The Art of Banff

War Club Weapon, by Daryl Kootenay.

“Our connection to art and culture really goes hand-in-hand; it’s more than just art for us” – Daryl Kootenay

Arluk believes Banff is a “powerful host” to creative happenings that showcase a tapestry of Indigenous arts, informed by natural wonders such as the striking landscape. “Indigenous people never really resided here, they gathered here, and they would ceremony here,” Arluk explains.

“As a place that carries a lot of energy, [Banff] is a draw and is an important place to visit. If you look at the recreation culture of it, of course there are all the mountains, and the lakes. There is a pristineness that has a very incredible feel to it.”

This sentiment is shared by Daryl Kootenay, a faculty member at the Banff Centre and a traditional First Nations artist, speaker, and youth leader. Kootenay’s mother is of the Stoney Nakoda Nations of Treaty 7, a First Nations band based about 45 minutes from Banff. “They call us the original keepers and protectors of the mountains,” Kootenay says.

His artistic practice includes traditional Northern Men’s Indigenous dance, bead work, porcupine-quillwork and drum-making. Like Arluk, Kootenay’s creative works, expression, and leadership is founded on the resurgence and celebration of Indigenous arts, and he believes programming such as that at the Banff Centre is crucial to the development of the community.

Through Arluk’s personal works, as well as the curatorial and program development she underwent at Banff Centre, Arluk has endeavoured to preserve tradition while creating new culture within her community. “I felt like if we are creating this voice, we should all create this voice together,” she says. “And we should all do it with the mind that we want to grow our community, creating space for Indigenous voices in these major places.”