We as the Stettler & Area Friendship Circle take great honour in the opportunity to provide a safe place for Indigenous Peoples and allies to share, connect, and learn from one another on the traditional and ancestral territories of the Cree, Dene, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Stoney Nakoda, Tsuu T’ina Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples whose relationships with these lands, waters, and all beings apart of them (human and non-human, living and spirit), have lasted since creation and continue to this day.
As a Circle we meet at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at the Alberta Communities Against Abuse (ACAA) office on Main Street Stettler.
Our current Circle members consist of Métis, Plains Cree, Kwakwaka’wakw, Woodland Cree, Lakota, and settler-descent. Ideas and teachings are shared during our meetings to allow for the fostering of connections and the growth of trust and understanding between all peoples.
Having hosted beading nights, dreamcatcher building, drum circles, sharing of traditional foods, and great company, the Circle welcomes all accepting peoples of any descent, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, to join our meetings.
Whether to observe, support, or contribute, we welcome everyone.
The secondary goal of the Circle is to promote the representation of all Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous advocacy within mainstream colonial society.
Past events that the Circle has hosted included the events that took place for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Day on September 30, 2023, and the walk/drum circle for National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) or Missing & Murdered Exploited Indigenous Peoples Day (MMEIP), but most commonly referred to as “Red Dress Day.”
The Circle holds goals of continually representing our Peoples within the community and creating opportunities to foster community-wide learning and allyship.
By creating a safe place for Indigenous Peoples to connect and grow, while educating non-Indigenous Peoples about proper allyship, the Circle envisions a center for safe and meaningful connection and healing of intergenerational trauma endured by Indigenous Peoples due to colonialism.
