another symbol commonly used at the base of teepees. The extended scuppers complete the roof design by recalling the ceremonial head- dresses used by Blackfoot Chiefs. Teepee smoke flaps are echoed in the west fac- ing patios off the main floor. Seven patio tables on each patio represent the seven stars of the Big Dipper, again part of many Blackfoot tee- pee designs. The centre portion of the roof rises out of the main plane and represents the Sundance Lodge, a ceremonial structure used by men’s Societies in religious ceremonies during great summer gatherings. Warriors skewered their breast muscles and tied themselves to the Thunderer’s Roost at the apex of the lodge. Then, staring at the sun and blowing a goose bone whistle, they danced until they broke loose. This religious ceremony of sacrifice and worship was once outlawed by the Government of Canada. g Surrounding the translucent skylight of the Sundance structure are seven teepee skylights representing the seven sacred Societies whose membership included the political, intellectual and warrior leadership of what was in effect the cultural brain trust and leadership of the Black- foot people. Tapered cottonwood poles used in original Sundance arbours have become huge structural steel poles, custom-fabricated in a highly tech- nical, computer-generated process by Empire Steel of Edmonton. The technology to manu- facture these poles was not available until re- cently and represents a significant element in the authenticity of the structure. The erection process involved Building Information Tech- nology, or BIM, using extremely accurate com- puter-generated measurements to achieve the precise erection requirements of the structure. Consequently, the steel structure went up rap- idly and flawlessly. The upper reaches of these tapered poles are supported by a series of bow string trusses which also provide lateral support for a west- facing curtain wall window looking out to the Bow River Valley, Blackfoot Crossing and the distant Treaty Flats. The cantilevered exterior ends of the Sundance poles are supported by tapered steel travois, interlaced in a semicircular form as they would have been in centuries past to frame the Moto- kiks, or Buffalo Women’s Society Lodges. from top: rooof scuppers, Straight-up headdress and coup stick, Sun Dance lodge (1893), interpretive centre Sun Dance structure in steel, bow truss supporting the half-circle glazed wall facing west.
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