This Elder Protocol project is centered on Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. As the facilitator of this project, I have been blessed to work with our Calgary based Elders, knowledge holders and partner Cultural Mediators to make this happen. I am merely the gatherer of stories, and share the wisdom and words with you in hopes of fostering the ethical space where we can make our community stronger together. – Monique Fry, Xwchíyò:m Band, Stó:lō Nations
First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge the Creator, our ancestors and those who will come after us as providing the sense of spirit and intent for this work. We also would like to acknowledge that this project is centred on the Treaty 7 First Nation territories shared by the Blackfoot Confederacy- Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai, the Tsuut’ina Nation, Stoney Nakoda and the peoples of the Metis Nation who also call Mohkintsis their home.
This document is not meant to be a prescriptive piece that will teach you how to engage with Indigenous Elders in a step-by-step format. This is meant to set the stage for community to build relationships and understand what each other’s roles are in that relationship. It is a very difficult task that we have to put the wisdom and knowledge that we shared in circle together over the year into words on a paper. Given the unique and diverse makeup of our community in Calgary and our Elders, we sought to provide a perspective that highlights the universality of their spirits, knowledge and ways of living.