(File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

King Hill initiative

City to develop project to celebrate Indigenous culture

Jul 13, 2023 | 8:10 AM

The City of North Battleford plans to start a type of cultural pavilion to recognize the area’s Indigenous and Métis heritage at the top of King Hill.

The initiative will incorporate the Cree word “Tawȃw,” meaning “Welcome,” in its name that will be entitled “Tawȃw Point.”

“We’re working on developing King Hill,” Mayor David Gillan told battlefordsNOW. “We don’t have details yet. But our council directionally has approved redevelopment on King Hill. The basis of this whole project on King Hill will be a celebration of our culture in the Battlefords.”

The city first mentioned the project during National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations.

Gillan noted the pavilion will be a showcase “of our great culture in the Battlefords.”

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“It will be a meeting place for adults and children that will be very respectful, and beautiful in that regard,” he added.

The current city council hopes during the remainder of its term to see this project progress with plenty of concrete planning that the next council will be able to continue. The current council’s term runs until November 2024.

“We want to make that one of the priorities of our council,” Gillan said. “Today, it’s a concept. We want to move from concept to design if we can, at least in this council. Then, into the next council, into the construction stage.”

He noted the project will be important to the community as a whole.

“It’s not about roads and sewers, and water,” Gillan said. “Sometimes it’s just about getting people together. That makes our community healthier.”

The aim of the pavilion and gathering place is to celebrate the region’s Indigenous and Métis culture and history.

“What we develop on King Hill will be something that will reflect that,” Gillan said. “There are other communities that have done this, that have erected large teepees and pow wow arbours. I’m not saying that we are going to do all that. There are different ways of doing this. We are studying now, which ways are appropriate here. We don’t want to duplicate, and we don’t want to offend anybody.”

The City is working with a local Elders council to receive input on the project.

“There is going to be a heavy theme of our cultural background in the Battlefords, which of course is Indigenous,” Gillan said. “We’re working towards unity in our community…. We’re always working on how to be a more welcoming and inclusive community. Our development at King Hill will be a part of that…[We’re not going to do] just another park with grass and picnic tables. We’re going to do something that is unique. It’s going to have a very pronounced cultural theme to it, especially celebrating our Indigenous culture here. We’re working towards something that is culturally sensitive and makes sense in the community.”

The city is currently studying similar gathering places in western Canada to get ideas for the initiative, as well as looking at suggestions from the Elders Council.

“Maybe in the fall there will be more details,” Gillan said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow