Deerr Lodge Centre’s bear symbolizes reconciliation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/12/2021 (1381 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you have ever been to Deer Lodge Centre, you may have seen a life-size, taxidermized bear on the second floor.

Until recently, it was displayed in a plexiglass enclosure, beside a plaque that described how the bear had once been an attraction at the roadside inn that previously operated on our current site.

Over the years, the story of the bear and its connection to Deer Lodge Centre has been told and retold as an amusing anecdote about our organization’s history. However, this retelling did not reflect the full context of the story, and did not respect the spiritual significance of the bear to Indigenous people, nor the bear itself.

The story of the bear actually begins with the story of the Honourable James McKay. Deer Lodge Centre is named after and located on the site of the former home of McKay, a Métis politician who played a key role in the land agreements of Treaties 1-6. McKay was also a dedicated conservationist, and kept an array of animals at his home, including the bear.

Following McKay’s death in 1879, his former home was sold and converted into a roadside inn, and the bear remained at the property. It was at this point that he began being used as a source of entertainment for visitors to the hotel.

According to some accounts, visitors to the inn would buy drinks to give to the bear. He was also forced to perform other stunts, including wrestling visitors. It was, by all accounts, a very unnatural life for a bear, and it came to a sad and undignified end when he was ultimately killed by residents of the area.

During a visit to Deer Lodge Centre earlier this year, local elder Wa Wa Tei Ikwe asked why we had a bear in a cage on display. That question led to several discussions about the significance and the history of the bear at Deer Lodge Centre, and how retelling his story without regard for that significance may have been disrespectful or offensive to those who hold the bear in the highest regard.

On October 29, we held a pipe ceremony led by Indigenous elders and pipe carriers to acknowledge the disrespect displayed towards the bear throughout our history, and the negative impacts it may have had on Indigenous staff, patients, clients and residents.

The ceremony was also an opportunity for us to receive guidance on how to build better relationships with Indigenous communities, and move forward meaningfully on the path to reconciliation. We cannot change history, but what we can do is to learn as much as possible from the stories, and work to change the present and future.

There are many parallels between the story of the bear and how it has been historically represented at Deer Lodge Centre, and the history of Manitoba and Indigenous people on this land. It is just one example of how Indigenous culture and spirituality have not always been treated with respect within our organization, or the health care system as a whole.

To effectively care for the people we serve, we must not only treat the physical and mental, but support the social and spiritual parts of each person. This fall’s pipe ceremony was just a starting point, and the knowledge that was shared will continue to guide our decision making to ensure all Indigenous patients, clients and residents receive culturally safe care at our site.

You can still see the replica of the bear on the main floor of Deer Lodge Centre placed in a position of respect and protection, and serves as a reminder of our ongoing work to build better relationships with all peoples in our community.

Kevin A. Scott is the Chief Operating Officer of Deer Lodge Centre.