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The old ice rinks on the reserve had to be destroyed to make way for the road, and that’s led to the creation of the 7 Chiefs SportsPlex and the Chief Jim Starlight Centre on 19 Chiila Boulevard. It already looks impressive, and is expected to open in December, sporting two indoor rinks with 1,150-square-foot change rooms, gymnasiums, a third-level running track, commercial kitchen and even a covered outdoor rink with heated change rooms.

The bus drives past the day care building, the band’s own police station into the gas station — where gas is just $1.21 — about 15 cents per litre cheaper than in other parts of the city and open to everyone — along with the craft store, and then past the Tsuut’ina Nation Culture Museum. The band council offices are stunning, designed to look like a beaver dam and lodge, as Tsuut’ina means the beaver people.

Back at the hotel, guests are ushered along red carpets to one of the hotel’s convention rooms, where executive chef Bill Alexander prepared a dinner of stuffed leg of lamb and other tasty items.

Each of the tables had a band elder and a youth member, and each place setting had some braided sweetgrass and sage — so essential to aboriginal ceremonies.

The evening was called For Our Children (Nihisgaka Ogha) said Crowchild, who welcomed the 136 dinner guests.

“It’s been a long journey to get to this point where we open the doors to the Calgary community,” said the chief.

“We’ve gone through periods of being afraid, nervous about what the future is. But here we all are, sitting in this room together, hosting people from outside of our community, and we’re doing it with what our relatives, our ancestors, always wanted from us — it’s to do it with open hearts, with kindness. We’re doing the best we can for the future,” he said.