When Joely Bigeagle-Kequahtooway walks down Dewdney Avenue, she’s reminded of an oppressive past.
Edgar Dewdney was the Indian commissioner of Canada in the late 19th century. His harsh policies included withholding rations from indigenous people to force them to settle on reserves.
“He was one of the right hand men to Prime Minister Macdonald, so he was very influential, but he was also very detrimental to First Nations and Metis people,” Bigeagle-Kequahtooway, Buffalo People Arts Institute co-founder, said.
“He did some things that need to be acknowledged today,” she said.
“In recognizing that history and the trauma, we need to talk about changing Dewdney Avenue to something more suitable to recognize the true history of this place.”
Bigeagle-Kequahtooway wants the name of the street changed to Buffalo Avenue.
“They were here first,” she said.
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Changing the name of the street is a tangible step the city can take in a time of truth and reconciliation, Bigeagle-Kequahtooway said.
“Change is difficult, but a street name change is something that’s doable. Businesses can change their stationery, they can change their address, and we can all move forward,” she said.
Bigeagle-Kequahtooway also wants to see the North Central area renamed Buffalo Meadows.
“There’s no other parts of the city called south, central or east central, so I’m not really sure where North Central came from, and if we’re going to have a nickname to describe my neighbourhood, I’d rather it’d be Buffalo Meadows,” she said.
Meanwhile, Solomon Ratt, an associate professor in Cree Language Studies at First Nations University, is trying to revive the Cree language by calling for translations on street signs in North Central.
“Language has our culture in it. Language is so important to promoting our culture and keeping our cultures alive,” Solomon Ratt, Cree Language Studies Associate Professor at First Nations University, said.
Chinatown has had Chinese translations on its signs since the late eighties, according to the city.
“I think that’s kind of unfair. We’ve been here longer, for one thing, and I think there’s more of us First Nations people here in the city,” Ratt said.
Dana Turgeon, the city’s historical information and preservation supervisor, said Cree street signs are a possibility.
“Other jurisdictions have done it before. We have the capability to make signs like that,” Turgeon said.
“We would need probably consultation with the public because there are a number of language groups in the Treaty 4 area, so we would want to make sure we were being sensitive to everyone’s requests.”
After an application is filed, city staff will talk to residents and businesses who might be affected and then write a report, Turgeon said.
The report will go to the city planning committee, and from there, it will be up to city council to make a final decision, she said.
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