BEING AWESTRUCK THROUGH THE ANI TO PISI ENACTMENT
Abstract
On September 25, 2024, Mount Royal University hosted its second Ani to pisi Human Spider Web event, building on a 2023 pilot study. Ani to pisi, a Blackfoot creation story shared by Elder Roy Bear Chief and passed down from his late brother, Clement, teaches profound human interconnectedness. It describes a web surrounding us that vibrates to signal when someone needs help or when it is time to gather and celebrate. Elder Roy shares this teaching with post-secondary students to support relational learning and community building. To embody the story, approximately 500 students, staff, faculty, and community members gathered to form a large human spider web. Survey data collected using the Awe Scale (Yaden et al., 2018) revealed three primary themes: collective effervescence, feelings of awe, and strengthened commitment to reconciliation. Participants described a deep sense of unity and renewed dedication to Indigenization and decolonization efforts. These results suggest that Ani to pisi offers more than a symbolic gathering. As a living Indigenous teaching and relational practice, it provides a powerful means of cultivating awe, belonging, and reconciliation within Mount Royal University’s learning community.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Patricia Kostouros, Roy Bear Chief, Tia Wells, Emma DeCecco, Manpreet Kaur Dhillon, Chelan McCallion
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