A Saskatoon MLA is looking to incorporate more Indigenous culture into provincial politics.
The New Democrats Betty Nippi-Albright is advocating to have a pipe ceremony performed prior to the opening of each Legislative session.
“For myself, as a First Nations, traditional woman, we need to incorporate these Indigenous ways of knowing into what we do in mainstream systems. We already have prayer that is done in the House every day we sit, and it’s only fitting to have at the very least a pipe ceremony to open at each sitting,” Nippi-Albright said.
Currently the Legislature conducts one pipe ceremony per year, coordinated through the Speaker’s Officer. A spokesperson for he Legislative Speaker said the pipe ceremony, like the Throne Speech is conducted in the fall.
“Half measures are not enough, especially if we are ever going to achieve meaningful reconciliation. Having a pipe ceremony incorporated at the beginning of each sitting would be a tangible step towards embracing Indigenous ways of knowing and doing into this provincial legislature,” she said.
The NDP approached the Sundance Lodge Makers who performed a pipe ceremony on March 6, the day before the start of the spring session.
“If we want to be inclusive, and achieve reconciliation, then we need to start incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into the systems that we have,” explained Nippi-Albright.