Indigenous perspectives added to Col. James Macleod statue at Fort Calgary

Three panels, each telling a story of the land and its people, sit atop the rocks surrounding the statue of Col. James Macleod at Fort Calgary.

"I liked the idea personally as an artist of old and new and traditional and contemporary," said Sikapinakii Low Horn, the artist behind the panels that make up the exhibit.

Their idea was to create a body of work that ties together the storied history of the land by using images, symbols and colours.

Titled Innai'tsiyiyaawa, which is Blackfoot for "They Made Treaty," the exhibit puts Chief Crowfoot and the Blackfoot people at the centre of narratives about the lands at Fort Calgary and the signing of Treaty 7.

Teepees depict unity within community, the Métis flag resembles those who live on the land and a contrast of vibrant colours and darker shades are intended to show the difference between what Low Horn called Crowfoot's perceived enlightenment and Macleod's hidden agenda while signing the treaty. 

"The idea initially is [that] there is this very old colonial statue, but it'll be surrounded by these new panels created by a Blackfoot artist," Low Horn said.

"In a sense, it's a much more respectful way to highlight that history from an Indigenous perspective."

The birthplace of Calgary

Fort Calgary is widely recognized as a layered place with multiple histories. Located where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet in Treaty 7 territory, the place now known as the Fort Calgary National Historic Site has had a central role in both older and more recent histories of the region.

The land was a natural gathering place to hunt, trade and hold ceremonies. With its natural topography and social significance, it was where the North West Mounted Police built Fort Calgary in 1875. 

It was recognized as a National Historic Site in 1925 but served as a train yard until 1975, when the lands were bought by the City of Calgary.

"People have been connecting with this land since time immemorial — so much longer than the brief period when the North West Mounted Police were stationed here," said Fort Calgary president Jennifer Thomson.

"We're working with individuals, communities and artists like Sikapinakii to share stories that offer a more complete and truthful version of history."

Thompson noted the organization didn't speak specifically to RCMP veterans about the Macleod statue and that they really wanted to provide a Blackfoot narrative related to the statue.

Layers of history

The statue of Macleod at Fort Calgary was commissioned by the Calgary division of the RCMP Veterans' Association.

It was donated and became the property of the City of Calgary, according to Al Habberfield, the president of the division. The purpose of the monument, and the buildings in the area, was to tell stories of a number of groups.

"The RCMP vets have no issues whatsoever with the installation and in fact welcome the installations," he said in a written statement.

The exhibit is part of Fort Calgary's direction to tell untold or lesser-known histories that have been left out of the site's narrative until recently, Thomson said.

"One side of the story just in Fort Calgary's history has been really focused on and what we're trying to do now, going forward, is explore all other perspectives, in particular Indigenous perspectives," she said.

"Blackfoot perspectives of what that land has meant and what the history of it is."