Home All Programs Walking With Indigenous Communities ARPA’s Action Map
On Wednesday, October 25th at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, in Lake Louise*, Alberta, ARPA Board of Directors and Staff came together with Indigenous Elders and partners to officially acknowledge the WWIC: ARPA’s Action Map as an official document of the organization by way of a traditional Pipe Ceremony led by Blackfoot Elder and Traditional Knowledge Keeper, Dr. Clarence Wolfleg.
This action map identifies 10 key actions that will guide our reconciliation work so that we can move forward together in a good way with Indigenous Elders and communities. Watch the webinar and read the Action Map below!
*Horâ Juthin Îmne (Traditional Stoney Nakoda name for Lake Louise) which translates to “Lake of the little fishes” – We’d like to thank our partners from Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta for sharing this teaching with us.
Listen as Janet Naclia, ARPA Director of People & Programs, Elder Diane Meguinis (Tsuut’ina), and Maddison Drader, Communities ChooseWell Program Officer of Events & Education, unpack the Walking With Indigenous Communities (WWIC): ARPA’s Action Map.
Presenters share the history of the Action Map, discuss parallels made to honour the Indigenous oral perspective, and highlight tangible examples of the map in action. This session also answers any questions our membership might have on its creation and use by ARPA.
As taught to us by the Elders we work with in the Treaty 7 area, a Pipe Ceremony is a formal, traditional practice that is equivalent to the western way of taking a vow or an oath. It is standard protocol that is used to acknowledge important processes, events and/or milestones in an oral way. In front of the Elders, each key action of the WWIC: ARPA’s Action Map was read aloud by ARPA staff, board members and partners to validate our commitment to reconciliation and collaboration. The Pipe was then passed around in a circle to signify completion of this process, rather than signing a physical document. The photo above serves as a signature witness to acknowledge the creation of the WWIC Action Map.
We humbly thank the following Elders and partners for their knowledge, wisdom, teachings and partnership that have allowed this historical moment to happen:
The Alberta Recreation & Parks Association would like to acknowledge the First Nations, the Métis, the Inuit and all of the people across Alberta who share a history and a deep connection with this land. We dedicate ourselves to moving forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.