New ‘Oki’ signs welcome visitors in Blackfoot style

By Lethbridge Herald on May 14, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Oki is a word of welcome which has a long history in Sikoohkotok (Lethbridge) with the Blackfoot people who have lived here since time immemorial. Four new “Oki” signs will display the warm welcome, bringing the total of organizations displaying the warm welcome to 10.

The new signs, which display artwork from three Indigenous artists, are posted at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Downtown Lethbridge Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ), the Lethbridge Airport and McCain Foods.

The sign at Helen Schuler Nature Centre features the design “Gathering Together” by Mariah Gladstone, which includes a variety of native plants that highlight the interconnectedness of all living beings.

Gladstone says she wanted the sign to represent both the plants that the Blackfoot people have lived in harmony with for many years, as well as the roots to the community.

“The art on this sign really represents the interaction between both people and our plant relatives,” she says. “And these are all plant relatives we have harvested and lived beside.”

Coreen Putman, manager of Helen Schuler Nature Centre, says the organization was interested in participating in the project to recognize the traditional territory of the Blackfoot people.

“Having an ‘Oki’ prominently located here acknowledges that this location is part of the vas and expansive traditional territory of the Blackfoot people,” says Putman.

Located at the main entrance to the nature centre, the sign welcomes people of all backgrounds to the park, while recognizing the heritage of the land and the importance of nature for everyone.

The sign includes images of chokecherries and saskatoon berries and strawberries, which are native to the land and provided sustenance for the Blackfoot people. There are also images of prairie turnips, which was used for food as well as in ceremonies, and a wild rose, which is Alberta’s flower. There are also wild bergamot and mint tea and Yarrow, which all have significance in Blackfoot culture.

Oki became the City of Lethbridge’s official greeting in 2019 when the United Nations declared 2019 the year of Indigenous languages.

While it may seem like a simple word, it has a profound impact on the Blackfoot community, says Echo Nowak, Indigenous Relations specialist for the City of Lethbridge.

“We hear a lot about how warm and welcoming the Blackfoot people feel when they do walk in somewhere and hear the word oki, they feel included,” she says.