What do the numbers
113, 51, 137 and 151 mean? I saw these
hundred foot tall white numbers on the side of a high ridge in the southwest of
Calgary recently. I learned that the
numbers are made of 16,000 rocks that have been painted white and the area is
called Battalion Park. The 113 geoglyph
was created in 1916 as part of a training exercise for soldiers from the 113th
Lethbridge Highland Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
preparing to fight in World War 1.
In the summer of 1914,
the Canadian government “leased” (read confiscated) a section of the Sarcee Indian
Reserve to build a training camp. Over
the duration of the war 45,000 soldiers from 30 units trained at what became
known as Sarcee Camp. The camp
boundaries were marked with stones that the soldiers carried in sacks from the
Bow River in the bottom of the valley, up to the camp two kilometers away. Some of the soldiers also created giant numbers
to represent their units. Many were
small but four units created gigantic ones.
Over time, the prairie
reclaimed the rocks and what they signified until in the 1990’s the geoglyphs were revitalized. The 113 is in it’s original spot and the numbers
from the 137th Infantry Battalion of Calgary, the 151st
Infantry Battalion of Alberta and the 51st Canadian Infantry
Battalion were moved to join the 113.
The rocks were painted white, covered with wire mesh and are now maintained
to honour those Albertans whose served in WW1.
They have become a highly visible part of Calgary’s story.
We continued on our way
past the geoglyphs to our planned destination which was the Tsuut’ina Nation
(formerly Sarcee Indian Reserve) to visit the Museum there. The Tsuut’ina Nation is the only Dene
speaking nation in Treaty 7 territory. Treaty
7 was made in 1877 between the Chiefs of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Kainai,
Siksika, Pikanii), Stoney Nakoda (Bearspaw, Chiniki, Wesley), the Tsuut’ina
Nation and the Crown. Chief Bullhead
from the Tsuut’ina Nation was the only leader to be able to negotiate the exact
location of the reserve for his people in 1883. In 1885, the Canadian
government enacted a pass system that prevented the previously nomadic peoples
from leaving reserves without permission.
This system lasted 60 years. Over the years, the Tsuut’ina Nations’s
land has been reduced by confiscation or purchase for various reasons. Calgary has sprawled up to the borders of the
Nation and a section of the ring road that circles the city, now passes through
the Nation. The Tsuut’ina are adapting
to this further intrusion by creating many economic projects to benefit the
Nation demonstrating their
resiliency and strength.
Land from the Tsuut’ina
Nation was first confiscated in 1910 for military training exercises. In 1914 Sarcee Camp was built on this land
to train soldiers for WW1. In 1921, the
Department of Indian Affairs agreed to a 100-year military lease on lands in
the northeast corner of the Reserve. Some
of these “leased” lands have since been returned but are now so toxic from
exploded artillery shells and other military poisons that the land is
unsuitable for any purpose.
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We found the Museum down a gravel road. The beautiful blue building was surrounded by a high security fence with three rows of angled barbed wire at the top. Inside the museum were many cultural items and artifacts that told the story of the Tsuut’ina which means “beaver people” and “many people” (https://tsuutina.com/ ). Story robes were used in the past to record the history of the Tsuut’ina. These large tanned buffalo hides were painted with pictures denoting battles and raids between the Tsuut’ina and the Cree and the stories of Tsuut’ina leaders such as Chief Bullhead. They are read from the bottom up. One story robe is on display at the museum. Two others are housed at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Glenbow Museum in downtown Calgary. Beautiful regalia is displayed in glass cabinets as well as artifacts such as wooden and leather saddles, arrowheads, tools, moss bags for carrying children and clothing as well as preserved animals and birds from the region.
The arrival of horses with Europeans changed
the lifestyle of the Tsuut’ina. They
adapted to these new animals and used them for hunting and carrying heavy
objects as they moved through the vast territories of the plains. This seems to
me, to be a good example of Two Eyed Seeing as is the economic adaptation. There was also a cabinet in the Museum dedicated to the members of the Nation who
fought in WW1 and WW2. Those veterans that returned
were not given any government benefits unless they gave up their Indian status which meant they could not live on the Reserve again or be members of their Nation. This was known ironically as “enfranchisement”. It was just one more way that the Canadian government sought to assimilate Indigenous Peoples. The veterans from Tsuut'ina Nation are however honoured in this
Museum.
I have seen Indigenous
artifacts in museums before, but this was the first time that I had been in their
presence on the land where they belonged, being cared for by the descendants of
the people who created them instead of them being housed by people who’s
ancestors looted and stole the items.
This was a new experience for me.
If felt like an honour to be able to be in the presence of these
cultural treasures where they were honoured and where they belonged. Seeing these objects in a colonial museum always
feels wrong to me.
As we drove back home
past the geoglyphs in Battalion Park, I thought about who gets to tell their
story and how. The stones on the hill
are out in the open and displayed with pride on land that was confiscated from
the Tsuut’ina. The cultural items in the
Tsuut’ina Culture/Museum have to be protected by a high fence and barbed wire
that speaks of the threat of vandalism or destruction. This speaks to me of the continued racism
that is still a part of the fabric of Canadian society. We have much decolonizing work yet to
do. We need more space within ourselves to hold and honour the stories of everyone. It may take more effort to hear the stories of people who are under threat from mainstream society. However, all these stories can inform us and lead to further steps of reconciliation.
