Indigenous Culture
JoLynn Parenteau, avid adventurer
From a big to small city.
From a big to small city.
“What I've discovered is when you find the place where you belong, and doing what you're meant to be doing, everything suddenly falls into place so naturally that it feels easy." - JoLynn Parenteau.
JoLynn Parenteau moved herself and her dog from Northern to Southern Alberta on faith to be closer to family, with the idea to take a step back and build the life she wanted. In Canada’s Sunniest City, she quickly caught on that her time in the coulees, coffee shops, breweries, and at sports games would bring a natural balance to her life she’d been searching for, especially in finding the reconnection to her culture as a French, Métis, and Cree woman.
Within a month of living in Medicine Hat, Parenteau attended a board game night at Medicine Hat Brewing Company, and the people at her table eagerly adopted her into their friend group. From there, she accepted a position with the brewery and her willingness to experience everything about the city continued.
With a background in broadcasting radio and television, Parenteau had hoped she would somehow break into the music industry. In 2020, Parenteau started work at the Miywasin Friendship Centre, an Indigenous service centre for Medicine Hat and area.
Originally, it was to support and provide families with financial support during difficult times. But as everything in her life, the role grew into something greater. She discovered that sometimes she might be the only face someone sees in a two week period, and people really opened up to her. She listened and recognized there was an opportunity to build a family liaison role and really connect folks who are isolated to more support in the community.
Her dreams of being a singer at the age of 18 came to fruition. The drum and singer group perform at events around the city, including National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. A team member makes hand drums with raw materials, and they’ve all learned to make their own drums and rattles, and find their own voices.
Parenteau writes about Indigenous people, places, language, and traditions, in a column with the Medicine Hat News. After two years of writing, Parenteau feels it’s time to encapsulate each article in a book: an anthology to preserve the true stories of historic and modern-day Indigenous life.
“Those connections to culture really are soul-uplifting for all of us, and it’s so important through all heritages,” says Parenteau. “Everyone is so multi-faceted. There’s never one single layer to a person. That’s what I enjoy discovering about people.”
Along with writing, Paranteau has been invited to speak at events across Canada acknowledging Indigenous homelessness, and in 2022 she launched the 90-minute financial budgeting course “Métis Money Moves”. Since then it has grown to a 10-hour, four class instruction.
Parenteau quickly identified that the move she made years prior had led her to experiences she is grateful to have on a daily basis. From walking the trails with her husband, who she met in Medicine Hat and recently married in Forty Mile Lake, to learning to golf, and basking in the sun on the downtown patios, Parenteau lives a balanced life.
The adventurer has a list of places she wants to go again and has yet to explore, like Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park/Aisinai’pi, Red Rock Coulee, and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. There are eateries and live music she has yet to try and experience. Parenteau knows, one day, it’ll all be endured with her husband, her dog, and friends by her side.
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Métis Michif for ‘it’s been nice talking to you’: ni mii-yeuyh-tayn aen kii ki-too-ti-taan
Métis Michif for 'hello, how are you everyone?': Tanishi kiiyawow
Métis Michif for 'my name is JoLynn': JoLynn dishinikashon
Thank you | Kinanaskomitin | Hiy Hiy | Maarsii
A lively festival in downtown Medicine Hat.
Medicine Hat’s Historic First Street was brimming with liveliness during the Together Again festival. The heart of the city was filled with various festivities that invited families of all ages to be immersed in the uplifting event with live performances from Canadian headliners and commemorations of diversity in the community.
There was a component of entertainment and gathering that happened every hour, from 1-10p.m., along with a market featuring over 65 local businesses until 6:00p.m., and a beer garden that showcased Medicine Hat’s three breweries and its distillery.
Josie Doll, entertainment and events coordinator, City of Medicine Hat, says Together Again was intended to reunite residents and really celebrate the community’s resilience over the years.
“It’s unlike any event Medicine Hat has ever had. This festival is so multi-faceted, and we hoped those who planned to come stayed until the end of the night for the firework finale,” says Doll. “It really showcased the spaces, businesses, and organizations we have downtown and highlighted what it's like when it's all activated in this way.”
It featured a 600-seat dinner table on Finlay Bridge, an escape room at Medicine Hat Public Library, a portrait unveiling, a celebration of new Canadians, a Municipal Historic Resource announcement, and a main stage with performances from The Royal Foundry, The Northern Pikes, 54-40, and High Valley, along with local bands Taking August and Band of Brothers.
“Events like this are a great way to bring people together and unify our voices,” says Kelli Ireland, marketing specialist, Strategic Management Analysis, City of Medicine Hat. “It helps create positivity in the area and encourages people to experience different elements of our downtown. The area is growing and bears a unique vibe and bringing the community down to experience things like this in their own backyard is really special.”
For this year’s event, the weather was a high of 22 degrees C, and the sunshine was out to warm the hearts of everyone around.
“A large event like this really shows the spirit of Medicine Hat when we can come together in this way,” says Doll.
