A horse ride to commemorate the high numbers of Indigenous children placed under the auspices of the province’s social services started on August 1 at the Wahpeton Dakota Nation north of Prince Alberta. The ride ended in Wood Mountain on August 13. The ride-closing ceremonies at 3 p.m. at Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation began with an observance, a circle-up, a time for horse honouring and ended with a pipe ceremony. After the dignitary address, the riders, organizers and other participants held a feast. The ceremony in Wood Mountain closed with evening entertainment and a fire.
The day before, the horse ride had been delayed because of inclement weather, so the participants camped out for an additional night in the Assiniboia Exhibition grounds on Monday, August 12 before the ride progressed from Scout Lake to Wood Mountain the next day. “We’re a self-sufficient camp, but we’re grateful that the town of Assiniboia allowed us to stay an extra night here,” Lois Isnana, executive director for QBOW Child and Family Services Incorporated said. She also explained the objective of the ride, which was organized by one of the main riders, Beatle Soop.
“We’re trying to raise awareness of the children who are involved with the child welfare system and bring them back home to healthier communities. Horses always find their way home and we use horses through prayer and ceremony,” Isnana said.
Earlier this year, Neil Sioux, the QBOW Child and Family Services cultural coordinator, wanted to organize an event to bring awareness to the Indigenous children in social care. He also arranged this ride in remembrance of the residential school survivors and the children affected by the sixties scoop. The infamous sixties scoop refers to an era when many Indigenous children were scooped from their families and communities then placed into foster care or sent into adoption.
