Michelle Derosier’s award-winning animated film, The Grandfather Drum, features a true story about a healing drum from the upper Berens River. It was one of 45 films screened at this year’s Bay Street Film Festival.
Aroland’s Edward Narcisse looks forward to completing his Ontario Secondary School Diploma through Fort William’s newly launched Niigaanaabda Adult Education Project.
“I just started but I’m very excited about it,” Narcisse says. “It sounds like a good opportunity to get an education and a Grade 12. I don’t know even what I’m going to do afterwards, but we’ll do that when we get there.”
Whitesand’s Ryan Kokokons says the Ontario Secondary School Diploma he is working towards through the Niigaanaabda Adult Education Project will provide him with more options in the future.
Four emerging First Nation leaders and the Wataynikaneyap Power transmission line were highlighted at the APEX | Aboriginal Partnership Exchange gathering, held at the Victoria Inn in Thunder Bay.
Naotkamegwanning’s Francis Kavanaugh was selected as the new Ogichidaa (grand chief) of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 on the fifth round of the traditional selection process.
“I never planned on running,” Kavanaugh says. “I was chairing the meeting and I got offered tobacco so that is how I became grand chief.”
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and other First Nation leaders are looking forward to increased medical services after Ontario announced its $222 million First Nations Health Action Plan.
About 320 Kashechewan evacuees began their return flights home from Thunder Bay on May 12 after the James Bay community’s pre-emptive evacuation order was rescinded on May 9.
“It’s a relief for everyone, but at the same time it is going to be a challenge because we have to consider the weather here and on the way home, which is Kashechewan along James Bay,” says Jordan Wynne, a Kashechewan liaison worker. “We’re hoping to get everyone home by today, eight flights. We have 45- and 37-seaters; everything is planned out. We were planning since two days ago.”
The Heartbeat of the Drum: A Walk for Healing featured more than 200 hand drummers and hundreds of supporters on Mother’s Day — May 8 — in Thunder Bay.
“The support and the people who showed up today was just absolutely wonderful,” says Frances Wesley, who organized the Walk for Healing after dreaming about the drums coming together for healing. “I just saw an African drum here earlier participating in our event, and lots of women from the outlying areas. I actually ran into a friend here from Cochrane — she drove down all the way for this.”
Dennis Franklin Cromarty First Nations High School celebrated the achievements of a record 33 graduates on May 3 at the Valhalla Inn.
A group of Thunder Bay citizens have sent letters of support to youth in Attawapiskat and Cross Lake in Manitoba thanks to letter-writing organizer Jayal Chung.
“I wanted to connect with youth after seeing many articles (and) coverage about youth suicide rates,” Chung says. “I felt connected wanting to do something.”
Chung sent out the letters on April 26 after meeting with youth and adults on April 21 at the Waverly Library and on April 22 at Definitely Superior Art Gallery to write the letters.
Peawanuck’s Louis Bird shared his community’s contact story during a Long Stories session on the last day of the 2016 Toronto Storytelling Festival at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.
“This afternoon I continued a little bit more about the contact,” Bird says. “The results, the impact of the first contact. And also the idea of Christianization and why was it done and also the results.”
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