A hotel on Stoney Nakoda land

This is a First Nation's resort on its own land, and the place names around the junction are Nakoda before they are anything else. Here is what the resort says about that, in its words, and what it means for a visit.

The resort's about page describes the Stoney Nakoda as the original peoples of the mountains, known in the Nakoda language as Iyarhe Nakoda and previously as the Iyethkabi. Their traditional territory, it says, ran from the Great Plains, where they hunted buffalo, to the Rocky Mountain foothills and watersheds, and over the mountain passes to the British Columbia interior.

The resort acknowledges that it stands on Treaty 7 territory, the traditional lands of the Siksika, Piikani, Kainai, Tsuu T'ina and Stoney Nakoda Nations. Its events package names the Stoney Nakoda Nations as Chiniki, Bearspaw and Goodstoney. In 2008, news reports of the casino's opening named the reserve's three bands as Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley.

Names you will meet in the building

Four of the six meeting rooms carry the names Bearspaw, Chiniki, Goodstoney and Wesley; the other two are the Nakoda Room and the Peaks Room. The postal address is Mînî Thnî, the Nakoda name for Morley, which is 17 km from the hotel by my calc. Alpine Helicopters gives its Stoney Nakoda flights Nakoda names alongside the English ones, such as Spirit Water (mĩnĩ Wakã).

Museum displays inside

Travel Alberta lists a Stoney Nakoda Resort Museum: large display cases on the way into the casino with historical and traditional artifacts, changed twice a year, and a 75-inch digital display in the hotel lobby showing photographs that go back to the late 1800s, with descriptions of the people, places and moments in them. The lobby display is outside the gaming area. Source: Travel Alberta.

Food with roots here

Bannock runs through The Ridge's breakfast menu, from bannock French toast to a Benny on toasted bannock, and the menu has a Saskatoon berry porridge and bison dishes. For groups, the resort's events package offers Indigenous buffets with fry bread, baked bannock, a three sisters salad and a Stoney beef stew. The package explains the three sisters as beans, corn and squash, traditionally planted together to support and protect one another.

Cultural experiences for groups

Through its events coordinator, the resort lists beading and traditional craft workshops led by Indigenous makers, a traditional dance performance of 15 to 20 minutes with optional live drumming, and an Indigenous paint workshop led by a local artist. These are offered as add-ons to events, not as drop-in activities for hotel guests; ask the desk if you want to know whether anything is open to individual guests on your dates.

Being a good guest

The land acknowledgement is not decoration. The resort commits, in its own words, to building respectful relationships and contributing to reconciliation; guests can share that commitment by how they behave.
Ask before photographing people, ceremonies or performances. The house rules separately bar commercial or public use of photos and video taken in the hotel.
Off the property, Mînî Thnî is a community, not an attraction. Stay on public roads and signed sites.
For trails and parks, follow Alberta Parks rules; the full list is on trails near the hotel.

Last checked against the linked sources: 31 October 2026.