Forged by friendship, the Stampede 2024 boots pay tribute to Stoney Nakoda

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If it weren’t for the budding friendship of Duane Mark and Lloyd Templeton, this year’s Calgary Stampede boot design would never have happened.

While the trunk was only built in the last few months, the process began when Templeton, a twenty-something Calgary-raised artist, approached Mark to ask him to use images of Stoney Nakoda tipi owner and educator for the artwork that I was preparing for the event. Calgary Stampede.

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The two clicked from the beginning. In November, after hours together, Templeton’s piece featuring Mark, dressed in full regalia and standing in the foreground of the Calgary Tower among a diverse group of parade participants, was chosen as the artwork of the Stampede 2024 poster.

On Thursday, Templeton’s art was unveiled as the design for this year’s Stampede boot, now the second product of their friendship to be produced for this year’s 10-day rodeo and fair.

“What comes to mind is the growth of a young man named Lloyd,” Mark said when asked what he sees in the design of this year’s boots.

The artwork on the exterior reflects key iconography of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and Treaty 7, Templeton said at Thursday’s unveiling. Stitching of the Alberta mountain range and the golden eagle soaring under the rising sun, two important symbols for First Nation culture, line the exterior of the boot.

The inside of the boot is inscribed with the words Oyadé Gichiyabi, Ahogichopabi Îyûhabith, which roughly translates in Stoney language to “be empowered to foster peace and respect”, which was selected on Mark’s recommendation.

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A recent graduate of the University of the Arts of Alberta, Templeton is becoming a household name in Calgary’s arts community at a pace that is not lost on him.

“Just last year I was doing school projects and a year later, there will be people using my art. That’s crazy,” she said.

Working in three dimensions was a new challenge for Templeton. To start, he would tape paper to the back of the boot to get an idea of ​​the shapes he needed to produce. He then drew the designs in pencil, scanned them into his computer and produced them in a special file that allowed them to be laser engraved onto the boots.

“My poster was oil painting, a very traditional process,” he said. “I was making things up as I went along to see what worked. “I liked the challenge it gave.”

Margaret Holloway, the 2024 Stampede First Nations Princess, who also provided feedback on the boot design, said she was “blown away, speechless” when she first saw the design. Breaking with tradition, this year’s design will be available in five different boot shades. Alberta Boot typically creates a special boot for each Stampede.

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The 22-year-old jingle dancer is the first person from Stoney Nakoda to be named a First Nations Princess in more than 20 years.

Holloway’s family teepee at Elbow River Camp has three large eagles, he said.

“At home, we watch the eagles fly and feel blessed by their presence, and we are amazed by the beauty of their flight in the skies. “Seeing that on this year’s Stampede boot was absolutely incredible.”

With their latest creation publicly revealed, Templeton and Mark’s friendship will extend far beyond their artistic collaboration.

“He’s the coolest guy. We have a lot in common: good sense of humor, we listen to the same music and movies. We make a lot of the same jokes,” Templeton said.

Mark said he watched the young artist grow and mature before his eyes. Over the past year they discussed “deep indigenous philosophy,” which Templeton has evidently absorbed into his own life, he said.

“We became best friends and will remain best friends,” Mark said.

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