Session 1 - Thursday

A: The Bison-Naming Project and Educational Pathways

Presenters: Hutch Sitting Eagle, Jessee Wise

Description: This presentation highlights the Bison Calf Naming Project, a unique collaboration between the Siksika Nation Board of Education (SBE) and the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. This student-centred project builds on a 2022 shared memorandum of Understanding between the Zoo and Siksika Nation. At its core, the project demonstrates how language and culture can inform conservation education while creating meaningful opportunities for Siksika students. Rooted in Siksika ways of knowing, the naming process gave voice to youth, affirmed cultural knowledge, and embedded Blackfoot language into a living conservation initiative. By weaving culture, language, and science, the Bison Naming Project demonstrates how partnerships can empower Indigenous youth, strengthen identity, and provide direct educational opportunities in ecology, conservation, and environmental studies.

Session 1, McKnight West

C: Natosapi Book Club

Presenter: Christie Owl Child

Learn about an engaging book club at SBE’s Chief Old Sun School. This club is celebrating its 10th year. In this session, you will learn about some of the ways reading has been made fun and engaging for kids over the past decade. Christie always tells kids in this club “one of my dreams is one day I will walk into a book store and I’ll see a book written by one of you kids! Or I’ll go into a movie and see it is written and directed by one of you!” The notion that writing can be healing is also addressed. Writing is viewed as a method for handling the struggles students face by allowing them to be storytellers!  Visit this session to learn about the Natosapi book club and how it engages kids in reading and writing.

Session 1, Horizon Room

L: Classroom Champions Circle program Empowers Blackfoot Educators

Presenter: Andrea Dion

Classroom Champions Circle is based on Indigenous engagement and culturally specific programming as developed in collaboration with our community partners.  Funded by the Energizing Communities Collective and the Calgary Foundation, Classroom Champions has partnered with the Siksika Nation to produce digital assets that include 'Star Stories' and messages of hope and resilience from Elders and Knowledge Keepers.  This presentation will also grant access to a virtual Classroom Champions Social Emotional Learning curriculum.  Additional contributors to this Blackfoot content include Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Powwow Athletes as Mentors.  This presentation ensures that participants experience the Classroom Champions Circle platform and access to the Blackfoot content in the form of videos and animation.  

Session 1, MacLeod Room

N: Blackfoot Youth Water Council

Presenter: Disa Crow Chief, Alayiah Wolf Child, Tyra Cross Child 

This workshop introduces participants to the transformative work of the Blackfoot Youth Water Council, a grassroots initiative reimagining education and training for Indigenous community members through Blackfoot ways of knowing. Participants will learn how the Youth Council has fostered meaningful engagement, both within their communities and with external partners, by centering Indigenous knowledge systems, relational approaches, and intergenerational learning, beyond traditional technically-focused pedagogies. Disa Crow Chief has brought her Blackfoot teachings around the world to various conferences in Mexico, USA, England, Sweden, Brazil, and across Canada. The session will highlight how the Council’s activities have created spaces for youth-led innovation, cultural revitalization, and water stewardship. Through storytelling and shared experiences, participants will gain insight into how these young leaders are reshaping educational paradigms to reflect Indigenous values and priorities. A key component of the workshop will be a guided “dreaming and importance planning” exercise through artistic expression. Drawing inspiration from the Youth Council’s methods, participants will explore their own work and aspirations through a Blackfoot lens - reflecting on how Indigenous frameworks can inform planning, collaboration, mindset framing and community impact. This interactive session invites participants to envision new possibilities for education, research, and engagement rooted in respect, reciprocity, and relationality, building collective understanding on how to engage respectfully with communities, understand the cultural and historical contexts, and work collaboratively across disciplines and worldviews.

Session 1, Canadian

O: Post-Secondary Funding

Presenter: Patricia Bruised Head

As the late Honorable Murray Sinclair once said, “Education is what got us into this mess, and education will get us out.” These words resonate deeply with my own journey through post-secondary education and my role as Programs Service Manager for Post-Secondary Funding at Red Crow Community College. Navigating the pathway to post-secondary education can be daunting whether you’re a recent high school graduate or someone returning to school later in life. The process is often filled with uncertainty, fear, and questions. But it doesn’t have to be. My goal is to help reveal this journey and empower individuals to take that first step with confidence. Understanding the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of post-secondary education is essential. Who do you talk to? What questions should you ask? Where do you go for support? Why is this path right for you? How do you apply for funding? These are just a few of the critical questions that can shape a successful educational experience. This session will guide attendees through identifying the right program, accessing funding opportunities, and knowing when and how to ask for help. Whether you’re exploring options for yourself or supporting someone else, this is the place to begin your journey. Together, we can build a pathway that leads not only to academic success but to personal growth and community empowerment.

Session 1, Barlow

R: Ani to Pisi Human Spider Web

Presenters: Roy Bear Chief, Therese Wiart Jenkinson, Tia Santana, Michelle Bamford, Jadyn James, Jolene Popadynetz, Lexi Hahn

This session explores Ani to Pisi (the spider web), a traditional Blackfoot creation story told by the late Clement Bear Chief and shared by Espoom tah Roy Bear Chief. The story carries powerful teachings of connection, care, and community, and comes to life through a land-based, interactive enactment. Building on the work of MRU graduate Tia Santana, a toolkit has been developed to support educators in facilitating Ani to Pisi in schools. Participants will view highlights from Human Spider Web Enactments at Chief Crowfoot School (Siksika) and Calgary Board of Education schools and will learn how to access free teaching resources. Fourth-year MRU students will also be available to support schools interested in bringing this story to life with their learners during the following year until April 2026.

Session 1, McKnight East

S: Siksikaipoi’sin Kii Niipatapiisini - Teaching Language and Culture - Using Technology for Senior High Students

Presenters: Kathy Breaker, Stewart Breaker, Laine Breaker

Senior high students are learning about Siksikaitsitapiisini historical creation stories, Traditional Territory of Siksikaitsitapi while learning the Siksika Language and how it applies to their daily lives now as ahsitapiiksi.  By learning about their history and space, some students are expressing more interest in learning their Blackfoot Language using Technology.  To-date students have worked with On-line Learning while creating a Google Classroom with their own Avatars.  Students are recording their own language phrases on their personal phones.  These Senior high Siksika students have launched their own Youtube Channel, using common phrases, interviews from Knowledge Holders, Avatars, reflections of activities to promote Siksika Language Learning.  This is a "how to workshop".

Session 1, Theatre