Sunrise Ceremony held at Fort Steele to promote Truth and Reconciliation

On Saturday, September 16th, the ‘Aq’am Community hosted a Sunrise ceremony at Fort Steele. The Sunrise Ceremony was attended by ‘Aq’am Leadership, Ktunaxa elders, knowledge holders, the RCMP and board members of the Fort Steele Society in ongoing efforts to promote Truth and Reconciliation.

The Sunrise Ceremony was followed by a Cleansing of the Historic Wildhorse Jail cells.

The Ceremony and Jail Cell cleansing are acknowledgement of the historical events that occurred at Fort Steele and are steps towards strengthening relationships between the Ktunaxa people, the RCMP and Fort Steele. This is the first time such an event has taken place at Fort Steele, and is an important step in reconciliation.

‘Aq’am community and the Cranbrook RCMP recognize and value this as an important step towards meaningful Truth and Reconciliation, says S/Sgt.Barry Graham. We are thankful to the Ktunaxa community and the Fort Steele Society as well as the Indigenous Policing Unit for bringing us together for this momentous occasion. We see this as an important step in moving forward toward Reconciliation, while being educated about the truths and the customs of the Ktunaxa people.