(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

paving the way for more

Indigenous community seeking more visibility as new monument unveiled at Red Deer’s Shining Mountains

Jun 21, 2023 | 4:49 PM

You can now find a Red River Cart at 4925 46 Street in downtown Red Deer.

It’s perhaps as visible as any Indigenous monument or symbol in the city, and it was unveiled Wednesday at Shining Mountains Living Community Services as part of observing and celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day.

The fixture was an initiative wholly of Shining Mountains, but additional discussions are being had to perhaps increase the visibility of Indigenous people in various ways throughout Red Deer.

For now though, the cart adds to a number of impressive Indigenous murals, which are visible but perhaps somewhat hidden or not representative of all Indigenous people.

Raye St. Denys, executive director at Shining Mountains, was joined by about 100 people for ceremony and festivities on Wednesday which included not just the unveiling, but the Métis anthem, singing and dancing, and a community BBQ. Also in attendance were representatives of Métis Nation of Alberta, the Rupertsland Institute Métis Centre of Excellence, and the Hivernant Rendezvous of Big Valley, Alberta.

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St. Denys pointed out fervently that Indigenous people were here long before anyone else, and they, “damn sure,” aren’t going anywhere.

Raye St. Denys, executive director at Shining Mountains, speaks on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2023, in Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“I’ve lived here a long time, and Indigenous people were here long before there were Caucasian people, long before settlers. In all this time, as Red Deer has grown, going through stages of being welcoming and less than welcoming for Indigenous people, there’s always been no major symbols to say ‘We’re here,'” says St. Denys.

“We have the Ghost statues, we have beautiful buildings, and yes, Indigenous people have events every now and then. But I am tired of my people being invisible, and there being no markers which say we belong here. Now we have this cart.”

St. Denys says a woman experiencing homelessness recently stopped by Shining Mountains, and saw the cart before it had been formally unveiled.

“She saw it and said, ‘Now we’re going to have a home.’ That’s the spirit of why this is here,” St. Denys says, noting it’s been a couple years in the making.

“These carts used to come west from Red River with buffalo hunters. They’d be carrying things like bison hides and pemmican, sometimes loaded with Métis people who’d been chased out of their homes and cabins which had been set on fire,” she says.

“They were meant for economy, for housing, for movement, and they helped open up the west, for better or for worse.”

Zane McArthur, Shining Mountains president, says the cart is representative of inclusion.

“It shows that we as a community are starting to come forward out of this darkness, I guess, for Indigenous people. By having a monument like this for other Métis individuals to see, it gives a sense of belonging, a sense of ‘That’s mine,'” he says.

“There are monuments all over the city, all over Calgary and Edmonton which symbolize the city’s history, but most don’t have anything for First Nations. So this cart means acceptance. A lot of injustices have happened, but as a nation, it’s moving forward time so that we can broaden our horizons.”

McArthur believes the municipality can and hopes that it will do more to increase Indigenous visibility.

Singing and dancing were part of a ceremony and monument unveiling on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2023, in Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“From what I’ve heard, the City is working on doing more to ensure the community is aware of the actual history here,” he says. “If it’s one thing we all know, Indigenous people often get the brunt end of the stick. We’re working together for the community, for our own communities and initiatives, all with the goal of building a more healthy Indigenous community that will dispel and break down negative stereotypes.”

Let’s start talking, McArthur adds about National Indigenous People Day.

“This day isn’t just about saying ‘Look at us and what we’ve gone through,’ it’s about saying ‘Look at us and where we’ve come.’ This is a day we can identify with,” he says. “The average Canadian needs to educate themselves better on their own history, listen a little more, and join in on Indigenous events. You’ll never hear us say ‘Don’t come here.'”

READ MORE: 4th annual Waskasoo Seepee Traditional Powwow happening June 24 in Red Deer