Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Two past Aboriginal Youth Achievement and Recognition Awards winners gave back to today’s youth at the 2013 AYARA award ceremony: Fort William Chief Georjann Morriseau and Moose Cree’s Shibastik.
“It’s been a long road and I am very honoured and pleased to be here this evening,” Morriseau said. “About six years ago I sat in the very spot that many of you are sitting in this evening as award winners, so I know this day is very special for each and every one of you.”

Aroland’s Mark Bell is still eating vegetables from last year’s garden.
“We’re still eating tomatoes, we’re still eating chili peppers, a little bit of carrots,” said Bell, Aroland’s economic development officer. “We’ve been able to freeze what we can and make it last.”
Bell froze a variety of vegetables last fall from his backyard garden and greenhouse, including tomatoes, onions and red and green peppers.

Neskantaga Chief Peter Moonias said the community’s state of emergency has stabilized with the help of visiting trauma teams and the beginning of goose hunting season.
“It has stabilized the community pretty well,” Moonias said about the trauma teams, noting the workers rotate in and out of the community on a regular basis with about six working in the community at any one time. “There’s about nine people — they take turns.”

Popped wild rice, fried moose meat and corn soup were a hit at Ecole Gron Morgan’s May 24 cultural celebration of First Nation and Metis traditions.
“That’s usually what they like best — the popped wild rice,” said Seven Generation’s Mark Sault, who explained to the students how much work goes into preparing corn soup and wild rice during his traditional foods workshop. “It takes hours and hours on end. I think they’ll have a little more appreciation for the food when they’re eating it.”

Seventy-seven years ago, Wilda Walmark’s parent packed up their children and became one of the last families to leave their traditional lands in Quetico Provincial Park.
Walmark, the daughter of Esther Powell and granddaughter of Mary (Marie) Ottertail from Lac La Croix, still remembers her childhood in the park fondly.
“We could swim all the time and we had the lake to skate on in the winter,” Wilda said. “And then one day they were packing up everything. I asked them what they were doing and they said we were packing up, we were going to town.”