Find more information about the event and the event schedule at medicinehat.ca or Together Again YXH.
| This event was funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Medicine Hat has a number of bike rental options for locals and out-of-towners
Looking to hit the trails? Read on the learn more about bike rentals in Medicine Hat.
Locally owned and operated out of Historic Downtown Medicine Hat, Gravity Sports launched its online bike rental system in 2022. The store offer mountain bikes & cruiser bike rentals.
Click here to check pricing and availability!
Mountain bike red rock coulees.
This area was the first in the region to develop mountain bike trails. Narrow, technical cross country riding meets badlands views and exposure, leading to an adventure only found in the prairies.
Book a spot in Redcliff Municipal Campground, and ride right from your campsite!
You read that right, Redcliff is the Greenhouse Capital of the Prairies! There are over five greenhouses to visit and pick up fresh, crisp veggies, and some even have freshly prepared salsas and other condiments!
If you’re looking for a full on meal, in Redcliff there are locally-owned eateries, like Sizzling House Restaurant, Redcliff Bakery, and A1 Pizza! Medicine Hat is only a 10-minute drive from Redcliff, where you can also find breweries, cafes, bakeries, and eateries!
Curious to learn more about the Redcliff mountain bike trails from someone who rides them? Just ask avid mountain biker Chris Istace!
Find the local bike shops Gravity Sports and Cyclepath!
Redcliff to Medicine Hat: Approximately 10 minute drive
Redcliff to Elkwater: Approximately 45 minute drive
An adventure in the rolling hills.
The highest point between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador, Canada is bound to have some sweet biking. The lodgepole pine and aspen forest offers a refuge from the hot, summer days in Medicine Hat. Dive into fast, flowy, and tech trails that have recently been added to Hidden Valley Ski Resort, or explore some rooty, rocky cross-country trails found throughout the rest of the park.
Book a spot in a Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park campground, and ride right from your campsite! There are new flowy trails near some campsites for anyone to explore!
12-34 Cafe in Elkwater is a great stop for a snack. If you’re looking for a brewery, cafe, bakery, or eatery, Medicine Hat is a short 40-minute drive away!
Curious to learn more about the Elkwater mountain bike trails from someone who rides them? Just ask avid mountain biker Chris Istace!
Find the local bike shops Gravity Sports and Cyclepath!
Elkwater to Medicine Hat: Approximately 40 minute drive
Elkwater to Redcliff: Approximately 45 minute drive
A mountain bikers playground.
Medicine Hat is surrounded by large coulees and cliffs and lives in the South Saskatchewan River Valley in Southeast Alberta. As you drive into the city on the Trans-Canada Highway, you’ll dip down and observe the terrain transform from flat prairie land, to a mountain bikers playground — where 14 new trails invite you to ride between Echo Dale Regional Park and Gas City Campground!
Book a campsite in either Echo Dale Regional Park Campground or Gas City Campground and ride right from your campsite!
The experience doesn’t stop on the trails. A unique feature to Medicine Hat is the city trails are connected. Once finished mountain biking for the day, you can leisurely ride and grab a cold drink or a fresh bite at a brewery, cafe, bakery, or eatery.
Curious to learn more about the Medicine Hat mountain bike trails? Read about avid mountain biker Chris Istace's experience!
Find the local bike shops Gravity Sports and Cyclepath!
Medicine Hat to Elkwater: Approximately 40 minute drive
Medicine Hat to Redcliff: Approximately 10 minute drive
Sharing nature with wild animals and reptiles, including snakes.
"We’re learning reptiles are a lot more social than what we’ve given them credit for. As the human footprint expands, we need to make room for other beings we share our space with, and the rattlesnake is one of them." - Sheri Monk
Canada has three rattlesnake species, one in British Columbia, another in Ontario, and the third in Alberta. Medicine Hat is home to a handful of different snake species and shares the Prairie Rattlesnake with the United States and Northern Mexico.
While we need to be cautious of the large-bodied and venomous Prairie Rattlesnakes, we don’t need to fear the reptiles who also relish in the beautiful weather and landscape in Medicine Hat.
Local expert and owner of Snakes on a Plain Sheri Monk says rattlesnakes will not chase you, they don’t move very fast, and they can’t jump. When they feel afraid, their first line of defense against predators, including owls, hawks, badgers, and coyotes, is camouflage. If the camouflage fails, or if they’re seen out in the open, they’ll occasionally stand their ground to protect themselves from potential prey.
The main purpose of the Prairie Rattlesnake’s venom is to help capture their food supply. Monk says the shy animals would rather use their venom to eat then waste it on a defensive bite if it can be avoided. When we see a snake, the best thing we can do is move 10 feet away.
Snakes can live up to 20 years and can attain a length of nearly five-feet. The social beings disperse from their dens in early April. By late April or early May, they start to collect food, find mates, similar to Grizzly Bears, and meet with snake friends they’ve made in the wild. They give live birth in August, with most individuals returning to the dens by late September.
