MNOOMINKEWIN 2022
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Lance Woods Park
Curve Lake First Nation
7:00 AM - 11 PM
On behalf of the O'Kaadenigan Wiingashk Collective, we extend a warm chi miigwetch to all who participated in and supported the third annual Mnoominkewin Gathering that took place in Curve Lake on September 24th, 2022! We enjoyed sharing the day with all those who attended and we are grateful for the opportunity to be together.
Chi miigwetch to our Elders Shirley Williams, Wes Whetung, Leona Stevens, Liz Ozawamick, and Mario Wassaykeesic for sharing sacred Anishnaabe teachings.
Chi Miigwetch to Billy Whetung for tending our fire and to Shkaabaawis Sagassige for leading us through the day.
Nia:wen to Chandra Maracle and Rick Hill for sharing their perspectives on our relationship with food and on Haudenosaunee - Anishinaabeg treaties.
Chi miigwetch to Autumn Watson for tending the Welcome Table and for her facilitation of the panel discussion, and to Julia Pegahmagabow, Amanda Paul, and Marc Sams for sharing their experiences rehabilitating mnoomin in their communities.
Chi miigwetch to Jon Taylor for his friendly and joyful Nishnaabemowin language lesson and songs.
Chi miigwetch to Brittany Taylor for leading the women's hand drum circles. To Nimkii Ozawamick for gifting us with the opening and closing songs of the joyous day.
Chi miigwetch to Thomas Olszewski of Grandfather's Kitchen for feeding us all a nutritious, mnoomin-inspired breakfast and lunch, to Elmer, Mark, and Soraya Whetung for the pickerel fry, and to Gary Williams for the wild rice pudding. Miigwetch to Dwayne Jacobs and Ryerson Whetung for providing the pickerel and moose meat, to Dr Fred Metallic for the Atlantic Salmon, and to Bea Chan for the farm fresh eggs.
Chi Miigwetch to Anne Taylor, Tina Roote and her group from Saugeen First Nation, and Julia Pegahmagabow and her group from Atikameksheng Anishinawbek, and to Sherry Telford, Sherry Hillman, and Deb Barndt for their invaluable assistance to the Chef.
Chi miigwetch to our excellent site manager and all-around helper, Cherish Blood.
Chi miigwetch to Black Duck Wild Rice for providing the mnoomin for planting and eating, and for providing the equipment for and instruction in planting and gathering mnoomin. Miigwetch to Tikib Whetung, Kelsey Trivett, Jenn Elchuk, and Melanie Baker for their attention to the safety of the canoers. Chi miigwetch to lifeguard Anderson Smith-Merkley, to Robby Sloan, and to Roddy Day for their contributions in the safety motorboat.
Chi miigwetch to Daemin Whetung and Heidi Burns for their instruction in processing mnoomin and for the Bubble Tea. Also, miigwetch to Daemin for providing a positive and informative message on national radio and television about the importance of our mnoomin and to Miriam Lyall for her assistance with the Press Release and media preparations.
Chi miigwetch to Jean Marshall for sharing and facilitating her beading with the Curve Lake community, and to all those who participated.
Chi miigwetch to Alice Williams for leading the community quilt project and for inviting participants to her home to sew and share.
Chi miigwetch to Jack Hoggarth for facilitating the use of the Curve Lake Cultural Centre and for your continued support.
Chi miigwetch to Rob Cahill for his donation of muskrat fur and to Rory Cummings who constructed beautiful muskrat fur adult and baby mitts, a muskrat fur stress pillow, and a muskrat fur hair tie.
Miigwetch to Krista Knott for capturing the day and events with amazing photographs and to Brian Mitolo for video documentation.
Chi miigwetch to Curve Lake First Nation Chief and Council for allowing us the use of the beautiful Pow Wow grounds and to Chief Knott for the inspiring welcome and for the gift of your presence throughout the day.
In addition to past mnoominkewin events, we are grateful for additional contemporary arts inclusions this year. On September 22 and 23, we presented excellent, thought-provoking theatre with the Crow's Theatre production of William Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT, A Radical Retelling by Cliff Cardinal. Miigwetch for your masterful writing and performance Cliff Cardinal.
Chi miigwetch to the legendary and generous Keith Secola for headlining our concert at the Curve Lake Community Centre and to Matt Greco and Rob Foreman for joining Keith's band. To the ever generous and powerful Pura Fe for her river and paddling song workshop and for an incredible performance at the concert. To Curve Lake's Sarah Lewis and Peggy Day for opening our concert and sharing your amazing talent with the Curve Lake community. Chi miigwetch to Bill Coleman for his inspiring performance that got us up and dancing.
Miigwetch to Nicole Gibeault for safely transporting our visiting artists to and from the airport.
Miigwetch to Tai Timbers for excellent sound and for going above and beyond and to Esther Vincent for making sure everything ran smoothly.
Chi miigwetch to all of the volunteers who helped the day run smoothly.
Chi miigwetch to our sponsors: Canada Council for the Arts, Creating Knowing and Sharing Program; the Ontario Arts Council's Indigenous Arts Program, the Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle, St. Andrew's United Church in Beaverton, 4th Line Theatre and to the generous partnership of Showplace Performance Centre Theatre.
Chi miigwetch to Public Energy for your support with event insurance, charitable donation sponsorship via Canada Helps and for marketing assistance.
Miigwetch to our community private donors for your continued support.
We deeply appreciate gathering together to celebrate, eat, plant, gather, and process mnoomin as we build community and restore cultural transmission. We left inspired, grateful, and we look forward to gathering next year!
Produced By
O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk Collective (also referred to as OKW), is a multidisciplinary arts collective dedicated to nurturing Indigenous artists and communities. O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk was named by teacher, mentor, and Anishnaabe language speaker Taaji Cameron. Our name translates to “weaving sweetgrass in toward the heart of the braid.” Sweetgrass grows in abundance in this region and has been used for generations as medicine in our communities. OKW believes that expression through the arts and organizing positive culturally rich community events is also great medicine. Through many partnerships and relationships, we weave together artists, communities, audiences and organizations, in celebration of the diversity and vibrancy that exists within our Indigenous communities. OKW’s most notable activity was the Ode’min Giizis Festival (2007-2012), a multi-disciplinary festival of arts which featured several local, nationally and internationally recognized Indigenous artists in Peterborough, Ontario. OKW was formed in 2004 by James Whetung, Sara Roque and Patti Shaughnessy. Current members are Sean Conway, Patti Shaughnessy and James Whetung.
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