ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ - the name of Edmonton's upcoming Indigenous art park
CBC News | Posted: April 9, 2017 4:09 AM | Last Updated: April 9, 2017
Pronounced EE-nu, the park is expected to be finished in fall 2018
One of Canada's first outdoor Indigenous art parks has a name — and six pieces of art to go into it in 2018.
The City of Edmonton's naming committee gave the Indigenous art park the name ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞, pronounced EE-nu River Lot 11. ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) means "I am of the Earth," an ode to the ancestral lands of the Cree.
River Lot 11 is a nod to Joseph McDonald, a Métis settler who originally lived on the land.
The park, located in Edmonton's river valley, is part of the development of the Queen Elizabeth Park plan first brought forward in 2013. It is located within Treaty no. 6 territory.
"We are proud to share our lands, our history and our unique art with Edmontonian and visitors to our Treaty no. 6 territory," Treaty no. 6 Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild said in a release.
"As Métis people, we are proud of our heritage and look forward to sharing our distinct culture with visitors to ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ Indigenous art park," Métis Nation of Alberta president Audrey Poitras said.
The park will display six pieces of Indigenous art, all created by Canadian Indigenous artists. The theme is "the stories of This Place," which will illustrate different perspectives on how Indigenous people connect to the land and area.
"For centuries, this area has been a place of gathering, relationship building and commerce for many peoples," Edmonton's mayor Don Iveson said in the news release. "I am proud to acknowledge the traditional land this park sits on [is] within Treaty no. 6 Territory and the homeland of the Métis."
As part of the federal government's Canada 150 infrastructure program, the city of Edmonton was awarded $500,000 in January.
The city said in the release that money will go to support the development of the art park, along with development of a picnic area and shade shelter, lookout seating along Saskatchewan Drive and surrounding trail improvements.
The park is expected to open next fall.