Teepee a symbol of unity

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This article was published 27/06/2019 (2532 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIOUX VALLEY— Looking down on the charred carcass of a teepee erected at Brandon University on June 12, Frank Tacan saw an opportunity to bring hope to the community out of a pile of ashes.

It was incredibly painful discovering the burnt remnant of the teepee, Tacan said.

“It was like somebody took a two-by-four and hit me right across the chest,” Tacan said. “I cried, I was angry— they murdered a grandmother that is standing there to serve the people.”

He prayed and put down tobacco, asked for forgiveness for the person who was responsible for the unfortunate act while recognizing that the tragic experience could serve as a teaching moment.

Indigenous people continue to struggle with racism and negative stereotyping every day, he said, and the teepee can serve as a symbol to unite people while inspiring them to combat these hateful experiences.

At the time of printing, Brandon police were continuing to investigate the cause of the fire that burned down the teepee.

If intentional, the burning of the teepee was a sacrilegious desecration, Dakota Tiwahe Services executive director Carol McKay-Whitecloud said.

“It’s more than just canvas burning,” McKay-Whitecloud said. “It’s deep-seated hatred.”

When a teepee is constructed, it represents a woman in a shawl looking toward the east for a new beginning, while serving as reminder that women are the backbone of their family.

Teachings flow from the teepee, each pole carries a meaning — love, wisdom, knowledge, truth, respect, humility, trust and child rearing, Sioux Valley First Nation councillor Eleanor Elk said.

“They’re part of the teepee, part of the teachings that the grandmother has for all,” Elk said.

As a home, the teepee is a peaceful, safe space that breeds trust, respect and most of all love, Tacan said.

The act of creating the home serves as an important teaching moment for children as they come together in helping with the construction, learning more about themselves and their culture as each part of the teepee is brought together.

When the teepee is tied, it begins with a tripod consisting of three poles representing obedience, humility and respect, Tacan said.

Other poles are put in place after the tripod, with a stake placed down the middle to hold the teepee together that serves as a symbol of the umbilical cord to Mother Earth.

The poles reach out to the universe, representing the families’ different paths paired with their unique visions and dreams. The poles serve as an antenna for spirits to come into the teepee.

“Everybody has their own path, but we pray as one,” Tacan said.

The teepee has 13 pegs representing the 13 moons and outside has 28 stakes for the 28-day cycle of woman.

“It can teach a young girl about womanhood,” Tacan said.

These deep-rooted learnings and symbols associated with the teepee help bring the community together, by reminding people of the four things essential to survive and thrive in the world — embodying the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional experience of life, Tacan said.

These learnings can be passed on to youth in the community via the teepee.

“We have to try and keep our children like that as long as we can — that’s why the teepee is so important,” Elk said. “We need to continue teaching.”

These teaching come from the teepee and help link people to their culture and heritage, she said, helping them to heal and grow through that connection.

“We have to have that safe space. I think it’s really important for the kids in the community to have something like that,” McKay-Whitecloud said.

As the world changes, it can at times prove challenging to impart these learnings, because many of the young people do not have experience with that aspect of community because they were taken or did not learn it from parents, McKay-Whitecloud said.

By holding prayers in a teepee, one can open their mind to these learnings and teachings, helping rejuvenate aspects of the culture that were nearly lost to time and colonialism.

McKay-Whitecloud has seen kids enter a teepee who are immediately filled with awe and curiosity, as they explore the space while being respectful.

“It’s very calming, it’s very tranquil, and you’re just alone with your thoughts,” McKay-Whitecloud said.

Years of colonial thought has damaged Indigenous culture and identity, and they need to unteach these negative thoughts in the community’s youth, Tacan said.

Part of that is restoring faith in themselves and showing the value of Indigenous culture and traditions — this journey can start with the teepee.

Tacan encourages people to come and ask an elder to learn more about these teachings to deepen their understanding of Indigenous culture by bringing an offering of tobacco as part of proper protocol to begin the process.

“We’ve got to bring back our true values,” Tacan said.

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

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