We have invited several artists to transform what we have heard into a creative output.
Here are a few samples of what we have received so far. The artists’ work is continuous, braiding all the narratives into a shared story.
MOHKINSTSIS
By Sable Sweetgrass
Calgary,
born and raised,
I’m a Kainai, Awowakii mother and artist,
I’ve lived and worked in all four directions of this city.
Yet, it has always been very difficult to find space for myself.
Here,
Where my ancestors have called home since time immemorial
And if I grab a fist full of dirty and run it through my hands,
I feel millions of years pouring through my fingers.
Mohkinstsis,
Where the world began again,
After the great flood.
Before that there was only water and nowhere to set paw, claw, hoof or foot.
At the convergence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers
Where the duck dived deep into ancient waters,
Sacrificing its life to retrieve a bit of soil that would reset the earth
Providing firm foundation for life.
This land was the Garden of Innii and the birthplace of Blackfoot language and culture.
Nations gathered here for thousands of years to trade, make treat and celebrate connection.
Drums, dancing and singing, it has always been a cultural hot spot and a Music Centre.
This is where the Northwest Mounted Police built their fort,
Where Innii and Nitsitapii were diseased and dispossessed of freedom to live and give.
Millions of bison drank from these waters.
Now the only ones left are behind fences at the zoo across the river.
Despite disease, dispossession, devastation, oppression and assimilation, we are still here.
Nitsitapii are still here.
I am here.
And there is space for me.
I’ve made every quadrant of this city my home, moving from one room to the next.
I can see it all from my bench on top of Nose Hill where I make my offerings in the sacred stone circle on a Sunday morning.
This is where the land gave birth to life,
To an entire city full of people from every curve of Mother Earth.
There is the spot, right across the river from the tigers, gorillas, giraffes and penguins,
Inglewood, Bridgeland, Renfrew, Ramsey,
Where Making Treaty 7 made its debut performance.
Where I took to stage with Treat 7 artists to share our stories,
Of our evolution,
That is called,
Mohkinstsis.
