Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre

The Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre, located in Saskatoon, was created in 1972 as the “Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College,” and funded under the federal government's Cultural Education Centres Program. The mission of the institution is to strengthen and support Indian education and cultural awareness of Indian people; it does so in close consultation with Elders. The Centre assists First Nations communities in various capacities, ranging from language and resource development to library and band training. The Centre also collaborates with other institutions and organizations to enhance developments in the education and tourism industries. The Centre is very active in the publication of materials in First Nations languages and holds language workshops on a regular basis. Recently the Centre has concentrated on the development of a keeping house/museum as well as of a store to market the institution's products.

The Centre has recently entered into a partnership with the Western Development Museum as the major First Nations partner in the Museum's 2005 project called “Winning the Prairie Gamble: The Saskatchewan Story.” The Centre's library has been active in the development of web sites, including the “Remembering Our Heroes” site that documents the role that First Nations veterans played in Canada's war efforts, as well as in updating the First Nations Periodical Index and the Aboriginal Arts Gallery.

Rob Nestor