On January 17, Chief Joel Mykat (Ermineskin) presented MANS principal Kim Harrington with a Treaty 6 medallion. The presentation was made during a dinner arranged by Ermineskin Cree Nation and the Louis Bull Tribe of Maskwacis to celebrate the victorious return of Elias Mykat (Ermineskin) and Kenyon Bull (Louis Bull) from Abu Dhabi, where they accepted a $150,000 USD Zayed Sustainability Award on behalf of Mamawi Atosketan Native School.
This rare and significant honour denotes a special relationship, one that the giver intends will go on and on.
The medallion depicts a handshake between a representative of the Crown and an Indigenous chief with the words “As long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the river flows” inscribed around the perimeter. The inscription is taken from Treaty 6, signed in 1876 between the chiefs of the area and the government of Canada as representative of Queen Victoria of England.
Chief Wilton Littlechild (Ermineskin), one of Canada’s most accomplished Indigenous leaders, delivered an 11-minute speech elaborating on the significance of their achievement in earning the attention of the world with their winning project’s focus on sustainability through hydroponic gardening.
Littlechild, whose personal honours include being a Companion of the Order of Canada, Alberta Order of Excellence, one of three Commissioners who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and architect of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, also emphasized the role the MANS students are playing in carrying forward the Cree tradition and sacred duty to care for the Earth and all living things.
By Lynn McDowell
Director | Planned Giving & Trust Services/Philanthropy
Alberta Conference
Elias Mykat (L) and Kenyon Bull (R) displaying the special blankets and eagle feathers they received from their nations while MANS principal Kim Harrington beams above the Treaty 6 medallion bestowed in the presence of honoured guests from Ermineskin Cree Nation and Louis Bull Tribe.
