August 2012 FREE CORB LUND Talks cows, cabins and Calgary Inside the Calgary Journal... Photo by: Karry Taylor Author Ami McKay discusses her newest book, “The Virgin Cure”, on page 22. Photo by: Melissa Molloy Rosanna Terracciano shows the postures and moves of the Spanish dance of Flamenco on page 16. Tarot troubles EDItor-In-ChIEF PRINT OUR CITY Page 13 | When psychics tell THINGS TO DO Melissa Molloy Soccer Camp seeks proper you a terrible truth August Festivals Christine Ramos Page 20 | Everything you need to field know about where to go for festival EDITOR IN-CHIEF ONLINE Page 4&5 |Calgary man starts season Trevor Presiloski barrier-free soccer group for kids FAMILY Ramadan PRODUCTION EDITOR Page 14 | A holy time for Calgary SPORTS Eva Colmenero MONEY Muslim community Teen cycles to Vancouver to REPORTERS Penny Pinching for young raise funds for cancer Karry Taylor ARTS Page 23 | Noah Epp on his second Clayton Goodwin folks journey to the West Coast after Page 8 | Financial writer offers tips losing friends to cancer SUPERVISING EDITOR you can take to the bank The Art of Flamenco Page 16 | Interesting facts Jeremey Klaszus about the ancient dance with demonstrations by Calgary’s PRODUCTION MANAGER & Rosanna Terracciano COVER ILLUSTRATION: CALGARY VOICES ADVERTISING Toronto vs. Calgary Alexandra Valenti Brad Simm Page 9 | Journalist spends two PH: (403) 440-6946 calgaryjournal.sales@gmail. months comparing YYC to YYZ com Produced by journalism students at Mount Royal University, the Calgary Journal is a community newspaper that reports on the people, issues and events that shape our city. We are the proud winners of the 2010 Pacemaker award for North American newspaper excellence from the Associated Collegiate Press. CONTACT THE JOURNAL: [email protected] 403-440-6561 Photo by: Karry Taylor Calgary Castle sits on a hill in the village of Calgary, Scotland. More on page 10. 2 August 2012 | calgaryjournal.ca When buffalo were king A brief look back on pre-European contact landscape in Calgary MELISS A MOLLOY | [email protected] algary is a boomtown again, and the city limits keep stretching deep into all Cfour directions. From above, it is a city of buildings and poplar trees sandwiching the Elbow and Bow rivers. But as far as cities go, our Cowtown is still in an infant state. Only a touch over a century ago, this area we call home was a far cry from an urban space. The Bow-Elbow confluence, or what is now known as downtown Calgary, was Blackfoot territory for thousands of years. “We arrived roughly 800 years ago,” says Kevin Littlelight, Nation administrator for the Tsuu T’ina Nation, of the Dene group of First Nations people — many of whom now live on Tsuu T’ina Nation land, bordering the most southwestern point of the city. “But the Blackfoot were always here,” he smiles. Back then the area’s landscape was primarily grassland. “Go to the Calgary Tower and it looks like one big forest,” Littlelight says. “But that wasn’t the case 150 years ago, it was pure bald plains, right up to the Foothills.” In his 1974 book, “Calgary: a Not so Solemn Look at Calgary’s First 100 years,” historian Bob Shiels catalogued excerpts from journals written by the first groups of RCMP officers to come through Southern Alberta. All seem to have been struck by the beauty of where the Elbow met the Bow. Photo by: Melissa Molloy “The view amazed us,” wrote officer Cecil Denny Tsuu T’ina Nation administrator, Kevin Littlelight, says that the Calgary ‘was always an economic in 1875. “Before us lay a lovely valley, flanked on hotspot.’ the south by rolling hills. Thick woods bordered the banks of both streams. To the west towered says it was frequently utilized by the Blackfoot 1935 thesis about the earliest days of Calgary that mountains with their snowy peaks.” people who “were notorious with fire.” He says that included a description of “what the Mounties saw Shiels wrote that other officers “told of ‘silvery the Blackfoot would light the grass on fire when from their vantage point of North Hill.” waters, rolling uplands, and to the east the bare needed to strategically trap or chase away enemies. “Before them was a spacious valley through loneliness of the plains where countless bison which two good sized rivers wound their way… wandered in undisturbed procession.’” the site of the present city was covered with long Buffalo are mentioned everywhere when looking grass and the numerous small lakes were literally into the history of what is now Calgary. And along “Where the two rivers swarming with wild fowl… a colony of beavers with the Blackfoot and Dene people, buffalo called meet has always been had built a large dam across the Elbow and it had the area