Category: Indigenous

Image: [Letter From Auila Productions], Nov. 29, 1996 (SPRA 007.04.18)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

The item we are highlighting this week is a letter by Mike Dodson, producer for Aquila Productions, to Peter Goertzen, regarding his plan for the Spirt of the Peace Promotional film, eventually named “Discover the Spirit of the Peace”. This letter in in the Spirit of the Peace fonds (fonds 007) and is available in its entirety on Alberta on Record. Dodson proposed that the principal narrator will be played as a Native elder, introducing the early history and each episode. This 1996 proposal imagines an Indigenous elder, yet the final production eventually would be performed by a non-Indigenous actor and the script will not be written by local Indigenous knowledge-keepers or elders. During the time this project was conceived, issues of cultural appropriation were not yet widely raised or debated, as they would be by the years following 2000.

The Discover the Spirit of the Peace film was featured in our Movie Monday blog series in late 2020. It is available to view and read about here.

Image: Letter to Dad from Stanley William Bird, 1918. (SPRA 0594.03)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

In the letter we are highlighting this week, Stanley William Bird writes from LaGlace to his father about the many rumours surrounding the sensational murder of seven men, the accused, and the money which allegedly motivated the murders. Bird also reports on the local wildlife, the 1 July Sports Day, and the participation of “Indians” in the events. He reports that he will also be going hunting with an Indigenous man, “Wi-Kit-sis”. The compete letter is available on Alberta on Record. It is part of the Stanley William Bird fonds (Fonds 594). Born in England, but raised in Saskatchewan, Bird returned to his Saskatchewan home after filing for a homestead in the Peace, but died of Spanish flu on Christmas Day, 1918.

Today we are self-conscious about using outdated terms are offensive or ethnocentric, revealing attitudes which are not acceptable. What understanding (however limited) of Indigenous life and people does this letter show? How has our contemporary knowledge and attitude improved today?

Photograph: Tipi Being Constructed, [1983]. (SPRA 0664.14.08.35)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is a vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work toward Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

This photograph is from the Bill Turnbull fonds (Fonds 664). It shows a tipi being constructed. There are additional poles laying on in ground. The photo was taken in July, during Universiade.

Universiade (a portmanteau of “University” and “Olympiad”) is an international multi-sport event held for university athletes and the second largest multi-sport event in the world. In 1983, when this photo was taken, the games were being held in Edmonton, Alberta. Over 2400 athletes from 73 countries participated. Associated celebrations often highlight the Indigenous cultures of the host country.

To view more digitized images of the Edmonton Universiade, visit Alberta on Record. Do you remember the games? Contact the Archives to share your memories!

Image: Grande Prairie Regional College, 1970 c. (SPRA 0190.02.01.0284.01)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

Designed by Douglas Cardinal, Canada’s distinguished Indigenous architect, Grande Prairie Regional College was begun in 1974, completed in 1976, in a setting evocative of the Indigenous rhythms of life and textures of the land itself. Cardinal’s design featured sinuous curves and brick carefully laid in a staggered pattern to break up the tendency to linearity which dominated non-Indigenous building. His work is known for its juxtaposition of water and his buildings.

Locate and assess other Cardinal projects, noting the hallmarks of his unique approach to design, and how he links it to Indigenous history and traditional culture. How has Cardinal’s vision influenced other Indigenous architecture since his career began in Alberta in the 1970s?

Image: [Kleskun Hills Park Tipi] (SPRA 002.05.02.221)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

This week, we are showcasing a photograph from the Beth Sheehan fonds (Fonds 002). The image, from 1999, shows a tipi in Kleskun Hills. The caption on the back of the photograph says “Teepee for rent $5 a night.”

Kleskun Hills has a rich history and deep sacred value to Indigenous communities. The name is believed to originate from the Beaver word for “white mud.” It has long been utilized by Indigenous peoples for gathering, hunting, burials, and other spiritual purposes. The region is Canada’s northernmost badlands ecosystem and home to one of the largest pieces of grassland remaining on “the grande prairie.” It is also home to a heritage museum, which was first established in 1993, and park managed by the County of Grande Prairie on behalf of the province.

Would you like to learn more about the Indigenous presence at Kleskun Hills or share your knowledge? Consider joining the Indigenous History Committee! Contact the Archives for more information.

Image: Treaty 8 Centennial Pamphlet, 1999 (SPRA 007.04.11)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

The item we are highlighting this week is a pamphlet from the Spirit of the Peace fonds (fonds 007). The Centennial Commemoration of Treaty 8 was a four-day event which combined a large gathering near Grouard, Alberta, Treaty signing re-enactment, dancing and other ceremonies by the Indigenous communities included in the Treaty District (who planned and directed the proceedings) and a two-day academic conference conducted by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, with papers presented by scholars and spokespersons from across Canada. The general theme of the gathering included commemoration of the federal government’s unfulfilled promises, and differing interpretations of the original agreement. The academic papers were published by Grande Prairie Regional Lobstick magazine (Volume 1), as Treaty 8 Revisited.

