Confluence celebration to lay bare Fort Calgary’s complicated history

The Confluence Symposium is not a celebration, but rather an acknowledgement of Fort Calgary’s colonialism roots that aims to engender meaning from 150 years of settler history and Indigenous experiences.

The forum, running Oct. 3 to 5, commemorates 150 years since the establishment of Fort Calgary and will put University of Calgary scholars at the centre of the discourse.

In 2024, the site sandwiched between East Village and Inglewood was renamed The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, to reflect the its entire history which includes Indigenous significance, occupation by the North-West Mounted Police and its role as a gathering place for thousands of years.

Facilitated by the University of Calgary's Office of Partnerships, UCalgary and The Confluence partnered earlier this year to plan and present the symposium. The Faculty of Arts took the lead on UCalgary’s participation, with Dr. Nancy Janovicek, PhD,  and Dr. George Colpitts, BA'90, MA'93, PhD, both professors in the Department of History, serving on the planning committee.

A number of UCalgary researchers, scholars and students will present their views on this complex topic. 

Archeology and strides for reconciliation

One of the presenters, Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology. She completes archaeological research alongside Indigenous communities in Alberta, specifically the Blackfoot people of Siksika Nation. 

She works closely with Elders and community members to ensure her work is done in a way that is respectful and follows Indigenous protocol on the land.

“When they put out the call for this symposium, one of the things they were really talking about was reconciliation and relationships between settlers and Indigenous communities, and that is certainly something that has been a focus of my own research and teaching for quite a while now,” says Amundsen-Meyer, BA’09, PhD’14.

Amundsen-Meyer works alongside Kent Ayoungman, a Blackfoot Knowledge Holder from Siksika Nation, and other Elders from the Siksika and Piikani nations. She says relationships like these and with other community members have helped shape how she now approaches her work.

“It’s been a seismic shift in how I look at how we are doing things and how I perceive the right way forward,” says Amundsen-Meyer.

“To do this kind of work, you can’t just show up and dig a site. It takes a lot of time spent in community, with ceremony. It’s about building those relationships and relationships of trust because you need those to be able to work together.”

Amundsen-Meyer will be giving a talk titled “Archaeology and Cultural Landscapes in Southern Alberta: Locating Wisdom in Place” on Oct. 4 at 10:45 a.m.

Symposium features diverse voices

Other talks given by members of the UCalgary community will include: 

• Dr. Don Smith, PhD: Hugh Dempsey and our understanding of the land now called Calgary, 1875-1925 | Oct. 4, 1:15 p.m.
• Carol Kehoe, history student and professional engineer: The Lower Nose Creek Valley – Crosscurrent to Calgary Ideals | Oct. 4, 2:30 p.m.
• Dr. David Scott, PhD’16; Ashley Wright, BEd’19, MEd’21; Sophia Thraya, BA’21, BEd’21, MA’23, PhD student; Israt Jahan, PhD student: Making Treaty at the Confluence: Towards Ethically Relational Historical Encounters | Oct. 5, 1:15 p.m.
• Dr. Alexandra Giancarlo, PhD: Troubling the career of Deerfoot, Siksika runner, and his memorial afterlife: Beyond settler colonialism? | Oct. 5, 2:30 p.m. 

The Confluence is located at 750 9 Ave. S.E. For more information and to attend the Symposium events, you can visit the webpage.