by Anne Burke
As I write, it is Calgary Aboriginal Awareness Week. In 1979, the Native Urban Affairs Committee was established to represent Aboriginal issues and concerns. In 1987, the name was changed to the Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee. I was contacted by a grade nine Math and Social Studies teacher who wanted to plan a tour of Nose Hill by a First Nations guide. There are a few documents related to the protocol for inviting Indigenous Elders. If you are in the Calgary area and need to connect with an Elder or Knowledge Keeper, you can consult the City of Calgary Indigenous Collaboration policy or the CBE Indigenous Education Protocol for local guidance. In First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, the Elders are leaders, teachers, role models, and mentors. The CBE Indigenous Education team has kept wisdom and teachings shared orally from Elders and community Knowledge Keepers for several years. The CBE document represents a summary of those teachings. It also includes knowledge gained from other organizations and districts. The Alberta Teachers Association offers a guide to accompany the Association’s Stepping Stones, Truth and Reconciliation resources. Crystal Manyfingers and her family are all members of the Kainai Nation of the great Blackfoot Confederacy who signed Treaty 7 in 1877. Crystal holds a B.A., B.Ed., and a Master’s degree in Education (Adult and Workplace Learning) from the University of Calgary. She has written numerous magazine articles, published a children’s book, and was awarded the Faculty of the Year Award for 2020 from Bow Valley College as a Learning Design Consultant for Indigenization and Decolonization of Curriculum, Research, and Innovation. Crystal serves on the Board of Directors for the Calgary Public Library as well as the Alberta Library Trustees Association.
