CALGARY,
ALBERTA—
Calgary
Stampede's Indian Village gives visitors a chance to take
a peek into the heritage and lifestyle of Plains Indians.
Beautifully decorated teepees, where families actually live
in traditional style during Stampede, are open for viewing.
Outside, dance and craft demonstrations go on all day.
We
watched a woman make bannock, a native bread, and then stayed
for the Teepee Raising Contest, a timed, round robin tournament
that continues throughout Stampede. We watched two four-member
teams begin with poles, pegs, pins, and canvas at one side
of the arena. At the start signal, the teams carried everything
to a designated spot and raised teepees, but that's not the
end of the contest. After inspection, the teepees have to
be dismantled and carried back to the original starting line.
Points are awarded for speed going up and coming down, the
position of poles, canvas, pegs, pins, door, and teamwork.
At the end of Stampede, the winning team will win CN$1000.
Believe it or not, the teams we watched raised their teepees
in just over four minutes! They came down even faster!
We
were fortunate to meet the Stampede Indian Village Princesses,
Nicole Yellow Old Woman and Lisa Starlight. Nicole, whose
Indian name is Silent Raider Woman, is a native Calgarian
from the Siksika Nation. She plans to attend law school after
college. Lisa is a member of the Tsuu Tina Nation. She will
be attending Mount Royal College in Calgary this winter. Both
were wearing the beautiful beadwork and clothing for which
the Plains Indians are known all over the world.
Calgary
Stampede Indian Village
