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. @pekiwewinyeg has been up for a week down in rossdale, which is a burial ground and gathering site in edmonton. it is a prayer camp started by organizers and frontline workers. if you want to support can etransfer [email protected] with the note 'pekiwewin'.
i think the organizers have done a good job of talking about the significance of this place on social media, but media coverage this week has upset me as someone who has ancestors buried at this site. in my mind, this is ground-zero for the colonial relationship in this city.
if you know anything about edmonton history pre-dating the fort, you know that this is a gathering place where many nations and trade routes intersect. trade to us is not merely about swapping goods, but diplomacy, ceremony, interactions beyond the physical realm.
so as settlers starting to invade this territory, they came to understand that what is now known as edmonton and rossdale in particular was a significant place to us. they saw it as valuable to place a fort here because they knew this was a place we frequented.
as exploitative as the fur trade was, you have to remember we were still the majority here so fur traders were forced to follow our customs to an extent. english has become the majority-spoken language in this place fairly recently.
one of the most interesting things about rossdale is that is was home to one iteration of the fort. this was short-lived because it's on a flood plain. we tried to tell settlers this wasn't a good place to build a structure. they didn't listen. they have continued to build there.
since amiskwaciy (learn the other names for this area. i'm cree-centric because i'm cree!) was a frequented place for trade (before the fur trade, during, and now!), some people naturally die while they are here. what is now known as rossdale became a burial place.
people have done quite a bit of research to determine who was buried there during the fort edmonton era from historical records. some of my ancestors down there from this era include Louise Montour, Kisikawskup Bruneau, and Siykaikwanep Bruneau.
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab443/rossdale.htm
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab443/rossdale.htm
in the summer of 2007 a monument was revealed at this site that includes the names of those confirmed to be buried there from the fort edmonton era. the monument has not been complete because the relationship continues to be in flux. there are many reasons for this, obviously.
one of these reasons is that throughout time remains our ancestors have been removed and disrespected. it is reported that remains have been dumped in the river during pipeline construction. some were held at the university for a period of time. the Cemeteries Act does not apply.
there have been reburials over the years, including ones in 2005 and 2016 with directions from the Papaschase First Nation and the Metis Nation of Alberta. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/human-remains-rossdale-epcor-reinternment-1.3885546
so as your post your instagram pictures of the new walterdale bridge with the sunset in the background, consider what was dug up to build that structure. ask yourself why it is named after one of the first settlers to live outside of the fort. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/archaeological-dig-near-walterdale-bridge-shows-how-people-lived-1.2712339
one of edmontonians' favourite convo topics is what to do about the rossdale power plant. "should we build a gondola there?! maybe a market like granville island!?"
to me, this is a grotesque conversation. give the land back. allow us to rebuild this as a place of ceremony.
to me, this is a grotesque conversation. give the land back. allow us to rebuild this as a place of ceremony.
this is what camp pekiwewin is doing. they are pointing out the hypocrisy of a municipality that acknowledges Treaty at council meetings but does not actively live it. this week rossdale is an active gathering and ceremony place.
this is a very small snapshot of this story as i have come to know it and what i am willing to share on https://twitter.com . there are many others to learn from about the history of this site and of this city. this is still our land even if many other people live here.
