Kakatosiiks - UCalgary Dinos Indigenous Mentorship Program

University of Calgary Athletics

A partnership based in reconciliation and mutual understanding took a significant step forward on Nov. 10, 2021 when the University of Calgary Dinos’ Indigenous Mentorship Program was gifted a name in a traditional smudging and naming ceremony in the Kinesiology Complex.

Kakatosiiks (gah-gah-tow-siks) – Blackfoot for ‘the stars’ – was born in the summer to engage and mentor Indigenous youth through sport.

Miiksika’am, known as Elder Clarence Wolfleg – the name given to him at residential school – performed the cleansing and naming ceremony with UCalgary Faculty of Kinesiology Dean Dr. Penny Werthner and Siksika Nation recreation team lead Richard Running Rabbit.

When you come together, you always need some way for people to say ‘what is the name of this’. It is like giving a name to something that is going to start as a beginning. Kakatosiiks is going to keep us together. Kakatosiiks is a living being amongst us and everything that we do. I have given the name to give the spirit to that relationship.

Elder Clarence Wolfleg

We’re trying to create more than just a partnership, but an understanding. It’s so much more important now to understand the history and the impact that it has made. Where does that healing begin? I think it’s with our youth today. We’re all affected by it, each and every one of us.

Richard Running Rabbit

Four Dinos basketball players participated in the program’s first event, a basketball camp on the Siksika Nation, in August 2021.

Acting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action No. 88 and 89, which address athlete development and physical activity as an integral part of health and well-being, Kakatosiiks was developed in part by Alexis Miedema and Mason Foreman, who participated in UCalgary’s Indigenous Summer Student Program.

Emphasizing athletics as a beneficial outlet for physical wellness, mental health, and socializing, the Kakatosiiks will include student-athletes from a range of sports to ensure a well-rounded introduction to athletics. Dinos student-athletes will encourage the importance of academics from a diverse selection of facilities and programs, during which the student-athletes are available to help Indigenous youth with academic content and concerns.

In the spirit of understanding and reconciliation, student-athletes will be educated in Indigenous history, and Indigenous cultural education and ways of knowing will be interwoven through the program as each community sees fit.