The sight of colourful ribbons tied to trees in the Athabasca Valley is a hopeful one for Parks Canada.
It鈥檚 a sign that the agency is succeeding in rebuilding relationships with Aboriginal communities who have traditional ties to Jasper.
鈥淲e are heartened to see ribbon trees appearing in the park because we think it鈥檚 indicative of our success in working with Aboriginal communities and making them feel comfortable about reintroducing cultural practise on the landscape,鈥� said Greg Deagle, aboriginal liaison for Jasper National Park.
鈥淭hese ribbons and cloths are offerings,鈥� said Howard Mustus Jr. of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e prayed over, and when you鈥檙e finished praying, you tie them up on trees as your offerings. You鈥檙e offering them to the earth and overtime they will disintegrate and go back into the earth.鈥�
Ribbon trees often appear after traditional ceremonies, like sweat lodges, vision quests or pipe ceremonies, and are practised by numerous Aboriginal groups.
Mustus Jr. said the colours mean different things for different groups. 鈥淭he prayer flags that you see on trees are the colours of the grandfather spirits.鈥�
For Alexis, the main colours are yellow, red, white and blue.
Yellow represents the eagle spirit and sun, which comes from the east, while red represents the thunder spirits鈥攖hunder, lightening, water and fire鈥攆rom the south. Blue represents the wind spirit鈥攖he breath of the creator鈥攃oming from the west, and white is the buffalo spirit from the north.
鈥淭he reason we acknowledge the buffalo is the buffalo is like the chief of all the animals, all the four-leggeds, so we acknowledge all of the animals on earth by praying to the buffalo spirit.鈥�
Parks Canada is asking that hikers and trail users respect the trees and leave the ribbons to weather in place. 鈥淒on鈥檛 fear the ribbon trees or remove them or deface them, but simply recognize them for what they are鈥攁 signature of the ground covered between Parks Canada and Aboriginal communities,鈥� said Deagle.
Mustus Jr. said to remove a ribbon tree would be like 鈥渦nintentionally cancelling out someone鈥檚 prayers.鈥�
Jasper National Park has been working to strengthen its ties with traditional Aboriginal groups since the creation of the Jasper Aboriginal Forum in 2006.
鈥淭hat was an important milestone,鈥� said Deagle. 鈥淥ur journey is somewhat recent, but prior to that time there was really little or no communication between Parks Canada and Aboriginal communities.鈥�
Historically, there were somewhere between 24 and 30 Aboriginal groups either living in the Jasper area or using it for hunting and gathering. But, in 1907, when the federal government decided to establish Jasper National Park, the traditional way of life for those groups was no longer permitted in the park, so they were forced to leave.
It has taken over a century for Parks Canada to work toward reconciliation with the various groups who were displaced. The first major step was the formation of the forum.
Since then, Parks has opened dialogue and has even entered into formal agreements with some groups to allow traditional collection of medicinal plants growing within the park.
Another development that was formalized this summer was the opening of the Jasper Aboriginal Cultural Area on June 20.
That area, located between Fifth Bridge and Sixth Bridge along the Maligne River, is available for cultural use by any of the groups that participate in the forum.
Mustus Jr. said although it鈥檚 been a long road to get to this point, Parks is becoming more respectful of the cultural ways of Jasper鈥檚 earliest inhabitants.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you鈥檙e starting to see [ribbon trees] now, because we鈥檙e becoming more comfortable and utilizing that area more for our cultural happenings.
鈥淏efore we had been kind of conditioned to hide these things, but with the work that we鈥檝e been doing in the park over the past few years, you鈥檙e starting to see these things because it鈥檚 becoming alright for us to do them again.鈥�
Beyond respecting the trees by leaving the ribbons intact, Mustus Jr. said those who are spiritually inclined are welcome to leave an offering of their own.
鈥淚f someone wishes to pray for themselves, they can offer some tobacco at the base of the tree and pray in whichever manner that they can,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can think of tobacco as kind of a spiritual currency.鈥�
Nicole Veerman
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