Calgary Police Service receive 15 blessed eagle feathers in act of reconciliation

The feathers, gifted from the Kainai Nation, can be used for swearing-in ceremonies, as well as the swearing of oaths for affidavits, statements, and other legal documents.

Fifteen eagle feathers were blessed in a traditional Blackfoot ceremony Tuesday before being distributed to all Calgary Police Service (CPS) facilities to add to the religious and cultural options used for swearing-in ceremonies and the swearing of oaths.

“We really want to be representative of all of the communities that we serve,” said Regimental Major Jason Hiscock. “And we want to represent our own officers as well because we have officers from each of these communities.”

The feathers, gifted from the Kainai Nation and beaded by Indigenous artists, can be used for swearing-in ceremonies for new recruits, as well as the swearing of oaths for affidavits, statements, and other legal documents.

They will be kept in cedar boxes made by Metis artist Bob Davis, lined with uniform material and adorned with the Blackfoot symbol for the Calgary Police Service.

CPS says the blessing ceremony is an honour, and the inclusion of feathers in its processes is a step on the path towards reconciliation.

“It really is a view into a way of life that allows you to pen up your perspectives and see things in a different way,” said Hiscock. “You can’t just do a good thing once and then, ‘great, you’re done’. You have to continually make efforts to engage with the community.”

Advocates say including the feathers is a good thing to do for symbolic reasons, but it doesn’t address the deep-rooted issues between police and their people.

“I don’t want to ever undervalue the meaning from our own elders doing that work in their own territory so that’s always good to do, but there has to be meaningful systemic changes,” said Michelle Robinson, an Indigenous advocate.