NAIT tipi raising gives students hands-on connection to Indigenous culture

By Abraham Arrieta on April 22, 2026

NAIT’s Nîsôhkamâtotân Centre held its annual tipi raising ceremony in the Feltham Centre (CAT) Building on April 10, 2026. The ceremony is a celebration in Indigenous culture that represents new beginnings.

Students and staff help raise a tipi inside the CAT building at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology on April 10, 2026, as part of a ceremony celebrating Indigenous culture and community.

This annual ceremony is part of NAIT’s ongoing efforts to highlight Indigenous culture and celebrate students’ success.

Students and staff are invited to participate in the ceremony. While some chose to observe from a distance, others chose to pick up the wooden poles, gather in a circle and help build the tipi.

“First off, it’s very immersive,” said Sam McAllister, a student who participated in the ceremony. “It’s very inclusive. It felt very welcoming. I just walked in and just helped.”

Sam McAllister goes around the tipi with a rope tying the poles together during the Tipi Raising ceremony inside the CAT building at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology on April 10, 2026

Participants are involved in every part of the ceremony. They gather and lift the poles up, tie the ropes and secure the tipi cover.

“We started off with the morning smudge, and then we gathered the supplies and actually built the thing. I helped with the rope, helped tie things together,” McAllister said.

Beyond the actual tipi building, this ceremony carries a deeper cultural meaning.

“The tipi is a visual representation of Indigenous presence and student success,” said Camille Louis, manager of the Nîsôhkamâtotân Centre.

Camille Louis (Right), and Kaitlyn Menard (Left) tie the tipi cover to a pole during the Tipi Raising ceremony inside the CAT building at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology on April 10, 2026

Louis explained that the event is designed to educate and create space for celebration and representation on campus.

“We’re creating space not just to recognize Indigenous people, but to celebrate them and their cultures,” Louis said. “We’ve gone beyond just acknowledging. We’re now really creating space and celebrating.”

In Indigenous culture, the tipi represents:

Home and belonging
Community and shared effort
Deep connection to land, family and the spiritual world
Teachings, nurturing and connecting with the Creator
Sacred circle of life

“The idea is that students are finishing one chapter and moving on to the next,” Louis said. “That concept of moving forward is really important.”

Lonny Potts (Middle, Blue shirt) shares cultural teachings to help participants understand the deeper meaning behind the Tipi Raising during the ceremony inside the CAT building at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology on April 10, 2026

For Louis, events like this often reinforce the importance of learning Truth and Reconciliation through shared experiences.

Lonny Potts oversees the tipi cover placement during the Tipi Raising ceremony inside the CAT building at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology on April 10, 2026

“Truth and reconciliation were never meant to be a comfortable process. It requires constant work,” Louis said. “We have to understand what happened in order to move forward together.”

“Personally, I don’t have a lot of connections to my culture,” McAllister said. “But having an event that’s easily accessible helps. It helps me get more connected.”

For many participants, the experience leaves a lasting impression that goes beyond the event itself. It carries a sense of reflection and connection, marking the end of a chapter and a beginning of another one.