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Treaty 8 mural celebrating Dane-zaa culture completed in Fort St. John

The finished mural is located on Treaty 8 Tribal Association’s Fort St. John office.

By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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Indigenous Voices

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October 19, 2025

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The Treaty 8 mural has been completed at the Treaty 8 Tribal Association’s offices in Fort St. John. (Ed Hitchins, Energeticcity.ca)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A mural recognizing the heritage, culture and history of the Dane-zaa people across northeastern B.C. has been completed in Fort St. John.

At the Treaty 8 Tribal Association on 100th Street, the mural on the organization’s south wall was completed late in the summer, after an event announcing its launch.

The wall had been defaced by racist graffiti, including swastikas and racial profanities, back in February.

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Featuring an Indigenous woman holding the Treaty 8 medal against a forest landscape, the wall also features a map of Treaty 8 territory, which stretches over parts of B.C., Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan.

The mural was painted by Alisa Parenteau (nee Froh), who said the completion of the mural was “great”.

The mural had come to Parenteau in a dream back in 2021, with her sharing the vision with Treaty 8 executive director Marlene Roy.

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Parenteau wrote to Energeticcity.ca that “the community seems really happy with the art and the staff at Treaty 8 Tribal Association are happy with the project.”

“It came to me in a dream. I mean, who else can say their dreams have come true?”

Treaty 8 Tribal Association’s offices are located at 10233 100th Avenue in Fort St. John.

Authors

Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A guy who found his calling later in life, Edward Hitchins is a professional storyteller with a colourful and extensive history.

Beginning his journey into journalism in 2012 at Seneca College, Edward also graduated from Humber College with an Advanced Diploma in Print and Broadcast Journalism in 2018. After time off from his career and venturing into other vocations, he started his career proper in 2022 in Campbell River, B.C.

Edward was attracted to the position of Indigenous Voices reporter with Energeticcity as a challenge. Having not been around First Nations for the majority of his life, he hopes to learn about their culture through meaningful conversations while properly telling their stories.

In a way, he hopes this position will allow both himself and Energeticcity to grow as a collective unit as his career moves forward and evolves into the next step.

He looks forward to growing both as a reporter and as a human being while being posted in Fort St. John.

This reporting position has been funded by the Government of Canada and the Local Journalism Initiative.