Sharing the importance and tradition of the Winter Solstice ceremony is one way a local elder from the Kainai Nation is helping promote cross culturalism.
Elder Ninnaa Piiksii Mike Bruised Head says the ceremony on the shortest day of sunlight, and longest night of the year for those of Blackfoot heritage is based on the prayer of calling the sun back.
“There have been stories where there have been 13 and almost 14 new moons, and why we call the sun back is because, even now in modern times, if we added a 13th or even 14th month the sun would be really far away and we would freeze,” Bruised Head says. “That is why we have a ceremony right on the 12th moon, the cold winter moon.”
He says that during the ceremony the Blackfoot people take the day for “what it is worth the shortest day of the year.” Adding, during the ceremony, he is passing on teachings that have been passed down to him from previous generations, while also doing what he can to support cross-culturalism within the community.
“The reason I am doing this is for the students, I have grandkids here and other Blackfoot students in the city who do not have the opportunity to participate in ceremonies in the reserve setting, I am bringing the setting and the stories into town to educate everybody,” Bruised Head says.
The ceremony, which was held at the Cavendish Farms Centre, began with a smudging and prayer, followed by Api’ soomaahka William Singer III telling a buffaloe hide rope story which Bruised Head elaborated on; and the ceremony then concluded with a round dance.