Kinistin Saulteaux Nation Pow Wow Arbour

Day 12

2010-08-04T09:48:00.002-03:00

We finished on schedule!!!!!!!!!

All day Duncan, Dan, Brad, Crispin, Ryan and James worked out a system for the final cables.

Rand, Kristiana Kim and Brenda-Dale were hard at work on site clean-up.

Allistar and Dion worked to finish the ‘Snagging Lane.” Charnele and Shaylyn were in charge of painting!

Brad’s parents, Garth and Gloria came for a visit and brought us some sweet treats to keep us motivated. Cheryl, Charmaine and Zoe came for a visit from Standing Buffalo. They helped to paint the ‘Snagging Lane.’ You can always count on SBDN to show up and lend a hand- it was great to see them back at it again.

After a couple days of painting, the sign crew (Marlene, Charnele, Shaylyn, Heather, Brenda and more) were ready to put up the sign. Justin, Heather, Ryan, Brenda-Dale, Warren, Rex and Kate helped to dig the holes and find materials for yet another tripod- not our first but our last of this trip. Estelle and Marlene gave us advice on how to screw the sign on and Brenda-Dale and Justin worked out a way to make it happen! The sign looks absolutely beautiful.

Dion took some of the group on a very special mission to find some of the Buffalo that live in Kinistin. After driving through fields, bushes and a marshy area we spotted them grazing in a field.

We finished the day with a Community BBQ and Arbour Celebration. The community came out to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments. Marlene presented us with a beautiful card from Kinistin and each student received a special award as voted on by community members…..The results are in:

Crispin won the Bluest Eyes award.

Ryan won the Sexiest Smile award.

James won the Most Macho Guy award.

Kate won the Kindest Person award.

Duncan won the Sexiest Guy award.

Dan won the Sexiest Voice award

Brenda-Dale won the Cutest Girl award.

Rand won the Sultry award.

Brad won the Hottest Guy award.

Kim won the Saucy award.

Kristiana won the Juiciest Girl award.

Justin won the Cutest Boy award.

We left the site tonight with a great feeling of accomplishment. All of us have created something amazing that will serve as an important cultural centre in Kinistin in the years to come. Along the way we conquered obstacles, learned new skills, made amazing friendships and had a Free Lab to remember!

Day 11 Continued!

2010-07-28T14:21:00.002-03:00

Our project makes the news!!!

2010-07-28T14:18:00.002-03:00

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Reserve+welcomes+arbour+project/3330947/story.html

The Saskatoon Star-Pheonix came out on Saturday to interview us about the project. Here is the article!!!

Day 10

2010-07-27T13:07:00.004-03:00

We got to the site on Monday morning and were greeted by our new friends Stacy, Charnele, Riley, Christine, Shaylyn, Heather and Eja who were ready to paint the sign for the Pow wow grounds. They spent the day painting an amazing sign! Kinistin will be proud. Riley helped with cement mixing and everything he was asked to as usual- what a guy!

Though the day got off to a slow start we managed to get so much done! We lashed all of the tripods to keep them sturdy over the years. We had an amazing surprise visit- a cement truck! After only an hour all of our cement was poured- a welcome relief to those mixing it using only a wheelbarrow and some shovels.

So many band members came out to help today. They helped with all of the details from tamping to filling. We had gravel and a water tank delivered. Things are really coming together here in KSN.

To finish our day Estelle had us over for dogs, burgs, and some amazing fruit cheesecake- a lovely treat that really made us feel like we so well looked after. It’s like Marlene and Estelle are our moms while we are here- helping us, feeding us, and even directing us when we need it!

Day 11

2010-07-27T13:07:00.003-03:00

We have made many new friends in Kinistin- and some are animals. Every morning and night we are greeted by several dogs who call KSN home. We have even named some of them. Scampers, Pudge, Muffins, Kevin, Roosevelt, Humpy, and Legend sit on our porch, play together and sometimes we even give them some treats!

Today is going to be big! It’s time to string the cables. Stay tuned for another update soon.

Day 9

2010-07-27T13:00:00.001-03:00

We began the day by making sure that all of the tripods were level- a very important part of the structure. We continued our cement work. We all worked hard in the hot sun doing various tasks- filling holes, tamping, adjusting tripods, developing a plan for our cable, going on water runs to make cement.

There might have been only one minor setback……someone who’s name shall not be mentioned might have lost the keys to the Rec Centre. No biggie- we now just have to climb in the window every time we want to get in….a strenuous task but one we are up to. No setbacks are going to stop this crew from taking a knee and figuring out a way to get the job done.

We worked until dark and were treated to some amazing cloud viewed as a storm passed us by and later an amazing sunset in the ‘Land of the Living Skies.’ Some of the team members even made it to Lake Kip to cool off.

