Previous blanket event
March 3rd, 2022
- BY JENNIFER ARGUE, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On March 11th, the Kairos Blanket Exercise is coming to Nokomis’ Centennial Hall. The exercise is an interactive learning experience to “learn from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers” the history of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples. It explores “the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the land we now know as Canada.”
Mary Smillie is a nurse, farmer and facilitator who will be co-facilitating the exercise with Maryann Napope, a multigenerational residential school survivor and social worker who provided support for people testifying in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as well as podcaster.
Smillie came to facilitate through her work with the Treaty Land Sharing Network. She explained the network is “farmers and ranchers and people who hold title to rural land who have come together to share their land as treaty intended.” She explained, “The treaties were written 150 years ago and they were agreed upon by First Nations and what we know as Canada and the Crown. And the deal was that Indigenous folks didn’t give up the land. They signed an agreement that said that they would share the land to the depth of a plow so that Indigenous people could continue their Indigenous ways of hunting and gathering and roaming the land, and farmers could farm it. But two years after treaty four was signed the Indian Act came into play, and so we settlers have never lived up to our half of that bargain.”
Leon McNab is a Knowledge Keeper from the George Gordon First Nation who works with the Touchwood Tribal Council. This is the first Kairos Blanket Exercise he has attended, and he feels the exercise is an important function and considers it a teaching tool to promote awareness of the First Nations People. “For us to pass some of our history on is what we would like to get out of it...I think it would be an opportunity to have a little bit of discussion in the treaty areas…The treaty right of First Nations people and what was part of history on signing of those treaties. And what the signing entitled our First Nations people to. We just want to be part of that education process.”
Mayor David Mark said school Principal Kaylie Hendry first approached Council about the exercise. “ [She] met with Council to encourage us on our own path to reconciliation to investigate hosting a blanket exercise in the community. It’s a good first step.” Looking back at his own experiences, Mark is encouraged by the development he’s seen over the years “...as we mature and become more truthful...Now here we are making connections with First Nations groups through the museum to Kawakatoose and Gordons First Nation; The blanket exercise will be the first step towards us as a town coming up with our own land acknowledgement and then ultimately flying the treaty flag on our own flag pole at the Town office - as a recognition of our role and also the importance of being represented and seen. Also for those community members that are First Nations, or Metis to see Towns like Nokomis take steps in this direction means a lot to them as well.”
Wendy Rue is with the Nokomis Museum and has been helping to bring together Elders from the neighbouring communities of George Gordon, Kawakatoose, Day Star and Muskowekwan First Nations. She said when the museum decided to add an Indigenous exhibit to their collection, they consulted with Elders from neighbouring First Nations, hosting a pow-wow at the regional park. She is excited by the participation of a number of Elders and Knowledge Keepers coming to Nokomis for the exercise and the future unveiling of a mural painted by mural artist Kevin Peeace. She said the 8 x 8 mural is an enlargement of a map in the book The Touchwood Hills People: Our Land written by Bill Strongarm that depicts the seasonal migratory path of the areas First Nations. “They used to go down to Touchwood Hills, they used to go down the lake to Regina Beach to fish and then they used to come to the north end here to hunt and over by the bird sanctuary, so there are all kinds of sacred lands all over the place that we don’t know about and I think that it’s important that we do.”
“We will try to outline some of the areas our people have utilized those areas to the west of us for hunting, gathering..and we are part of those areas as First Nations poeple. We travelled into Nokomis, Watrous areas. The lake has a spiritual background for our First Nations people,” said McNab.
The town is encouraging pre-registration for the Kairos Blanket Exercise, people can contact the Town office at 306-528-2010 or by email at townofnokomis@sasktel.net
