Photo courtesy Erika Rolling

By Erika Rolling

Kleskun Hills

New signage installed at Kleskun Hills meant to teach about Indigenous land and history

Jun 21, 2022 | 4:08 PM

An idea stemming from a road trip between two friends has now turned into a way to let people learn about Indigenous stories in our region.

The In My Backyard Society, a Grande Prairie, non-profit organization made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies, has made it possible for this and future generations to keep stories about the land alive through reconciliation.

Signage with illustrations of native plants and animals as well as information on the Sacred Burial Grounds and the Beaver Peoples is now up at Kleskun Hills, near Bezanson.

An unveiling was held on National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21, 2022), with Grade 2 students from Whispering Ridge Community School getting the first look at the new signs and teachings by Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers.

Kate Weber, President of the In My Backyard Society, says it’s important for people to know about where they live and ask questions to learn more about our land’s history.

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“We just want to help people jump the question hurdle in their learning about this land and bring reconciliation into our community with real, tangible stories from Elders using proper protocol to gather, offering them tobacco and honorariums, listening and learning and not just taking from those communities anymore but trying to give back in the form of relationship… which is really the roots of reconciliation,” she says.

There are multiple signs around Kleskun Hills, Weber says “there’s a land acknowledgment at the beginning of the park, and it states who was here and why it’s important and why we need to be grateful and reverent when we come here.”

“These are medicine places, sacred places… there’ are grave sites here, so we have to treat it as such.”

“We tried our best to put them in different languages. (The) Beaver language is almost extinct, so we had a really hard with that one, but we took the stories that were gifted to us that we have permission to share and turn them into beautiful art pieces,”

Weber says the stories on the signs all come from Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers in the area.

“Reconciliation moving forward is going to be through children. They really are the future of what our country looks like and if they can start picking it up when they are 6, 7, or 8 years old, I have so much hope for the future.”

Weber says reconciliation needs to be “an ‘us’ story moving forward, out of dark times and into a new version of what it can look like.”

The In My Backyard Society’s first steps to keeping Indigenous stories alive at Kleskun Hills is now available. The society is wanting to expand its reach in places such as; Pipestone Creek and Muskoseepi Park Weber suggests.

SEE MORE: Project looking to bring Indigenous history to Grande Prairie area outdoor spaces