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SASKATCHEWAN INDIGENOUS CULTURAL CENTRE
CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Strategic Objectives
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Assist in developing traditional and contemporary cultural skills;
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Fulfill seasonal protocols and ceremonies;
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Develop cultural strategy;
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Develop and implement the Keeping House Strategy and Action Plan;
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Preserve and protect cultural objects and artifacts; and,
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Coordinate Elders Councils.
Operational Objectives and Activities
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To facilitate policy development and other initiatives which guard against expropriation and/or exploitation of Saskatchewan First Nations languages, traditions, ceremonial practices, cultural resources, traditional arts and history while ensuring that research, other study and usage is undertake in an ethically and culturally appropriate manner;
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To advocate for the preservation of First Nations Treaty, historic, sacred, traditional usage and other sites of a special nature and to facilitate policy development and other initiatives required to ensure the preservation of sites of significance;
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To facilitate the repatriation of human remains, sacred object, objects of cultural patrimony, historic documents and other Saskatchewan First Nations cultural properties that are maintained in government, non-government and private collections and to facilitate policy development and initiatives required to ensure repatriation and appropriate stewardship of repatriated items; and,
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To serve as a central repository for objects pertaining to the languages, traditions, ceremontial practices, cultural resources, arts and history of Saskatchewan First Nations and to manage the collection of the SICC.
SACRED SITES
For First Nations people, our way of life is connected to the land, to Mother Earth and she is sacred. Our collective identity, nations, language and culture etc. are all interconnected with our relationship with the land.
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Every First Nations language group has their own way of life based on the land that they live and where they hunt, gather, carry out ceremonies and trade. On these lands, there are many sites that are of greater sacred significance, known as sacred sites.
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Sacred sites may include but are not limited to ceremonial lands, birthing spots, grave yards, rocks, lakes, petroglyphs, clean springs etc. Ideally, the site will be disturbed as little as possible.
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After colonialism, our people were viewed as less than and therefore, our sacred sites are continually disrespected and destroyed for capital gain. Many, including SICC, continue to work to save our sacred sites. There are countless cases across Turtle Island where First Nations people are actively working to protect our lands and sacred sites. SICC files include:
TRADITIONAL PLACE NAMES
The Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre (SICC), in partnership with the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport (PCS), created a database and platform that shares Saskatchewan First Nations traditional place names. These are usually the original lands of First Nations, lakes, stones, etc. that have existed before colonization. The names may be in any of the Saskatchewan language groups and contains the traditional place name in the First Nation language, the English name, a short description and when available, an image and video. SICC expects this traditional place names map to be populated slowly and over time as communities undertake community projects.
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First Nations Communities Traditional Mapping
SICC encourages Saskatchewan First Nations engage in their own traditional place names projects that is Elder led. The community may come together to share the traditional place names that they know, map out the locations, share traditional oral history, take oral history video of the Elders, take pictures of the locations and video of the locations. With proper planning, SICC is open to guiding communities through carrying this out through grant funding and partnering with communities to carry out community projects to contribute to the overall project.