KAIROS blanket exercise once again hosted in Strathmore

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

Trellis, in partnership with the Town of Strathmore and United Way, are looking to expand Indigenous education in the local community. 

On Nov. 20, Trellis hosted a KAIROS blanket exercise at the Strathmore Civic Centre, which was designed to explore the nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Canada.

“The KAIROS blanket exercise is an experiential program that supports Indigenous learning by walking participants through the history of the Indigenous people. It’s a very interactive exercise where everyone who is in attendance also participates,” said Shelly Wade, a Trellis program manager who oversaw the exercise.

KAIROS is a movement of Indigenous, settler and newcomer peoples who present an active commitment to ecological justice and human rights. It is a collective of religious organizations created in 1997 by the Aboriginal Rights Coalition.

A prominent goal of the organization is advocacy, education and awareness of the injustices and impacts had on Indigenous peoples.

Wade said the exercises have been hosted once or twice a year for the past four or five years in Strathmore and though attendance tends to vary, they regularly are well supported by the community.

“The blanket exercise is near and dear to my heart and I really believe this is a beautiful way to engage the community in Indigenous education,” said Wade. “I think that for everyone who is participating in this exercise, they will walk away with an understanding of the history of Indigenous people here in Canada”

At the start of the exercise, a series of blankets are laid out across the floor to represent Turtle Island, or Canada. The blankets represent the lands of the Indigenous peoples. As the exercise progresses, people and blankets are removed, adjusted, folded and reduced.

The changes are meant to represent what happened over time to Indigenous populations over time.

“I think the community has certainly appreciated opportunities for free learning of Indigenous learning and education,” added Wade. “I believe it just brings a sense of community. It’s an awesome opportunity to enjoy a meal together, some laughter, some tears, some learning and just being in the community.”

The event was free to attend and was funded through United Way.

Wade added she hopes the impact that continuing to host these exercises will have is simply to bring education and awareness to the community and have discussions about what happened to the Indigenous peoples of Canada that community members may not have been previously aware of.

“I think everybody can take away something in their hearts today, some learning that they may or may not have been aware of in the histories of indigenous people,” she said.