Aahsiiks Kookan
(Knowledge Carriers Lodge)
Ensures that community knowledge carriers (elders and eminent scholars) on the Blackfeet Nation have access to a socially welcoming and supportive space on the BFCC campus to connects them with community-based services/resources and to provides opportunities for them to take advantage of or contribute to the College’s programs and services.
History of Aahsiiks Kookan
On March 30, 2023, Blackfeet Community College, the Blackfeet Domestic Violence Program, Culture and Hope Program, and the Eagle Shields Center (elder housing) gathered 90 community elders
from the Blackfeet Nation for an Elders Summit, which was the first major gathering of community elders since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The data and knowledge carrier feedback
provided emphasized three primary areas: Safety, Health/Wellness, and Blackfeet Language/Culture.
In late spring 2023, BFCC began to work with Hopa Mountain Inc. and the Seventh Generation Fund regarding an initiative aimed at improving the lives of elders in our community. BFCC was
awarded $50,000 (over five-years) and two other community-based organizations were awarded $50,000 each. The Kendeda Fund provided an additional $50,000 in funding support. Hopa Mountain
awarded an additional $4,000 to support bringing knowledge carriers to Glacier National Park in May 2024.
GRAND OPENING was during the Annual Days of the Piikani conference on September 19, 2023, at Blackfeet Community College. A naming ceremony was conducted, during which a buffalo robe was
gifted to the President and Vice President. This buffalo robe now hangs in the Knowledge Carriers Lodge room which was granted the name Aahsiiks Kookan.
Na’asiks Aispom(k)takiiks (Helps with Elders, Knowledge Carriers Lodge Coordinator) Mrs. Laura Gervais, MEd (pictured on the right) was hired in November 2023.