home. flooded much of the land south of the present A 1906 article written in an early Calgary a significant spot on C.P.R,” or what would now be downtown Calgary. newspaper, The Daily Herald, wrote “at certain The buffalo, birds, long grass and Blackfoot times the buffalo gathered in countless thousands, the trade route.” campsites kept this area as their home for darkening the earth as far as the eye could reach centuries, managing to leave it all but untouched when at rest.” The article goes on to describe the — Kevin Littlelight by the time the R.C.M.P. came to chase away the sight and sound of a moving herd as “filling the whisky traders in the late 1800s. A century and a bit earth with dust and with the thunder notes of their later, it is a radically different landscape. galloping hoofs.” Still, some of the original traits of the space In spite of what some might imagine with the “So doing this all the time caused the Blackfoot remain. vast buffalo herds, several accounts describe the air to walk through the soot and that’s why Cree call “This place was always an economic hotspot,” over the valley as being perfumed by the fragrant them black feet.” says Littlelight. “Way before European arrival this grass that, as pioneer Mrs. Charles Lynch-Staunton Today, if one looks from the very top of North spot was sought out by other tribes. Where the two wrote, “grew so high and thick that it swept the Hill, they will be able to see nearly all of the city rivers meet has been a symbolic place on the trade horses’ sides as the horseman for the first time rode laid out before them, and if one feels so inclined, route.” across the open country.” they might wish to imagine what University of “I think people are attracted by energy. And the Speaking of the long, sweet grass, Littlelight Alberta historian Lawrence H. Bussard wrote in his area has always had good vibes.” August 2012 | calgaryjournal.ca 3 Saturday Soccer Club seeks field of their own Grassroots club has positive impact on families and neighbourhood KARRY TAYLOR | [email protected] n a sunny Saturday morning, a steady FOCUSED ON NEIGHBOURHOOD’S NEEDS lack of goal posts, Ferguson says other landscaping stream of children make their way to a Founded two years ago by Jean-Claude Munyezamu, issues mean the club can’t invite other teams to play Oplayground in the southwest community the club is open to any child who wants to play, on their field. of Glenbrook. There is cheerful chaos as friends but has a special focus on those from lower-income “They are not asking for something special or are greeted, shin pads strapped on and shoe laces families who are new to Canada. The club plays anything out of the ordinary,” Ferguson says. “They tightened up. in a park that is surrounded by a large complex of are just asking for what other neighbourhoods take After everybody has their equipment sorted subsidized townhouses. Many are home to refugees for granted — a proper playing field.” out, the older kids stretch and run laps around an and new immigrants. Munyezamu recently invited Ward Six Alderman adjacent field. Later they will clean garbage and Munyezamu says that families who are new to Richard Pootmans to spend a Saturday morning debris off the field before engaging in soccer drills Canada often face a number of challenges when it with the club. In addition to running sprints with and a scrimmage game. Occasionally they have comes to putting their children in organized sports the players and joining in on a game, Pootmans was to clean up broken bottles. Off to the side a small — ranging from cost, transportation issues, language afforded the opportunity to examine the field. group of three and four-year-olds energetically barriers and social isolation. Without committing to anything, Pootmans said chase balls around tiny pylons, their jerseys hanging Munyezamu, who moved to Canada from his he was interested in helping the club in its quest for a down to their knees. native Rwanda in 1998, also understands many of proper field. The Saturday Morning Soccer Club is in session. the struggles these families face, such as coping with “I can certainly start the process with the parks social isolation and department and find out what the status of this field loneliness. He wanted to is, what the plans are, and what has to happen,” do something to help. Pootmans said. By all accounts, “My guess is that there is no budget to do anything the club has been a this year, but what we can do is consider it for next resounding success. year.” There are currently 65 children from 14 A TEAM FOR EVERY PLAYER different countries While most of the club’s players live in the Glenbrook involved with the club.