perfect contrasting background. This initial "visual" also
established what would be a key theme for the day, the
artful blend of time past and time present.
ancestral lands of the Siksika. The panoramic view is of the
Blackfoot Crossing, a low-lying valley and wooded area that
embraces the gently meandering Bow River.
of years. Later it was a crucial crossing point for explorers
as they began to open the West to the European newcomers.
of structural configurations and architectural themes that
embody the traditional and the futuristic. Facing westward
over the valley, its prominence in the landscape is striking
but not overwhelming. The symmetry of the structure
creates a very successful blend with the natural environment
of the prairie that surrounds it, and the valley over which it
presides.
that personifies the Siksika culture and ethos. It is a
conceptual building that also embodies in its physical
structure the ancient stories and metaphors of the nation it
the new Siksika
Nation Heritage
Centre at Blackfoot
Crossing Historical
Park; how it sits
in the landscape;
traditional and
contemporary
Siksika tepees.
following the patterns inherent in the landscape.
environmental site; the largest prairie riverbank ecosystem
still in existence on the planet. The centre is also a complex
iconic structure, a testament to the Aboriginal way of life
in which the interconnectedness and interdependence of
all things are understood on a profound (often non-verbal)
level.
elders who advised them and contributed their inherited
wisdom) did indeed risk creating an imitation of a cultural
and geographical heritage. However, because the process
was a truly shared experience, what they have produced
is true to the Siksika consciousness, and at the same time
innovative. The building is a living metaphor for the natural
balance that is at the core of the Siksika belief system; and it
is also successful in leaving a soft footprint on the land.
are a series of Buffalo rub rocks, highly polished boulders
that bison over the millennia have used to rub against in
an attempt to remove mosquitoes and other insects. These
rocks are in a way touchstones to the past when the great
herds of bison roamed these grasslands, and were hunted
by the forbears of the Siksika and other nations. The bison >>