A pipe ceremony was held at Holy Rosary High School on Feb. 6, bringing elders, knowledge keepers and staff together in prayer and reaffirming the school’s commitment to Indigenous culture, tradition and reconciliation.
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The ceremony took place in the Dream Catcher Space, a centre designed by elders that opened in 2023. The space serves as a hub for Cree language studies and Indigenous cultural teachings within the Lloydminster Catholic School Division (LCSD).
Purpose-built to support traditional practices, the centre features independent ventilation to accommodate smudge and pipe ceremonies. At the heart of the room stands a tree harvested by Michael Young after three days of fasting and prayer.
By Young’s account, he sought spiritual guidance before being led to the tree, which now anchors the space both physically and spiritually.
“We’re doing a pipe ceremony,” said Young. “Cynthia (my wife and LCSD Indigenous programming co-ordinator) asked us to bring the pipe in today because it hasn’t been in the school in a while. We’re trying to keep the traditions alive.”
Pipe ceremonies are among the most sacred practices in many Indigenous cultures. The pipe itself is viewed as a living spiritual being and is used as a means of prayer and communication with the Creator. During ceremonies, participants offer prayers for guidance, healing and unity, often for individuals as well as the broader community.
Photography of the pipe was not permitted during the ceremony.
“The pipe is sacred to us and it’s got its own spirit,” said Young. “When you take pictures of it, you essentially remove the spirit from it. If you take a photo of a spirit, that spirit won’t come back.”
Elder Brent Dillon echoed those teachings, emphasizing the importance of maintaining respect during ceremonies.
“The spirits don’t come when people are taking pictures or using flash photography,” said Dillon. “In our ceremonies — all our ceremonies — there’s no pictures, no cameras.”
Dillon said his prayers during the ceremony extended beyond the school’s walls.
“This is a blessing; we pray,” he said. “When I do this in the school, I pray for the students, for the parents, for the teachers, school bus drivers — everybody involved in the school to make it run smooth through the year.”
He added he also prays for the City of Lloydminster.
For Ralph Carter, the ceremony was a powerful reminder of the endurance of Indigenous culture in local schools.
“I have a good feeling all the time, every day, that the Creator has lent us the day,” said Carter. “You never expect tomorrow — you’re just alive today. I’m very new (in the school), so I’m excited.”
Young said continued use of the Dream Catcher Space is key to its purpose.
“We’d like to see more use out of it,” he said. “The tree and the room have a lot of meaning, and this is the Catholic school system’s best foot forward to try and reconcile the stuff that happened in the past.”
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