Why is there a Tipi in McDougall?

Perhaps you are wondering “Why is there a tipi in the sanctuary?” The short answer is that the tipi is a sign of McDougall’s commitment to “Right Relations” with indigenous people. The Tipi was received during the ministry of indigenous minister, Tony Snow, who began his ministry at McDougall in 2016 as a student minister. The Tipi has become a focal point for McDougall in-house programs such as Orange Shirt Day, Advent “Tea & Bannock,” Right Relations conversations, and even the back-drop for a wedding. In the wider church, the tipi has become an important backdrop to the Chinook Winds Indigenous Ministry, led by the Rev. Tony Snow, for video-taping programs and for workshops such as the Indigenous Red Dress Day healing event.  

The longer answer to “Why a Tipi” is that it opens up a crucial conversation concerning Reservations and Residential Schools. It also invites the longer conversations about the meaning of “treaty”. Becoming knowledgeable of what was understood by indigenous people in making treaty, and what was intended by the government and settlers by making treaty will help us learn what we must do together to restore right relations. 

McDougall United Church is named after the Rev. John McDougall, who was sent by the Methodist Church to establish a Mission at Morley in 1873. John and his father, George, were Methodist missionaries and as one historian notes, “There is hardly an incident in the history of the west in which the McDougall family were not involved.” It was John’s reports on the whiskey trade which helped convince the Canadian Government to form the North West Mounted Police. He consulted with his friend, Plains Cree Chief Maskapetoon, on the continual tribal warfare, the threat of smallpox, and loss of the buffalo. In 1875 he consulted with Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot and federal government officials about the impending major changes to indigenous lifestyle and the need for negotiations.  John McDougall assisted the Stoney- Nakoda First Nations in the negotiation of Treaty Number Seven, and was the second settler signatory on the September 22, 1877 signing of Treaty 7 at the historic Blackfoot Crossing. John was named by the Canadian Government as a special commissioner to investigate both the Red River and Northwest Rebellions. 

John McDougall was born in Owen Sound, Upper Canada, in 1842 and learned Ojibway as a child living among indigenous people in various frontier settlements. As a youth he moved to near Norway House, MB to assist his father in the mission there, teaching, becoming fluent in Cree, and living off the land to supplement their meagre salary. George, John, and families moved on to missions at Fort Carlton (SK), Victoria settlement (Pakan, AB), Ft. Edmonton, Pigeon lake, Rocky Mountain House, and Morleyville.  John was very physically fit, an experienced hunter and trapper, well able to provide for his family. While at Victoria settlement he married Abigail, daughter of Rev. Henry Bird Steinhauer of Saddle Lake First Nation. She died unexpectedly in early 1870’s along with two daughters during the influenza epidemic. He later married Elizabeth Boyd during a visit to Ontario and they immediately returned west by Red River cart to establish the missions.  John was a powerful ally to the First Nations in his day. Much to the chagrin of the Indian Agent and the Canadian Government, John and Stampede organizer Guy Weadick insisted that the Stoney-Nakoda should participate by dancing and riding at the first Calgary Stampede of 1912. In later years he spoke out against the pass system and government rules that impeded indigenous people’s ability to support themselves and preserve their culture.

To the government and settlers moving into the traditional territory of indigenous people, the treaty was a written “contract” with terms describing what each signatory would be contributing or giving up and what benefits would be received. The government required the indigenous people to surrender their traditional homeland to the “crown”, except for small areas of “reserves”, in order to allow development by incoming settlers, and to provide right-of-way for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

To the indigenous people the treaty was seen as a ”covenant”, an agreement to share the land and resources with newcomers, and containing the promise of the crown to care for the indigenous people.

These were two very different concepts. In hindsight it appears that neither party understood the concept of treaty held by the other party. In addition, administration of the treaties by the federal government in many ways violated their obligations under the provisions of the treaties. The failure of the government to recognize the oral tradition of indigenous people and the incomplete translation into their languages probably also contributed to mis- understandings. 

The Truth & Reconciliation Commission (2008-2015) collected testimonies from survivors, their families, and former staff of the residential schools to document the hunger and abuse of the children in the residential schools, the loss of language and culture, and the break down of family and societal life. The 2015 report issued “94 Calls to Action” including specific calls to churches to apologize. The United Church of Canada led the way with apologies to First Nations in 1986, “We tried to make you like us and in so doing we helped to destroy the vision that made you what you were.” In 1988 the United Church apologized for its involvement in residential schools. Finally, Pope Francis came to Alberta, Quebec, and Iqaluit July 29,2022 to meet with indigenous people. On February 22, 2023, United Church Moderator Carmen Lansdowne, acknowledged “with deep remorse and grief, the unmarked graves found at the Alberni residential institution, which was run by the United Church.” 

 McDougall Tipi stands in our sanctuary to continue the crucial conversation in McDougall Church and Chinook Winds Region in developing Reconciliation and Right Relations with indigenous people..

To learn more about Right Relations and the reconciliation work at McDougall, please visit the Right Relations Page.

Below is a picture from the Women's Wellness Workshop in October 2021 showing the tipi on display. Photo was taken by Shauna Kennedy.