The McDougall Memorial United Church site hosted a commemorative service marking the 142nd anniversary in the signing of Treaty 7 where Elders were presented with sweet grass as they spoke about past experiences of the Stoney Nakoda people.
Treaty 7 was the last of the numbered treaties made between the Government of Canada and the Plains First Nations. Due to different understandings of the treaty’s purpose and the cultural and linguistic barriers which some have said were deliberate attempts to mislead First Nations on the part of government negotiators, there have been ongoing conflicts. Many of the Nations involved in Treaty 7 have been part of a vast variety of claims with the federal government relating to land surrenders, improperly performed surveys and fraudulent deals, many of which are still happening today.
Elders spoke about how the agreement of the Treaty was to live together and share the land. It was the bureaucracy of the government that tarnished this proposal. The Stoney people believe it is imperative that reconciliation occur or history will repeat itself. The hope going forward is that both sides can persevere in unity through peace, love and harmony.
This could be why the term “rebuilding” was so significant in the afternoon’s service. A number of speakers focused their statements on rebuilding the church - which burned down two years ago – rebuilding the trust among the people and rebuilding relationships.
“My great great great-grandfather, George McDougall built the church and so I’m seventh generation McDougall. It’s very important to (the Stoney people) the number seven so being Treaty 7 Day and I’m seventh generation, it’s very powerful,” explained Brenda McQueen, president of the McDougall Stoney Mission Society. “We are moving forward for the next seven generations and when I stepped up to be the next president I thought it was for my children and my grandchildren and little did I know that it’s the next seven generations. So, it is very powerful for me because I wasn’t looking at it in that light and I’m just so proud seeing all these people here today.”
In May of 2017, the iconic McDougall Church was destroyed by an inconclusive fire. It was the first Methodist church of its kind ever built in Southern Alberta in 1875. The church was the heart of the first pioneer settlement and acts as a reminder of western heritage and values. Now, two years later the church will be restored and replicated to its original memory.
Earlier this year, in June, the provincial government accepted two proposals presented by the McDougall Stoney Mission Society. The first being the restoration of the church and the second for an interpretive walk which will tell the story of both the settlers and the Stoney Nakoda People. The hope is that the development and building permits will be approved by November.
A Sea-Can housing the salvaged material from the church will be moved from the site later this month. It will be taken to Chalmers Heritage Conservation in Calgary where owner Dave Chalmers will begin the process of restoring around 80 per cent of the burned logs. As per the province, the church will have to look exactly the same as before and this is where Chalmer’s expertise comes in handy. His company specializes in restoring old buildings and he along with his highly-skilled team do their research and put thoughtful consideration into each project.
“We’re very fortunate, there’s a set of drawings from 1985 that was done by the Alberta Government and the U of C so we have a full set of drawings, maybe five, and that’s going to be our referencing documents,” said Chalmers. “It’s really important that you don’t have any conjecture when you are rebuilding a historic site because we want to go back to the way it was. The period that we have the most information from is 1985, so we will restore it back to 1985.”
McQueen says they have submitted applications for grants and are trying to get momentum behind the fundraising efforts to have the church completed by next summer.
Next year will see two very special events taking place on the site. On May 16, there will be a pipe ceremony and May 17 a contingent celebration will be had to see the first pieces of the church reassembled. Following this milestone on Sept 13, if all goes to plan, the first service will take place inside the newly restored church.
Anyone interested in donating can go to www.mcdougallstoneymission.com and click on the donate now link. There is also a GoFundMe link at the bottom of the website. Donations can also be sent via e-transfer, cheque or cash.