Snakes are identified as a sensitive species. They rely on the same den site for most of their life and don’t respond well to habitat disturbance. The females can’t reproduce until they reach the ages of five to seven, and then they only reproduce every second or third year. You are most likely to see reptiles within five to 10 kilometres of the South Saskatchewan River, in temperatures less than 25 degrees C.
In recent years, snakes have been documented in the wild forming friendships with other individuals. They’ll scope out the same snake every spring and fall and go out of their way to hangout, spend time, and bask at the den with them.
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Keeping a close watch on pets and small children is advised at the city’s dog parks, South Saskatchewan River shorelines and throughout the walking and bike trail systems between April and September.
If bitten, seek medical attention by calling 911 immediately. The local hospital stocks anti-venom and the best approach is to stay calm, remove any tight fitting clothing or jewelry from the affected limb, and do not try to suck or cut the venom out. Bites are rarely fatal, but they are considered a medical emergency.
All snakes are protected in Alberta and cannot be collected, killed or harassed. For more information about snakes in the area, call Police Point Park MH Interpretive Program at 403-529-6225.
Sheri Monk is the owner of Snakes on a Plain and provides snake consulting, snake protection plans, biological snake surveys, rattlesnake relocation, as well as snake safety education and training in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, and throughout southern Alberta. Follow them on Facebook or find them at www.snakesonaplain.ca.
Southeast Alberta landscape inspires pottery artist and mountain biker.
"It’s rare that an artist gets to live right by an incredible resource like this. People come from all over the world to be an artist in residence at Medalta, and I got to learn from the best in such an inspiring atmosphere." - Ginette Brinkman
Ginette Brinkman was always an artist, but her love for pottery and clay would come after she moved to Redcliff with her family over five years ago.
She attended the annual Medicine Hat Chili Cookoff, where home-made, hearty meals were served in beautiful, locally-made pottery bowls people would purchase for $10. She was immediately fascinated and curious as to where the pieces of artwork were sourced from, and this was when she first heard about Medalta in the Historic Clay District.
“I ended up taking my children to do a pottery class. I took two classes back to back, because I couldn’t get enough. That was just over three years ago, and now I’m a full-time potter,” says Brinkman, owner of Mud to a Rock.
After her first few classes at the National Historic Site, Brinkman joined the Potters Association and learned the craft with experienced artists who’d been doing pottery for up to 40 years. She’d always created with her hands through stained glass and fiber arts, “I believe I was made to create with my hands.” But pottery was something Brinkman had yet to explore.
“Learning ceramics at Medalta was very inspiring to me, because it’s rare that an artist gets to live right by an incredible resource like this. People come from all over the world to be an artist in residence at Medalta, and I got to learn from the best in such an inspiring atmosphere.”
Before 2020, Brinkman was connected with the owner of The Hat’s Olive Tap, Carmen Lambert. Mud to a Rock pottery currently sits beside quality oils and balsamics inside the tuscan-themed taphouse in Medicine Hat’s Historic Downtown.
“The Hat’s Olive Tap has been my number one supporter. I’m their only potter, and they are the only place I sell in the city. Carmen and her staff have cultivated such an incredible atmosphere in the store, so I feel honoured to have that be the primary location for my pieces.”
Historically, The Hat’s Olive Tap’s location used to be a studio for one of Medicine Hat’s artist legends. It was a destination for people to buy ceramics. Lambert wanted to find a potter so people could still find ceramics when they went to her store, to keep that characteristic alive.
Brinkman built herself a studio in her home and purchased a kiln in 2020. It feels natural for the artist to be in the mud, whether it’s on her mountain bike surrounded by coulees and red rock, or in her studio surrounded by indoor house plants from Botanicals.
“We can ride out from our house straight to the mountain biking trails in Redcliff. There’s 30 kilometres of mountain biking trails that wind all around the coulees and along the South Saskatchewan River. We have all the trails we could ever want right in our own backyard,” says Brinkman. She and her husband have been mountain bikers for over 20 years and say the trails in Redcliff, located just 10 minutes outside of Medicine Hat, resemble Moab, Utah.
Sometimes for the artist, the two worlds tie together, and she often finds herself creating henna designs that reflect the coulees, wildlife, greenery, flowers, cactus that grow naturally in the area, and mountain bikes on her clay work.
“When I worked in the Cultural Centre, it was a very idyllic spot with a pond. I once saw a moose, and I would often see deer and baby goslings.”
Clay is a satisfying tactile thing Brinkman craves in her bones. The outlet is calming, and throughout the process, she always designs new ideas, and, sometimes, lets the clay lead the way.
“I come up with new shapes and designs very organically. The shapes themselves flow out of my hands. For instance, I’ll start off with thinking I’ll be making a set of sunflower mugs, and then they end up being vases. It’s very spontaneous. That’s a huge part of my artistic experience.”
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