One of many Indigenous dancers celebrated during the treaty signing with their traditional dances.
On March 15 Lethbridge College hosted Stone Pipe days, an annual event that recognizes the pride, history and culture of the indigenous community. The event was held in the Val Matteotti gymnasium and hosted many tables that any student or participant could interact with which included free indigenous foods, like Bannock while other tables showcased pieces of art and jewelry. The main goal of the event however was to have the annual signing of the Buffalo Treaty at Lethbridge College. The Buffalo Treaty is the first cross-border indigenous treaty that was created in 2014 to help restore the buffalo population and to help preserve the prairie ecosystems and Indigenous culture. During Stone Pipe Days, Brad Donaldson, the president of Lethbridge College spoke about how monumental this event is to the College and Canada as a whole.
“We are proud to be the first college in Canada to sign this treaty and we are honoured to have such a special connection with the Blackfoot community.”
Before the treaty was signed, many important figures of the indigenous community came up to the stage to share their stories and feeling about how important this treaty signing is to the Indigenous community. Stories shared highlighted how important the buffalo is to Indigenous people and how well respected they are in their culture. Buffalos are so highly respected and treasured by Indigenous peoples because of how much they provide to a community.
One of the final speakers of the event was Dr. Leroy Little Bear, a highly respected Indigenous speaker who has been awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence and was made an officer of Order of Canada. Little Bear talked about how important and special this event and treaty signing is for the community of Lethbridge and the college.
“There is a common saying in the Blackfoot community, that wealth is measured by how many relationships a person has. Those relationships build your character and personality and on this day, Lethbridge College has become much wealthier, as it is welcoming in a family. All of you here now, are now going to be a part of this family.”
After some time, the treaty was signed by all of those involved and this also included the attendees, as they were witnesses to the treaty they could sign the treaty as well to be a part of this piece of history for the College. The subsequent event held the next day had many more pieces of Indigenous food and culture shared around the gymnasium and Indigenous singing and dancing held to celebrate the event.
The events have been and will continue to be a great event to host to celebrate the Indigenous community, and if you or anyone you know is interested in participating in events like these, or being a bigger part of the indigenous community, visit Indigenous Services today.