Day 8

2010-07-27T12:47:00.002-03:00

The weather has been hot and sunny! There were many gravel runs, extra measurements and even some cement mixing. A “snagging lane” was marked around the outside of the structure as requested! We began measuring the cable for the inner ring of the arbor. We had lots of volunteers come out to help us with all of our work. Justin’s parents came and paid us a visit- the surprised us by bringing us some cookies, a puffed wheat square (a Saskatchewan specialty!), lots of water and gatorade, pepperoni sticks, beef jerky and some delicious spicy habanero pepper chips which revived our energy levels and helped us finish the day. Only our friend Dion was missing in action- he had to take his grandkids to the Melfort Fair. He brought us back some doughnuts to share- a welcome treat after a day in the sun!

After a hard day of work we managed to set up all of the tripods (even the one where most of the large rocks were located)! We were on a roll.

Some of the gang went to Melfort for Pizza and dancing (dance moves so good Melfort will never forget them!)

Day 7

2010-07-26T13:13:00.002-03:00

Today was quite productive! We finished digging all the holes required for the tripods despite running into issues with large rocks in the ground. With the aid of the backhoe and some helpful hands, we were able to get them all out!

Meanwhile, the cable and the rest of the poles, donated from SaskPower, were delivered. The poles were then measured, cut, and labeled.

The arrival of three more team members brought fresh energy and excitement to the work site. That night, we worked late to erect all the poles. Tomorrow, we plan to calibrating them to the right angles and bolting them together.

Day 6

2010-07-24T01:45:00.001-03:00

At home base, some members of the team designed the entry sign for the site with the help of some interested kids. Painting in color starts today! Rodney, a local artist, has volunteered to paint scenery onto the sign.

Back on site, a dedicated team worked to finish auguring the rest of the holes. Meanwhile, with the help of some community members, tripods were being erected. By the end of the day, five out of sixteen of the tripods were finished.

Rex and Marlene treated the team to a barbecue at Lake Kip. There was swimming, marshmallow roasting and ice cream for all!

On a side note, Justin has been participating in tri-weekly poker nights and has become the community’s favorite bounty! He hasn’t won yet, but we’ll keep you posted!

Day 5: Wednesday, July 21, 2010

2010-07-21T12:50:00.001-03:00

During the day, we split into two groups to allow one group to focus on getting the 48 holes dug (6 feet deep!) while the other team worked on sorting and measuring the power poles. After the poles were measured we began to cut them length: 18 feet long for the two support poles and 26 feet long for the single spar (for more information about spars see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spar_%28tree%29). We're still short a few poles, so have been able to secure a few more which will be delivered tomorrow.

Throughout the day we ran into a few technical difficulties with dull chainsaws, broken generators, broken starter, shortage of hydraulic fuel for the backhoe and missing tent poles (for the tent we're putting up for a little shade on the site).

On a more positive note, the day was also filled with a few fun activities: we ate lunch with the Kinistin Lands Committee at the Hidden Meadows Golf Course and spent the evening at the Beardy's pow wow! A few people could help themselves from sketching the arbour.

PHOTOS WILL BE POSTED SOON.

Day 4: Tuesday, July 20, 2010

2010-07-20T19:09:00.001-03:00

In the morning a group started to lay out where each tripod would stand - marking the centre of the tripod with a stake. At the same time a group worked on constructing the first test tripod. From the first test tripod, we shifted the angle of the hole and lengthened each post. Once we figured out where each post should sit on the ground, we were able to mark out all 16 tripods onto the site.

Parametric Model

2010-07-20T15:11:00.006-03:00

A parametric model has been incredibly useful throughout the design process. To build the model, we input certain givens and/or parametres to the structure to help determine engineering questions like load capabilities, forces, etc. (check out the flow chart image above that shows different variables and such!)

Day 3: Monday, July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T15:16:00.001-03:00

As work was being done to finish the 1:50 model, a group started building a 1:10 scale model on the front lawn of the Band Hall. The models gave the team an opportunity to sort out construction details and questions before creating the first full scale test tripod on site (which we'll start tomorrow!).

Day 3: Harvey Knight from Muskoday Lends a Hand

2010-07-19T12:32:00.002-03:00

Communities that are working on the Comprehensive Community-Based Planning (CCBP) project are working to foster learning exchanges between First Nations in Saskatchewan. Throughout the next few weeks, we hope that many representatives visit Kinistin to contribute their knowledge and skills as well as to learn new skills. Harvey Knight from Muskoday came to Kinistin to help with model making and to think through ideas for the arbour (Harvey is furthest right in the photo above).

Day 2: Kids Take On Designing the Arbour

2010-07-18T15:23:00.001-03:00

Day 2: Sunday, July 18, 2010 (PM)

2010-07-18T15:07:00.000-03:00

In the afternoon work began on creating a 1:50 scale model of the arbour based on what the team had heard from the various discussions over the weekend.

