Our 2022 mural, “Mother Nature Reclaims What’s Hers,” is located along 10th Avenue SW underneath the Bow Trail overpass in the city of Calgary also known as Mohkinstsis in Blackfoot. Mohkinstsis is in Treaty 7 Territory, the southern region of Alberta which forms the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy comprising of the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani. Treaty 7 is also home to Mini Thni (Stoney-Nakota), the Tsuut’ina Nation and the Metis Nation of Alberta Region 3.

The mural site is next to the CPR railway tracks on the south side of the Bow River in the community of Sunalta. There is extensive ground contamination in this area stemming from the operation of the Canada Creosote Plant from 1924 to 1962. We talked with Blackfoot artist Ryan Jason Allen Willert about the significance of this site being adjacent to the Bow River and imagined how the land existed for thousands of years pre-colonization. The river valley provided a fertile ecosystem for plants and animals to thrive and would have been frequented by roaming herds of buffalo. The river was also a transportation corridor for the people living in Blackfoot Territory.

This mural shows native plants to the prairie river-valley ecosystem growing through the cracks in the concrete of the city. Wolf willow, buffalo bean, yarrow and tall grass all have significance either as food for animals or as medicine. These plants are pictured growing tall over the rubble of cracking bricks and cinderblocks. This is a metaphor for the resilience of nature and the resurgence of Indigenous knowledge and teachings that is needed for our society to grow in ways that are respectful to the environment and for future generations to thrive and proser with respect to the land and to one another.

We were thrilled to have a group of youth from the Tsuut’ina Nation Youth Program join us for a day of sharing stories, sharing food, skateboarding and painting. The youth participants helped to paint the final area of the mural representing the Bow River. We were also joined by members of Cousins Skateboard Community who shared some skateboarding skills with the group.

For us, this project is a reminder that we walk side by side with our First Nations neighbours in respect for the land and all life that is nurtured by Mother Earth. Through learning about the true spirit and original intent of Treaty 7, we are reminded that land cannot belong to anyone but in fact we all belong to the land. Treaty 7 serves as an important connection and agreement between settlers represented by the Crown and Indigenous communities to responsibly and respectfully share the land we call home. We are all Treaty people.

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