Examine the websites posted by the Treaty 8 tribal councils and see if they continue to assert their rights to the treaty being honoured more strictly by the government. Are the same disputes evident for Treaty 7 Indigenous councils?

Photograph: Wabasca Store, [1963]. (SPRA 0002.05.06.294)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is a vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work toward Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

This photograph is from the Beth Sheehan fonds (Fonds 002). It depicts children standing in the doorway of the J. H. Houle General Store in Wabasca, in 1963.

Wabasca, also known as Wabasca-Desmarais, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, approximately 123 km northeast of Slave Lake. The name ‘Wabasca’ originates from the Cree word wâpaskâw, meaning “white grass” the name for the Wabasca River. According to the 2016 census, the community is home to 1,406, largely Indigenous, individuals. Another 2,157 residents live on five reserves in the immediate surrounding area. Stores such as the J. H. Houle General Store were the nerve centres of many communities; central locations where people gathered to purchase needed items and share the news of the day.

To view more digitized images of Wabasca and area, visit Alberta on Record. Do you remember stores like this? Contact the Archives to share your memories!

Photograph: Grande Prairie Friendship Centre Float, July 1, 1992 (SPRA 019.02.01.1709.18)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

A feature of Canada Day Parades for over 30 years has been the float contributed by the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre, featuring children, and sometimes Elders and other leaders in traditional and more modern dance regalia. The Friendship Centre in Grande Prairie was founded in 1965 and has a provincial and national profile, offering a wide variety of programs from Headstart for children through to food banks, cultural events and Elder services. This week’s image is from the Panda Camera fonds (fonds 190). Paul Pivert’s photography firm, Panda Camera, was called upon to record many community events, mostly in the commerce and industry sector, but he made a point of covering parades, including images of Friendship Centre and any other Indigenous participants.

If you were to compare the images of all the parade Friendship Centre floats, what might the differences between the earliest floats and ones taken more recently suggest to you about growing awareness of self-representation in Grande Prairie and the Peace?

Image: Facsimile Copy of Treaty 8, 1899 (SPRA 007.04.09)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

The item we are highlighting today is a copy of Treaty # 8 from the Spirit of the Peace fonds (fonds 007). The original treaty is held by Library and Archives Canada.

In 1899 the final text of Treaty 8 was presented for signature by various chiefs and heads across the District by Commissioners from Ottawa, after consultation the preceding year.   A close reading of the final version of the Treaty reveals several divergences from the Report of the Commissioners of negotiations during the preceding year, leading to agreements made in face-to-face not being included in the actual Treaty. The conflicting versions of the Commissioner Report and the final text endorsed by the chiefs and headmen has led to claims of immunity to taxation, freedom from religious interference, as well as the unauthorized imposition of residential schools which have been the centre of subsequent court challenges from indigenous individuals and groups, all unsuccessful at this point.

Why would the Government of Canada not bring forward an exact record of the negotiations as the basis of the final text of the Treaty? Why not search and see if other Commissioner Reports for earlier treaties are not the same as the final text of those treaties?

Image: Lumber Mill on the Cutbank River and H.O.P. Lake, [2005] (SPRA 0630.06.14)

In 2020, the South Peace Regional Archives launched a major project, titled “Renaming the Past, Reclaiming Their Stories: Indigenous Records,” with financial support from Library and Archives Canada. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of and access to Indigenous-related records within the Archives’ collections: by re-appraising, describing or re-describing, and digitizing more than 300 records in 70 fonds. This project is vital step in the Archives’ ongoing work towards Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. We are now able to share these records with the community.

This week, we are showcasing a document from the Hodgson family fonds (Fonds 630). You can view of digitized copy of the document on Alberta on Record. The document appears to be part of a larger document as it is numbered page 28-30.

This textual record describes how Lea Hodgson and his father John left their farm in Hythe to create a lumber mill on the Cutbank River. It goes on the detail the history of the Mill. The second section in this document is called H.O.P. Lake. This section describes how Lea and his friends “discovered” H.O.P Lake (later, One Island Lake). According to the story, the key to the discovery was “handed to him” by an Indigenous trapper who frequently stopped in the area. The trapper had told Lea about a lake that “could be found by following the moccasin trail, a beautiful lake of clean as crystal water, with a good beach, a lake surrounded by tall pine trees, a lake full of [rainbow trout].” The lake was later surveyed by the British Columbia land offices and divided into private properties.

Like many resources of the South Peace. One Island Lake was known to Indigenous peoples long before the arrival of non-Indigenous trappers and settlers. Although this traditional knowledge is often unacknowledged in settler narratives, it is credited in this document: the lake was “as far as Lea knew…undiscovered by white man.” This story shows the continued knowledge-sharing from Indigenous peoples to non-Indigenous settlers well into the twentieth century. It also shows the establishment of private and government control over the rich natural lands which had been utilized by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.