Kihciy Askiy Development
Kihciy Askiy in Whitemud Park will provide a natural setting for the Capital Region’s Indigenous community to host spiritual ceremonies, sweat lodges, cultural camps and talking circles; grow medicinal herbs, practice traditional crafts and facilitate intergenerational learning in an appropriately designed outdoor learning space.
Project Timeline
| Spring 2018 | Park Opens |
| 2016 - 2018 | Construction |
| 2015 - 2016 | Consultation and Design |
| May 2015 | Native Counselling Services of Alberta hosted a Grand Council Gathering for Indigenous Spiritual Leaders living in the Capital Region. Manasc Issac Architects hired as prime consultant for the design phase. |
| Feb 2015 | Hazard material abatement, demolition of the old farm buildings, corrals, and house, and re-grading |
| Dec 2014 | City Council approves $2 million in the 2015-2018 capital budget deliberations for design and construction of Kihciy Askiy Phase 1 |
| 2009 | The Whitemud Integrated Area Concept Plan is amended to include the development of the cultural site called Kihciy Askiy (Sacred Earth) |
| 2006 | The City receives a proposal from the Edmonton Indigenous Cultural Resource Counsel to create a permanent site for Indigenous cultural events and learning experiences for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people |
| 2003 | The Whitemud Integrated Area Concept Plan is developed and approved by City Council |
| 1968 | Fox Farms is acquired by the City of Edmonton |
Project Overview
Kihciy Askiy Phase 1 will consist of four sweat lodges, space for tipis for ceremonies and small group workshops, a large tent gathering area for ceremonial feasts and cultural teachings, men's and women's change rooms/washrooms, storage space, ten staff parking spaces, a gravel road with turnaround for emergency response vehicles, a permanent ceremonial fire pit with water source and regrading/seeding of the grassed ceremonial area.
Consultation
On May 6 & 7, 2015, Native Counselling Services of Alberta hosted a Grand Council Gathering for Indigenous Spiritual Leaders in the Capital Region, at the Alfred H. Savage Centre.
Outcomes of the gathering included:
- Review and approval of the Kihciy Askiy concept design
- An understanding of the protocols to be used for ceremony at Kihciy Askiy.
- An understanding of the ceremonial and spiritual needs of the Capital Region's Indigenous community
For More Information
Program & Project Development
PO Box 2359
12th Floor CN Tower
Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7
| Telephone |
In Edmonton: 311 Outside Edmonton: 780-442-5311 |
|---|---|
| CMSParkAndFacilityDevelopment@edmonton.ca |
