Lions Festival of Lights paves path toward reconciliation with teepee light display
CALGARY -
The Lions Festival of Lights will be bright and on display for Calgarians later this month, but a portion of the display will be built by Indigenous people.
The teepee display, which has been a feature at the event before, is a little different this year.
“We have the teepees as part of our display but we have never actually had the Indigenous people come and show us how to put them up properly,” said chair Otto Silzer.
“This was probably one of the most important things that we could do.”
The festival board says it reached out to the Calgary Stampede and it donated the poles for three teepees.
Silzer says the board felt it was necessary to invite Indigenous people to help with the setup of the display, following the discovery of unmarked graves earlier this year across the country.
Siksika Nation elder Herman Yellow Old Woman came to bless the display.
He says he was honoured to be invited.
“We have so many issues on our nations that affect our young people and our elders,” said Yellow Old Woman.
“Our tribes are finally staying to heal from this for hundreds of years we’ve been pushing it under the carpet and today we can no longer do that because it is exposed.”
The Festival of Lights will run from Nov. 27, 2021 to Jan.8, 2022 at Confederation Park.
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