Day 2: Sunday, July 18, 2010

2010-07-18T15:01:00.001-03:00

The day began with a trip to the Yellowquill First Nation arbour in order to check out the site, design, size and site amenities. The visit to Yellowquill and Kinistin’s goal of attracting 500 dancers to the pow wow, shifted our thinking in the amount of dance space needed. The inner circle (dance area) of the Kinistin arbour will now be 100 feet in diameter with an additional 10 feet for spectator and drum space (total diameter of arbour = 120 feet).

Day 1: Saturday, July 17, 2010

2010-07-17T19:03:00.005-03:00

A crew of 8 Dalhousie architecture students and 3 Cities & Environment Unit staff arrived in Kinistin late Friday night (after being stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours because of a crazy lightning storm that hit right after landing).

The next morning, the project started off right with a delicious (and huge!) pancake breakfast for the community and Dalhousie crew. After the breakfast a handful of community members stuck around to talk through different design ideas for the arbour. This meeting provided community members who had not yet been involved in previous design discussions to get caught up to speed and to provide input.

The meeting started with a general discussion about what a arbour is and why it is needed and important for pow wows. People explained that arbours:

Provide shade and weather protection
Define and frame a dancing area

People also discussed that having an arbour in the community creates opportunities for more people to learn to dance and participate in their culture (which connects perfectly to Kinistin's community vision statement!).

After the large group discussion, small groups broke out to draw their vision and ideas for the arbour based on what they had been hearing from the group. Each group presented their ideas and then the drawings were pinned up in the Band Hall.

Through both the large group and small group discussions we were able to gather more information about elements needed at pow wow's that will help guide design decisions.

Grand Entry from the east
MC booth to the south of the Grand Entry (and raised a few feet so that the MC can see the dancers)
Space underneath the tripods needs to be big enough to house 12 or so drummers (roughly 10 feet in diameter)
Need space for whistlers (people who like the song) to come up to the drum group and whistle
Need electricity for speakers and lighting
Need centre pole to hang eagle staff as well as to hang lighting and speakers
Site needs to be large enough for vendors to set up outside the arbour

Throughout the day people discussed the importance of designing an arbour that allowed for flexibilty of use over time. People liked that the current tensile structure design allowed for the use of poplar and willow bows and/or the use of canvas. The group also explore the possibility of using the centre pole as a stand for an additional tarp or parachute to cover the dancers if need be.

2010-07-14T17:03:00.000-03:00

Arbour Site Chosen

2010-07-14T14:21:00.008-03:00

After consulting with many community members about the pros and cons to different site options a final decision has been made. The new arbour will be located in the south end of the reserve (in the former hay field - just off the road to Lake Kip). The site has been highlighted on the map above with a purple circle.

Community Design and Brainstorm Session

2010-07-12T16:45:00.005-03:00

On Tuesday, July 6, community members explored possible design and site options for the new arbour. A few sites were discussed as possibilities:

1. Towards the south end of the reserve (behind Daryl's house)
2. Land where current rain dance structures stand in core of community
3. Land where current rain dance structures stand behind housing subdivision (not yet built)
4. Towards the north end of the reserve

Over the next two days at the Comprehensive Community-Based Planning Joint Steering Committee Meeting in Saskatoon, community members further brainstormed siting options and explore creative design and material ideas.

A physical model of one design option is being kept at the Band Office. Please stop by the office if you'd like to take a look at it.

Arbour Project to Kick Start the Community Plan

2010-07-05T15:13:00.001-03:00

After many months of hard work by many people, Kinistin Saulteaux Nation completed a comprehensive Community Plan in December 2009. As part of creating the Plan, a vision statement was written that will inspire new project ideas long into the future. The Kinistin vision statement is:

Kinistin Saulteaux Nation will honour our past, present and future through our culture and traditions, to become empowered and to inspire hope and positive change for our people.

Now is the time for action. An important project that has been chosen to kick start the Community Plan is the design and construction of a Pow Wow Arbour. The arbour will not only work toward achieving the Community Vision, but will also help achieve the following goals articulated in the Community Plan:

Strengthen traditions;
Use existing human resources (e.g., Elders) to pass along and practice culture and traditions;
Celebrate culture;
Work together as a community to increase ownership of community improvements;
Create quality spaces for the community to gather.

Kinistin is continuing to partner with the Cities & Environment Unit (CEU) at Dalhousie University to design and build the arbour. Over the last two weeks in July, CEU and 6-8 architecture students will be in Kinistin working with community members to design and construct the arbour.

For more information about the project or to get involved please contact Heather Severight, Plan Champion at 306-878-8188.