Indigenous leaders at Alberta powwow voice deep concerns about separation referendum

At the Siksikaitsitapi powwow held in Lethbridge this August, the separation debate hung over the celebrations. CBC News spoke with at least a dozen people at the Blackfoot Confederacy powwow, and all but two opposed Alberta's independence.

Fran Calf Robe, a Siksika Nation teacher who grew up living off the land, described the fear the referendum sparked. "I had a lot of questions … like, what's going to happen to us? What's happening to our next generation of kids and families if we're separated. What's going to happen to our homes, our way of life?" she said. "It was a very confusing, scary feeling to go through."

Calf Robe attended the powwow to celebrate her culture and spoke with an elder about her concerns. "We don't like it. We're very uncomfortable with it because we cherish what we were taught, especially with the land. And this is our land," she said.

Gigi Black, who was raised off reserve before moving back to Piikani Nation and has spent 38 years making and selling jewelry, shared similar fears. "I'm totally against it. This is treaty land, not only for our ancestors, but for the native people that are here today. We have our culture, our traditions, and separation would be like taking our culture away from us," Black said.

First Nations leaders across Alberta have been among the most vocal opponents of separatism, having tried for months to block the referendum vote through the courts. Some separatist leaders have argued that treaties would carry on if Alberta separates and that independence would give more economic freedom to First Nations—claims that carry little weight with the communities most affected. The referendum vote is set for Oct. 19.