Experience Guide | Tourism Medicine Hat

Saamis Tepee

The Storyboards Within the circle of the Tepee, ten illustrated storyboards are visible. These boards were all hand-painted and represent a variety of influences and history of Indigenous heritage. The Legend: How Medicine Hat Got its Name

The Saamis Tepee is a tribute to Indigenous heritage in Canada. It was originally constructed for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics. The late Amerigo “Rick” Nella Filanti, a prominent Medicine Hat entre preneur and philanthropist, purchased the Tepee from the City of Calgary in the hope to give the City a landmark with some allure. After being moved to Medicine Hat, erection and assembly of the major structural elements of the Saamis Tepee began Oct. 20, 1991, and was completed in less than one week. The Saamis Tepee has a foundation weight of 800 metric tons, and the dead load of the struc ture is 200 metric tons. The main masts of the Tepee measure 215 feet (equivalent to a 20 story building!) and 960 bolts hold it all together. Below the Saamis Tepee, in scenic Seven Per sons coulee, lies one of the Northern Plains archaeological sites — the Saamis Archaeolog ical Site. Take time to explore and photograph this area. It boasts one of the foremost important archaeological sites of the Northern Plains.

Interpretation and Painting by Joseph Hind Bull. The scene depicts the sadness that overcomes Eagle Birth and his new bride for the sacrifice of a fellow human to the merman. The merman is excited over his new meal.

The Tepee is the gift the otter man has given Eagle Birth to use on his Tepee design. The blue circle, where Eagle Birth and his woman are drawn in is our world and the little blue circle is the merman world. The green half of the picture is the colour of deep water. The yellow depicts the brightness of our own world. The Eagle feathers are the truths by which every man lives. The Blackfoot Confederacy Interpretation and Painting by Henry Standinga lone. This scene depicts the things that are important to Blackfoot people yesterday and today. The Sun was worshiped for its life-giving source to the Blackfoot people. The buffalo skull represents the Power and Spirit of the traditional food source

14 Indigenous Spaces & Places