Aboriginal Program Students Take Field Trip to Blackfoot Crossing - Susan Lemmer

 On October 30^th the students and instructors in the Aboriginal Program embarked on a journey to Blackfoot Crossing, an international historical and archeological site of the Blackfoot people. This is the original site where the Treaty 7 signing took place between the Canadian government and the Blackfoot Confederacy in the year 1877.  Blackfoot Crossing is approximately 100 kilometres east of Calgary, near the town of Cluny.

  Upon arriving, we entered a beautiful 62,000 square foot eco-friendly museum.   Initially, our Siksika tour guide showed us a short 10 minute video outlining the history and culture of the Blackfoot people.  We, then, were given a tour of the four main teepees, structures which represent the four themes of the Blackfoot people, creation, survival, celebration and storytelling.   Each teepee included a talk from our tour guide explaining several aspects of the culture, along with large pictures depicting the way of life of the Blackfoot people.  In the survival teepee our guide explained how the Blackfoot people survived on berries, small animals, in addition, the many uses of sweet grass.  (Sweet grass is used today by our elders Dila and Doris in our weekly smudges.) In the Survival teepee our tour guide explained the history of the Sundance, which, is still practiced by the Blackfoot in present times.  We enthusiastically took part in the variety of ways the information was conveyed from artifacts to interactive displays. Student, Robin Alexis stated she particularly enjoyed the interactive language centre, where she could actually learn some Blackfoot words, along with seeing a copy of the actual Treaty 7 displayed. 

 After the tour, the students engaged in a traditional lunch of fry bread and bannock. Many of the students took advantage of the diverse geographical landscape and walked along the beautiful trails which show a variety of landmarks, which include Chief Crowfoot’s last to last tipi and burial site. An experience of the culture of the Blackfoot People is certainly one to be enjoyed by everybody.