SAIT is proud to announce a compelling S.T.A.R. (SAIT Truth and Reconciliation) Event Series to reflect our commitment to fostering an inclusive and culturally-sensitive learning environment. This initiative holds immense importance as it allows us to engage in meaningful conversations, gain deeper insights into Indigenous and Canadian histories, experiences and perspectives, and take meaningful steps toward healing and understanding.
All SAIT students and employees are invited to attend the events, which have been scheduled over lunchtime from Friday, Sept. 22 to Wednesday, Oct. 4. Spots are limited and registration closes three days prior to each session.
List of events:
September 22 – Speaker Series: Commemoration of the Signing Anniversary of Treaty 7
On September 22, 1877, Blackfoot Crossing Treaty 7 was signed between the Crown and the First Nations of the area: Blackfoot (Kainai, Piikani, Siksika), Tsuut’ina (Dene) and Stoney Nakoda (Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney). When Treaty Seven was signed, it became the last in a series of agreements concluded between the Government of Canada and the First Nations of the North-West. More than twenty years would pass before another treaty was made. Treaties were viewed by the Crown as real estate deals and interpreted by the First Nations as peace and friendship agreements and a way to coexist.
Attendees are invited to attend a talk from Treaty 7 members about the impacts of the treaties, the broken promises, current realities and titles upheld from the treaty signing process.
12 - 12:50 pm | AA 102, Heritage Hall | Registration deadline Sept. 18, 2023
September 25 – Survivors’ Flag Raising Ceremony
The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada. Each element depicted on the flag was carefully selected by Survivors from across Canada, who were consulted in the flag’s creation.
The Survivors’ flag will be raised on SAIT’s main campus at Heritage Hall for the first time after it is blessed by Piikani Nation Elder and residential school survivor, Betty Crazyboy, in recognition of the SAIT Truth and Reconciliation Event Series. An honour song from a Treaty 7 drummer will follow the raising as a dance is offered in recognition of the Survivors, their families and the children that never made it home.
SAIT community members are welcome to bear witness to this historic commitment as we take this step forward in the journey toward reconciliation and indigenization on campus.
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to purchase an orange shirt form the SAIT Bookstore with proceeds raised going to contribute to the Kohkom’s Indigenous Student Emergency Bursary fund.
12 - 12:50 pm | Flagpoles Outside of Heritage Hall | Registration deadline Sept. 21, 2023
September 26 – Survivors’ Series: The Voices of Children who Survived Indian Residential School
“It’s not just a part of who we are as Survivors —it’s a part of who we are as a nation.” National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
In the path forward to reconciliation, the truth of what was experienced by the children who attended the residential school system and the intergenerational impacts on their families, communities and nation are an important part of the healing process. During this event, Elders and Survivors’ from Treaty 7 will be sharing their stories with the campus community in the Irene Lewis Atrium.
This event will begin in ceremony with an opening blessing and smudge to commemorate healing and celebrate the culture and spirituality that colonialism tried to defeat. Elders will take turns in sharing their stories with the community as medicines are offered in the smudge pan. A short reflection period with a questions and answers session will conclude the event.
Mental health support from Student Development and Counseling will be available for attendees. The Indian Residential Schools crisis line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress due to their residential school experience, 1.866.925.4419.
12 -1:30 pm | Irene Lewis Atrium, Stan Grad Centre | Registration deadline Sept. 22, 2023
September 27 – Métis: The Forgotten People
The Métis were referred to by some as the “forgotten people” because, after the 1885 Northwest Resistance and until the 1980s, they were not on the national radar. That changed with constitutional recognition and a number of court cases that brought Métis issues into the national spotlight. Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, recognizes and affirms the existing Indigenous and treaty rights of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.
Enjoy tea and bannock while hearing from a Métis Nation citizen and activist.
Métis supports and services will be offered in Natoysopoyiis including Métis Nation of Alberta membership applications and renewals, RIEL Institute for Education and Learning and Rupertsland information booths.
12 - 12:50 pm | AA 102, Heritage Hall | Registration deadline Sept. 23, 2023
September 28 – Orange Shirt Day and Every Child Matters March
On Thursday, Sept. 28, the campus community will be commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as we gather to march in orange shirts to symbolize that “Every Child Matters.” SAIT students, employees and community members are encouraged to wear an orange shirt and meet at noon outside of Heritage Hall. A Treaty 7 Elder will begin the event with an opening blessing and smudge. Flag bearers will carry the Canada, Alberta, Treaty 7, Métis, Inuit and Every Child Matters flags followed by drummers and dancers leading the community in a march across campus to Natoysopoyiis. Once the march ends attendees are invited to enjoy an orange cupcake in the atrium of Natoysopoyiis in honour of the children who never got to celebrate their birthdays while attending residential school.
Please note: registration is not needed for this event.
October 2 – Two-Spirit Peoples Identity Speakers Series
“Two-Spirit” is a term used within some Indigenous communities, encompassing cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity.
The term reflects complex Indigenous understandings of gender roles, spirituality and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. Individual terms and roles for Two-Spirit people are specific to each nation.
Before colonization, Two-Spirit people were included and respected as valued community members, often holding revered roles such as healers, matchmakers and counsellors, among many others. As part of the colonization process, there has been an attempted erasure of Two-Spirit people. The western religious values and belief systems that were imposed on Indigenous people condemned any sort of sexual or gender diversity, and Two-Spirit people were killed or forced into assimilation and hiding. One of many lasting impacts of colonization on Two-Spirit people, is an increased level of homophobia and transphobia within many Indigenous communities, which can often cause Two-Spirit people to leave their home communities (and subsequently, their families, land and culture).
The role of Two-Spirit people in Indigenous communities is now being reclaimed. Come and learn from a panel of Two-Spirit leaders from Treaty 7 and Moh’kinstsis (Calgary).
12 - 12:50 pm | AA 102, Heritage Hall | Registration deadline Sept. 26, 2023
October 3 – Speaker Series: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit Peoples
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two-volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.
The Final Report is comprised of the truths of more than 2,380 family members, survivors of violence, experts and Knowledge Keepers shared over two years of cross-country public hearings and evidence gathering. It delivers 231 individual Calls for Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians.
As documented in the Final Report, testimony from family members and survivors of violence spoke about a surrounding context marked by multigenerational and intergenerational trauma and marginalization in the form of poverty, insecure housing or homelessness and barriers to education, employment, health care and cultural support. Experts and Knowledge Keepers spoke to specific colonial and patriarchal policies that displaced women from their traditional roles in communities and governance and diminished their status in society, leaving them vulnerable to violence.
This speaker session will be led by surviving family members and advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited Peoples.
An independent, national, toll-free murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls support call line is available to support anyone who requires assistance. This line is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 1.844.413.6649
12 - 12:50 pm | AA 102, Heritage Hall | Registration deadline Sept. 27, 2023
For more information, reach out to Steve Kootenay-Jobin with the Chinook Lodge Resource Centre. Your involvement will play a significant role in contributing to the vital process of reconciliation and bridge-building.