Māmowimīwēyitamōwin is a Cree phrase meaning "gathering of happiness and joy". The City of Regina is proud that the name was gifted for this park on July 19, 2023, through Indigenous Ceremony. It is intended to reflect the feelings of children and members of the community as they gather and play at the park’s many amenities.
This name was given after numerous consultative meetings and ceremony with the Life Speakers, Pipe Carriers, and Helpers from the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council who offer representation of the five main language groups – Néhiyaw (Cree), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Lakota, Nakota (Assiniboine), Dakota (Sioux).
Pronunciation
Māmowimīwēyitamōwin is pronounced maah-mo-wih-me-way-ih-tuh-mo-win
The name is from the Cree language and means "gathering of happiness and joy". Below, you'll find the spellings and audio recordings to help you learn to say the name in six Indigenous languages.
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Cree - Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Hear Life Speaker Alice Pahtayken say the park's name. |
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Saulteaux - māmawopimink cīhkēntamowat Lynn Cote shares a translation of the park's name. |
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Lakota - Iyokpiyâ āwâcīpī Life Speaker Hartland Goodtrack shares a translation of the park's name. |
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Nakota - Wópina Tą́ga Bagéğen Peter Bigstone shares a translation of the park's name. |
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Dakota - Iyokipiya Witunna Unkumpkte Life Speaker Wayne Goodwill shares a translation of the park's name. |
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Michif - mamawii miyeuhtaytan Marie Schoenthal shares a translation of the park's name. |
Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park is dedicated to all those who gather there in the spirit of happiness and joy.
Park Features
Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park is home to many park features and amenities.
- Accessible playground
- Off-leash dog park with a small dog section
- Disc golf
- Multi-use sports field
- Multi-use, multi-season pathways
- Seasonal washroom facilities
- Picnic area and additional seating
- Community fire pit
- Toboggan hill
- Naturalized grass and tree areas
- Regent Outdoor Pool
- Spray Pad
- Lit basketball courts
- Coronation Park Community Garden (coming soon)
- Public Art
Location
Address
3750 McKinley Avenue
Regina, SK
On-street parking is available along McKinley Avenue.
Photo Gallery
Public Art
Several local artists have contributed to the vibrancy of this park through public art installations.
- If a Tree Grows Bannisters – Jeff Meldrum, 2021
- Buffalo Effigy - Joley BigEagle-Kequahtooway & Lorne Kequahtooway, 2022
- The Flower of Life – Brianna LaPlante, 2022
- Buffalo Futurism – Joley BigEagle-Kequahtooway, 2024
Expand this section to learn more about each art installation.
If a Tree Grows Bannisters
Jeff Meldrum, 2021
If a Tree Grows Banisters is a playful series of work by artist Jeff Meldrum that responds to the history of the neighbourhood formally known as the ‘Village of North Regina’ and the ecological importance of the natural formations of the tree snags (dead or dying standing tree). Tree snags are often a source of food and shelter to birds, insects and animals. The intention of this work is not to interfere with the function of the snags but to increase their functionality with the additions.
Jeff Meldrum worked with the existing natural formations of the tree snags in Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park, working with coloured banisters, and other material, primarily sourced from thrift stores and the Re-store to give them new life, once again becoming part of a tree. The banisters are painted in various colour schemes in response to the locale of the individual trees.
This work draws people in with the visually striking and unnatural-looking interventions within the park.
Buffalo Effigy
Buffalo People Arts Institute
Joley BigEagle-Kequahtooway and Lorne Kequahtooway, 2022
Buffalo Effigy is a public art commission supported by the City of Regina. Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway and Lorne Kequahtooway envisioned bringing back the buffalo mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally through traditional Indigenous arts within sacred spaces in Treaty 4 Territory.
The traditional Indigenous peoples of this land left legacies for future generations: medicine wheels, tipi rings, petroglyphs, animal effigies and earth mounds reflecting connections to the land that has survived thousands and thousands of years.
Building the outline of a buffalo using 17 boulders represents honouring our past and creating a new compass for the future. Although the buffalo are not here on this land as they used to be in the millions, they are still in our hearts, our memories, our stories, songs and dances. Walk the outline of the Buffalo Effigy to feel that energy and spirit of the buffalo returning. Walking it will activate the effigy & the call for the buffalo to return to this land.
There are bird houses in the trees and snags near the buffalo willows. These represent the bird garden for this park. Where there are buffaloes there are always buffalo birds. We are honouring those connections to the land and species that have been reliant on the buffalo for millennia.
Thank you to Joel Mowchenko of the Treaty Land Sharing Network for his support and in providing the boulders for this project.
The Flower of Life
Brianne LaPlante (in Partnership with Buckets & Borders for “The Yard” Basketball Court restoration), 2022
In 2022 Buckets & Borders worked with Brianna LaPlant to create the mural on the basketball court within Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park. Brianne is a fine artist from Fishing Lake First Nation and grew up in Regina playing basketball in North Central at the Regent Park courts.
Her work is predominantly within the two-dimensional realm, bringing spaces to life through the choices of line, colour, pattern, and symbolism. Artwork is an act of lifelong learning and resilience for her as an Anishinaabe/Nehiyaw/Metis creator.
The Flower of Life represents the cycle of creation and the many paths we cross within our individual spheres as a community.
Buffalo Futurism
Experience Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park through an Augmented Reality (AR) lens. The Buffalo Futurism app is a digital art installation that transforms the physical park into an Indigenous futuristic park. Walk among digital Buffalo, crocuses, tipis, zombies and more while hearing stories about the significance of Tatanga.
Buffalo Futurism incorporates the Buffalo Effigy placed around Māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park. The effigy is made from 17 boulders - or grandfathers - which have been in the park since 2022. The project involves local artists, including narration by Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway, app development by Rene Dufour-Contreras, and coordination by Evie Johnny Ruddy.
Learn more about the project at the Common Weal website. Use the links below to download the app.
