Construction is underway on a project to replace the Saamis Tepee dance floor with synthetic turf designed to better support Indigenous cultural ceremonies and traditional dancing.
In partnership between the Miywasin Friendship Centre and the City of Medicine Hat, the resurfacing project has been identified as a priority through the city’s Truth and Reconciliation Recommendations Committee.
The existing shale surface will be replaced after Indigenous Elders, cultural leaders and dancers said it had become rutted, abrasive and damaging to moccasins and traditional regalia.
Recognized as one of Medicine Hat’s best-known landmarks, the Saamis Tepee serves as a gathering place for dances, storytelling, ceremonies, medicine picking and tourism.
The final design features a synthetic turf dance floor, an expanded gathering area with picnic tables, bleachers, and benches, a fire pit, a concrete entrance, and accessibility improvements.
Weather permitting, construction is expected to wrap up by early August, with an opening ceremony scheduled for September 19.
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