Alberta's native leaders say they have been relegated to "token Indian" status during the Queen's visit marking the province's centennial.
"They asked us to be there in our buckskins and feathers," Tsuu T'ina Chief Sandford Big Plume said yesterday after two days of meetings with Alberta's aboriginal leaders. "Our contribution should be more than symbolic," said Mr. Big Plume, whose reserve skirts the southwestern edge of Calgary.
"We were not asked, we were just given invitations to show up and sit down in our regalia. We were the caretakers of this land long before Alberta was a province."
But a spokesman for the Alberta leg of the nine-day royal visit says aboriginal content features prominently throughout the tour and organizers did not want to duplicate events. "You look for some variety and some interest," said Jim Law, adding that native dancers and singers will highlight celebrations in Calgary and Edmonton.
The Queen and Prince Philip begin their tour on Tuesday at Regina's First Nations University, which organizers say will profile the wisdom and pride of past contributions along with the promise of building a collective future. The royal couple will then take part in a tribute to aboriginal veterans, where it's expected the Queen will pay tribute to the "historic and close relationship with the Crown."
In Alberta, Prince Philip will meet with aboriginal leaders in Fort McMurray after touring the oil sands and discussing the need for balancing environmental concerns in economic development.
Aboriginal schoolchildren will be at the Provincial Museum in Edmonton when the Queen visits, the White Buffalo Dancers are showcased at the official welcome at Commonwealth Stadium and native leaders have been invited to the state dinner.
"Aboriginal culture is very important to this province's history and its future," Mr. Law said. "I believe it's reflected in the very strong presence in all of the centennial celebrations that we've planned."
Mr. Big Plume notes that his ancestors signed treaties with Queen Victoria's representatives 28 years before Alberta became a province in 1905. He and the other chiefs want an audience with the Queen to tell her those treaties did not extend to natural resources.
"My concern is that with the agreements signed, the successor Canada is breaching the agreement," Mr. Big Plume said. "Our Treaty 7 states for six inches down in the earth: the depth of a plough."
Canadian Press