“Blackfoot people still have a very prominent position here in Sik-Ooh-Kotoki,” said Camina Weasel Moccasin, Indigenous curator at Galt Museum & Archives.
A message that will now have a permanent place with the opening of a new Blackfoot gallery at Fort Whoop-Up ¬¬– a site that holds a significant history for the Blackfoot people.
“It’s our version of why this Fort Whoop-Up was here, we always camped here, our ancestors always wintered in this area,” said Bryan Yellow Horn – Iikitsimokkitopi, one of 11 elders that helped develop the content for the gallery.
“For us to have a say in how our displays are, I think that’s what my grandfather and grandmothers always wanted, to tell our side of the story,” said Yellow Horn.
Weasel Moccasin explained it took six months of research and interviews to create the exhibit.
“The Niitsitapi culture and people were always referred to in the past, so that was one thing when I had developed the content, to make sure that we are talking about the history and traditions but also emphasize that they are still being practiced today.”
The exhibit uses a mixture of art, traditional tools, and stories to chart the Blackfoot livelihood.
“It was very important for me in writing the content that the Blackfoot people, the Blackfoot culture, was really being highlighted in a very positive, respectful way, and I think that really opens up this space as a space not only for learning but for interesting conversations and reconciliation to occur,” said Weasel Moccasin.
“My best part of my life is just to tell my grandfathers stories here so everybody can see and enjoy them and see the kind of life we had,” expressed Yellow Horn.
Unlike some exhibits, the Blackfoot Gallery now has a forever home at Fort Whoop-Up.