The Blackfoot Confederacy and the Town of Banff gathered today in Natoohsiskoom — the Blackfoot name for the area around Banff, meaning “holy springs” — for a sacred pipe ceremony and offering to commemorate the beginning of a working relationship that will lead to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two parties.

The gathering also marked the official naming of the pedestrian bridge in the Town of Banff as the “Thunder Medicine Pipe Bridge”, pronounced in Blackfoot as Ni Naim’skah Ko Yin Ni Mai Pas Tan. The bridge naming has been several years in the making through the collaborative efforts of the Town of Banff, Randall McKay, Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects, Kirby Smith, and elders and leaders from the Blackfoot Confederacy, including Eldon Weasel Child and Herman Yellow Old Woman of Siksika Nation.

McKay noted that the Thunder Medicine Pipe Bridge, which was completed in 2013, is one of the finest pieces of municipal infrastructure built in Banff over the past 15 years, but until now, had never been assigned a specific name.

Today’s ceremony was attended by Mayor Corrie DiManno — who carries the Blackfoot name Maksikoom Aakii (“Springs Woman”), granted to her by Elder Treffrey Deerfoot at a moving ceremony alongside the late respected Siksika Elder Andrew Bear Robe — and members of Banff Town Council. Leadership from the Blackfoot Confederacy included Chief Travis Plaited Hair, former Chief Roy Fox, Leonard Weasel Traveller, Peter Weasel Moccasin, Elijah Provost, Herman Yellow Old Woman, and Kimmy Shade, CEO of the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council.

In her remarks, Mayor DiManno reflected on the importance of honouring Blackfoot history and knowledge within the lands known as Natoohsiskoom, reaffirming the town’s commitment to a respectful and enduring partnership. Chief Plaited Hair noted that the naming and ceremony represent a continuation of the Blackfoot Confederacy’s responsibility to protect, honour, and renew relationships across its ancestral lands.

The naming of the Thunder Medicine Pipe Bridge stands as a symbolic and living recognition of Blackfoot presence, sovereignty, and stewardship. It marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership between the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Town of Banff that will continue to grow through the forthcoming Memorandum of Understanding — a framework for collaboration in areas of shared interest including land, culture, education, and economic development.