Over the past decade, there have been notable advancements in the realm of change-making initiatives, ideas, and approaches aimed at fostering Niitsitapi self-determination. An instrumental force behind this progress has been Opokaa'sin, a non-profit organization serving urban Indigenous families since 1996. With a proven track record of supporting thriving communities in the City of Lethbridge region, Opokaa'sin has emerged as a trailblazer in community-based research and advocacy. The organzation actively contributes to the revitalization of the Blackfoot language, fostering a deep connection between Indigenous children, youth, and families and Blackfoot culture and traditions. Additionally, Opokaa'sin plays a pivotal role in the resurgence of childrearing values and teachings, the empowerment of women, and the pursuit of gender justice. These are the roots that have established the Blackfoot Gender Justice Collective.

Taking inspiration from previous generations of community activism, we aim to continue the crucial work outlined by our Niitsitapi ancestors and contemporary change-makers who are addressing the multiple forms of harm and violence caused by settler-colonial dispossession. We recognize these actions and commitments as acts of courage, which is where our Blackfoot name of Iiyikitapiiks derives its meaning. We extend an invitation to those who are connected to or seeking connection with Niitsitapi movements, ideas, and experiences of reclamation, repatriation, rematriation, and resurgence to join us in learning about Niitsitapi Relationality and Territoriality.

The purpose of the Iiyikitapiiks Workshop is to strengthen forms of communication and connection between Blackfoot Confederacy members, organizations, governments, and non-Blackfoot allies to support critical perspectives and knowledges about Niitsitapi Relationality and Territoriality. Focusing on the territoriality of Niitsitapi relationships highlights the fact that there are competing historical and contemporary claims about what it means to be Blackfoot. Additionally, there are dynamic, contested, and complex relations Niitsitapi have with other peoples and nations living in the territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy. We recognize the need to make space for Niitsitapi to engage in these conversations to promote actions, thoughts, and behaviours rooted in resurgent practices of consent, allyship, and accountability.

Objectives:

1. To bring together both conventional perspectives from long-standing knowledges about Blackfoot ways of knowing and being, into conversation with insurgent knowledges articulated by Blackfoot women and LGBTQ2IA+ members.  
2. To mobilize knowledge focused on addressing the power dynamics embedded in intra-community relations, inter-Indigenous relations, and colonial systems of power that limit and contort the boundaries of Niitsitapi peoplehood, consent-based protocols, and territorial jurisdiction. 
3. To strengthen Iiyikitapiiks legitimacy as an advocacy body by including individuals who have different opinions, experiences, and levels of knowledge, about contemporary power dynamics within and outside Niitsitapi communities.