Amidst conversations about Truth and Reconciliation, artsPlace continued to provide relevant and responsive opportunities to tackle tough topics, building a resilient and more connected community.
The Îyârhe Nakoda Youth Exhibition brought Stoney Nakoda youth, Elders, and respected community members together to honour their ancestors and their connection to this sacred land through art. As Nicole Fougère, Programs Director at artsPlace, says, it started with an idea.
“We received requests from Elders in the community and leadership at the Exshaw School, including the amazing Genevieve Soler,” says Nicole. They wanted to ensure stories of the land were passed down to the next generation, and inspire the youth to express those stories through art.
Through the program, Grade 5 students at Exshaw School had the opportunity to learn on the land alongside Stoney Nakoda Elders and respected community members at Star6 Ranch in Kananaskis. They learned about traditional medicine, played games in the forest, and walked along the Bow River. After each day of outdoor learning, they sat around a fire to listen to stories about the places they had just been.
Some of the stories were true retellings of memories and some were oral histories that had been passed down through generations, says Nicole, who describes a powerful moment. “I was sitting beside Phillomene Stevens when Virgle Stephens asked all of the students to stand up and introduce themselves.
"They were recognizing their lineage and announcing themselves to the land,” she recalls. “Both Phillomene and I felt a hush come over the circle. A different energy, a different feeling, a different sense of meaning.”
"We sat in a circle and the spirits came. They touched all the children and helped the children listen with their hearts. It was so beautiful," says Phillomene Stevens, Stoney Nakoda Elder.
“It was deeply, deeply moving to be in circle with Elders and kids together on the land,” says Nicole. Travis Rider, artsPlace Indigenous Liaison, agrees.
“Stories are how we pass on who we are as a people. Seeing the children's faces light up when they heard a certain story about the land, you could tell that they were inspired by what they were hearing. Witnessing that in itself was an honour," says Travis.
Reflecting on their experience, the students worked with interdisciplinary Canadian artist Janice Tanton to create paintings. Some depicted landscapes and some, interpretations of stories they had heard.
Meanwhile, Grade 7 and 8 students from Exshaw School were invited to learn about the signing of Treaty 7, the last of the numbered treaties made between the Government of Canada and the Plains First Nations. After researching its history, the students asked their Elders critical questions about the circumstances surrounding the agreement.
The Elders, including Una Wesley, struggled to find their words under the weight and pain of its legacy, recalls Nicole. “There was a moment when Una's face cleared, and she said, ‘I know what I wanna tell you: you be the survivors and save the tribe. That’s what is in my heart to say to you today.’”
Standing a little taller after that discussion, the students travelled to Wiyethka baha, otherwise known as Blackfoot Crossing, where Treaty 7 was signed. With the mentorship of digital storyteller Kristy Wolfe, they documented their experience through photography.
When the exhibition opened on National Indigenous Peoples Day, 80 artistic works including paintings, photographs, and sculptures (created out of the Stoney Nakoda Heroes project in 2019), adorned the walls of the HUB Gallery.
Seeing the artworks in the gallery signalled to Travis that the students were listening.
“I was awed by the way the children had brought the stories to life on paper. It was very touching and humbling at the same time,” he says.
“The next generation of storytellers have heard what we told them. And when it's time for them to tell those stories, they're going to remember the point in time when we all sat on the land telling those stories to them," he says.
