Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan

9:00 a.m. - Pipe Ceremony

10:00 a.m.
Berry Soup and Fry Bread will be available for the first 200 people in Centre Core

11:00 a.m.
Opening Ceremony in Centre Core

4:00 p.m.
Film "Circle of the Sun" in the E.C. Fredericks Theatre (CE1365)

12:00 p.m. - EC Fredericks
Speaker - Tony Delaney, Restorative Justice in the E.C. Fredericks Theatre (CE1365)

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Round Dance in the Cave (CE1300) - Snack will be provided

Join us for this year’s Round Dance as part of our Stone Pipe Days celebration. This gathering honours an important time in the Blackfoot seasonal calendar, where the year is understood in four segments—a number deeply rooted in Blackfoot protocol, tradition, and cultural teachings.

Come dance, learn, and celebrate culture, connection, and community spirit during Stone Pipe Days.

12 - 12:50 p.m.
Film "Singing Back the Buffalo" in E.C. Fredericks Theatre (CE1365)

4 – 6 p.m.
Film "Bones of Crows" in E.C. Fredericks Theatre (CE1365)

1 – 5 p.m.
Pow Wow in Val Matteotti Gym (PE1403)
Berry Soup and Fry Bread will be available for the first 300 people in Centre Core

10 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Traditional Games in the Cave

12 – 12:50 p.m.
DerRic Starlight performance and draws in E.C. Fredericks Theatre (CE1365)

Bones of Crows is a psychological drama that follows Cree Matriarch Aline Spears, who survives Canada's residential school system and continues her family's fight against systemic issues such as starvation, racism, and sexual abuse. The series serves as a tribute to resilient Indigenous women and explores the painful legacy of the residential school system, highlighting the intergenerational trauma faced by Indigenous communities. 

Each March, Lethbridge Polytechnic observes Stone Pipe Days, a time to recognize and celebrate Blackfoot culture, history, and community connections. This year, the Buchanan Library has created a display that brings together art, books, and cultural objects to highlight the richness and vibrancy of Blackfoot knowledge and traditions.

The display features several sculptures, including Monarch of the Plains by Art Calling Last and The Buffalo Hunt, Medicine Man, and On a Stolen Pony in Enemy Territory by Mike Day Chief. These works highlight aspects of Blackfoot life, history, and storytelling, including relationships with the land, community, and cultural traditions.

Alongside the sculptures, the library has curated two book displays highlighting works from the Buchanan Library’s growing Blackfoot and Indigenous collections. These materials invite students and visitors to explore Indigenous histories, perspectives, and contemporary voices.

The display also includes items shared through collaboration with Indigenous Services, including a hand-sewn Jingle Dress on loan from Melanie Lanois, a photograph of Elders Betty Ann and Maurice Littlewolf, and a banner created from repurposed convocation stoles featuring the Blackfoot word Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan, representing learning from the past and empowerment for the future.

This initiative reflects the library’s role as more than a study space. As Niitsitapi’ksimpstaan (“real thinking”), the Buchanan Library is a place for learning, reflection, and connection. The display celebrates the cultural vibrancy of the Polytechnic community while offering opportunities for deeper learning and dialogue.

The Blackfoot word Kakyosin, meaning connection, speaks to the spirit of the display. Through art, stories, and shared knowledge, the Buchanan Library invites the campus community to come together to recognize and celebrate Stone Pipe Days.

Photo Credit: Patience Omeruo, Student Library Assistant and Digital Communications and Media student.

This short documentary by Colin Low is an invitation to a gathering of the Káínaa of Alberta - as the Sun Dance is captured on film for the first time. The film shows how the theme of the circle reflects the bands' connection to wildlife and also addresses the predicament of the young generation, those who have relinquished their ties with their own culture but have not yet found a firm place in a changing world. 

DerRic Starlight is from the Tsuut’ina Nation west of Calgary, Alberta, and can also trace his ancestry to the Blackfoot Confederacy. He is a comedian, puppeteer, screenwriter, keynote speaker, creator of over 200 cartoon voices, and pro-wrestling promoter. DerRic has created his own cast of Native puppet characters and has travelled all over North America since 1997.

He has starred in many different television productions with The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and has won the prestigious Gemini Award of Canada as a voice actor. In 2021 DerRic became an official puppeteer with The Jim Henson Company.

Tony is from the Blood Tribe, a former member of the Blood Tribe Chief and Council. He is an advocate of restorative justice. You can also catch Tony emceeing for many events, including powwows, conferences, banquets and community bingo’s.

Singing Back the Buffalo is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Tasha Hubbard and released in 2024. The film profiles indigenous efforts to restore the buffalo to the North American plains ecosystem after the animals were driven to near extinction.

The film follows the path of the buffalo during the spring, summer and fall of 2022, across the Northern Plains of Canada and the United States.