Banff Sunshine Village hosting third annual Indigenous Days

By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – Over the weekend, visitors to the Banff Sunshine Village ski resort had the first of two opportunities to learn about the cultures and histories of two of the land’s original inhabitants. 

The first series of Indigenous Days, which occurred from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, focused on Tsuut’ina culture. From Sept. 14 to 15, visitors will be able to learn about Stoney Nakoda culture. 

All one needs to enter either event is a valid Summer Sightseeing Ticket. This is the third year the resort has hosted Indigenous Days.

Sunshine Village spokesperson Kendra Scurfield told Alberta Native News that “perhaps the most important part of tourism is to see how places are shaped by the people who have come before us, or that are native to the land.” 

“We are so grateful to be in a place of such beauty,” she added. “As a resort, it’s our goal to be worthy of our location in Canada’s oldest national park.”

Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, which include Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho national parks, as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks, were collectively designated a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1984. 

“That land has been used for thousands of years by First Nations people, and the land was used for sustenance, travel, trade, ceremony,” Scurfield explained. 

“It is very important to us as an organization that we can be a place for celebration, for cultural enrichment, as well as knowledge sharing, and to be able to invite First Nations performers to share their cultural traditions with us in an open space.” 

Those visiting the resort this weekend were able to see Tsuut’ina performers do their traditional powwow dances in regalia, including the hoop and chicken dances, as well as both men and women’s fancy dance. 

“They’ll be showing their dances and telling the origin of the dances,” said Scurfield. 

Each day began with a teepee demonstration at 10 a.m. outside Centennial Day Lodge.

Festivities also included arts and crafts for children and storytelling facilitated by Brown Bear Woman Events, an Indigenous organization that facilitates interpretive programming and cross-cultural events.

The mid-September Indigenous Days will have a similar format, with Stoney Nakoda dances and storytelling. 

Banff Sunshine Village is open for summer until Sept. 22, with the winter season beginning at some point in November.