Craig Richards: All Our Relations
Portraits from the Elders’ Gatherings

Every year, for over 20 years, Indigenous Elders have gathered in the shadow of Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain, near the Banks of the Bow River, in Banff National Park. Elders, from First Nations and Métis communities on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, come from seven major language groups, from families with stories told through generations of using and sharing this Valley, the rivers, mountains, buffalo, and salmon.

The Elders meet; family stories are shared; traditional medicines are exchanged. They discuss a range of issues from problems facing youth, the effects of residential schools, and how to bring back the buffalo and salmon to the prairies and rivers.  

Over the years youth have been invited to participate and have brought additional perspectives to the conversations. This has also been an opportunity for the Elders to pass on their knowledge. An annual three-day event, these gatherings led by the Elders and hosted by the Juniper Hotel in Banff, which is located on a historically significant site for First Nations peoples.