“Why a painted tipi at The Banff Centre?” muses Janice Tanton, program manager for Aboriginal Leadership and Management. “Inspiration, journey motivation, creativity, action, and innovation would be the words that first come to my mind.”

On April 26, more than 50 people participated in an inspiring tipi transfer ceremony at the Centre, featuring the beautifully painted canvas that Tanton designed.

“The initiative to provide a painted tipi first came from elder Tom Crane Bear’s visit to Leadership Development more than a year ago,” Tanton says. “During that meeting, Tom explained how the tipi was traditionally put up after the first thunder each year, and more importantly, what the painted tipi and the symbols on it signified.”

Since that meeting Tanton has been working with Tom and Brian Calliou, director of the Centre’s Aboriginal Leadership and Management programs. “In turning the dream of creating a new tipi into reality for The Banff Centre, I learned many things,” she says. “Having an icon, representative in visual and tactile form of your personal vision and leadership path, can serve to inspire and educate significantly on multiple levels — not only personally, but in sharing with family, organization, and community.”

The Banff Centre is located in traditional Blackfoot territory, and within Blackfoot culture, painted tipi designs can only exist through a ceremony that transfers the rights to hold the design. In this case, elders and members of the Blackfoot territory led the transfer ceremony with Calliou, Tanton, and their families in the tipi behind Donald Cameron Hall. Other special guests who took part in the ceremony included Their Excellencies the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, and Jean-Daniel Lafond, who were at the Centre hosting the Art Matters forum.

During the ceremony, special guests who were witnesses or part of the transfer sat inside the tipi, where four different songs were sung celebrating the colours, design, iniskim (buffalo calling stone), and the otter. As each song resonated, they were gifted to the tipi and the new owners. Paint was applied to the faces of the owners and their families, signifying their position as tipi recipients.

The event ended with a celebratory meal of bannock, stew, and berries, and Calliou, Tanton, their families, and colleagues distributed ceremonial gifts.

The impact of this event is significant because the tipi has a strong connection to the Centre’s location and purpose. “The image of the buffalo painted onto the tipi has deep meaning for Aboriginal cultures,” Calliou explains. “The buffalo was the centre of the plains cultures’ economy. Today, the new buffalo is education. Aboriginal Leadership and management programs are part of this new buffalo and play an important role in the professional development of Aboriginal leaders.” The tipi is an integral part of the Centre, and will be used for special occasions and ceremonies for years to come.