Regina's Sacred Heart school honours Indigenous students, late elder with buffalo

"Education is the new buffalo" is something the late elder Mike Pinay used to tell staff and students at Regina's Sacred Heart Community School, according to Principal David Magnusson.

The school is changing the name of its sports teams from the Stars to the Buffalo and will now have a buffalo within the halls of the school's new building which opened earlier this year, a way to honour the connection to the First Nations culture in the area and Pinay's teachings.

"One of the things [Pinay] always talked about when he came in and talked to the students was the significance of the buffalo that it played in tradition and in their culture," Magnusson told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition on Monday. 

Pinay, who was from the Peepeekesis First Nation in Treaty 4 territory, died in July 2016. Magnusson said Pinay visited the school often and was active in the surrounding community.

The stuffed buffalo was installed last week and students saw it for the first time then. Magnusson said the buffalo was purchased at an auction by school staff after someone called in a tip.

"I think [Pinay would] be excited that we're honouring the past and we're honouring the future," Magnusson said. "The buffalo is a great representation of both of those things." 

Elder Murray Ironchild, from the Piapot First Nation, will lead a pipe ceremony at the school Monday morning and a blessing of the buffalo will be held, before the morning is capped off with a mini-feast. 

The buffalo provides a connection for staff and students, Magnusson added.

"It's a constant reminder, even for myself, that education is special, and education is something that we can't take for granted, and we need to cherish and honour."