Indigenous Ceremonialists hold ceremony to help guide the planning and design of the Downtown Event and Entertainment District project
Ceremonialists representing the main Indigenous linguistic/cultural groups on Treaty 6 Territory this morning held a pipe ceremony near the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 23rd Street.
The ceremony was to acknowledge the importance of working together in a good way as the planning and feasibility work for the Downtown Event and Entertainment District project continues. Holding the ceremony is a way to honour the Indigenous histories and cultures that are an integral part of the Saskatoon community.
“The goal of the District is to create a welcoming and vibrant gathering place for all people,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “The foundational relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is an essential starting place to help guide this planning and achieve that goal. This is not a groundbreaking ceremony, but a ceremony to help us work together in a good way and build a city that acts on Truth and Reconciliation.”
Indigenous people hold ceremonies to honour the land and what will be done on the land. This was the first of several ceremonies to mark different elements of this project.
Representatives of the main partners for the Downtown Event and Entertainment District project attended the pipe ceremony:
- City Council
- Administrative Steering Committee
- DEED Advisory Group
- TCU Place
- SaskTel Centre
- Midtown Plaza
More information about the ceremonies can be found in the attached background document.