Anishinaabe Days tipi poles vandalized

An act of vandalism to a tipi at the Treaty One Development Corp’s Anishinaabe Days did not stop the celebrations from continuing over the weekend.

Someone deliberately cut the poles used to erect the site’s tipi before the event began, Treaty One executive director Jason Whitford said Sunday.

The family responsible for overseeing the tipi and its construction at the site, Naawi-Oodenaon on Kenaston Boulevard, went to the site on Friday to erect the tipi when they noticed someone had taken a saw and cut all 15 of its poles in half.

“They were stored in a safe place, and they were stored properly as per protocol,” Whitford said. “They were in an area where there was no construction so they were isolated from any activity.”

A portion of the 160-acre Naawi-Oodena site is currently under construction. A 10-storey, 260-unit apartment building is being built.

The poles would have been cut some time in the last few weeks after they arrived at the site ahead of the event, Whitford said.

Whitford believes the destruction was an isolated incident, and, while there were no threats of violence against the event, he called the vandalism an act of hate.

“An act of intentional hurt towards us,” he said. “It came to our attention through our organizers, but also the family had posted it on social media, so there was broader community hurt as well, too.”

Treaty One has not yet decided if they will file a police report on the vandalism, but Whitford said the organization plans to speak to the city about the incident.

The family in charge of the tipi was able to provide replacement poles for the tipi and the sacred item was erected in time for the weekend event.

Treaty One Nations’ annual summer celebration included a powwow, talent show, artisan market, and fireworks on Saturday evening. It is the second year the event has been hosted at the former Kapyong Barracks site.

“Whoever cut the poles put so much energy into being negative that we don’t need to do that. We focus on the rebuilding and support from community who got new poles and repaired the damage.”

Julie Gall attended the weekend event and said word of the damage to the tipi poles didn’t hamper anyone’s spirit. She said the incident is a reminder the Naawi-Oodenasite is “absolutely meaningful and needed.”

“Whoever cut the poles put so much energy into being negative that we don’t need to do that. We focus on the rebuilding and support from community who got new poles and repaired the damage,” she told the Free Press.

The tipi, a sacred item to Indigenous Peoples, was acquired by Treaty One and part of its growing ceremonial bundle. Other items in the bundle include an eagle staff, buffalo robe and traditional medicines.

The incident has prompted Treaty One to consider storing the poles differently to better protect them, but they must be stored in a specific way, according to Whitford.

When not in use, the poles are typically leaned against a tree or stored on a rack to prevent damage or rotting.

The poles will eventually be replaced, but the 26-foot logs must be harvested from a forest and are typically made of tamarack or spruce.

“It’s not something that you can just go to go to Home Depot or McMunn and Yates and say ‘I want to order 15 poles,’” Whitford said.

The executive director said the incident has not undermined the work being done at the former Canadian Armed Forces land. The property is jointly owned by the seven Treaty 1 Nations (Brokenhead, Long Plain, Peguis, Roseau River, Sagkeeng, Sandy Bay and Swan Lake).

Naawi-Oodena recently opened a gas bar and convenience store at the site and is currently studying the feasibility of a 6,000-person arena.

“We are resilient, it’s just something that we just got to get past and continue with positive energy and forward momentum, and continue to do what we intend to do. I think our community and our organization responded well,” Whitford said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca