Siksika First Nation hopes to pursue economic activities in Banff National Park in the Castle Mountain area now that a negotiated land claim settlement was completed with a ceremony last week.
The historic deal, signed by Siksika and the federal government at a ceremony in Calgary in late January, provides Siksika with about $123 million in financial compensation.
The settlement from a more than century-old dispute also provides Siksika Nation with economic opportunities inside Banff National Park and with ongoing park access for cultural, traditional and educational purposes.
Parks Canada officials say this settlement gives Siksika Nation an opportunity to acquire leases for the Castle Mountain hostel, Castle campground, and, on a willing-buyer, willing-seller basis, the opportunity to buy outlying commercial accommodation facilities.
“The Siksika’s development would be subject to Parks Canada’s statutory and regulatory framework,” said Christie Thomson, acting communications and public relations officer, in an email to the Outlook.
The Siksika Nation’s claim dates back to the 1880s, when land located at Castle Mountain was set aside as a timber berth.
The basis of the claim was that the lands were wrongfully taken from the First Nation in 1908 without its consent and without proper compensation.
In 1911, the lands at Castle Mountain, known as the Miistukskoowa area to Siksika, were added to Rocky Mountain Park, now known as Banff National Park.
No firm details on Siksika’s plans are known yet, but one idea Siksika has suggested to honour Blackfoot culture is to create an international youth hostel where visitors would learn about Blackfoot traditions.
Chief Joe Weasel Child of Siksika Nation said this year they will celebrate a new beginning at Miistukskoowa.
“As one of our last untouched sacred sites, Siksika will be working collaboratively with Parks Canada to share a unique Northern Blackfoot culturally-based eco-tourism experience with all Canadians and tourists from all over the world,” he said.
“Now, with this settlement agreement, the Siksika Nation will continue to protect the environment and all living things placed here by the Creator for the beneficial interest and education of generations of Canadians yet to come.”
Catherine McKenna, minister of environment and climate change responsible for Parks Canada, said the roots of the Siksika Nation run deep in Alberta’s plains and mountains.
“Their history and culture are recognized through this claim settlement,” she said in a news release.
