Calgarians trudged through snow to gather at The Confluence on March 27 to become part of a living spider web.

The enactment stems from the Blackfoot creation story Ani to Pisi, which translates to ‘human spider web’. It invited participants to move together in a shared formation as a physical representation of the interconnectedness of community, as one strand vibrating can be felt throughout the web.

The story was shared by Siksika Elder Clement Bear Chief until his passing in 2022. It is now retold by his brother, Elder Roy Bear Chief, who attended the event.

“Ani to Pisi does not care who we are, what language we speak, what colour we are, where we come from,” he said.

“Ani to Pisi welcomes everybody into the web, in the web we are all equal.”

The event comes just one week after Calgary’s Indigenous community transferred the spirit of the temporary residential school memorial from city hall to The Confluence, where The Wandering Spirit permanent memorial will eventually be housed.

The Ani to Pisi gathering, while planned independently, became a continuation of that moment.

Paula Smith, Indigenous relations manager at The Confluence and a member of Piikani Nation, said the teaching behind Ani to Pisi reinforces the same message carried through last week’s walk.

“This teaching reminds us that when challenges arise in our families, communities, or societies, we must be attentive to those vibrations when we feel them,” she said.

“This understanding of connection and responsibility also lives in how we remember, honor and carry stories and narratives forward.”

The drums of Siksika Elder Frank Turning Robe and his son Darcy Turning Robe fueled the web’s vibrations, then led the group into a round dance to cap off the celebration.

Part of the movement towards reconciliation

The event is part of Calgary’s broader journey toward truth and reconciliation, with The Wandering Spirit memorial being a part of the City of Calgary’s Residential School Memorial Project.

The permanent memorial, designed by Siksika artist and residential school survivor Adrian Stimson, will feature 37 vertical beams representing residential schools across Alberta, to remind Calgarians of Canada’s history.

The Confluence has committed $1 million toward the project, which was first announced by the City of Calgary in 2023 following community consultation. The project is expected to cost $7.5 million in total.

For many in attendance, the emotional weight of that history remains close. Both of Smith’s parents were residential school survivors and she spoke about the impact of the trauma

“My mother is still alive, and she says three things when I ask her about residential schools: afraid, fear and scared,” she said.

“She has survived, but her life hasn’t been as meaningful as it could have been.”

She added that events like the Ani to Pisi enactment demonstrate meaningful steps toward reconciliation.

“I see that in front of my own eyes today, that you are true and you are real, and my heart is moved,” she said.

The Ani to Pisi enactment is also a capstone project at Mount Royal University for child studies students. They bring the enactment to CBE schools and community organizations as a form of reconciliation.

Students Chelsea Day, Lauren Desousa and Daneri Ensign brought the enactment to The Confluence. The timing wasn’t planned with the memorial walk in mind, but Indigenous Cultural Development Coordinator Blair Cunningham said that the atrocities of residential schools connect us all, like a spider web. Making the event a fitting follow-up.

For Desousa, their role extends beyond organizing the event.

“Roy kind of describes us as the messengers for this story,” she said.

“It’s more than just the enactments it’s your way of living, understanding that the things you do and say affect other people.”

Ensign said the program has taught her how reconciliation is a lifelong commitment, and that listening to Indigenous voices is paramount.  

“It’s really important to just listen and learn from our elders and our knowledge keepers and our circle keepers, and all Indigenous peoples within Moh’kinstsis and honestly the world,” she said.