But, just before that event, the university received significant ceremonial items from Elders Reg and Rose Crowshoe that will allow ii' taa'poh to'p to conduct its own celebrations.
President Ed McCauley, Carol Gelette, Elder Rose Crowshoe, Elder Reg Crowshoe, Niigaan Sinclair and Michael Hart at 2025's Journey Update. Photo Credit: Riley Brandt
The Crowshoes gifted in ceremony a tripod, pipe, cutting board and hanging parfleche bag that were accepted by Dr. Michael Hart, PhD, vice-provost (Indigenous Engagement), and Carol Gelette, operations manager of the Office of Indigenous Engagement, on behalf of the university.
Prior to receiving these gifts, the university would have to ask Elders to borrow such items for Indigenous ceremonies. Now, UCalgary can use the gifts to conduct its own ceremonies and events for years to come.
"We are very grateful for the ceremonial gifts given to us by Elders Reg and Rose Crowshoe. Ceremony on campus is an important part of our continued parallel paths journey," says Hart.
The gifts and their meanings
In Blackfoot ceremonies, the tripod, pipe, cutting board and hanging parfleche bag all play important roles.
The tripod is a crucial part of Blackfoot ceremony and is used to hold key ceremonial elements such as the parfleche bag and pipe.
The pipe is used in ceremony and, in Blackfoot culture, the pipe has been considered a way to strengthen connection between the human and spirit world. It is also used as a "contractual seal" or validation.
"Let us say I wanted to make a deal with you for your property, and I would take tobacco from the beaver bundle, mix a little with regular tobacco, fill that pipe and give you that pipe and then make my request," Reg Crowshoe, Hon. LLD'01, said in a 2021 interview. "If you choose to smoke the pipe, we have now entered a legal, contractual agreement under the legislation of the beaver bundle."
The pipe is also smoked during events like UCalgary's annual Tea Dance ceremony to validate the annual report for ii' taa'poh'to'p.
The hanging parfleche bag, often made from rawhide and called the bundle, holds the vision and mission (i.e., strategy and annual reports). During the Journey Update, the prior year's report is removed from the bundle and the new report replaces it. The cutting board is used to prepare the tobacco for the pipe.
The importance of ceremony
"Ceremony on campus is an extremely important part of walking in parallel paths," says Reg Crowshoe. "When we meet in ceremony, we become relatives. The new ceremonial elements will help UCalgary continue its journey."
ii' taa'poh'to'p, the University of Calgary's Indigenous Strategy, is a commitment to deep evolutionary transformation by reimagining ways of knowing, doing, connecting and being. Walking parallel paths together, "in a good way," UCalgary is moving toward genuine reconciliation and Indigenization.
