Blackfoot Elder Charlie Fox has named the Indigenous Gathering Zone at the Lethbridge Public Library’s Crossings Branch with a Blackfoot name – which means, “A Place for Vision Quest.”
According to the Library and the City of Lethbridge, the Indigenous Gathering Zone was developed to honour Blackfoot culture and provide a welcoming space for Indigenous-led programming, community connection and cultural learning.
Manager of Branch Services Sarah Head says this space reflects the Library’s work to centre Indigenous knowledge in meaningful and visible ways. “We look forward to supporting the programs and relationships that grow from it.”
This collaboration demonstrates a shared responsibility to create library spaces shaped by Indigenous perspectives.
The initiative affirms the City’s commitment to ensuring Indigenous ways of knowing are at the heart of its libraries, adds Indigenous Relations Specialist Echo Nowak. “It reflects our responsibility to create spaces where Indigenous voices and traditions guide how we learn, share and grow, as a community.”
Head notes the Library has a commitment to build partnerships with Indigenous communities and reconciling relationships. “We really value the perspectives of our local Indigenous communities. It’s significant for us to have, not only the space, but to have received the naming of the space from Blackfoot Elder Charlie Fox.”
So far, people have responded quite positively to the initiative with several youth members of the community join in during the official opening and naming ceremony, Head explains. “They were some of the youth who worked in our initial consultation of what they would like to see in the space.”
According to Head, the Crossings Branch is located between two high schools, so there’s a huge youth population. “For us it was important to centre the voices of Indigenous youth when we were doing our consultation. Seeing them at the opening was heartwarming. I was excited to see them there because they did share their knowledge and their aspirations for the space.”
