At times, it can be tough especially for my patients. I want to be able to make sure that they are at their best health, but again, as you get older, sometimes there is not much more we can do. Initially it was kind of a daunting task to take care of the KCCC patients, but over time I have gone to know a lot of them. What is your holistic approach to medicine? One of the big things is when I came to the community, there’s a lot of traditional medicine that a lot of patients will use. Often it will help them with a lot of the conditions that they might be dealing with because a lot of times there’s the medical illness and the physical illness. With the traditional medicine, it helps treat them as a whole, mentally, spiritually and oftentimes with those other treatments it rather enhances their treatment and helps them with the illness that they are experiencing. What do you hope to achieve as a doctor for the Blood Tribe Heath Department and the Blood Tribe? Working as a doctor for the Blood Tribe, my biggest goal I would like to see happen in the future is making it so that we are treating patients before they get all of their chronic health issues. We have to address many of the things that cause them to go on to develop these issues. Many of these things would be like making sure that as a community we are eating healthy foods and making healthy lifestyle choices. Dr. Shey Eagle Bear acknowledges his wife Hilary and their children, his mother Connie Tailfeathers and his family members who were a big support throughout the whole process of becoming a family physician. Story by Zane Medicine Crane
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
BLOOD TRIBE’S DOCTOR NeilL Fox PRACTICING SKILLS WITH PEOPLE OF BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY
a whole to heal and move forward in a way to prevent a crisis like this from happening in the first place so that our community can flourish. What are your strengths? I think being resilient and being able to cope with challenges have helped in my academic success. What are the challenges you face today? I find it challenging to manage the many different concerns in clinic and at our safe withdrawal site right now, including the opioid crisis. However, I’m very happy to be able to help. In the future I’m planning on starting initiatives for children in school on the reserve to hopefully spark their interest in science or the medical field.
Dr. Neill Fox already has a heavy schedule in meeting the needs of people.
Dr. Neill Fox is a Blackfoot Doctor from the Kainai Nation. He grew up in the community of Moses Lake, and his parents stressed education at an early age. He attended kindergarten in Lethbridge, but he attended Elementary, Junior High and High School in Cardston where he graduated in 2006. High School is when his interest for medicine sparked. Immediately after graduating with his diploma, he enrolled at the University of Lethbridge at the age of 17. In 2010, while Neill and his wife were still in school, their son Noah was born. In Spring 2012, he graduated from the U of L with a Bachelors in Neuroscience for his undergraduate degree and also received the NSERC Research award for his work at the Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience. Neill then went onto Medical School at the University of Alberta where he graduated in 2016 and he received the Darcy Tailfeathers memorial award. He recently completed his residency at the University of British Columbia on Vancouver Island, in the only Indigenous Family Medicine program in Canada. Despite the adversity of having a child at a young age and having to travel far from home to complete his education, he became a Family Physician in 2018. He is currently residing in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife Charmaine and his son Noah. Dr. Neill Fox, age 30, is the Blood Tribe’s newest and youngest doctor. His schedule is busy, serving the Blackfoot confederacy, both for the Kainai Nation and the Siksika Nation. Why did you go into medicine? High School is when I knew I wanted to become a doctor. Initially, the biggest reason was to
help our people in general. As I went through university and realized that our community is very under represented in all professional fields, advocating for and representing Indigenous people became strong motivation. I think we need more representation in all professional fields and is a reason I think education is key. I also want to serve as a role model for the younger generation of indigenous kids. Because I grew up on the reserve and faced the same challenges, I think it can help motivate and inspire them. What do you hope to achieve for the Blood Tribe Department Health and the Blood Tribe? I just started working in clinic in July 2018 and was faced with the opioid crisis immediately. I think we’ve done a good job in providing services up to this point in providing direct care whether it be harm reduction programs or ongoing support in clinic for patients. The short term goal for the community is to help prevent overdoses and to get people support they need. Long term, the goal overall would be to help the community in any way to progress and succeed despite the challenges that we continue to face, and I believe working together with different community departments and organizations is key. What are the goals and objectives? As a family doctor, the goals and objectives for my patients are to give them the tools for better health overall. Not only now, but going into the future years down the road. Long term, because as a Family Doctor health prevention is very important, it’s about helping the community as 14
Do you have any advice? In general, hard work, dedication and having a strong support system are key in succeeding in whatever you’re trying to accomplish. I wouldn’t have been able to become a doctor if it weren’t for my wife, son, and family. Our community has been resilient in the past and I believe that we need to support each other in our accomplishments and endeavours. Keep focused on your goals even if it seems impossible or if you’re going through a difficult time. What do you enjoy most about your job? Being able to return back to Indigenous communities and work with people face to face each day. I’m currently working on reserve five days a week and plan to continue full time on reserve which I believe is very important. The other thing is flexibility. As a family doctor, I have flexibility in what kind of work I choose to do, which opens me up to many different opportunities. What is the holistic approach to medicine, Western vs. Traditional healing? It is very important to acknowledge our traditional practices and beliefs especially with the history of residential school and intergenerational trauma that a large portion of us still have to deal with. These have definitely allowed us to heal and are very important tools to many of our peoples’ well being. Much of what’s being stressed now is mindfulness, meditation, exercise – things we refer to as lifestyle modifications. These are things that we’ve always engaged in in ceremonies and celebrations and we can see that these same types of practices are being encouraged now in the current health model’s holistic approach to healthcare. Dr. Neill Fox encourages anyone who is interested in becoming a doctor or in the health field in general, he is more than willing to help with questions and guidance within the profession.
Story by Zane Medicine Crane
TSINIKSSINI March 2019
15